Point Us To the Booths with Food
Author: Kody
Date: 07-29-04 20:29

As they enter the Great Hall, Drake asks Kody, "What's going on with you and Emma?"

"Nothing's going on. Emma's not been the most overtly friendly person of late and she seems to go off on her own alot. Tried to invite myself along the other day but she got huffy so I backed off."

"You were probably being rude and pushy and that's why she got huffy. You're finding excuses not to get close to her, Kody."

"You're one to talk. I don't see you escorting Ariana around."

"That's because I don't like Ariana the way you like Emma."

Kody rolls his eyes at Drake. "Oh puh-leeze. Let's not go through that again."

"Fine with me. So tell me again, what booths are you wanting to hit?"

"Mainly Muggle Relations, Misuse of Muggle, but I also want to check out the one that bloke Adam Sparrow has about books and entrepreneurship. Maybe the one for Publishing. The one for dragon keeping too. Guess it wouldn't hurt to go by the university booth. You?"

"All the Quidditch related booths, St. Emrys and that other school's booth, The Sighisorara School of Magical Arts. Dragon keeping could be interesting so I'll go with you to that one. Know what else?"

Kody and Drake exchange impish grins, their thoughts on the free food samples, and say together, "Booths for The Spinning Horn and Briar's Bakery!"

A Little Truth
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 07-29-04 21:01

Cursing loudly then under his breath as he tries to track where Dru went, Sirius starts having some dark thoughts about his fellow Order members. "Whine, whine, whine about the Order's number being down then drag their heels about inducting new members. Only so called new members are Tonks and the Weasley kids. Harry and Hermione too I guess but only because of their association with the Weasley's. Harry wasn't made aware of the Order because of me that's for certain. Nepotism seems to be the only requirement for bringing in new blood. What's it going to take? Marrying Dru? And what if I want to show her my family's home? It's mine, dammit. I should be able to take anyone I want there without having to clear it with the Order first. May have to do something about Kreacher first though. Annoying snot of a House Elf. Make sure Mother's portrait is covered with a sound dampening blanket... "

Sirius's thoughts continue running nonstop as he keeps searching for Drucilla. At last finding her, he holds out a hand and beseeches. "Come back to the house with me, please? I have something I want.. something I need... to tell you."

Her lower lip trembling from a combination of the March coldness and from high emotion, her eyes damply bright, Dru tentatively reaches her hand to take Sirius's. "You're sure it's because you want to and not because you feel you have to after what I said?"

"Positive."

"Fine, I'll hear you out but tell me now, right here."

Sirius uses his clasp on Dru's hand to draw her closer to him. He looks down to lock eyes with her. The little voice of conscience cautions Sirius to hold his tongue but against all reason, he tells her, "My family was associated with Voldemort. My brother, Regulus, died for him. Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange are my cousins. You might say I'm the white sheep of the family. I want to show you the Black family home. Next Saturday. That gives me time to make sure it's clean and free of cobwebs. There I'll tell you the rest. Here in the open isn't the place for it and while I'm fairly certain my home here in Hogsmeade is free of prying ears, it's still best to wait and tell you at the family house. Will you forgive me for not saying anything before?"

Slowly Dry nods but still steps away from Sirius. "I do forgive you. It must be hard bearing the burden of having a family devoted to h-h-him. I understand the reluctance to tell anyone but I am hurt that after we've became close you still felt you couldn't share. Give me a little time. It's best I go home now. Pick me up on Saturday. Owl me with the time."

With that Dru disapparates, leaving Sirius alone in the cold, his thoughts once more turning rapidly at what needs to be done by next Saturday.

A Complicated Matter
Author: Severus Snape
Date: 07-29-04 21:09

After weeks of toil and effort, Professor Snape finally completed his translation of the Volumen Immortalitas. His ultimate findings matched his early thoughts from when he'd first deciphered the Latin and Sumerian code; the scroll contained a complete description and step-by-step instruction for a ritual of immortality. Voldemort could never learn of this! Yet despite the clarity of the ritual's process, it consisted of a complex combination of spells and incantations that required great skill for a successful completion.

Voldemort was himself a skilled wizard, and he also had the power and influence to find someone of even greater ability to perform the ritual, should his own find lacking. Therefore it was imperative that Snape make minor changes to the scroll's text. He'd already undertaken the endeavor, having completed half of the alterations by the time of the career day at Hogwarts.

A very serious complication vexed Snape's mind, however, which made it very difficult to continue his work today. Voldemort had the original document; in Snape's possession was a mere copy. The duplicate wasn't created on the same material or with the same inks, which meant that Snape couldn't simply replace Voldemort's original with Snape's fabricated scroll (which wouldn't be a simple feat in itself).

Snape needed time to study the original scroll to determine its properties so that he could create an exact duplicate. The luxury of time Snape did not have, however, as the original scroll was closely guarded at Voldemort's lair. It would be difficult means indeed to view the original scroll, as well as to study it long enough and in great detail without drawing the attention of the other Death Eaters or Voldemort himself.

Severus thought about it for some time. He could determine a way to see the scroll for at least a few minutes, but what means could he employ to analyze the materials used on the document? How could he make an exact duplicate of a text without having it side-by-side with the original for comparison?

The beginnings of a plan formulated in Snape's mind and soon he was moving about his office, collecting items of potential use for his inquiry. To his store cabinets he went, where he rummaged about for ingredients. He gathered together a flask of dark blue liquid, a bottle of faded, green herbs and a vial of white powder. He put them on his desk and then retrieved a measuring tube, a glass rod and an empty vile. Several minutes were spent in deep concentration as he measured and mixed the ingredients together. He swirled the final concoction three times to the right, then three times to the left before tipping the measuring tube into the vial. The final potion was a liquid pale blue in color. He put a stopper in it and then stowed it away within the folds of his robes.

Then he returned to his store cabinets and retrieved a vile of clear liquid, which he also tucked into his robes. He stuffed a cotton swab in his pocket and swept one final glance around his office before leaving Hogwarts.

The Zonic eXtream
Author: Samantha Thatcher
Date: 07-29-04 23:53

"Man! It's be a loooong time since I was here last!" Sami exclaimed. "Hey mates! You interested in Quidditch?!" Clearly the sport caught some attention. "Ok, well, Mostly I'm here to talk about Brooms. An' givin' a sneak peek at the newest broom to come on the market!" By this time Samantha had gathered a crowed. "The Zonic eXtream!" and with a snap of her fingers the broom appeared beside her. "Or as I like to call it, the ZX." She grinned.

"Wow!!!! That is awesome!" A student commented. "Isn't it though?" Sami replied. "This mate is packed full of features, and bloody fast ta boot! It's to be compared with the Firebolt and the Cleansweep 11. It's got an anti-jinx varnish, built-in vibration control, unbreakable braking charm."

Sami was demonstrating all that she could with the ZX. "When you pick it up then let go, it hovers at exactly the right height to mount! It turns with the lightest touch and seems to obey your thoughts rather than grip.

"How fast is it?!"

"Well it's accelerates from 0-150 in 7.5 seconds!" Sami was still grinning. "Everyone of them is hand-numbered comes with its own registration number. And to top it all off, it's equipped with an anti-theft charm as well."

Impressive yes, Sami Thatcher was very proud of her new broom. She had invented it herself. The ZX had a sleek design and features. After showing off her treasure, Sami handed out some brochures about her family business, Thatcher Co.

Captain Electron *swoon*
Author: Roane Eternal
Date: 07-30-04 07:05

Clutching my Captain Electron trading cards, I hovered around his table. Logan was infront of me, firing questions a mile a minute. As Logan paused to catch his breath, I took my chance to talk to the famous Captain Electron.

"C-c-c-cap-"

Blushing furiously, I hid behind Logan. Go figure the one time I got a chance to talk to Captain Electron, and I couldn't even get his name out!

Questions and Answers
Author: Captain Electron
Date: 07-30-04 08:44

At LAST someone spoke to the Captain; he'd been beginning to think they were just going to stand there looking at him and whispering as if he couldn't hear or see them.

The boy was speaking so fast that it took Electron a little time to figure out what he was saying. "Hi Captain Electron, What ever made you decide to become a Rock Star? Is it hard work? Did it take a long time? What do you like to do best? Singing or Traveling?"

He gave the young lad a grateful smile and took a breath. "Well," he began, "to be honest, I became a singer because I couldn't find anything that was more fun to do than writing songs and singing them in front of an audience. I'm just lucky that the audience seems to like it too. I hope." He chuckled, and so did a few of the students, although some were looking decidedly shell-shocked. "But yes, it is hard work sometimes. You have to do a lot of organisation, touring, meeting people, giving interviews and so on, not to mention actually writing the songs! But it's all worth it."

He tried to remember the next question in the list. "Oh right... yeah, it took a long time but you just have to have patience and be persistent. If you keep at it, someone will buy your music. There's always someone who'll want to listen. And sure, I like travelling, but singing is the best!"

He looked around the group and ventured, "Does... anyone else have a question?" There was somebody hiding behind the lad who'd spoken. Electron smiled. "Come on... I'm not THAT scary, and honestly, I'll feel a lot better if you TALK to me! Otherwise I'm just going to get lonely..."

Travel Opportunities, and Fleur Delacour
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 07-30-04 10:34

"Egypt is really a lovely country," Bill said, somewhat longingly, as he relayed some of his travel adventures to a small group of students gathered around his table. "In essence, Gringotts is the same wherever you go, but the slight differences... the location, the people, and even the goblins make each bank a whole new world."

"Are there other locations besides the one in Cairo and the ones in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade?" a boy asked.

"Oh, yes! There's are several dispersed around the world." Bill ticked off a few locations with his fingers. "Zurich, Munich, Delhi, Shanghai, Santiago, New York. The newest branch is in Hogsmeade, but there are plans to break ground in Tokyo. So you see, there are lots of travel opportunities available to you in a wide variety of countries around the world."

"What about competitive banks in the wizarding world? Do you have any information on them?"

Bill grinned facetiously, "Why would I offer you such a thing? All I can tell you is that our foremost rival in the banking industry across the globe is W&W Bank out of San Francisco. They don't have a branch in Britain, but they do have locations in Madrid, Berlin, Bangkok." Bill furrowed his brow, certain there were more but unable to think of them.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye he saw shimmering light sway this way and that. He turned his head and felt his jaw grow slack, because Fleur Delacour had entered the Great Hall and shaken her lovely mane of light-blonde hair. The boys in the crowd turned to look, wide-eyed with wonder as if the action were taking place in slow-motion. She ran a slender-fingered hand through a flaxen strand, tucking it behind her ear. Then her eyes settled on Bill, who quickly shut his mouth and turned his attention back to the group around his table.

"Ahem, as I was saying, a job with Gringotts is full of opportunity for travel, excitement, adventure." Slowly the heads turned back to him, though some continuously stole glances in Fleur's direction.

What is she doing here? Bill asked himself. Her stay in Hogsmeade and her constant surveillance of Bill and his methods for running the Gringotts' branch had proved very taxing, not only on his mind but also on his heart. But the stress didn't stop there; Bill had promised Snape that he'd secretly inquire into the goings-on of the goblin's murder investigation, and with Fleur constantly looking over Bill's shoulder, that task had been very difficult to carry out.

"Pardon ze intairruption, Bill," Fleur said, when she arrived at Bill's table. The boys in the group focused their eyes on the part-veela and hung onto her every word.

"Is there something I can do for you, Fleur?" Bill asked, trying to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Since you are repraisenting Gringotts today, I want to observe. You do not mind, do you?"

Yes, I mind very much, Bill thought to himself, but he bit his tongue and said, "Not at all. Here, have my chair."

He moved his chair over and waited until she was seated before continuing his conversation with the boys. "So, are there any other questions you might have for me?"

"Does she work for Gringotts too?"

"What branch?"

"What do you do, Miss?"

Bill blinked, threw up his hands in mild frustration and let Fleur do all the talking.

Re: The Zonic eXtream?!
Author: Sora
Date: 07-30-04 11:45

Sora's mouth fell open as he saw the beautiful broomstick. It was soooo shiny and smooth, and pretty darn fast! Pushing his way closer to the broomstick, Sora caught his foot on his robes and fell to the stone floor, taking everyone down (except for Miss. Thatcher) with him.

"Awww man! I'm soo sorry about that!" Sora exclaimed. Everybody eyed Sora with annoyed expressions. Sora felt his face go red as he watched Riku walk up to the crowd. He shook his head disapprovingly. "Sora... you klutz." He sighed in a low voice. Sora smiled and shrugged. "Uh... heh... oops..." He could hear Miss. Thatcher lauging behind him.

After the group had gotten back on their feet, Sora slowly stood up with embarrassment. But he quickly dashed forwards to the front. "Hey, when will the ZX be released?" Sora asked. Before Miss. Thatcher could answer, Sora blurted out, "I have money!! How much do you want do you want for it?!" he whispered.

Meeting New People and Seeing New Things
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 07-30-04 12:01

I had woken Bronwyn up an hour early so she could groom and preen herself to perfection. She wanted to make a good impression on all those strangers that were visiting today. I watched her but ultimately fell asleep. She woke me up before she dragged me along with her.

We quickly went down to the Great Hall and started to look around. There were a lot of tables set up with a huge variety of occupations. Some of them looked pretty interesting. Suddenly I was yanked in some direction by Bronwyn. She pulled me over to a table about architecture. I didn't know she liked architecture.

"Bronwyn, it's so good to see you again," Some guy behind the table said. He was well dressed with a well-groomed beard. He went to the side of the table and hugged Bronwyn. She returned his statement back to him. Those two looked a bit alike I realized. Bronwyn turned to me when they had finished with the hug.

"Desi, I would like you to meet my dad," She turned to look at her dad, "Dad, this is my friend Desdemona." We shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Our introduction was cut short when a few students came wondering over and Mr. Dewhurst started talking to him.

Making sure that Bron wasn't looking I slipped off to go have a look around. I made a quick stop by the Dragon Keeping table. That was some interesting stuff. Big critters running around, and fire. I listened to a Stephen Gregor talk about it for a time before wondering off once again.

I walked passed a table with a scary lady behind it. Looked like she had a stick up her butt that wouldn't come out or something. Just gave everybody a mean look. I ended up at a table for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. The person, Amos Diggory made it sound almost, if not more fun then Dragon Keeping.

A crowd of people had surrounded this one table. I asked who it was to one of the people, and they responded with, "Captain Electron, of course!" I only had a vague idea who that was, and kept going.

I ended up at the only real table I had to visit. Nevvyn stood there talking to a couple of students, who eventually turned and left.

"Aww, Miss Diamond, I'm so glad to see you. I have it right here," Nevvyn said in a very cheery voice. He pulled a red ruby shaped heart on a gold chain. "Here it is. Just as you asked." He placed the crystal down on the table.

I picked it up and looked at it. It felt sorta like my old ball did. "You sure? It did this when you worked on it?"

"Yes. During the process it turned that nice red color and I shaped it. I hope you don't mind."

"Nope! Not at all. It looks great! So, how much do I owe you?" I asked him.

"Just 7 sickles and 3 knuts." He responded.

"That's it? Uhh…" I rifled around in a pouch I was carrying with me. I only found 6 sickles and 1 knut. I pulled a galleon out instead. "Here, I know it's way over what you said. Keep the change though, think of it as an added thank you." I turned and took off over to Bronwyn before he could protest.

I came to a stop behind Bronwyn and hid the pouch. Since she still hadn't turned around I put on my new charm and looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing.