Hoping for a Miracle
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 09-04-03 14:38

Hermione watched with trepidation as a grimacing Cho flew around in search of the golden snitch. With the Ravenclaw seeker quite nearly indisposed and with Draco very unharmed, the outcome didn't look good. On the other hand, the game was far from over and any miracle could happen. Hermione crossed her fingers for Cho and jumped up in the air with Ron, urging Ravenclaw to win. She couldn't bare to see Slytherin take the Quidditch cup!

Evening the Odds
Author: Draco Malfoy
Date: 09-04-03 16:15

A vicious smirk touched Draco's lips as the sight of an aching Cho came into view. A win for Slytherin would be all too easy, especially with Cho all black and blue. Swiveling his broomstick from where he was perched in the sky, Draco surveyed the length of the Pitch for any sign of the elusive snitch. Cho had seen it before, and Draco had been quick to follow but as quick as it appeared the magical snitch vanished into thin air.

Ravenclaw was in possession of the quaffle, and they were leading the game too but Draco didn't care. There was no way Slytherin could lose. No way at all. Just slightly more cocky than normal, Draco decided to fly the length of the Pitch instead of continue to hover in one place. He dipped slightly, allowing the wind to assail his face and the back of his neck. Unbeknownst to him, a random Ravenclaw player was dashing beneath him from behind. The slight bend in Draco's descent caused him to collide into the other flyer, sending that person spiraling to the ground.

Madam Hooch blew on her whistle and shouted, "Foul!"

Unhurt, Draco shrugged his shoulders and smirked. The Ravenclaw player collected himself from the ground and kicked off, nursing a bruised arm. He attempted the penalty shot, but missed gloriously.

Smirking, Draco zoomed away to continue his hunt for the snitch when a bludger came out of nowhere and smacked him hard in face. He felt his jaw crack from the impact, and a few bloody teeth flew out of his mouth. Clutching onto his right cheek with his hands, it was an absolute miracle that Draco didn't fall from his broom.

"You all right, Malfoy?"

It was Isolde. A line of worry etched itself across her forehead.

Draco looked up, spitting a glob of blood from his mouth. "A little dazed and in bloody pain." He rubbed his jaw, wincing as horrible pain shot through the bruise. "Let's finish this," he said, spitting more blood from his mouth before parting ways with his fellow teammate to continue playing the match.

Suddenly, a win for Slytherin didn't look so easy.

Like a Lightbulb
Author: Alexis Black
Date: 09-04-03 17:21

Alexis swooped about the pitch, pursuing bludgers and deflecting them toward the Ravenclaws as she was supposed to.

Everything was going fine until she realized she only knew where one bludger was. It was on the other side of the pitch, and Clara was chasing it down.

Where was the other one?

"Hey, Black! Look out!" The shout caught Mary's attention too, and the little chaser turned to look around, nearly running into Isolde in the process. Before Alexis could turn to look, however, the answer to her question smacked her straight in the back of the head and she slipped, unconscious, off her broomstick.

Unperturbed, the offending bludger zipped off to do more damage to Slytherin's formerly inevitable victory.

Two Bits, Four Bits...
Author: Ginny Weasley
Date: 09-04-03 18:00

Her throat starting to feel scratchy from her exuberant cheering for Ravenclaw, Ginny leaves just long enough to buy cool, refreshing drinks for Harry, Hermione, Majandra, Ron, and herself. As she's sitting back down after passing out the beverages, a collective shudder goes through the group when Alexis Black smacks unconscious onto the pitch while at the same time a loud whoop goes up among the Ravenclaw supporters.

Ginny grins, asking her friends, "Is it wrong of us to cheer someone getting knocked out, even if the person is a Slytherin."

As one, those around her shake their heads emphatically no.

Grinning wider, Ginny responds, "I didn't think so."

Catch That Snitch!
Author: Jet
Date: 09-04-03 21:28

Bored out of his mind, Jet's fingers rapidly drum out a staccato beat on his seat. Throughout the game Jet's eyes fixate on Draco for long periods of time while the mantra catch the snitch, catch the snitch, catch the snitch goes through his mind. Jet had wanted to finish up some experiments this morning but every time he headed towards his "lab" someone would be lollygagging around the hallways, wanting to chat up Jet the second he's spotted and get his views on which team has the best chance of winning the cup today. Just when he thought most everyone was out of the castle, Jet rounded a corner and was swept up in a large group of fifth, sixth, and seventh year Hufflepuffs on their way to the pitch. Unlike those lowly, runny nosed first and second years, this was not a group Jet could intimidate to leave him alone so he didn't even try. To have even voiced his lack of desire to watch the game would have raised too many questions among the group and there were far too many of them to use an obliviate spell or something else to detach himself from them without also chancing questions being raised at some point. Jet had ended up pretending to be happy to be swept along with these so called chums. Fecking idiots the lot of them. At least there's some entertainment value in watching Cho struggle to hide the extent of her injuries to stay in the game. Maybe if he's lucky, she'll start coughing up blood with lots of air bubbles, indicating she's got lung damage. Now that would make for a fun game to watch!

A Confession
Author: Prof. Sorcha
Date: 09-04-03 21:32

"Good Morning, ladies. Please come in and make yourselves comfortable," Dumbledore said has he directed Dierna and myself to an alcove. When he closed the door he placed a strong seal upon it. I looked at both of them nervously, not sure what would happen.

We all sat down around a low table in the alcove. Dumbledore spoke a few words and a pearlescent sphere surrounded us. The sphere startled me and I looked around. Dumbledore saw me and said, "Just a little precaution, ladies. My office is supposed to be "snoop-proof", but for this meeting, I would prefer that even our past headmasters are left in the dark. This also has the advantage that nothing we say will get outside, either." He leaned back and took a long sip of pumpkin juice before continuing, "Christina. Perhaps you should begin by repeating what you told me the other night."

Sorcha thought about what Dumbledore had just said. She had plenty of time to prepare what she was going to say since the meeting had been moved. "Ok, well...Umm..." Sorcha started uncertainly, "I told Dumbledore some of the activities that I have done. I was the one that broke into your office and house, Dierna. I stole all the stuff that you found missing. I am willing to return everything I can to you. I made exact copies of some of the spells and I still have them. I'll give those back too.

"I also was the one that kidnapped Tennille. I didn't have anything to do with her death, and I wasn't there when it happened. I didn't know he was going to do that to her. I wish it didn't happen at all.

"During the last summer I was recruiting giants for Voldemort. I did some things to them that I shouldn't have. The ones I talked to all agreed to work with him because they were afraid for their families or some other reason.

"During the whole time I was doing some spying, and information gathering for Voldemort. I have seen him in person a couple of times, and I have met some of the more important of his followers. I just can't remember where the hideout is or who I met that was following them. No matter how hard I try I just can't.

ÒI do want to let you two know that if I could have stopped it I would have. What happened was one of VoldemortÕs death eaters cast a spell on me. The spell removed a piece of me and created a twin so to speak. The twin was an embodiment of all the bad part of myself.

"Voldemort cast a spell on me that reversed the effects of the splitting spell. That means that I have been returned to one person. I am almost entirely normal now. I will sometimes become a little hostile now and again, but I can control it.

"I will submit to some tests or whatever you want to do to prove that I'm telling the truth. I don't want to go to Azkaban for what a part of me did, that I didn't even know of until a little while ago..." Sorcha trailed off and looked down at her hands as she waited for the two to say something.

A Turn Around
Author: Clara Devaki
Date: 09-05-03 01:15

Clara flew across the pitch, chasing after a bludger. She was a little sore from the hit but nothing major. She was liking the chances Slytherin had to win.

Then things seemed to turn around, much to her disappointment. While chasing the bludger, she almost fell off her broom seeing Malfoy first hit another player, then getting hit by a bludger.

She almost would've enjoyed that sight, if it not only meant that it was bad news for Slytherin, and that she still sorta cared about Malfoy, strangely enough. She hoped he was okay, but was gonna go check.

Catching sight of a bludger, she pushed her thoughts into the back of her mind. Slytherin's chances seemed to be not looking so good.

Chasing the bludger, hitting it, she turned around in time to see Alexis fall unconscious. Things were definitely turning around....

Another Goal
Author: Sykra Sawyer
Date: 09-05-03 03:01

Sykra almost cheered out loud when she saw Malfoy get hit by the bludger. She knew Cho was hurt, so this evened out the chances a little bit.

But the Ravenclaw had to quickly snap back into reality as a quaffle came flying towards her...and of course the goal was on the other side of the field. Quaffle in hand, she took off towards the other end, dodging out of the way of other players.

Glancing around for one of the other chasers, she didn't have much luck. Luckily, when a bludger came out of no where and surprised her, Terry Boot came out of no where as well to catch the quaffle.

Following him down the field, she made it to the goal first. Terry passed her the quaffle and Sykra slipped it in.

"YEA BABY!!!" Sykra and Terry high-fived. Now if Cho could just catch the snitch...things would be glorious.

Bad Luck
Author: Severus Snape
Date: 09-05-03 09:14

Professor Snape watched the Quidditch match with growing displeasure. What had started out so right seemed to sink deeper into disaster as the game progressed. While the Ravenclaw seeker seemed to be suffering from her wounds, Slytherin had just lost a player and several of the other teammates, including Mr. Malfoy, were also seriously injured. This was by far the bloodiest match of the entire season. There were always injuries and accidents during the games, but never so many at one time. If Slytherin's luck, or lack thereof as it would seem, continued, there wouldn't be a player on the team left unharmed by the conclusion of the match.

Grimacing with utter distaste, Snape felt any hopes of his house winning the Quidditch Cup diminish into near nothingness. However, the game was still very much underway...anything could happen.

Two For One Special On Cups
Author: Kody
Date: 09-05-03 12:59

Kody, his hair bright Ravenclaw blue thanks to that little first year Coco, grins over at the equally blue headed Drake. He raises his voice to be heard over the roar. "Even though Cho acts like she's hurting pretty badly, I think we may have a shot at this yet. First the Quidditch Cup and then let's take the House Cup too."

Drake's mouth cracks into an even wider grin. "That would really get those Slytherin knickers in a twist."

Nodding, Kody quickly replies before standing up to cheer again, "Let's be sure to check the house totals when we get back to the castle."

Studying
Author: Emma Crusher
Date: 09-05-03 14:53

Having chosen to give the Quidditch match a miss, Emma sat in the common room, an entire table covered in parchments and books from various subjects as she tried (and failed) to get it all organized so she could finish at least one essay.

'That can't be right...' she muttered, staring at what she'd just written down and comparing it with the nearest book- her ancient runes paper had just become an essay on medicinal plants. 'Drat!'

Sighing, she set about scratching out the rather long paragraph on the properties of Mandrakes. She was never going to get this all finished.

'Okay.' She told herself, sitting back and taking a few deep, relaxing breaths before turning her attention back to the many essays. 'Let's take this one step at a time.' Slowly, she got her books and scrolls arranged by subject, then set about re-writing the paragraph on Mandrakes (on the correct essay) and wondering why she hadn't thought to copy it over before she erased it all. I need to get more sleep. She thought. I wonder how the match is going.

If it weren't for the fact that she'd fallen drastically behind in her work, she would have gone to cheer Ravenclaw on, but school came first...

Unusual Circumstances
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 09-05-03 17:38

I appreciate the extra precautions being taken by the Headmaster for this meeting. I sit down and listen to what Sorcha tells about some kind of spell being cast on her, dividing her into her good and evil sides... The Cailleach and the young woman. She finished and I consider my response a moment before speaking.

"Normally I am not inclined to believe such easy, convenient explanations. It sounds to me very like certain wizards claiming to have been under the Imperius Curse. An explanation that cannot be proved or disproved decisively. The muggles call it a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card,' I believe."

Professor Sorcha looks as if she is going to protest but I hold up a hand, forestalling her comments. "That would be my position... except that last month's edition of the Auror's Orb had a very interesting article on little-known dark spells. One such spell the Personae Divisio Curse, is exactly as you have just described. Therefore, I believe you.

"The question remains, what is to be done now? The last known case of this curse was in 1267, and the dark half was killed - resulting in the death of the other half as well. It is not my place to assign penalties. That is up to the new head of MLE, Amelia Bones and the Wizengamut -- That is your area, Olamh. I am truly at a loss of what to suggest, and that does not happen very often."

Quiet Morning in the Bakery
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 09-05-03 20:21

With the initial morning rush over, Molly having left after another surprise visit, Cora making deliveries, the Donavans taking a much needed mini holiday, and today being the championship match at the school, absolute quiet envelops the shop. The silence is periodically broken by various kitchen sounds. The creak of one oven door. The methodical rolling of a pin over dough to make fun shaped sugar biscuits. A stirred spoon striking the sides of a bowl.

After getting her supply order written, Briar has spent her time puttering working on other orders to be filled. She's also waiting to hear the results of the Hogwarts' quidditch match so she can rush to finish a cake for the winning team so that it will be delivered to the team's house by the time the team has showered, changed, and returned to the castle. As she works, Briar keeps an ear tuned for the tinkling of the front door chime.

When someone does enter the bakery, Briar is still not fully recovered from the most recent bout of morning sickness. Knowing she must look a sight, Briar hopes the woman, whom she's never seen around Hogsmeade before, will put her appearance down to Briar's toiling away over hot stoves. The lady selects a variety of pastries, some of them still warm from the oven. Briar hums to herself as she boxes up the selections and rings up the woman's purchase.

Briar stands and watches the woman for a second then turns to go back into the kitchen. A small object resting on one end of the counter catches Briar's attention. She changes the direction of her steps and reaching the counter again picks up the item. Briar stares at it a moment, a frown wrinkling her brow as she tries to place the person to whom it belongs. Then it registers.

"Oh dear. Molly's left her coin purse," Briar mutters aloud as she sticks the small coin purse into a pocket and once again starts walking towards the kitchen door.

Not More Quidditch...
Author: Madam Irma Pince
Date: 09-06-03 05:59

Madam Pince heaved a sigh. While she certainly accepted that exercise was good for both body and soul, she wished sometimes that Quidditch was not such a dangerous sport. Players could be injured - that could be mended - or even killed...

She would be glad when this game was over, and the students could get back to more proper concerns like their studies. And then, of course, once they had finished their exams they would be gone ... and her library would have peace once again.

This was definitely something to look forward to...

What to Do? What to Do?
Author: Albus Dumbledore
Date: 09-06-03 08:39

I listen carefully as Christina repeats her confession for Dierna. It is essentially the same tale she told me over a week ago. As she finishes with her plea to not send her to Azkaban, she seem to shrink in upon herself, nearly vanishing from the group in a psychological sense.

Dierna speaks at length, expressing her reservations. She is only partially convinced that Christina Sorcha is telling the truth and telling the WHOLE truth! That Christina cannot remember where this place was or who else was there, is not at all strange. Voldemort has used her in a most vile way, and now has given her back to us in a severely damaged condition. The questions foremost in my mind are: Can we prove that she is telling the truth? Can we heal the breach and the damage caused by the Personae Divisio curse? Can we ensure that she will not again fall under the Dark Lord's control? Can we... Can we... Can we?... I refocus my mind as Dierna concludes her responses by tossing the whole matter square into my lap.

I lean forward on my elbows, making a "tent" of my fingertips. Abruptly, I ask, "Christina! What do you know of Legilimency?" She looks from me to Dierna and back again. "Is it something to do with courtroom proceedings?" she asks.

"No, my dear," I reply. "It is the study and technique of peering inside the mind and, in some cases, manipulating it." I take out my wand and lay it across the Pensieve. "It is only taught to those who are to become Aurors, as it is a very powerful tool and subject to both misuse and abuse."

She gives me a worried look. "It's mind-reading?" she asks with a quivering voice.

"Not in the sense that you seem to think!" I reassure her. "It can determine the emotional state of your mind, and sometimes pick up surface thoughts. Most clear are those thoughts you happen to be thinking at the moment. It cannot be used to dredge up old memories!" I pause to let her digest this information. "There is, however, a device which will allow us to examine those old memories in detail." I slide the pensieve until it is between us. "How well do you recall our meeting of last week?"

"Well, I think I remember most of it," she answers, looking at the swirling silvery contents of the bowl.

"Allow me then, to demonstrate the pensieve." I pick up my wand and touch my temple, extracting a single silver strand. I drop this into the bowl and give it a stir with my wand. "Please observe! You too, Dierna." The three of us gaze into the bowl for a moment. A scene emerges and we watch intently as that meeting, from my own viewpoint, is replayed before our eyes. Every word she spoke, my clear view of the papers she had handed me, my responses, all are faithfully replayed in the pensieve. The scene fades at the moment Christina had left the office. "Are you satisfied? Does it show a true picture?" Both ladies nod their acceptance. I retrieve my thought from the bowl and return it to my own head.

"Now, Christina. I want to try something with you. Think back to that night... your last visit to Voldemort's hideout... Think about what was said and done. Think about who was there. What did the room look like?" She closes her eyes in concentration. I reach out with the tip of my wand and extract several strands of those resurfaced memories, dropping them into the bowl.

Her eyes fly open and she looks around. "The things I was just thinking... they're not there anymore." She exclaims with some agitation.

With a fatherly smile, I direct her attention to the pensieve. Dierna leans forward as well. The scene before us is dark, as if the room were lit by only a few small candles. A darker presence is seated at the far side of a table, while several others stand around.

Christina's voice, oddly distorted, is presenting a report on her accomplishments with the Giants. As she concludes her brief summary, the person to her left turns and asks a question. "Vy haff you not brought more of dem? Dere are hunnerts in dose mountains!" The voice is clear, and obviously eastern European. The face, however, is blur of light and dark patches, looking almost as if someone had smudged or smeared only that part of the picture. The dark hair and the pattern on her robes was in perfect focus. From the other side of the table, a second voice responds with, "Yes! But they are said to be VERY independent." Again, the face is blurred, but the whiny voice sounds very familiar. A glance at Dierna tells me she also has recognized this person. I return my focus to the pensieve to hear a long, drawn-out "Well?" from the dark presence who must be Voldemort. Christina's memory begins to explain the "persuasive techniques" she had employed on the Giants. As I listen, I suddenly realize what is different about the voice. This is not her voice as I would hear it. This is her voice as she would hear it, with the pitch slightly lowered by the conduction of sound through the bones and tissues, rather that through the air. As the memory 'Christina' finishes her recitation, the scene fades to black and then to silver. Carefully, I collect the silvery strands from the pensieve and return them to Christina's head.

"And so, Dierna," I say as I turn to the Chief Auror. "Does this convince you that she is not trying to protect her "former employer"?

Ears Perked Up
Author: Drucilla Eternal
Date: 09-06-03 18:50

About to leave the bakery, I pause when I hear Briar mutter a familiar name. Molly Weasley. Was luck on my side today? Moving back to the counter I call Briar over.

"Did you say that belongs to Mrs. Weasley? I happen to work with Arthur Weasley. I can bring that purse over to her if you wish. I was planning on stopping by anyways."

I held my breath expectantly, waiting for Briar to respond. It would be the perfect opportunity I was waiting for - an excuse to visit the Weasley's home.

A Helping Hand
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 09-06-03 21:31

Briar smiles at the woman offering to take Molly's coin purse to The Burrow. "You say you work with Arthur? At the Ministry in general or in the same department?"

The woman returns Briar's warm smile. "The same department."

"That means you must be Drucilla Eternal. I've heard Arthur mention you. I'm Briar Rose. It's very nice to meet you."

"The owner of this bakery. Yes, I've heard Arthur mention your name as well. A pleasure to meet you too."

Briar hands the coin purse to Drucilla. "I probably don't need to tell you the Weasley's home is The Burrow, near Ottery St. Catchpole. Oh," Briar laughs, "but I just did." Drucilla gives a short laugh. "That you did."

Drucilla bids Briar goodbye but Briar asks her to wait a second. Briar boxes up more pastries and hands the package to the other woman. "My way of expressing thanks. I would take Molly the purse myself but I'm here alone at the moment and even though the shop is very quiet right now, I doubt I could just pop in and out at the Weasley's. Molly would probably insist I stay for tea even though she saw me just a short while ago."

Drucilla laughs again, thanks Briar for the extra pastries, then takes her leave.

As Briar walks back to the kitchen she thinks, "Drucilla certainly seems very nice. No wonder Arthur speaks well of her."

Gotcha!
Author: Cho Chang
Date: 09-06-03 21:39

The game dragged on, thinking had long since been abandoned by the Ravenclaw captain as her head had begun to spin when she tried. They were in the lead, now if she could just find the snitch again, without running into anyone. There, just above the teacher's box.

The blur hovered, zipping from side to side so as to flash in the sunlight, Cho's good hand gripped the broom and she slinked in that general direction until Malfoy caught on. It was an out and out race now, adrenaline pushed pain to the furthest reaches of the Head Girl's mind. Both hands guide the broom she was aboard deftly, calculated but with an edge. Just out of reach now, keep going, just a little bit faster....Uninjured hand stretches out in front of her, fingers lengthening to the limit. Her fingertips felt the sensation of the silky wings of the elusive snitch brush quickly against them, urging her broom faster. After what seemed like an eternity of tantalizing close calls, Cho's hand grasps securely around the snitch and she pulls up her broom, circling the stands, elated.

Her voice carries over the crowd, Snitch held high, "RAVENCLAW!" The chant is taken up in the Ravenclaw section, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor cheering, Slytherin booing. Slowly, reality returns to the forefront of Cho's mind and she descends to Madam Hooch, presenting her with the snitch as she dismounts from her broom and walks forward in one graceful movement. With a quick wave to the stands, she ducks quickly into the Ravenclaw locker rooms, struggling to breathe as she begins to change carefully.

Sykra follows her, glowing enough to make the sun envious. Chattering, laughing, giggling, bantering, all are heard between both the girls' and boy's changing rooms. Everyone was drunk on victory. As soon as Cho had managed to get clean, she winces and coughs softly, getting out of the locker rooms. She manages to get to the infirmary door and knock. As Madame Pomfrey opens it, she faints into the nurse's waiting arms as the nurse exclaims, "Oh my!"

Quickly, Madame Pomfrey goes about getting Cho into a bed, setting the fractured rib and helping Cho drink some bone-grow. Cho slept well that night, and the day after, not waking up until Monday, just before having to go to class. The rib still hurt a bit, but winning the Quidditch Cup was well worth almost any pain she could endure.