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Post by Bessain on Dec 2, 2007 18:15:31 GMT -8
Despite the brief period of rest from her classes, Megan came to find that she almost despised spring vacation. No school meant no magic, and she would not come of age for awhile yet. Spring always meant going back to life as a muggle, filled with annoyances that often tempted her to dust off the old wand. School had only been out for three days, and Megan was already starting to drive herself crazy. She sat at the small writing desk in her room, staring at various job applications to places she really didn’t want to work at, and wondered when her friends were ever going to write to her. Still having no owl of her own, she always had to wait for someone to send something, before she could get word of her life out. She sighed and laid her head on her desk. A knock came at her bedroom door. “Come in,” Megan growled, feeling rather grumpy. Her father opened the door to come in and look over her shoulder. “Getting those things done?” he asked, glancing at the applications Megan was currently laying on. “Trying,” was all she offered in reply. “Yea, real hard,” he chuckled. “Anyway, missy,” his voice taking on a much more serious tone, “You may have to put those on hold. Mom wants us to go visit the relatives down south for a week.” Megan let out an overdramatic groan. “But we go every year! Besides, there’s never anything for me to do over there! And I came up short in spending money last year at school. Dad, I need a job!” The two argued for well over an hour, which eventually brought Megan’s mother into the battle. Megan, however, stuck to the job story and managed to win in the end. Her parents left the room awhile later to pack for their early morning departure. Megan slumped down in her chair, thoroughly relieved. She glanced absently out the window, and was surprised to recognize her friend Andrea’s owl heading straight for her. Megan got up quickly to open the window and let him in. She tore the letter from the bird’s foot and read quickly, shutting the window with her other hand so the bird would have to stick around. The letter consisted mostly of updates from her friend, and questions about hang out places during the vacation. Despite the simplicity of the letter, the wheels in Megan’s head gave a little jumpstart. Her parents were out for a week! Megan wrote back quickly, before pulling a stack of paper and envelopes out of her desk. “Sorry buddy,” she said to the owl, tossing him a snack. He’d have to carry quite a few invitations on his way back. Spring vacation was here after all.
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Post by Gwyn on Dec 2, 2007 22:23:46 GMT -8
Gwyn had no plans to leave the school for the Spring Break and told his mother his duties as Head Boy meant he had to stay. Duty was something his mother understood so she didn’t question it but it was a bold faced lie. This was Gwyn’s second year as Head Boy and he worked closely with Professor Dumbledore who had taken on more of the schools day to day running as Head Master Dippet was on in years and no longer able to cope with all his duties. Spring Break would be time for Gwyn to lay back a bit and now that he was of age he would spend a few of his evenings in Hogsmead having a pint or sampling a glass or two of Fire Whisky, much to Dumbledore’s disapproval. When it came to Quidditch Gryffindor was having a second very successful year. Gwyn still flew as Chaser and the team worked as a well oiled machine under Kade’s direction.
It was a sunny after three days of rain and Gwyn took the opportunity to go outside and fly the grounds and the Quidditch pitch. The air was fresh and clear and he flew above the castle and just hung there a while looking down on the place that had become more dear to him than home. He flew down to the front door and dismounted. Hagrid came out of the Castle and the two of them were speaking when Andi’s owl Sterling landed close by and held out its leg. Gwyn smiled there were two notes attached, one from Megan and one from Andi.
The note from Megan told him of her parents’ holiday and that she’d be alone for a week. She was planning a party and was inviting all her Hogwarts friends. Gwyn smiled, it had only been four days but he dearly missed Megan.
“Oh a note from your sweetie.” Hagrid said peering down at the note from his height advantage.
Gwyn blushed at Hagrid’s comment, no one had ever quite put it that way before.
“Yes she’s having some of her school friends over.” Gwyn replied. “Looks like I’ll be picking up a couple of people and Apparating them there with me.”
“Ah well you won’t be minding doing that now that ya can eh. Just mind yourself and be careful now.” Hagrid winked at him and sauntered away towards the game keeper’s cabin.
Gwyn sat on the step and quickly penciled a note to both Andi and Megan and attached them both to Sterling’s leg.
“To Megan first and then back to your master’s.” He watched as the owl flew off in the direction of Megan’s home.
It was quiet in the school and he’d enjoy the time with friends away from school rules. He might even sleep over at Megan’s if Andi stayed and get an extra day with Megan away from all the students. The Head Boy and a Prefect couple always had someone staring at them. Andi’s note was also regarding the party but she was asking for a side Apparition to Megan’s place since she wouldn’t be of age till the end of April. Gwyn who had been able to Apparate since his Durmstrang days was only too happy for the chance to use his skill now that he was of legal age. The party was in a couple of days and Gwyn wanted some things done before he went and now he needed to get to Hogsmead today or tomorrow for sure. He looked at his watch as he ran up steps and into the Great Hall where he knew Professor Dumbledore was to meet with some of the kitchen Elves. He found the Professor quite alone and told him of his plans and his intention to remain at Megan’s an extra day along with the Ravenclaw Prefect and friend Andi.
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Post by Erin on Dec 3, 2007 22:31:09 GMT -8
When the letter addressed to Andrea Zabe containing the books required for her fifth year at Hogwarts arrived, Andi had a very pleasant surprise; she had been made a Ravenclaw Prefect. Not evening thinking, she immediately grabbed her quill and parchment and scribbled out three quick notes to Megan, Gwyn and Adrian. Two days later, Sterling returned with notes of congratulations and pleasant surprises from all three of them; both Gwyn and Megan had been made the Prefects of Gryffindor, and Adrian had been made the other Prefect of Ravenclaw.
In her sixth year, Andi discovered with the delivery of her book list she had achieved an O.W.L. in each subject except in Divination. When Gwyn’s owl, Andulas, tapped unexpected on her window, there was a note expressing his excitement in that he had been made the Gryffindor Head Boy.
When the four of them met on platform 9¾ the seventh year had begun. The train ride was long and full of patrolling the corridors until lunch, when they all caught up with each other about what had happened over the summer. Eventually, Gwyn and Adrian got on to the topic of Quidditch, which was Andi and Megan’s cue to start talking on their own. Most of the year pasted fairly quickly, except for the holidays which took forever to go by because most of the time everyone went home, except Gwyn. The prospect of their last year at Hogwarts excited them all and they all took extra care in their school work so they could get a couple on N.E.W.Ts.
***
Spring break already!! Andi thought as she arrived home to her now dusty room. Dropping her bags and launching herself on to her bed she looked up at the ceiling. An annoying tapping came from Sterling. Ignoring it she closed her eyes and thought of how nice it would be to stay peacefully at home for awhile. The impatient tapping of her owl grew louder and this time her mother came in, finally noticing the racket.
“Darling, you’d better let that bird out! I can hear him all the way downstairs! You father and I didn’t buy him for you just to be crammed in a cage.” Rose Zabe told her daughter.
She left the room, with the owl’s eyes following after her hopefully. Andi picked herself up off the bed and removed the lock from Sterling’s cage. The owl flew silently over to the window and waited beside it while Andi wrote out two quick notes to Megan, Gwyn and Adrian. They ended being very short and brief, but Andi already missed her friends.
When Sterling returned a few days later, he was baring a note from Megan about a gathering she was having at her house because her parents were gone for a week. Andi quickly wrote back to Megan saying she would come. The notes to Adrian and Gwyn were still tied to Sterling’s leg. Quickly removing the note to Gwyn, she rewrote it and adding in that she would need to Side-Along-Apparate to Megan’s. Releasing Sterling back outside, she watched the owl fly towards to sunlit horizon.
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Post by Zukuto-kun on Dec 3, 2007 22:41:02 GMT -8
Kade walked around Diagon Alley, a common place that he always felt a comfort in. He walked down the streets and came to a familiar looking place. He walked up to the store front of Olivander's Wand shop and looked inside. The building was closed but he could still see inside to the large shelves of stacked wands. He remembered the first time he had recieved his wand, how good it had felt to know that he was a wizard like his parents.
Ah good times,Kade said to himself.
Kade's brown hair was now shoulder length and was disheveled from trying and failing to do anything with it. He was rather taller now than he had been previously, tall enough to have to bend his knees to greet Megan or Andrea with a friendly hug.
Kade thought to himself about his friends. Gwyn, Emily, Andrea, Megan, its been a while since i've seen you last.
Kade had seen Charlie during the break but had recieved no word from the others. He turned away from Olivander's and walked down the street longer to Gringott's Bank. Kade walked in and made a withdrawl of a couple gallions and went his way to go grab a bite to eat.
Overhead Kade heard a familliar "hoot." He looked up to see an owl fly past and drop a piece of bound parchment down to him. He reached out and grabbed the parchment and held it in his hands. On the top it read: "Kade" in Megan's handwriting.
It seems I'll be seeing my good friends again sooner than I thought
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Post by Naucoaran on Dec 4, 2007 17:22:46 GMT -8
Adrian sat at his desk with a rather large book propped up on it. He was finally off of school and with all the things he had to do, Adrian barley had any time to really sit and read anymore. "Adrian! You have some letters!" he heard his father shout out from downstairs. He sighed then set the book aside. Taking the stairs two at a time he arrived in the living room in no time. He was surprised that the owl stayed around after the messages had been delivered. Under closer inspection he realized that it was Andrea's owl. After stroking some of the bird’s feathers he tore open the letter and read it through. It appeared that Megan was up to no good again.
"Hey dad." he said with a grin. "Megan is having some friends over for a little while, and I was wondering that, seeing as you work in the Ministry and all, could you scribble up a permit for magic? Only Gwyn and myself are of age yet and it would be a shame to get her in trouble." his grin spread wider as his father gave him a look. Finally he seemed to agree and nodded his head. After thanking him Adrian scurried up to his room and jotted down a quick letter to Megan about the permit and then another to Andi to let her know he got the message and that he would see her there. Before sending the owl out again he gave it a snack, who knew how many messages it had carried that day?
On his way back up to his room, Adrian made a mental note to visit Hogsmead to pick up some snacks and drinks. "This is going to be fun." he said absently as he rubbed his hands together. "Of, Gwyn!" he cursed as remembered he wanted to send him something. The two of them had grown into quite good friends over they years and Part of Adrian's better spell repertoire was because of him. Without Gwyn helping him out with some of the work, it would have taken him three times as long to learn how to properly Apparate among many other things. He went back down stairs but the owl was already gone. Sighing he shrugged, he would see him in a couple days anyways.
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Post by Gwyn on Dec 6, 2007 7:18:04 GMT -8
When Gwyn mentioned that he had hoped to spend the night and an extra day at Megan’s home Dumbledore at first gave him that critical look over his glasses but then smiled and said it would be alright. Gwyn took the stairs two at a time and ran up to the Gryffindor common room. He had a couple hours of lessons work to do and then he’d need to go to Hogsmead, there was that special something he had put aside at Christmas, and he was now finally able to make the last payment, Gwyn smiled at the thought of it..
When his lesson work was done Gwyn put together a note for Adrian to set a time for the two of them to meet in Hogsmead on the morning of the party. Megan was muggle born, and it was unlikely that she had everything needed for a party of witches and wizards. Adrian and Gwyn had met three years ago and quickly become very close friends. Outside of playing Quidditch they often worked together, and now it would take the two of them to get together everything needed for the party, and then Apparate themselves and the supplies to Megan’s home. Gwyn was finishing a note to Megan letting her know that they would be bringing all the snacks and butter beer they needed for the evening. With everything written he walked up to the Owlery and tied the two notes to Andulas’s leg and sent him off to Megan’s first and then on to Adrian’s. It was going to be a good time and Gwyn was looking forward to it.
**************** A weak earlier
Antwerp, Belgium. Tuesday March 11, 10pm. A meeting is scheduled to take place in an abandoned bombed out dockside terminal. Two wizards dressed rather shabbily make their way wearily through scattered debris to a building scheduled to be torn down. It’s a damp night and nothing moves about except for the sea rats as they enter the building.
“Gentlemen, I take it my proposition has met with your approval. Very well then” A well dressed wizard steps out from behind a steel girder but his features remain hidden in the shadows. In the blink of an eye he pulls his wand out of his left sleeve and points it at two shabbily dressed wizards who stop in their tracks. He flourishes the wand and a slight glow emanates all around them and then disappears.
“Ere what are you playing at?” the larger of the two spits out.
The well dressed man looks the two over and sneers.
“Would you prefer to be overheard?” He said with a great deal of sarcasm. “I have merely created a shield against muggles and prevented our conversation from being overheard. Now if you’re ready we can discuss the final details.” He sets a black bag on a metal dust covered stand and opens it. He pulls out a small canvas bag and drops it on the stand. It’s obvious the bag is filled with coins.
“As agreed, one third now and the rest when the sword safely delivered.”
The larger man steps forward and reaches for the bag but before he can touch it a black riding crop smacks loudly on the table. The hand reaching for the bag is quickly pulled back.
“Let’s not be hasty now gentlemen.” the dark stranger spoke with a cold low voice.
From the case he brings out three more items, a piece of parchment which he sets it on the stand, a brown bottle filled with a liquid and lastly a long slim cylinder.
“The operation will take place on the 19th. You will enter and leave the school through a tunnel that opens in Gladrags Wizardwear, a storage warehouse in Hogsmead. The warehouse back door will be open as will the access to the tunnel . It will take you 20 minutes to get through to the school cellar.” He points at the parchment with his riding crop. “This parchment is vital to your success. On it you will find a map which will guide you to the Headmaster’s office, you will also find the counter curse to the shield protecting the glass display case. The office door will be unlocked.” He points at the long cylinder.
“The sword is to be placed in this. You will then return to Hogsmead through the tunnel and then Apparate to this address in Diagon Alley and leave the sword there along with everything you see here. The remainder of your payment will be there. Is everything abundantly clear?”
The two men muttered an acknowledgement.
“Good. The last two remaining details then.” He pushes the brown bottle forward with his crop. “Poly juice, Atwater this is for you. Your appearance will become that of Professor Slughorn. If you’re seen by anyone don’t talk because your voice will be your own, smile, wave or nod but don’t talk. Don’t overly concern yourself about that the castle will be quiet. The students will be on Spring Break and by midnight all the professors will have taken to their beds. Lastly, get in and out as quietly and quickly as you can. Touch nothing else in the Headmasters office and you should be able to be out in fifteen minutes. The fact that the sword is missing won’t be noticed till morning and by then you’ll be here, safely out of the country and no one the wiser.” The strangers voice grows cold leaving no doubt of his sincerity. “Should you have a mind to keep the sword and sell to the highest bidder or take the money and run remember this, you’ll be dead inside a week. “
The meeting was over and the secretive stranger stepped into the deep shadows and with a crack he Apparated. The two roughnecks gathered up the items and put them in the black case and Apparate out of the terminal.
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Post by Bessain on Dec 8, 2007 19:05:14 GMT -8
A few hours after Megan sent out the invitations, the reply's came in a large feathered flock. Owls shoved themselves through her bedroom window three at a time. Megan glanced out when she could, and gave a helpless shrug at her confused neighbors.
Opening letter after letter, Megan tried to answer all the messages before her room became covered in bird poop. Most were just from friends saying they could come, others were from acquaintances who had heard of her get together and were wondering why they weren't invited. The more useful of these notes came from her closer friends, especially Adrian's. So along with her own replys, Megan eventually ended up sending out more invites.
It was dark when she finally finished, and cleaning up after the messenger owls took another half hour. Eventually she made it down stair to the living room, where she laid down on the couch.
"Now where do I put all these people..." she mutter out loud to herself, plotting out different ways to rearrange the furniture to create extra space. She experimented with those ideas, before finally giving up and moving on to cleaning the guest room for Andrea or whoever else decided to stick around afterwards.
It was a relief that Gwyddion and Adrian would be taking care of snacks and whatnot, because she actually had no idea what was expected of her beyond getting her parents out of the house. The line between wizards and muggles had been slightly blurred for Megan, as she was not of age and not yet fully a part of the wizarding world. But that would change in a few months... and since she had been without the use of her wand for several days, she really could not wait.
A tapping on the window in her room upstairs broker her daydreaming. She assumed that meant more letters were begging to be let in. With a sigh, Megan trudged up the stairs and grabbed a rag as she did so, readying to clean up the inevitable mess and trying to remind herself why she still wanted an owl.
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Post by Gwyn on Dec 10, 2007 23:36:00 GMT -8
Wednesday March 19, 5am.
In Hogsmead the weather had turned bitter. The sun of the previous few days had given way to a late winter storm. A harsh wind blew in from the northeast and sleet covers everything at the higher altitude of the cave.
Two shot like cracks sounded in the hills above Hogsmead as two figures appear outside of the opening of a cave. The two men, Atwater and his companion Giles, retreated into the cave. Giles heated a small pile of rocks till they glowed with his wand and stood close warming himself. Atwater watches the village from the entrance but no one seems to have noticed or heard their arrival. Satisfied that their presents was unknown he retreated further into the cave and crowded around the still glowing rocks.
Atwater comments as he joins Giles. “Well no one in their right mind will be out strolling in this at 5am. We’ll be safe up here till it’s time to go.”
“You still mean to walk down to the village in this? I don’t sees why we can’t just pop in, no one will be about if this weather holds. Makes no bloody sense to freeze your ass off walking all the way down from up here.”
“We’ll do as we’re told and nothing else. I don’t know that fella and I don’t wants to be meetin him again. Made my skin crawl did é. It’ll be easy pickins and when we’ve got the rest of the money we’ll scurry to the mainland and live easy. No more dirty work and licking the boots of the like of him. We’ll live easy then. So for now we wait and do as we’re told, got it?!”
Giles in spite of being told is still somewhat uncomfortable. “Ya I got it don’t worry. Just seems like a lot of fuss for one bloody sword. Ere who’s the man on the inside? Someon has to break the spells an open all those doors for us, whys don’t they just gives us the sword at the cellar door. Be a might quicker and easier.”
“Quit your bloody whining. It is the way it is and we’re not going to second guess everything now. They obviously want to keep him inside and he’ll need a alibi won’t he. It has to look like a break in or he’s up the creek. We do what we were told and there’ll be no cock ups. Now shut up will ya.”
************************
Gwyn woke at seven and laid around thinking of what they’d need to pick up for the party. He was to meet Adrian in Hogsmead at 10 and they’d go straight to Megan’s home from there. From Megan’s he’d go to Andi’s and pick her up and they’d have things done and be settled by noon. Everything seemed straight forward. Gwyn rolled out of bed and glanced out the window. Yesterday’s sun had given way and the rain and wind had returned with a vengeance, he scowled at the site of it; it was going to be a wet cold morning for shopping.
Dressed warmly Gwyn went to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were so few of them in the school that teachers, Gwyn and caretakers all sat together at two tables set together in one row. There was however someone new at the table, a good looking witch in her mid thirties Gwyn guessed. Gwyn had never seen this particular witch at Hogwarts and guessed she was visiting the Headmaster. But this was not the case. It was Dumbledore that sat next to her and they spoke at length with only minor comments from the Headmaster whose thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. The food was as good as usual and the conversation was light for the most part. Just before everyone was to leave Headmaster Dippet, who was naturally at the head of the table, stood and waited for all eye’s to be turned to him. He cleared his throat to make an announcement.
“I have been remiss in introducing our guest. Therefore I would now like to introduce our newest staff member Professor Minerva McGonagall. She comes very highly recommended and will be teaching the Transfiguration Classes.
This caught Gwyn and some of the others by complete surprise. He immediately looked at Dumbledore who sat there quite stoic but his eye caught Gwyn’s and he could have sworn that Dumbledore winked at him. The polite applause died down and Dippet continued.
“I have been at Hogwarts nearly all my life and the time has come for me to step aside as Headmaster and turn the reins over to the schools new Headmaster Professor Albus Dumbledore. I will be stepping aside this Friday to give Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall a week to move into their new roles. There will be a formal hand over before the school governors and the student body on the first Monday of the next term.”
Headmaster Dippet had more to say but Gwyn didn’t hear much of it after the initial announcement. Gwyn was ecstatic that Hogwarts would have a Gryffindor Headmaster especially Dumbledore, and that Slytherin finally could no longer gloat. There would certainly be changes at Hogwarts and most of those changes would infuriate Slytherin House. The one thing that Gwyn didn’t like was the fact that all those at the breakfast had been told that this new must not go any further than the teachers and those assembled. Gwyn realised he was given quite an honour to be one of the first to hear the news but there was no way he could keep this from his circle of closest friends.
After Dippet, Dumbledore spoke and then McGonagall spoke which to Gwyn’s liking took far too long. Once Gwyn was out of the school he ran across the rain soaked fields and as soon as he ran through the gate he Apparated to Hogsmead. He waited for Adrian to show and as soon as he did they went to work. Several large grocery bags of snacks, pumpkin juice, sweets and butter beer later they finally stopped for lunch at The Three Broomsticks. Gwyn selected a table as far from prying ears as possible and then cast the Muffilato spell just to make sure they wouldn’t be heard. Gwyn then told Adrian the news of Dippet’s retirement and that Dumbledore would be the new Headmaster. The news astounded Adrian as much as it had Gwyn and the fact that Hogwarts would not have an overt Slytherin favouring Headmaster was not lost on Adrian. When Adrian asked who the new Gryffindor Head would be Gwyn didn’t have an answer. He speculated that it would likely be Professor McGonagall because she took Dumbledore’s place as transfiguration Professor. They both wondered what the new teacher would have in store for Gryffindor and what she would be like in class.
It was past one when they finally left Hogsmead and Apparated with the first load of supplies to Megan’s. It took a further 2 trips each before they managed to bring everything they purchased.
After a big hug and a kiss from Megan Gwyn sat himself down on a chair in the kitchen. The table was covered with bags and bottles of Pumpkin Juice and Butter Beer. There was clearly a lot to do but Gwyn didn’t want to rush off to pickup Andi before he had a few minutes with Megan.
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Post by Naucoaran on Dec 11, 2007 16:09:32 GMT -8
Adrian woke up around nine and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He had been hoping to wake up a bit earlier as he usually did but upon seeing the dreary weather out of his window, he slept in. The continuing assault of rain on his window seemed to dampen his mood as he got dressed. Bloody rain. He thought, Always when I have to do things outside. He quickly shuffled through his desk, grabbing his pocket watch, wand, and an assortment of money he had picked up the day before. After putting everything in its appropriate pockets, he went down stairs.
"You're up late," his mother said in a rather cheery tone. "Your breakfast might be cold, but I can heat it up for you."
Adrian peered over her shoulder as she fiddled with the food. Oatmeal with honeyed toast and bacon. He could feel his stomach growl at the smell. He plopped into the chair and read the front page of the news paper. it appeared that something special happened somewhere interesting but before he could get into it, a plate of food was set down in front of him. He ate the food rather slowly, finding that it was unwise to rush oatmeal, before handing the plate back to his mother then rushing to the bathroom. "It was great Mum, thanks!" he called over his shoulder as he washed himself up.
"Your father wanted me to tell you something Adrian!" She called back. He emerged from the bathroom a few seconds later. "He said to meet him in his office around two. Its about that permit you talked him into I believe."
Adrian nodded with a smile. "Alright, I'll go see him. I better get going; Gwyn is probably waiting for me." After saying their goodbyes he Apparated to Hogsmead and met up with Gwyn. After much shopping the two of them moved the supplies over to Megan's house. Before Gwyn and Megan could get too caught up with each other he interrupted. "I'll need to make a side errand before it gets too late." He said as he checked his watch. It was getting close to two and his father was very punctual. "I wont be too long so...don't do anything I wouldn’t do." he said with a wink at Gwyn before he Apparated out to the Ministry.
He had visited often and was quickly recognized by everyone working there. He was even offered a snack, which he had to decline because he was still full from lunch, on his way to his father’s office. Knocking twice on the door before he peeked in, Adrian entered. His father had settled in quite nicely in the office, putting an assortment of knick-knacks and animated pictures up. "Ah, come in, come in." he said as he stood. Pulling out an envelope from his desk he handed it to Adrian. Opening it up he quickly scanned through it, noting the timelines where magic was allowed. "This should work shouldn’t it?" the bigger man said with a grin.
Adrian returned the look, an almost identical smile to his fathers, and nodded. "I think so, thanks Pop." He said as he slid the envelope into the pocket on the inside of his jacket.
"That’s your copy, be sure to keep it with you when you're at the party. My copy will be entered into the logbooks here. Everything is in order." Adrian nodded his thanks once more before leaving again. He cleared his mind and focused as he Apparated once more back to Megan’s house. He cleared his throat rather loudly for Gwyn and Megan's benefit as he walked into the building. "I have news." he declared triumphantly as he strode in font of them. Slipping the envelope from his pocket he presented it to the couple as they took a seat on the couch.
"This, my friends, is a permit. It was procured by inside means of the Ministry to allow all sorts of magic use at this location for the duration of the party, and then some. Now tell me, who is your favorite friend?" he said the last part in jest as he puffed his chest out in a comical expression of superiority.
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Post by Erin on Dec 13, 2007 16:32:14 GMT -8
At about 3pm there was a knock on the door, which was answered by Rose.
“Oh, hello Gwyddion. To what do we owe this surprise?”
“Hello Mrs. Zabe. Didn’t Andi tell you? We’re heading over to Megan’s tonight and since Andi’s not of age, I agreed to Side-Along-Apparate with her.” Andi heard Gwyn say from downstairs.
She was busy putting the finishing touches on her make-up. Quickly grabbing her wand, she headed down stairs and grabbed her cloak.
“Darling, you never told me you were going to Megan’s tonight.” Rose said as Andi entered the kitchen.
Andi looked over at her mother, slightly red in the face, and most unhappy.
“What do you mean I never told you?! I told you right after I received the letter, last night, and this morning!”
There was silence in the room for a moment. Andi looked over at Gwyn standing silently in the corner, and felt herself go a little redder. It was bad enough her mom was calling her “darling” in front of her friends, but she was 17! What should it matter if she’s going to a party with her friends?
“Oh, that’s right! I remember. Go on, be sure to say hello to Megan for me!” Rose said, not actually remembering. “What tine will you be home?”
“I may end up spending the night depending on how late everyone else stays.”
“All right, I’ll see you later then, darling. Have a good time!”
Andi motioned towards the door and proceeded through it after Gwyn.
“Sorry about that! I didn’t even get the chance to say hi to you yet! Anyway, thanks for going to this trouble for me!”
“Aw, it was no trouble at all! We can stop here.” The two of them stopped walking about half way across the yard. “Just hold on to my arm or something, and make sure it’s tight.”
Andi grabbed Gwyn’s arm tightly, as instructed and closed her eyes. All of a sudden the sensation of being squeezed through a tube came over her. Then, cool, fresh, rainy air filled her lungs, Letting go of Gwyn’s are, she looked up to see Megan’s house, as if beckoning to her.
It’s been a while since I was here last! she thought.
“Err… should we knock or something?” she started as they both walked across the yard towards the door, but Gwyn had already opened it.
A wall of comforting heat hit Andi and before she knew it, a person had too.
“Megan!” Andi choked through a bone-crushing hug as she hugged her friend back. “It’s only been four days since we saw each other last, you’re acting as if it’s been months!” she laughed.
“I know. But I’ve been soo deprived lately!” Megan replied dramatically, releasing Andi.
“Why hello there Andrea.” Said a mock elegant voice. “What a pleasant surprise to see you here! Just absolutely spiffing!”
“Adrian!” Andi exclaimed, giving Adrian a hug too. “How’ve you been? You’re probably living in royalty considering you’re of age!”
“No kidding! I hate having to live like a Muggle as soon as holidays come!” Megan said. “I mean, they’re supposed to be relaxing, but soon you find yourself down on your hands and knees scrubbing owl crap off the floor!”
Three gave Megan an inquiring look before Gwyn spoke.
“Well, you could have stayed at Hogwarts with me, it is our last year after all. But it’s too late now!” he added with a smile.
“Actually, I’ve been rather busy so far.” Adrian said unhappily.
“That’s interesting, I’ve been kickin’ it back at my place!” Andi said. “So Megan, I have three questions.”
“Shoot.”
“Ok. Who’s coming? Are there a lot coming, because if there are you could have a problem with “accidental magic” and…do I get the guestroom?”
***
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Post by Bessain on Dec 22, 2007 23:11:26 GMT -8
Megan, who was teetering on the verge of giddiness, was able to calm down a little at the expense of Andrea's questioning.
"Well," she started, pausing to pull a folded up piece of paper out of her back pocket. "Here's the guest list... I realize I may have gone a little overboard."
Her three friends each raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight of the list that was filled front to back.
"It's pretty much everyone from our year in Gryffindor, and of course I had to get some Ravenclaws... and a few Hufflepuffs found out and were wondering why they couldn't come, so I replied saying they could... so yeah."
The room was silent.
"They're not all coming at the same time! Some are just coming by to chat for a little bit, then leaving... I think." Megan thought it best to try and change the subject at that time. "Andi, of course you get the guestroom... but um... what do you mean accidental magic?"
~
Shoving Gwyddion out the door to muggle proof the house was all Megan really had time to do once guests started showing up in more than just pairs. Some sat themselves down in the living room and betted on ongoing games of exploding snap before joining in. Others sifted through her parent's vinyls and started changing them faster than a song could completely run through. Megan tried not to cringe everytime they did this, hoping that scratches were nothing her wand couldn't fix. A few, who knew absolutely nothing about muggles, insisted on trying to make simple household appliances work, thinking they were some sort of party gag.
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Post by Gwyn on Dec 25, 2007 23:46:19 GMT -8
Well it didn’t seem as though there was going to be any quiet time with Megan soon so Gwyn dutifully trudged out the door, at Megan’s insistence, to hide the goings on from the neighbouring muggles. With his wand up his sleeve he walked around the property line quietly saying the spells which would hide the party and the noise from the muggle homes all around them.
“Salvio hexia ... Protego totalum ... Repello Muggletum ... Muffliato. There that’ll keep the lid on things hopefully.” Gwyn said to himself as he watch several more people materialise in the backyard.
The number of people at the party had grown considerably and there were several there that were certainly not as welcome as some but everything seemed to be going well.
“You didn’t invite them did you?” Gwyn asked Megan as three Ravenclaws appeared in the backyard. They were rather well known for their snobbery and considered most people, some even in Ravenclaw, beneath them.
Megan pulled a sour looking face. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
Gwyn was considering whether or not to ask them to leave when a bright flash and a scream in the kitchen caught his attention. Someone was trying to figure out the gas range and had turned on the gas and waited before they tried to light the stove with a spark from their wand.
“Confuto” Gwyn shouted and the resulting fire ball disappeared. Megan groaned, they had managed to set the kitchen curtains alight and scorched the ceiling. Two somewhat embarrassed Hufflepuff students stood rooted to the spot. Their eyebrows were singed off and their hair was smoking. Gwyn looked at them as though he was ready to throttle them. One of them pulled their wand and both disapparated. That wasn’t the end of it though. In the living room someone had attempted to magically light the candles on the chandelier, not realising that they were electric bulbs. In a white flash the bulbs exploded sending a shower of glass over everyone. Someone was heard saying that they were trick candles that muggles used all the time to fool people. Gwyn groaned and went to the dinning room and repaired the bulbs hoping the remaining household lamps would remain intact. As soon as he’d taken care of the mess he turned the lights on via the electric switch. This amazed a few students, some who’d never seen anything like it. Some thought it quite ingenious to never have to trim wicks or cleanup the wax drippings while others though it foolish to light “candles” by a switch when lighting them with your wand was much easier.
People came and went and being away from school and school rules meant everyone was more themselves and the Prefects and Head Boys/Girls were just one of the crowd. It was a taste of what’s to come after graduation. Gwyn and Adrian were sitting back talking in the dining room when a signature green flash in the back yard announced the arrival of another group of revellers. A group both Adrian and Gwyn knew all too well.
Gwyn and Adrian suddenly appeared on the lawn in front of the three Slytherin and a second later Kade appeared beside them.
“Towser... what do you want here?” Gwyn asked groughly.
The three Slytherins stopped. Drake Towser the Slytherin Head Boy stares at Gwyn.
Towser replied “We’ve only come to mingle Allardyce. Nothing wrong with that is there?”
“Sorry, but I don’t believe there’s anyone here who’d want to mingle with your lot. The parties winding down you see.”
Megan and Andi came out of the house as did several others. Towser sneered when he saw them which made Gwyn look back at the house.
“Something wrong?” He asked not hiding his rising temper.
“One day you’ll find that there many draw backs to the company you keep Allardyce. School’s almost out and you’ll get nowhere with the likes of her dragging you down.”
Gwyn glared at Towser and slowly let his wand slide down his sleeve into his hand.
“It’s for your own good Allardyce, you’ll never get anywhere in the ministry with a mudblood hanging on to your shirttails. You, of all people, should know better.”
“Corpus corp dolor” Gwyn mutterd under his breath and watched as Towser fells to the ground moaning and groaning nearly crying. He looked at the other two just as they disappear.
Gwyn walked around Towser who had now curled up into a fetal position and was moaning loudly.
“I thought you’d know better than to come here and spew out your poison Towser. I’m surprised you’d want to come and smear you reputation and associate with the like of us. Your words breed nothing but the pain you feel now. I know the pain you feel. It was used to punish us and we’d do anything to make it stop. It’s a punishment us pure bloods had to endure so you should feel privileged to suffer as we did.” Gwyn knelt down beside him and whispered into Towser’s ear. “Don’t concern yourself about my future it’s already been determined. But speak like that about the girl I love and you’ll regret it. “
Gwyn stood up and took his time saying the counter curse. Slowly Towser got up and glared at Gwyn.
“This isn’t over Allardyce.” He spat out.
Gwyn returned Towser’s glare. “You know, for once I actually agree with you.”
There was a flash and he was gone. Adrian came over and stood with Gwyn.
“You alright mate?” he asked.
“Ya, I couldn’t be better. Come on.”
Adrian and Gwyn started to walk up to the house when two cracks were heard and the two friends of Towser reappeared. Before Gwyn and Adrian could react they were hit from behind with the Stupefy curse that sent them back and knocked them stunned to the ground. Kade and Megan came running across the lawn and cast several curses at them and drove them off not sure whether they had hit their mark or not. Andi ran to Adrian and Gwyn and used a counter curse to release them from the spell. It took a few minutes before they sat up and walked back into the house with the others close at hand. Once in the kitchen they sat back in the chairs. Gwyn looked up at Megan and gave her his mischievous smile.
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Post by Erin on Dec 29, 2007 14:55:33 GMT -8
The appearance of Slytherin’s, Andi found, didn’t surprise her as much as she expected. With the amount of people that had shown up at Megan’s, it was only to be expected that word would get around. Before hand, Andi been helping Megan to repair the vinyl’s that had been laying forgotten on the coffee table in the living room and also cleaning up the charred mess in the kitchen. Another flash caught the attention of the girls, and both looked at each other with exasperation written on their faces. But then Gwyn’s angered voice floated over to them and they were almost instantly out in the yard. Towser’s face curled into a sneer as he looked at the two girls who had just emerged from the small crowd of students.
Andi caught Towser’s comment as his eyes rolled over Megan, and then shooting back to look at Gwyn. A terrible anger washed over Andi, and she found herself drawing her wand from her pocket and took a step foreword; he would pay for that. But before she could do anything, Megan’s hand had shot out and grabbed Andi by the wrist. Just leave it. Megan mouthed. Crossing her arms she turned and looked at Towser once more, and found to her surprise, he was cringing in pain on the ground, the two cronies Disapparated with a crack.
Within the minute Towser had spat more insults out and Disapparated. Many people had started heading inside, chatting about the on goings of the night hence forth, when two cracks filled the air. Andi turned, rather alarmed, to see the cronies who had before hand left their leader to suffer, pointing their wands at Adrian and Gwyn. Two red jets of light him them before anyone could react. After a quick moment of stunned silence, there was a huge flurry of activity; Kade and Megan were shooting spells as fast as they could say the incantation in a wild attempt to drive off the enemy.
Almost instantly, Andi knew what she had to do. Rushing over to Adrian and Gwyn as if her life depended on it, she quickly used the counter curse and helped them both up. Megan came over as Andi put Adrian’s arm around her shoulder’s to support him, Megan did the same with Gwyn. They slowly made their way into the kitchen and sat the two boys down. They rested for a while, chatting about what had happened and whether they should report the attack to Professor Dumbledore even though it took places outside of school. Eventually Andi pointed out the Slytherins were obviously of age and it wouldn’t do any good alerting the school.
***
Andi looked down at her watch with a yawn. 12:30! Sheesh! I never thought it would be that late! she thought. “Uh, Megan, it’s getting rather late.” Andi commented to her friend.
Megan glanced at the clock, hanging, still intact, on the wall across the room. “Great Merlin!” she exclaimed. “I never intended things to go quite this late! Hey Gwyn, Arian, would you mind getting the people who aren’t of age yet home? Andi and I could start cleaning up.”
They came to an accord that if Adrian and Gwyn Side-Along-Apparated those who weren’t yet of age home, they wouldn’t have to help with the clean-up. Andi stood up and went around to everyone, telling them they needed to leave soon, and asking around about who wasn’t of age yet. About fifteen minutes later, cracks of those Disapparating almost over powered every other noise and the house became rather empty. Andi walked back into the kitchen to find Megan sitting there still with a look of exhaustion.
Megan sighed. “Let the cleaning begin?”
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Post by Bessain on Dec 31, 2007 19:27:41 GMT -8
"Andi, remind me never to do this again." Megan grumbled, wishing someone else had thrown the party.
"Just be glad we don't have to clean it by hand." Andrea chuckled, giving Megan a hand out of her chair.
"Tell me, are all Ravenclaws this curious?" Megan asked, looking up at the burnt kitchen ceiling.
"... I'm not quite sure what was going on in their head."
Megan scowled and pulled her wand out of her pocket to begin the late night clean up.
Gwyddion and Adrian left the house to help people home, while Andrea and Megan stayed behind to clean up. Megan tried to remember what it was that had possessed her to throw a party in the first place, and found that she could not. It would not have been so bad if the Slytherins hadn't shown up. They only reminded her of an ever growing fear.
She would be 17 soon, the coming of age into the wizarding world. But it didn't seem as if age would make a difference for Megan. More than anything, she wanted to be a part of this new world that she had randomly entered at age 11. Her friends' world. Yet people like that Towser always seemed to remind her that she may not ever actually belong to it.
Megan did her best to hide her hurt as she fussed with the burnt kitchen ceiling, thankful that Andrea was in the livingroom unable to see her.
((short, melodramatic, sorry))
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Post by Gwyn on Jan 1, 2008 19:49:36 GMT -8
Atwater stood at the mouth of the cave and looked down at Hogsmead. He pulled an old pocket watch out by its gold chain and glanced at the time; a smile crossed his face as he snapped the cover shut and pocketed it. “Oi! Wake up, it’s time we’re off.” He said as he kicked Giles.
“Damn it’s bloody cold.” Giles complained as he got to his feet. “Is it still pissing down sleet?”
“No, just a bit of snow. Just enough to make it a bitch of a walk down from here. Don’t look like there’s snow in the village though. Never mind that we’ll be warm soon enough, come on we best be off.”
********************
Adrian and Gwyn had each just taken the last of the party guest home by side Apparition and both reappeared in the back yard within a few seconds of each other. They came into the kitchen together and plopped themselves down on two chairs. Gwyn looked around the kitchen and everything was back in place and even the scorched ceiling had been restored.
”Next party, we make sure everyone can get there on their own. All this Apparating really starts to suck after the fifth trip. I’m parched, any butter beer left?” Gwyn asked.
As though they had anticipated Gwyn’s request the girls set down four generous glasses of mead and sat down with the boys. They discussed the party and the unwanted guests but soon the conversation turn to school, and that their days at Hogwarts were coming to an end. The conversation was more nostalgic and skirted their plans for the future. There was a lot of laughter but the time wore on and Andi was the first to leave the table and head to bed and not long after that Adrian made his bed on the living room floor.
********************
“I thought the bloody door was supposed to be open? I don’t know about this, something’s screwed already, maybe we’d be best to leave it.” Giles looked around worried. “Maybe we’ve been setup?”
“Shut your gob you idiot.” Atwater touched the lock with his wand and it popped open. “See nutin’ ta’ worry about. The charms ta’ make sure it stays locked ‘ave been lifted.
He slowly opened the door and scanned the warehouse to make sure the coast was clear. Satisfied, he grabbed the smaller Giles by the scruff of the neck and shoved him in through the door in front of him.
“There the tunnel an’ the doors open jus’ as it should be. You first mate an’ I’ll close the door b’hind us. Don’t light up your wand b’fore the doors shut tight... alright.”
The two men walked on through the tunnel stumbling frequently in spite of their wands lighting the way. When they reached the open entry chamber their wands were put away. Atwater pulled out the hip flask he had tucked away and popped of the cork. Hesitantly he tipped it up and drank the poly juice. Now all they had to do was wait until the poly juice worked its magic.
********************
Finally Gwyn was alone with Megan. He emptied his glass of mead and floated the bottle up and refilled Megan’s and his own glass. He took Megan’s hand and hand held it for a moment before kissing it.
“I still remember the first time I saw you in the common room when Andrew was showing me around. I was smitten then and I’m still smitten with you. I got in so much trouble that year... I couldn’t believe it that you stuck with me all the way through it.” Gwyn’s face broke into a happy smile. “I have a little something for you. I hope you like it.” Gwyn reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flat box wrapped in gold and silver foil. “I love you Megan Delano... and I’d like you to have this.” He handed Megan the box and leaned over and kissed her.
********************
“God your ugly, is he really that fat?”
“Shut up, don’t you say a bloody thing. It was his idea not mine, an’ he’s paid well enough, ain’t he? Now come on we ‘aven’t much time till this wears off.”
The two thieves make their way through the castle and as promised all the doors were unlocked. In a matter if minutes they were in Head Master Dippet’s office. It had all gone to plan and it seemed dead easy. They two men lifted the glass case covering the display holding the sword of Goddrick Gryffindor. Hesitantly Atwater picked up the sword and held it by the hilt at arm’s length and waved it about. Unbeknownst to the two thieves someone had come into the office and stood just inside the door watching the antics in utter amazement.
“Professor Slughorn what the devil is going on in here?”
Startled Atwater spun around to face the owner of the voice. Not thinking he forgot to lower the sword and struck the Head Master in the side of the head and knocked him down to the floor. The Head Master laid still and made no movement.
“Shit!” Atwater lowered the sword, wrapped it and slid it into the cylindrical container the dark stranger gave them.
“Come on someon’ may ‘ave ‘erd something!”
“What about him?” Giles asked. “We can’t leave ‘im like at.”
“Ya an’ in a few minutes ‘e’ll be up and about and invite us for tea. Idiot, get going b’fore he starts shoutin’ again and the whole castle wakes up.”
The thieves leave the office and quickly make their way back to the tunnel. Once in the tunnel they don’t spare the speed and nearly run most of the way back to Hogsmead. They immerged from the tunnel dirt and bruised from repeatedly falling and stumbling. As soon as they reach the open air in Hogsmead no one notices the two cracks as they Apparate away.
********************
Megan’s trembling fingers opened the box and removed the lid. Inside there was a gold dragon with its wings opened and it looked as though it was flying in a circle. She picked it up and put it in the palm of her hand. The dragon pendent was solid gold as was its chain. The pendent itself measured one and a half inches across and was one of 12 known to be in existence. Gwyn stood and picked up the chain and fastened it around her neck. He again sat beside her explained that the dragon will grow noticeably warm if someone were trying to scry, or enter your mind using Legilimency. The enchanted dragon not only warned you but it would also prevent anyone from entering your mind.
Gwyn leaned over and kissed her again. He moved his chair and sat directly in front of her. He smiled and gentle touched her cheek and then took her hand.
“I know how your parents have been on you about getting a job when schools done, but I’ve had an idea and I’d like you to think about it. I was to be travelling after school and we both know I’ve been avoiding talking about. It was tearing me apart so decided not to go. I love you Megan and I don’t want to leave you. I haven’t said anything to my parents yet but there is another option, I want you to go with me. We’d be staying with relatives so even though we’d both be legal it would comfort our parents to know that.” Gwyn looked up into her eyes. “Megan, will you come with me?”
Before anything could be said there was a loud snap and a flash. A lone Phoenix feather fell into the table and a howler hovered in the air above it. A voice they knew well filled the house.
“You must all return to Hogwarts immediately. Something very grave and serious has happened to the Headmaster.” The voice of Professor Dumbledore boomed through the house and woke Adrian and Andi who came running into the kitchen in their PJs.
“We’ve got to go back now. Megan and I will wait for you outside of Professor Dumbledore’s office.” Gwyn and Megan quickly ran out to the back yard and Apparated.
It was only a few minutes later when Adrian and Andi appeared. Dumbledore’s office was very busy with Ministry Officials and they waited until Dumbledore appeared at the door and asked them in.
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Post by Erin on Jan 3, 2008 22:14:09 GMT -8
Joint post between Thalion, Bessain, Erbis and Alex.
When the voice of Professor Dumbledore rumbled through Megan’s house, Andi was sure she felt her gut vibrating inside of her. Completely wide-awake, and her heart pounding, she instinctively grabbed her wand from under her pillow and pointed it at the door, which flung open. Without looking, she whipped through he guestroom doorway and smashed right into Adrian. Both crashed to the ground, slightly dazed, and Andi fell back with the wind knocked out of her.
“Bloody hell, what a night, eh?” ((OOC: You can tell I’m Canadian! )) Adrian said as he got up and pulled Andi up from the floor.
“No kidding…” Andi replied as the two of them ran into the kitchen.
“We’ve got to go back now. Megan and I will wait for you outside of Professor Dumbledore’s office.” Gwyn and Megan quickly ran out to the back yard and Apparated.
“What the hell? Dammit! I wish someone would tell us what’s going on!” Andi almost yelled in frustration.
She looked over at Adrian, who stood rooted to the spot looking stunned.
“I realise this is important, but I need to get dressed before we go anywhere.”
Within minutes the two were standing in Megan’s back yard, after quickly locking up the house. In the blink of an eye, Andi and Adrian were standing in Hogsmead looking up the hill toward Hogwarts, where they could see the small figures of Gwyn and Megan running like mad toward to the towering castle. Without hesitation, they both followed, and soon found the familiar sight of Hogwarts, looming ever closer, bathed in moon light.
~ Dumbledore didn’t utter a word when he opened the door and merely gestured them to take four chairs set in front of his desk. The first thing everyone noticed was that Professor Dumbledore looked very pale and haggard, the usual sparkle in his eyes had gone and now they looked tired and sunken. Gwyn, who was close to the Professor, had never seen him looking so dishevelled, and it filled him with a dread he didn’t understand. The Professor went around his desk and sat himself down heavily; he placed his hands on his desk and looked up at them and sighed.
“At some point in the last few hours, two men gained entry to Hogwarts. How they managed to circumvent the security charms protecting Hogwarts I don’t yet fully understand. The one certainty is that one of the two men in question used poly juice and took on the appearance of Professor Slughorn. We know this because at this moment Professor Slughorn is in Rhodesia, and Peeves, who raised the alarm, claims to have seen the Professor and a second man in the school earlier. They obviously had help from inside the school otherwise there would have been no way to enter Hogwarts or be able to penetrate the Head Masters spells protecting his office and the items therein.” The four of them hung on every word the Professor uttered but wished he would get to the point.
“The thieves have made off with the sword of Godric Gryffindor. It appears that Head Master Dippet walked in on them.” There was a pause in which Professor Dumbledore struggled to keep his composure. “He was knocked to the floor and because of a serious blow to the head; Head Master Dippet has passed away.”
Gwyn reeled back so quickly that the front legs of his chair lifted off the floor. One or both of the girls began to sob quietly. Gwyn couldn’t believe what he had just heard; it was as though he was dreaming. The room was quiet but for the muffled sound of someone crying. The Professor pulled something out of his pocket and laid it on his desk. It was a pocket watch and a small section of gold chain which had broken off. He opened the watch on the inside of the cover it had the initials F.A. engraved on it.
“We have, of course, had a full account of the matter from the portraits, and the description of the one gentleman, who may or may not have used poly juice. The Ministry is of course involved but they know nothing of this watch or of the thief’s appearance as Professor Slughorn. For the sake of the school, I do not wish that the Wizarding world be informed that this was a “Inside job” as our American friends would say. If it became widely known that our security was so easily compromised, parents would fear for the safety of their children and remove them from the school; and who could blame them? The Ministry, which is being somewhat co-operative for the moment, will announce the Head Masters death as natural. Now this is where you four come in and what is said in this room must stay in this room. Do you understand this?”
~
"Yes sir," Megan replied quietly in unison with her friends. Despite having very little love for the Slytherin favoring headmaster, she couldn't help feeling a little sad for the loss of the old professor. The old guy had been the headmaster their entire school career, no matter how much he coddled the arch nemesis of all the houses at Hogwarts. Someone had to be on their side.
"Good," said Dumbledore. "The thieves are being charged with murder and theft, but are thus far nowhere to be found. Go up to the headmasters office and see if there's anything else you can find." He stopped to scribble something down on a piece of parchment. "Give this," he handed Gwyddion a note, "to the investigators in the room. After you take a look through, I'll need you to keep the remaining students at Hogwarts away from the upper levels of the school. There are several teachers already out taking care of this, but I need you to relieve them."
The four stood slowly and headed for the door. Dumbledore gave a tired sigh and showed them to the door.
"Oh, and one more thing," he said returning to his desk and picking up the pocket watch he had discovered. "Take this with you, it might help... though I will need it back."
Megan gently placed the watch into her pocket and thanked the professor as the group made their way up to the headmasters office.
~
Andi walked from Dumbledore’s office, completely stunned at the tragic news. Anything said by the other three didn’t register with her at all. Slowly, they walked in silence to the headmaster’s office. Andi looked up just in time not to walk into Gwyn when everyone had stopped in front of the door. Gwyn handed the note to one of the Ministry officials at the door and the four proceeded inside. It seemed relatively organised, except that one of the cabinets was left hanging open. A Ministry official walked over to the four and sighed.
“It’s very tragic what happened here. Please treat the contents of this office with care, as many of them were heirlooms of Professor Dippet’s family. All we’ve been able to find is a single finger print, but unfortunately, it is of Professor Slughorn. Maybe you’ll have better luck than us.”
~
What the heck are we going to find that the ministry hasn’t already gone through? Gwyn said to himself. I wonder if his body is still there. They met three teachers on their way to the Head Master’s office and not one questioned them as to why they were there. In the office it was much the same with the Ministry wizards not questioning them. The glass case that had covered the sword was on the floor but still in one piece. It didn’t look as though anything else had been looked at so the sword was the only thing they came for. Normally all hell would have broken loose had someone move the glass cover, yet nothing happened. Someone close to Dippet or knowledgeable enough to figure out how to find the counter curses were done. It had to be someone smarter than your average teacher or Ministry official. The puzzle, was how did someone get in? Gwyn thought it over for a moment and then realised that there were a few ways to get into Hogwarts undetected, the same way they would leave to go to Hogsmead; the tunnels.
~
As the news settled over the group in Dumbledore’s office, a strange feeling settled over Adrian. Colors faded in his view as his mind retreated in on itself. Thoughts raced in his mind about how it could have happened. Everyone knew there were precautions that were made to specifically stop theft. What was more shocking was the fact that Dippet's office was the most heavily guarded. Whoever got by them had to have intimate knowledge of it. Dimly, Adrian was aware of Dumbledore talking to them, giving some kind of instructions. He slipped back out of his trance like shock just in time to see Megan receive a pocket watch before they all left.
It wasn’t long before they got to Dippets office where Gwyn handed the note to the Ministry officials. The man who took the note moved off to the back where some other men were standing around and talking quietly. “Garth, note from Dumbledore.” He said as he handed the small piece of parchment to another man. He read threw it then turned to look at the students. “Yes I know them all, bright kids, all of them.” He said as he walked over. “Gwyddion, Megan, Andrea, Son.” Adrian’s father addressed them all.
There were soft mumbles of “Hi Mr. Prewitt.” And other variances as the group identified Adrian’s dad.
“Dumbledore’s said that you’re going to be helping us out with some of this, as always we appreciate your discretion. Naturally we can’t tell you all we know, but you’ll know what you have to.” There was a quick recounting of the story they had heard earlier in Dumbledore’s office then the four students each inspected something they thought important. Adrian went to the door to look at it and try to discern any evidence to the protective wards and how they were breached. He had a certain affinity to defensive castings and protections, and he wanted to test his knowledge now. From what he could tell after a few inquisitive castings and more mundane inspections he knew for a fact that the wards had not been breached by force. They were simply disabled and then never reactivated. Puzzled, he turned back to his friends, ready to get on with their other orders.
~
There really didn't seem like much they could do to help. The ministry was there, and it looked like they had everything covered. Megan's speciality was transfiguration, and the only thing that seem to be remotely in that field was the polyjuice potion. She now wished she had paid more attention in potions class, even if Slughorn was hard on the eyes.
After half an hour of half-hearted searching, the group waved good bye to Adrian's father and left the office.
"You know," said Gwyddion, after they were out of the office and out of earshot. "It really isn't so hard to get into Hogwarts, if you think about it."
"What do you mean?" yawned Megan, who was getting sleepier by the minute.
"Well if we can sneak in and out of here, as students, what’s to stop some fully trained wizard to do it too?"
"The Hogsmead tunnel." muttered Adrian.
"Well we can't exactly check it out now. Still have to go play hall monitor." reminded Andrea.
Professor Lauchlan came walking up at that moment, and the group fell silent. "Finally! Dalton! They're here."
The Charms professor came trotting around the corner a minute later, looking very tired. "Right then, you take it from here then I suppose." The two professors heaved a relieved sigh and made their way to Dumbledore's office, leaving their four students to keep the school newest secret.
~
“Well, I suppose we should split up and just patrol the eastern and western halves of the corridor leading to the Headmasters office.” Andi said, as the others nodded sleepily in agreement. “Oh!” Andi exclaimed as she stuck her hand in her pocket. “I forgot I brought this with me to the party…” she thought aloud. Looking at the others inquiring faces, she withdrew a small sealed bottle from her pant pocket. “This is a potion I brought along with me to Megan’s party in case I started feeling sleepy while everyone was still over. It’s an awakening potion, everyone just take a small sip, that’s all you’ll need.” she said as she handed the bottled potion over to Gwyn, who removed the cork.
The smell of the potion almost made the four start coughing. Bravely, Gwyn took a small mouthful of the potion, and swallowed it in what looked like a painful way. Right after it was down he burst into a coughing fit and exclaimed to Andi, “What the hell is that?!”
“Well…the main ingredient is black pepper…” she started.
The same thing happened to both Megan and Adrian, and when Andi’s turn finally came to swallow the remaining bit of the potion, she could think of nothing better to do than hold her breath.
“Bottoms up!”
After she recovered from her fit of coughing, the four spilt up into two groups. Adrian and Gwyn covered the eastern side of the corridor, while Megan and Andi covered the western half. The night proved to be fairly uneventful; Megan and Andi conversed little and most of the paintings were asleep, but every so often one when inquire as to why they were walking the corridors so late at night.
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Post by Gwyn on Jan 5, 2008 0:33:17 GMT -8
The taste of Andi’s energy drink lingered on the palate much longer than Gwyn liked. He materialised a clear glass and filled it with water from the tip of his wand. As he drank he wondered why they were all there and tried to make sense of it. No one in their right mind would return to the crime scene and with all the protective wards plus a few new ones in place he was sure the biggest challenge of what remain of the night would simply be staying awake. Another thing that had surprised him was the reception they had received from the teachers and the Ministry officials. They were greeted as equals it seemed but maybe he was just too used to being treated as a student and always being spoken down to by any adults in the school. Come to think of it Adrian and he were of age and the girls weren’t far off; maybe things change that quickly when you become of age.
What was Dumbledore doing and what was their place in this plan? The howler had been delivered by Faux, Dumbledore’s Phoenix, and it left behind a tail feather which was likely still on the kitchen table at Megan’s. He’d keep that feather if it was still there when they got back
He wandered around listening and looking as they had been asked to do with their wands at the ready. Gwyn had his wand under his belt with just the back end a little above the belt; he could grab it quick enough should the need arise. An old lesson he learned at Durmstrang was that a wand being held out at the ready was an easy target for the Expelliarmus Charm. As with most lessons at Durmstrang it was learned the hard way. He met Adrian and the two of them sat down on the steps.
“Seeing your dad was alright. I like him; he’s always been fair to us and he’s listened to some pretty wild tales when tried to cover our butts.” Gwyn was quiet for a few minutes and reflected his thought back. “Dippet announced his retirement yesterday at breakfast. He was an old man and outside of being a Slytherin stooge he meant no harm to anyone. He was well past retirement but Dumbledore’s been doing the work for over a year now.” Gwyn sighed heavily. “I want to find the bastards who did this.”
Gwyn stood and stretched. “I think we should check out the Hogsmead tunnel in the morning. They most likely came in that way and if we’re right we might find some tell tale signs of magic on the doors. Did you find anything on the latch plate?”
Adrian told Gwyn that there was nothing wrong with any part of the door and the door was either unlocked or unlatched. They discussed the office and where they had been told the Professor had been found. There was just so little to build on other than there was someone who knew the school inside out and was clearly a powerful witch or wizard.
“Maybe we’ll be luckier in the tunnel, I doubt the Ministry checked it or even knows it’s there. Dropping the watch was unplanned for, and they won’t like that. Someone is bound to worry about it. They may just come back the way they went looking for it, you never know. Well I got to find Megan mate.”
Gwyn didn’t have to go far before he ran into the girls. He walked up to Megan and gave her a big warm hug. He was concerned, one moment they had been alone and the next they were being ask to solve a crime.
“Hey are you alright? We’ve had quite the wild ride the last couple hours.” He kissed her on her forehead. “One minute it’s just us talking and the next we’re here. Haven’t had enough time to stop and think it through yet. You ok with all this?
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Post by Bessain on Jan 5, 2008 23:56:48 GMT -8
Megan returned Gwyddion's hug, but that was all. "Yeah, I'm fine." she said with a shrug. "It's just been a long night. Nothing wrong with that. Just trying to think it all through, I guess."
The night wore on and the excess activity eventually took its toll on Andrea's awakening potion, leaving the four feeling tired again. The school was quiet all night and no one bothered them. Needless to say, their attempt to help out seemed almost taken in vain. But 6am rolled around and the Herbology and Astrology instructors came around to relieve their students.
Still having enough energy to eat, the group went down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast. They had already planned out the next part of their plan, so there was little discussion. Food was shoveled fast from their plates, as it was their first whole meal since eating nothing but party food. The meal brightened their spirits a little, and it was decided that they would use the tunnel to backtrack the thieves. Eventually they would apparate back to Megan's house to rest, since they would already be in Hogsmeade by the time their investigation was done.
"You know, I really don't think they'll be dumb enough to come back for this." Megan commented, turning the old pocket watch over in her hand. "I mean, if I just killed Armando Dippet, I don't think I'd just head back to check on him a couple hours later."
"They were stupid enough to kill him in the first place," replied Adrian, holding open the door to the tunnel the group was currently entering. "Who knows what they're thinking."
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Post by Erin on Jan 13, 2008 15:33:08 GMT -8
Andi let out a yawn as the four entered into the Hogsmead tunnel they had discovered four years previously.
“Well this certainly brings back memories!” Andi said.
“Yeah, no kidding! I still remember that plane crash that almost permanently destroyed them!” Gwyn exclaimed.
“It almost feels weird to be in them with permission…” Megan sighed.
“It took us so long to repair them… you know, if we never fixed them those robbers may not have made into the school…” Adrian said quietly.
A horrible, guilty silence engulfed them. Andi sighed.
“We can’t blame ourselves for this. The thought that someone would break into Hogwarts never crossed our minds, and it never did until last night when we found out it was even possible. But, if you are going to think that this is any of our faults, then just think about what we’re doing now. Dumbledore has asked us to find the people who did this. Not the Ministry directly, but us! I’ve often heard him say that the mind of a child is more powerful than the mind of the most powerful wizard because it doesn’t think technically. In his eyes, we’re still children, and I believe he picked us for the job because we don’t think technically all the time.”
With difficulty, Megan found her voice. “I agree, Andi. The only way to catch these guys will be to find something leading to them. So what are we all doing standing around?”
At the same time, three wands lit up and Andi pointed her at the wall and torches appeared in holders lined up all the way down the tunnel on both sides. Without a word, they all began searching the tunnel for any sign of who the thieves could be.
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Post by Gwyn on Jan 16, 2008 22:36:36 GMT -8
“It’s likely a wasted effort but at least we’ll be able to tell Dumbledore that we checked it out.” As they walked on a thought came to Gwyn. “How many times over the years have we used this tunnel and thought we pulled one over on them? I don’t know why but I think Dumbledore’d known about this tunnel and the others long before we ever found them. I wouldn’t put much past him or think we likely ever put anything over on him. He sure as hell knows we fixed the tunnel after the plane crash and he let us skive off sleeping all that week to get it done. How the hell he handled the Professor’s complaints about us falling asleep in class I’ll never figure out, he never said a word to me about it.”
As everyone thought there was nothing out of ordinary in the tunnels other than foot prints they didn’t recognise. They were certain there were only two of them that used the tunnel which matched the scenario in the school. In Hogsmead everyone was just waking up and they weren’t surprised to see the four of them making another unofficial visit to the village. Using the excuse that there was someone on the school grounds earlier in the morning they asked around if anyone had seen anyone that didn’t belong in the village or acting strangely. They were disappointed with the results. They were all tired and looked forward to getting back to Megan’s place. Megan took Gwyn’s arm and Andi took Adrian’s as they prepared to Apparate to school gate and give their dismal report to Dumbledore.
“Youuu whooo just wait a moment please.” Shouted an elderly witch as she came running across the street. “I heard you were asking around about a stranger in town, well I saw two of them. It was odd and I didn’t remember it till I heard you were asking about.” They all turn and witch suddenly had a very attentive audience.
“I saw two men early this morning. Mr. Puddles was being a pest and so I got up and put him out ohhh about 1 this morning. I saw two men coming down the hill. It was odd because no one walks down from the old cave. I didn’t like to looks of them, there was some snow about and it made it brighter outside you see. They went over to the Glad Rags shop and that’s the last I saw of them. Well I hope this has helped you dearies. Mind your way now.”
“That’s interesting.” Megan commented
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Giles and Atwater Apparate and appear inside of the cave. Atwater immediately begins searching the floor and looking just outside. It wouldn’t do to be seen.
“You had the damn thing when we left here so it won’t be in here and there’s not enough gold to pay me to go inside that school again. Try summoning it again, might work better here.”
Atwater attempts several to summon the watch but nothing happens.
“You’re always the one calling the shots and look at you now. You know what this mean?” Giles taunts him. He won’t be happy with you now will he?”
“Shut your fucking gob or you’ll end up as a worm under my foot.” Atwater shoves Giles into the rock wall.
Giles wipes a bit of blood from the back of his head and glares at him with hatred.
“Ya well I’ve a message from the boss just in case the watch isn’t found.” He stands himself up and quickly grabs hold of his wand and points it at Atwater. Atwater fumbles with his and isn’t fast enough.
”Avada Kadavra.” A green light shot out from Gile’s wand and struck Atwater full in the chest. Atwater’s body bounces off the ceiling and the wall then hits the floor with a dull thud, his wand still clenched in his hand. Giles rolls him over with his foot. His eyes are open but there’s no sign of life left in them. “Sorry mate but orders are orders. Better you than me eh.” Outside there were two cracks and then voices coming into the cave. In a panic Giles Apparated from the cave and left the body behind. Adrian and Andi along with Gwyn and Megan walked into the cave and stopped short when they saw the body of a man laying there.
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Later that morning with the body of the man now at Hogwarts, Dumbledore pondered just how long he would hold the body without informing the Ministry. He had examined the remains and knew without a doubt the man had been murdered shortly before his remains were stumbled upon since the body was still warm. His main concern at the moment was just how much potential danger he had exposed his four students to and whether or not it was time to put his plan into action. To his surprise Professor Slughorn was able to identify the remains as those of a Mr. Atwater, from whom, in the past, he had purchased difficult if not impossible to legally acquire certain herbs and powders. This information was quite a bonus and it would be hushed up. The Ministry was only interested in who perpetrated the crime and not into finding the one behind the crime; finding the one behind the crime was critical. The Ministry, he felt, would do nothing but scare the culprits into deeper hiding and muddy the waters. He decided the Ministry would not be told of the find at this time. He sat at his desk and laid Atwater’s wand and wrote four brief notes summoning Megan, Andi, Adrian and Gwyn to his office and gave them to a house Elf to deliver.
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