Letter from Home
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 03-11-04 10:10

Lawrence sat in the common room after dinner with Vera, who was in the library doing some research with Susan, working on adding the finishing touches to his DADA essay that was due first thing in the morning. When an owl came in and landed on the table. "Well hello there." he said, removing the package from the owl's beak as well as a letter. "Here you go." he said offering the owl a few pellets and smiling lightly as he saw that the package and letter were from his Aunt Maribel.

He opened the letter first with a grin.

Dear Lawrence,

I'm so happy to hear that things worked out with you and Vera, here is the item you had asked me to send. Do you know what Vera will be doing once she graduates? Has she started looking for a place to live on her own? Will she be living with her parents?

I heard from Daniel in Sydney, he says that things are being kept up quite well, and that should you decide to return to Sydney at any time the house will always be there for you. Also, you should have the money in your account from the trust fund in two weeks.

Please give Vera my love. Also, I will not be here for the Christmas season, as always. I will be spending some time in Romania.

I hope to hear from you soon...

Love,

Aunt Maribel

Lawerence folded up the letter and set it aside, and quickly opened the box. He grinned when he saw the flat box. This definitely would be a year that would be remembered. He quickly removed the flat box and flipped open the lid, smiling as he looked down at the silver chain with a broomstick charm etched with Vera's name and a single emerald hanging from the handle of the broom. "Perfect." he said with a grin closing the box and removing the smaller box from the pocket of his robes.

"Now to put these away some place safe." he grinned as he quickly moved up the stairs and into his room. He chuckled at the looks he got from Arley and Seb when he darted into the room. "What? Just hiding a gift for Vera." He grinned a bit and put the two boxes in his trunk. "I will show you guys tonight if you want."

With that the Aussie quickly headed back downstairs to the common room and went back to work on finishing up a few last minute things for his homework, and waiting for Vera and Susan to come back from the Library.

---

Dizzying December
Author: Orieliah McCoi
Date: 03-11-04 10:23

Orei trudged back to the tower after History of Magic, her brain still fuzzy from the influx of names, dates, injuries, events, and boredom that had encased her during the hour and a half long lecture by Professor Binns. She told the password to the Fat Lady and slipped into the Common Room.

Thankfully she had already gotten her Herbology homework done and brought her books up to her room. She finally had some time to relax, she thought about going to bed, but it was too early.

She headed back down to the Common Room and offered Jared a smile. "Hey Jared!" She said sliding down next to him and letting out a soft sigh. She stretched out, things had calmed down now that she had managed to get herself caught up on studying and such.

"What do you have planned for Christmas break?" Jared asked shifting to make room for Orei.

"Not sure yet. I need to figure out what my mom and dad are doing, because last letter I got from home said they might be going back to San Francisco, not sure I want to go back. I might spend some time with Brett and Australia if that is okay with them. Or I could always stay here." Came her answer as she settled into the couch, yawning slightly.

"So what about you? What do you have planned for Christmas break?" She asked Jared.

---

Cursing
Author: Nora
Date: 03-11-04 10:56

Nora grinned as her partner in crime left the dormitory to hunt their first victim. The blond second year had been waiting for the perfect chance to put her books to use. Out of the five stolen books, this one felt particularly evil. While waiting for Iris to walk in the room, Nora looked over the spell a few times, making sure everything went as planned. This doesn't seem overly difficult, I've done more complicated spells than this...I miss the Cruciatus curse though, that was always fun in dark arts class. Too bad I can't try that on anyone...Ah well, giving smallpox to someone seems amusing.

Looking around Nora closed the book and wrapped it back up in the shirt, stashing it back in the secret compartment of her trunk.

Suddenly the door opened and Iris walked in the room.

"What do you want, Nora..." The girl seemed rather bored and slightly angry at being forced form her studying.

Then a smirk spread across Nora’s lips. "Oh, hello, Iris. I was just thinking about how great of a friend you've been to me."

Slowly the smile faded and Nora's voice went icy cold, sending a shiver through her victim. "Time for you to pay!" Leveling her wand at Iris she yelled out the spell and aimed for her heart; however, since Nora had stopped eating, her magical abilities were declining steadily with her physical health and everything tended to backfire on her. A blood red bolt shot out of her wand, sending Iris soaring backwards and slamming into the wall. Iris had been hit with the aftershock of the spell, but somehow Nora had taken the full effect of the blast. The second year lay semiconscious on the cold stone floor of the dormitory...

---

Just a Day, Just an Ordinary Day
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 03-11-04 19:19

Sometime during meeting on Wednesday, my amulet had become warm and the hue changed to what can only be described as "more silver": The sheen seemed more luminous and had a slight white-blue ting to it, though the change as barely noticeable. I can feel the protection from the amulet.

I could guess who was trying to harm me. That was easy. What I don't know (and definitely don't want to find out) is what her failed attempt to curse me would do without my Shield. I keep it on me always.

It is thanks to the shield that I'm able to have a reasonably productive day. Actually, it's probably more that Umbridge too the day off (she should do that more often!). Since she isn't interrupting me every then minutes, I'm able to completely catch up on my work and get a good start on new projects.

Near mid day, I suddenly get a feeling like I'm being watched. Unsettled, I look around my office and outside the hall. Except for a few Aurors and ministry personnel, no one is around. I do a kind of magical scan around the area, again, noting out of the ordinary. Frowning I return to my desk and continue working. After sometime the feeling goes away.

Finally, the day ends and I dissaparate home to work on my Runes "homework." I smile to myself in satisfaction. Bellatrix will take a fit when she finds out her "trick" hasn't worked.

---

Pre-Game Jitters
Author: Kody
Date: 03-11-04 19:55

Kody picks at his food, for once not hungry, his thoughts doing a great deal to keep his appetite at bay. The lack of hunger began when he saw some of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team member on their way to the pitch for practice. Hufflepuff's official practice time during the week is Thursday. Thursday means Saturday is almost here. Saturday means game day. Kody's first Quiddtich match.

Kody has been pinching himself daily in case he dreamed trying out for a chaser position that opened up when Terry Boot gave up his spot on the team mysteriously as Harry Potter's quitting the Gryffindor team. Viktor - Professor Krum - was extremely pleased with Kody's try-out. Pleased enough he named Kody team captain.

Kody pushes his plate away, thinking that Saturday is getting here way to quickly!

---

Also Nervous
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 03-11-04 20:18

Butterflies zoom around Fritz's stomach as he sits in the common room and attempts to get through a lengthy chapter for the following day's History of Magic class. The process is excruciating, not only because detailed analyses of magical treatises are über-boring but also because Fritz can't stop thinking about Saturday's Quidditch match.

He's nervous because it's not only the first game of the season for Ravenclaw but also because it is Fritz's first game as an actual member of the team. He's done well in practices, but playing pretend with his own team is nothing like the real thing against an opponent--or at least, so Fritz thinks. He doesn't yet have the experience to know for sure, but he's fairly certain his feelings are correct.

Fritz slams his History of Magic textbook shut and tosses it in his book satchel. Just then, Coco enters the common room and asks him if he's ready to go down to the Great Hall for dinner.

Nodding his head vehemently, Fritz stands up to go.

---

Strategizing
Author: Sebastian Sjoblom
Date: 03-11-04 22:45

Sebastian and Arley sit on the floor, intently watching a game being played out with the miniature SQF Quidditch set. It's a game between the Änglamark Älgar, the elks, and the Blodiga Bärsärkar, the berserkers, teams Sebastian has little personal investment in, but he leans against his four-poster, with his quill poised over his yellow notepad expectantly. Now that both he and Arley are Chasers (along with the sharp-eyed firstie, Trey Wolf), and with a game coming up, it's time to think about strategy. They're both still in their sweaty yellow-and-black Quidditch robes, sleeves rolled up and bracers half-unlaced; since the afternoon's practice, they've been too busy thinking about the upcoming match to think to change.

"Look, look," Arley says, leaning in over the game to point a finger at one of the Älgar Chasers, dressed in a bland turquoise robe, with a lowercase "a", sprouting two leaves, emblazoned on the back. "Every time the other guys close in on him he feints a pass, and they back off to catch it, an' he has space to fly, see?" He withdraws his finger.

"He did it too many times," Sebastian says critically. "Now they are not fooled by his feints. It's like the... ulv*.... The boy who cried wolf." Indeed, by the third feint, the Bärsärkar's Chasers follow the turquoise-robed, mousy-haired man closely despite his feints.

Sebastian spoke too soon, though, and just as the berserkers see through the little trick, the Chaser's feint turns out to be a real pass. He chips the Quaffle over their unwary heads to a teammate hovering near the hoops, and by the time they wheel around to chase down the player with the Quaffle, she's already scored.

"See?" Arley says.

"Ja, ja, it was a good play," Sebastian admits, and scribbles down a brief outline of the play on his pad. The letters on the yellow page run together, the English is awkward, and Seb's handwriting is atrocious, but they've accumulated quite a compendium of Quidditch strategy.

Lawrence bounds up the stairs, interrupting their brainstorming session. Arley and Seb look up, missing the Bärsärkar's perfect form as they score a goal with use of the Hawkshead formation.

"What?" Lawrence asks, beaming. "Just hiding a gift for Vera." Sebastian likewise smiles and puts a finger over his lips to signal that he'll keep a secret. Lawrence's stormy relationship with Vera Delgety had been the subject of many a dormitory conversation (usually begun and dominated by Lawrence, then ended by an impatient roommate), the subjects of which ranged from overjoyed to miserable and regretful to wistfully reflective. Lawrence's expression is a very accurate barometer of the relationship, and today's grin signifies good news. Before Sebastian can make pleasant conversation, though, his roommate is down the stairs again.

Arley dictates another effective move to him, namely distracting the opposition by displaying the Quaffle ostentatiously, then signaling to an unguarded teammate to fly below, and dropping the Quaffle down to him or her, similar to the Porskoff Ploy. Sebastian quickly scrawls it down. He runs the tip of the dark brown quill feather across his lower lip thoughtfully, watching the game.

Just as the scores are approaching a tie, the Snitch is caught, and Sebastian and Arley work on returning the pieces to their briefcase, talking Quidditch as they do. Each time the briefcase is opened or closed, the appearances and uniforms of the miniature players change to correspond to the next upcoming match. It's quite a trick, though Sebastian doesn't give it much thought.

"Now that we got all these great moves..." Arley says, reaching for one of the hoops. His hand bumps into Seb's, headed for the same destination, and they both avert their eyes uncomfortably. Sebastian's lips part as though he's about to say something, but he drops it. Arley continues.

"Any... anyway, now that we got these moves we should make up some kinda code or something," Arley says.

"That is true," Sebastian says, finishing the cleanup hurriedly and snapping the briefcase shut. "We need to inform Wolf, also."

"You mean the firstie?" Arley nods. "Yeah, we shoulda thought of this last night. Then we coulda told him 'bout it at practice today."

Sebastian shoves a lock of blond hair out of his face and reviews the three pages he's filled up with plays. Arley crouches behind him, looking over his shoulder. Seb makes a little star by one.

"That one, I like," he says with a smile. He taps the star mark with the tip of his quill, gives a quick incantation, and the star glows purple.

"Star the third one from the bottom," Arley says, "the one about dummy passing."

After a session of picking out favorites in which nearly all of the plays ending up with purple stars beside them anyway, leaving the yellow pad radiating purple, they set in to assigning code names, the most fun part of the whole thing, in Sebastian's opinion. By now they've migrated to Arley's bed, with Sebastian leaning cross-legged against the headboard, Arley stretched out on his back with his arms wrapped around a pillow. He looks like an otter. Sebastian snickers.

"What's so funny?" Arley says, sitting up and whapping him with the pillow.

"Ah, nothing," Sebastian says. "In all cases, we're finished. Each play has a code name. I'll make a copy for Mr. Wolf."

"You'll get off my bed first!" Arley declares with a grin, giving him an authoritative smack upside the head with the pillow.

"I'm going!" Sebastian says, receiving another lighthearted smack that sends him, laughing, tumbling off the side of the bed. He returns to his own, grinning and giggling and feeling pleasantly sore from the afternoon's practice.

"We'll certainly win," Sebastian says, filling the silence. His eyes dart back and forth between his notepad and the copy that he's preparing for his teammate. He makes a wholehearted, though not altogether successful, effort to correct his handwriting.

"Certainly," Arley agrees from his bed, unlacing his bracers and setting them neatly next to each other on the nightstand. They both wear confident smiles.

*wolf