Day Two: 8 AM
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 01-06-03 08:46
Ethan took a deep breath and pushed the door to his classroom open. As he entered, his blue eyes scanned the faces of the wide-eyed first years. He found his target easily; there was no way he could have missed her. The dark hair, the dark eyes...the face so nearly identical to hers...
Of course, Ethan had been prepared for this. With the success of his first encounter of the Beck kind, he no longer felt so incredibly helpless and anxious at the prospect of meeting the others. Yes, a slight nervous feeling lingered somewhere in the pit of his stomach, but he felt spurred on by something greater, something to relieve himself of that feeling of failure and despair.
Perhaps the enormous reception he received from his students yesterday was the reason for this new, more confident feeling. Several students had come up to him after class to exclaim their joy at finally having a class halfway interesting. Others had come to ask questions, prompting Ethan to consider starting a discussion group in the near future.
During the classes, Ethan had noticed that many of the students had seemed to hang on to his every word, while others scribbled and doodled what were presumably diagrams and flow charts onto their parchments. How thrilling it was to realize that so many students were interested in Defense Against the Dark Arts!
Ethan dumped his materials onto his desk and sat down on the edge, smiling at the first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students.
He knew that Alanna Beck, the youngest of Kendra's siblings, would not be the only Beck he'd meet today. In fact, he was due to meet Anthony in two hours. He briefly wondered if the Beck boys differed much in emotion from the Beck girls.
A sneeze from a Ravenclaw girl with shockingly bright blue hair brought Ethan back to the present and he began the class with the same few announcements he had made only twenty-four hours earlier.
Helpin' Breanna
Author: Sykra Sawyer
Date: 01-06-03 14:59
Sykra headed for the stairs to get some breakfast and then try to finish a reply to Orlando before Herbology. As she started down the stairs, she found a first year lying down, stuffed scattered, and near tears. Sykra recognized her as one that had been sorted into Ravenclaw.
"You alright?" Sykra helped the girl up. "Breanna, right?"
The girl nodded. "Bre-Breanna Bu-Butterfly."
Smiling, Sykra helped Breanna pick up her things. "I'm Sykra Sawyer. What happened?"
"I stepped on the disappearing stepp and fell and am going to be late for class! Partially 'cause I don't know the way..."
"Well..." Sykra started. "Where are you going? I don't have a class till a little later."
The first year looked at her schedule. "Defense Against Dark Arts..."
"Oh! That's this way." Sykra led Breanna to her class then headed once again towards the Great Hall.
Ended Friendship
Author: Ainsley Giacinta
Date: 01-06-03 16:58
"...and you call yourself my friend!"
"Kelly what are you talking about?" Ainsley stood frustrated just out side the Great Hall facing her best friend, Kelly Green. The two Hufflepuffs had just left the Great Hall when Kelly just started going off at her.
Kelly glared at Aisling. "You know damn well what I mean!"
"How in the hell can I know?" "Ainsley was ready to slap her friend. "Since I can't remember you ever getting like this. I can't think of anything I could have done..."
"Oooh!" Kelly's face started to turn red as she mumbled two words that Ainsley was barely able to make out. "Jake...Dean...."
"Oh." Ainsley tried not to smirk. Jake Dean was a friend of Ainsley's from Australia that had come with her to visit Kelly over the summer. Kelly really liked him. A couple nights before they left Jake had 'expressed' his feelings' towards Ainsley. But she told him he didn't feel the same, which was true. He went back to the Australian Wizarding school a little heartbroken. "What's it matter? He's been more like a brother to me."
"But...argh! You brought him into you're trap so I couldn't have him!"
Ainsley smirked this time. "That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."
"Fine! Be that way! But considered our friendship OVER!"
"Wah..." Ainsley started but then stopped. "Whatever you bloody wanker! I don't need you." She then shoved past Kelly and made her way towards the charms classroom. She watched Kelly come in a few minutes after she did and sit clear across the room.
Who cares...can't stand her anyways....
Needed Rest
Author: Mirai Schultz
Date: 01-06-03 22:54
Yesterday has been tiring. All her classes almost one after the other. Even with the two-hour break after Ancient Runes, it was not enough to leave her energetic for the rest of the day. Good thing that History of Magic provided an added nap-time for them, even if she didn't want to at first. Potions on the other hand, kept her on her toes as Prof. Snape barked instructions at them. Diether seems to like him, though, much to her surprise.
Astrology is their first class of the day. And an early one at that. Even if she wanted to stay in bed, she couldn't resist getting up and ready for one of her favorite classes. She slept again after the class of Prof. Sinistra and got up with barely enough time for Charms.
Prof. Flitwick guided the class with the new spell they are learning. Kennard learns quick enough and helps her get it right. At last, a long break awaits them.
The six fifth years settled in the Ravenclaw common room. Kennard and Christina volunteered to get their lunch and followed them afterwards. Soon, they were just sitting together, sharing stories. Diether had his head on her lap as they listen to Margaritte tell a story that happened in their second year.
"He did what?!" Mirai asked Margaritte.
"Yes, he did," the girl affirmed, as they were laughing their heads off. They were making such a ruckus that the other Ravenclaws were looking at them in disbelief.
"He... forgot to wear his... uniform and... underneath his school robes... were his undergarments!" Christina continued giggling. Vincent was trying so hard to cover her mouth with his hands but he failed miserably.
The group doubled over and they only calmed down when Kennard reminded them of his position and that the other students probably wanted some peace and quiet.
"You look cozy," Vincent commented, as Diether settled in more comfortably on her lap.
"Are you two an item?" Margaritte asked, grinning mischievously.
Diether looked up at Mirai before answering, "I'm considering it."
"You're what?" she asked, almost dropping his head in surprise.
The other four laughed. Mirai just shook her head. "Can we just quit this for now? And you," pointing a finger at Diether, "we'll talk about that later."
"Fine, fine," Kennard said, all the while wiggling his eyebrows, making all, even Mirai, laugh. "Besides, I want to have some peace and quiet before Arithmancy."
"How about you play something on your guitar before your class?" Christina suggested.
"Alright," Kennard answered. He got up and disappeared on the stairs. A little later, he reappeared, guitar on hand. He sat back on his place earlier and began strumming the instrument.
Mirai closed her eyes, resting, as she listened to the music the guitar plays, and to Christina's voice, as it blended to the strums of the guitar to create a peaceful background to the sudden hush of the common room.
Lesson Plans and More
Lesson Plans
Author: Angelina
Date: 01-07-03 01:45
I went to my office and sat down. Looking at the place, you would never think it belonged to an Herbology Professor. All was in order with nice paintings and very few knicknacks. I looked at my rosters and saw who I was going to teach for the next day.
I went over in my mind which greenhouse they would be in and what plant they were going to work on. After a while, I finished and leaned back in my chair with a look of satisfaction on my face. "All in a days work." I sighed and got up. "And now for a walk around the school before anything else.
As I got up, I noticed a package that I had wrapped and slapped my hand to my head in disgust. "Better give that book to him later on," I mumbled and picked it up chosing to head towards the Gryffindor Tower first on my route.
Coco's first class of the day had been Defense Against the Dark Arts. Coco noticed she wasn't the only girl in class hanging onto Professor Somerset's every word. The hour passed all too quickly and the entire class, having found the lesson to be fascinating, was reluctant to leave. Coco kept turning to where she'd written her schedule in her organizer to see if this class really only met once a week. Much to her chagrin, every time she checked, all nine times, the schedule had indeed shown it to be just a once a week class.
As the first year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs trooped out of the DADA class to make way for the next class, none of whom Coco recognized, speaking half to Pea and half to the Hufflepuff Olivia O'Toole, Coco dreamily sighed, "Cor, but haint Professor Somerset o'more brilliant lookin' bloke hup close? Yer think tha class id be az good iffen tha professor wuz po faced*?"
Olivia had shaken her head, first up and down agreeing with Coco's assessment of how good looking the DADA professor is and then back and forth to indicate, no, Olivia wouldn't think the class would be as interesting if their teacher were a great deal more homely. Olivia had then asked, "Coco, how did you just happen to pack blue hair dye to come to school?"
Coco had grinned her broad, friendly grin at Olivia. "Wail, yer see," Coco explained, "at 'ome, lotsa fans o'football dye their 'air or paint their faces or sumfink. Thin thare's meself. Oi dye me 'air az much fer fun as fer tha sport o'supportin' uh team. Sews Oi threw in me dyes an' even me face paints wifout finking uh'bout hit."
Olivia nodded as if she understood what in the world Coco was talking about then asked Coco, and Fritz who was standing nearby, what they were doing next. Fritz had shrugged, "Mein, I mean out, next class is not until vell after lunch."
Coco added, "Oi wuz finking uh'bout maybe goin' ter look fer some o' those frogs Professor Dumdledore mentioned yesterdee. Them thar knee-my-toads. Yer fink they be special, magical toads or sumfink?"
Olivia, apparently as clueless about nematoeds as Coco just shrugged but Fritz burst out laughing and as the trio walked towards the Great Hall, the knowledgeable boy explained to the two girls exactly what a nematoed is.
~~~~~~~~~
Po faced = A "po" is a bedpan, used in the days when people poured the contents into the street onto passers-by. Ergo, "po faced" means someone who has a face like a lavatory bowl.
A First Year in Distress
Author: Vera Delgety
Date: 01-07-03 09:12
Vera woke up this morning after a good nights rest. Yesterday was certainly a fun one. Lawrence and she had played a quick round of "keep away" with a quaffle.
Today, being the 3rd of September (Tuesday), Vera had her first class of the year. Care of Magical Creatures at 3:00. But that was a few hours off. So Vera spent most of her time studying. When Lawrence cam back to the common room after his first 2 classes, they studied together until he had to leave again. Ever so often, however, they would trail off into their own world together.
When 3 finally rolled around, Vera headed for class. For that hour they mostly had introductions. Actual lessons would start until next Tuesday. The only assignment they had was to read the first chapter of "Nursing a Stray Unicorn Back to Health".
On her way back to the common rooms, Vera met up with a lost first year. "Can I help you? Are you lost?" Vera asked her.
The girl spun around. "No... I mean, well not really...it's just..." She sighed. "I can't remember the password to my common room..." She blushed in embarrassment. Vera simply smiled. "Well now...what house are ya in then?"
This girl looked down at her books and mumbled, "Hufflepuff."
Vera rose a brow. "Hufflepuff y'said? Oui now! There's nothin' wrong with that! I'm a Hufflepuff." The first year brightened up a bit. "Really? Oh, great!" She said.
"Come now, there ain't nothin' wrong with bein' a Hufflepuff! I'm Vera." She extended her hand. "Vera Delgety's m'name. 6th year student."
"I'm Khloee Papillon." She shook the sixth-years hand. Vera nodded and pointed her thumb to the right. "Hufflepuff common room is this way, Khloee." Vera grinned and showed the way.
Quite suddenly Lawrence came up from behind. "Well now," He said resting his arm about Vera's shoulders. "Where's my lovely lady off to?" Vera chuckled. "She's off to the CR. Oh, and by the way, you left your quill at the table when you went off."
"So that's where I left it! Good thing I had another one!" Lawrence laughed. "Say, who's your new friend?"
"Oh!" Vera had almost forgotten about Khloee. "I'm so sorry, Khloee! This is my boyfriend Lawrence. And Lawrence, this is Khloee. She's a first year Hufflepuff...Not quite so different from yourself." She grinned.
"Yes, well..." He started. "Nice to meet you Khloee." The girl smiled. "And you too, Lawrence!"
Another Day, Another
Class and a Small Upset
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 01-07-03 09:49
Lawrence was up with the breakfast crowd again this morning. He headed down to the Great Hall and at breakfast with the rest of the Hufflepuffs who had classes at eight am. After he ate breakfast, it was off to Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. When he left Transfiguration he headed to Herbology out at the greenhouses. Finally when the bells rang at ten he headed straight to his dormitory and deposited his books. He then grabbed his things for History of Magic and DADA and headed down to the common room. He studied quietly with Vera, resisting the urge to sneak off to a dark corner of the common room, and distract them both from their studies.
After History of Magic, which had to have been the most boring class he had ever been in, he went to DADA and thoroughly enjoyed that one. After class he went back to the Common room and deposited his books. He then decided to wander around a bit, he had an hour before he'd see Vera again. He simply wandered the grounds, and found himself by the lake. He walked around the lake, his thoughts drifting in a thousand and three different directions. Just as he headed back to the castle a tawny owl stopped him and dropped a note in his hands.
He blinked as he looked at the handwriting. It was from one of the girls back in Australia, Alisa. Oh great, this can't be a good thing. He opened the letter, the tawny having settled on his shoulder, hooted softly. His eyes scanned the parchment and he sighed. Apparently despite the things that had happened between them, Alisa still thought they were a couple. He quickly removed a spare piece of parchment and his quill from a pocket in his robe. He then quickly penned out a letter to Alisa. After sending it off with the tawny, he headed back into the castle and toward the Hufflepuff CR. He came up on Vera and Khloee heading toward the CR.
"Well now," He said resting his arm about Vera's shoulders. "Where's my lovely lady off to?" Vera chuckled. "She's off to the CR. Oh, and by the way, you left your quill at the table when you went off."
"So that's where I left it! Good thing I had another one!" Lawrence laughed. "Say, who's your new friend?"
"Oh!" Vera had almost forgotten about Khloee. "I'm so sorry, Khloee! This is my boyfriend Lawrence. And Lawrence, this is Khloee. She's a first year Hufflepuff...Not quite so different from yourself." She grinned.
"Yes, well..." He started. "Nice to meet you Khloee." The girl smiled. "And you too, Lawrence!"
He walked with the two girls to the common room and as Vera went up to her room to drop off her books from class, he settled in front of the fire, the letter from Alisa forgotten about. He know he'd probably receive a howler from her, but such is life. He smiled when Vera returned.
Tuesday Afternoon
Author: Prof Flitwick
Date: 01-07-03 18:16
Oh My! Oh My! Almost through the second day of classes and hardly any incidents. Well... hardly any SERIOUS incidents, I suppose I should say.
Thus run my thoughts as I tidy up a bit and get ready for the last class of the day. I summon up a few Faeries to distribute the feather plumes around the desks. They're such handy creatures to have around. Not good for heavy work. Oh no no no no! But for tasks like this, or decorating Christmas trees and the like, they are quite well suited. Just give them a bit of honey, or even sugar-water, and they are happy.
Now comes my favorite part of the day. I love to watch the First-Years in their struggles to master their wands. Also, the look on their faces when they finally realize they have just done their first bit of controlled and purposeful magic. It gives an old Leprechaun a very warm feeling in his heart. Ah! Here they come, now. All the new Gryffindors and Ravenclaws come streaming into the room and take their seats along both sides. Bright, smiling faces, eager to learn some "real" magic. When they are finally settled down, I begin.
"Good afternoon, class. Welcome! Welcome! Welcome, to Charms class. I am Professor Flitwick and, before you start making "short" jokes behind my back, I feel it only fair to warn you that we Leprechauns have very sharp ears. Anyway, I believe I have heard them all, at one time or another." I chuckle at the thought of the entire file drawer in my office, full of cartoons and jokes that I have collected over the years.
"For today's lesson, we will be learning the proper use of the wand, and the basic levitation spell, "Wingardium Leviosa". First, we must get acquainted with our wands. All right, now! Take out your wands and hold them in a position that feels comfortable to your hand. The hand should be over the top, palm downward, with the fingers grasping the wand lightly." I look around the room, making a few corrections and adjustments to the individual grips. "No, No, Fritz. You will not be fighting any duels soon. It is not a sabre, to be wielded in great, broad strokes. Hold it more like a symphony conductor's baton. You will find you have much better control that way." He shifts his grasp and looks at me questioningly. "Yes. That's much better. Doesn't it feel more comfortable?" He grins and nods as I see a few others making minor adjustments.
"Now! Point your wand in front of you and wave it around a bit. Don't say anything, yet. You might accidentally invoke some spell or another without meaning to. That's the way! Keep the wrist rather firm and use your elbow and shoulder to provide the motion." I watch the looks of intense concentration, furrowed brows, a tongue clenched between the teeth. Yes! I think they all have it!
"So! Today we will begin learning the basic levitation spell. The name of the spell is "Wingardium Leviosa." If you will follow along with me on the demonstration board, the shape of the spell, the movement of your wand, is in the form of a capital "W"." I turn and trace the spell on the board for all to see. Leaving the outline there, I return to my lecture. "Trace the shape in the air in front of you a few times before you try the actual spell." I give them a few moments to practice before continuing. "Now! Aim the wand at the feather in front of you, make the "W" shape, and repeat after me. "win-GAR-dee-um lev-ee-OH-sa", "win-GAR-dee-um lev-ee-OH-sa"." Oh! This is just wonderful. Several of them are getting results on their very first try. A number of the feathers are quivering expectantly. One begins to rise, then another. The classroom is filled with the sounds of young voices uttering their very first spell. I share in their excitement and rejoice in their accomplishment. Just wonderful!
Class time is nearly up. All have had some success. Some have it near perfect. "All right, class! You have done VERY well, today. On Thursday, we will continue this lesson, and learn how to move things around by directing the spell energy. You may take the feathers with you, to practice at your leisure. Class is dismissed!"
There is a bustle as the students gather up their things and rush for the door. I call for my Faeries to erase the demonstration board, which they do with a fluttering of their bright wings. Ah! Such lovely little creatures. I open the small honey pot which I keep in the drawer and they all gather round for a sweet feast. "Now, now! I think that's quite enough!" I tell them with a chuckle. "You will all get so fat that you cannot fly at all." Reluctantly, I close the jar and head back to my office. A cup of tea would be nice at this time of day.
A Brand New Day
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 01-07-03 19:42
What an exhausting day! After the heartfelt talk she had with Toby yesterday, Bronwyn decided a new day would be the perfect time to begin living her life once more. Kendra would always be with her in spirit and be in her thoughts until the day Bronwyn would part from this world, but that wouldn't be for a long, long time.
Early Tuesday morning, Bronwyn awoke and threw open the curtains, a strange and exciting energy bursting out from her very core. Deep within her mind, she could hear Kendra groan and exclaim groggily, "Bronwyn, it's too early for so much sunlight!" She chuckled to herself and spun around to see what her roommates were up to. Most were still in bed and didn't seem to notice the sudden brightness within the room, but Emma was already climbing out of bed to prepare for the new day.
Bronwyn figured now was as good a time as any to come clean about her recent not-so-friendly-and-cheery behavior. She walked over to Emma and smiled.
"Hi, Emma..."
"Good morning, Bronwyn." Emma smiled too.
"Look, I..." Bronwyn paused to recollect her thoughts. "I've been acting really weird lately, and I know that I probably have made a rather...irritable first impression, and I do apologize for that. I've just...had a rough summer...my best friend passed away and I didn't know how to handle her loss. I, erm, had a long talk with a good friend, Toby...you may not have met him yet, but he's in Hufflepuff too...and, he made me come to terms with things; made me realize that I could go on and be my old self again and still mourn and miss her."
She laughed. "I'm just rambling here. Basically, I'd like to start over. I'd like to make a newer, better, friendlier, cheerier first impression. I'd like you to get to know the real Bronwyn. So, what do you say?"
She held out her hand and awaited Emma's response.
Emma grinned and took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'd like that."
"Great!"
With such a positive morning, it didn't take too long for Bronwyn discover that it felt so wonderful to smile and laugh. For what seemed like an eternity, Bronwyn had done little of either happy emotion. Old friends and new soon realized that Bronwyn was back to her old self again.
Since Emma shared all of the same classes Bronwyn did, they stuck together for most of the day. They spent their early morning in Transfiguration and Herbology class, and with their free time before lunch, Bronwyn gave Emma a tour of the castle. Toby and Hunter joined the girls for lunch, and without too many unpleasant reminders of the summer tragedy, Emma soon learned that both Toby and Hunter had suffered gravely from Kendra's loss as well (Toby being the brother and Hunter, the boyfriend).
After lunch, the girls had History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The contrast between the styles of those two classes was extraordinary. In History of Magic, Bronwyn had to fight her eyelids from drooping, but in DADA class, nothing could have succeeded in getting her to look away from the stunningly beautiful man at the front of the classroom.
Golden hair, sapphire eyes, a handsome face and a great body!! If she didn't already know a blonde boy with washboard abs and walnut-crushing thighs, she'd definitely be spending some extra time visiting Professor Somerset during his office hours.
Despite enjoying the eye-candy, Bronwyn couldn't help but think that his name sounded oddly familiar...Where else had she heard his name before? It was probably listed in Witch Weekly's Sexiest Wizard of the Year edition, Bronwyn thought to herself. She grinned dreamily, and wondered what lunatic didn't think to include his picture in that edition, for who could ever forget a face like his...
But then it hit her. She recalled listening to Toby one day after the murder when he spoke to her about his feelings and what it had been like to visit the Ministry to pick up his dead sister. She had tuned out a lot of that conversation because the pain had still been so very real. Toby had mentioned the names of the two good wizards who had been there to help, but the only one Bronwyn had remembered was Viktor Krum, an unforgettable name for anyone who ever followed Quidditch.
Ethan Somerset had been the other name. Ethan Somerset, who now stood at the front of the room, had been the auror working with Viktor when Kendra died. She suddenly wondered if he had the same feelings she did about the tragedy. While he hadn't known Kendra during her short life, he was present at her death and surely that must have been traumatic to witness.
Bronwyn remembered Toby relaying the information he had learned when he visited the Ministry. He spoke of how the aurors had come too late, how Viktor and Ethan had done as much as they could to delay the dark wizards from committing their crimes, and how neither one dared disturb the Beck family when they came to collect Kendra's body.
For a moment there, Bronwyn wanted to spring out of her seat and throw her arms around Professor Somerset's neck, and she didn't merely want to do it to see if he smelled nice (or to feel what it would be like to be in his arms). She wanted to thank him.
Had it been yesterday, she may not have felt the same way. Rage, anger, hatred...any number of these emotions could have plagued her soul, causing her to lash out and blame him for the reason her best friend was dead. But she knew it not to be true. It wasn't his fault. All the blame went on the dark wizard who lifted his wand and uttered the Unforgiveable Curse that ended Kendra's life.
Bronwyn spent the rest of the class, and most of the rest of the day thinking about the people she knew, once knew and was getting to know. There were so many good wizards in the world amidst all the evil. Kendra, as good as they come, was prominent in her mind, but Professor Somerset stayed in her mind as well. She saw him in a new light (and it still shined radiantly upon him!)
First Year Herbology
with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff
Author: Angelina
Date: 01-08-03 01:58
I stood at Greenhouse One and waited. The day was a crisp one and I took a deep breath and saw a line of first years come forward. "Greetings. I'm Professor Logan. I am your Herbology teacher. Follow me to Greenhouse One."
I heard a lot of gasps as I took the students in. "Wonderful, isn't it." I began, "but be forewarned the most beautiful can be the most dangerous." I passed a flower that had a lion's mane look to it and it growled and snapped at me causing the first years to gasp more.
"You will be working with Asphodel Root. Can anyone tell me what this root can do?" A young Gryffindor girl raised her hand just before a Hufflepuff boy and I called on the girl who seemed rather nervous.
"Yes, Asphodel fused with Wormwood can be used in a potion to cause the Draught of Living Death," the girl nervously responded. I smiled and gave a nod. "Very good, now we'll begin working on the root for Potions class."
The students began to mutter as they went to work and I walked around to monitor their progress.
The professor looked rather young and was wearing some sort of coveralls. She greeted us as we came near and told us what Greenhouse to enter. It was wonderful as we walked to the tables. Professor Logan warned us about the plants in the house and we began our class.
She told us what plant we'll be working with and asked, "What is Asphodel Root used for?" I raised my hand nervously just before a Hufflepuff boy did. "Miss Paul?" She called on me and I meekly answered, "Asphodel along with Wormwood can be used to make the Draught of Living Death."
Professor Logan smiled and nodded. "Very good," she said then gave us 10 points for our house. "Now we'll be working on the root for Potions class." She walked around the tables as we worked on gathering up the root.
