From the Ashes

Who: Frank, Patrick & Mikey
Where: A corridor somewhere
When: Tuesday evening, December 22nd
What: Innocent strolling and mistletoe investigation

Mikey rubbed at a chocolate stain on his wrist and sighed. That was absolutely the last time he was taking part in a cooking lesson. He was pretty sure he still had flour in his hair, there were definitely icing stains on his elbows, and his robe cuffs were singed thanks to one of the makeshift-ovens malfunctioning.

Still, the weird spell on the blackboard hadn't blown up in their faces, which was definitely something to be grateful for. In fact it had been exactly as they'd left it when he checked in on the room after the lesson had ended.

Which was why he was on a quest for Patrick. He needed someone to talk it over with, maybe someone to drag back down with him, even, and he didn't think Patrick would mind him tagging along.

The only problem was, Patrick wasn't in his quarters. But that wasn't too big a deal. Mikey hadn't checked the staff room yet and honestly, anyone with any sense would probably be hiding in there lest Schechter appeared to hand out more 'holiday spirit' tasks.

That being said, the Staff Room was still a little snowy these days and maybe rather an obvious hideout place, all things considered, so that might throw a spanner in things. Nevermind.

Who: Bob, Mikey, and Patrick
Where: Hospital wing
What: Amnesia is not fun.
When: Wednesday morning (11/11)

Having sent another distraught seventh year on her way after reassuring her that yes, once this whole age fiasco was sorted out, it was highly probable her breasts would return to their previous cup size (Bob didn't pretend to understand the mechanics of the eighteen—now sixteen—year-old female mind), Bob flopped back on a bed and sighed. He wasn't exactly sure of what rate he was losing years, currently, since he didn't feel all that different today than he had on Monday, but he figured he still had plenty of time before he hit his teens. Probably. He hoped. Growing pains were not something Bob was looking forward to going through a second time, after all.

Who: Patrick and William
When: Friday night
Where: The halls
What: An auror and a gentleman in distress?


Once Patrick and Travis had made it to the library with every child that they'd found accounted for, Patrick waited around long enough to hear more zombie stories. The elves looked kind of half dead and dazed, it was true. There was also the lack of verbal capabilities. Oh, and the fact that on the way to the library, he'd caught a few of them trying to lunge at him and the children.

They got a little more determined at that point, even sniffing the air and moaning a little louder. So, yeah. Zombies. Which meant that the only way to save them and everyone else from being killed (or worse) was to, well, 'dispose' of them.

Leaving Travis in charge of the others, Patrick went back along the path that they'd traveled to the library to put the elves that they'd petrified along the way out of their misery.

Who: Travie and Patrick
Where: Random corridors
When: Friday, around the end of last period
What: ZOMBIES BWAHAHA

Travis and Patrick were supposed to be doing rounds; usually this consisted of shooting the shit and poking into rooms at random to make sure no evil plant life had germinated. TGIF, though, and once last period was over, Travie just needed to do one final sweep of the main corridors and then he'd, in theory, be off for a day or two. He slowed, sights set on opening the next door on the left. They were in the main part of the school, near the library and a handful of usable classrooms, and a couple floors up from the Great Hall, so chances were good that this particular room had already been cleared out ages ago. Class was due to get out soonish, which meant watching for snogging teenagers and stinkbombs and muddy shoes- all in a day's work. "Hold up a mo, mate."

He twisted the worn doorknob, leaning into the empty storage closet to peer around. Nope, no teenagers and no hexes, which was above par for this school. Travis closed the door again. "Nothing! So we should go into Hogsmeade next weekend, yeah?"

WHO: Adam and Patrick
WHERE: the grounds.
WHAT: It's Adam and Patrick, what do you THINK?
WHEN: Morning, Tuesday (10/20)

The owl had, at the very least, been terribly persistent as it scratched and pecked at the window of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, thoroughly disrupting Adam's first class of the morning, and just when he'd gotten them concentrated on working on something. He enjoyed the NEWT students, even though the class was kind of huge, but he supposed that was what happened when you taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at the end of the war. He liked setting them very complicated things to work out and try on each other, anyway, even if he had to watch them like a hawk.

Which he couldn't do with a damn owl at the window.

"If you touch that," he said, in his very best menacing voice to one 7th year Slytherin who thought he was much better at hexes than he actually was, "I'm giving you detention for a week and I'm taking fifty points from your house." The boy started to protest, and Adam stared him down. "I mean it. Don't touch it until I come back. Then you can touch it all you want and I'll show you how to grow your eyebrows back." He backed away from the table and went over to the window to let the owl in, keeping his eyes on the students as he fumbled with the latch on the window.

( The owl was incensed, and pecked his head as he reached out to untie the letter strapped to its leg. )

Who: All, sundry and their furry soulmates
When: Dinner on Wednesday
Where: Great Hall, whether the teachers' high table or elsewhere as needed
What: Soul manifestation mayhem, duh

The Great Hall was barely half-full for dinner when Gabe stalked in, his feline companion almost matching his gait half a step behind him. And she was gorgeous, ok? She was the most beautiful Iberian Lynx he'd ever seen, possibly because she was the first one who'd ever been inclined to sit still to be admired.

So hanging out with her all day had not precisely been hard. Sure, classes had been a little more full of distraction than usual, and his lynx seemed to spent half of every class padding quietly between the benches and cuffing other tumbling animals, but whatever, it wasn't like a little light relief wasn't totally welcome this week.

Threading his way up to the end of the hall, Gabe climbed up to the high table - from where the Hall really did look like a menagerie gone beserk. He paused for a moment just to admire it before his lynx butted at his thigh and he moved on to find his seat.

Who: Mikey and Patrick
Where: Empty room
When: Saturday midday-ish
What: Trouble

Mikey turned around yet another corner with a sigh. The hallways were starting to look a little the same and if he was wholly honest with himself he wasn't entirely sure where he was. He knew he was still on the third floor somewhere, but the corridor he was in now was dusty and definitely not somewhere he remembered going in his own time at Hogwarts. It was the same floor he'd lost the puffskeins on, though, which made it his best chance at finding the one stray he and Adam hadn't managed to round up.

Guilt drove him on past another odd painting which seemed to feature only swaying daisies. It had been a good three days since losing the puff and he hadn't heard any of the children talking about finding one, which had lead to thoughts of it preying on him more and more. He just didn't like the thought of it lost somewhere, hungry and alone and all his fault.

He almost stopped and turned around yet again and then as he glanced away he swore he caught sight of something moving out the corner of his eye. He went forward a couple more steps and found himself standing in front of a slightly ajar door. Nudging it a little further open, he peered inside.

Nothing jumped out to take a bite at him, and as the contents of the room looked tidy and like they'd been checked over, he took a step inside. He made what he hoped was a coaxing sound and wandered further in. There was no real furniture for a puff to hide under, just a few cupboards and a couple of spare desks up against the wall, but he looked around anyway. The real feature of the room was the large window in the far wall, facing out over the grounds.

( Read more... )

Who: Patrick and Pete
Where: Pete's quarters
What: Patrick is head of the Cheer-Up brigade


"This... this is actually a set of charms I did for these kids in Finland. They were in an orphange and-- Okay. You don't want to know about that part because it's actually really depressing. But it was one of my first few jobs and I got guard duty."

Patrick was sitting in a chair next to Pete's bed, wand poised to do the first charm before he thought better of it.

"Hold out your hand for me?" he asked. "It's easier if it has a starting point."

Who: Joe and Patrick
Where: Patrick's quarters
When: Wednesday evening
What: a very manly tea party


In an effort to "catch up on old times," Patrick and Joe were chilling out in Patrick's quarters, sitting cross-legged across from each other on Patrick's bed. It was almost like they were both fourteen and none this was awkward. You know, sort of.

"Oh, haha. Okay, so do you remember Ms. McClean? With the." Patrick rubbed just under his nose with his index finger and started to laugh harder. "The very distinguished facial hair? And like, the red lipstick! Always with the red lipstick."

He picked up his cup of hot chocolate from the tray of drinks and cakes levitating between them.

"It was like some kind of sick challenge. And it didn't help that she kept transfiguring herself into a vulture."

WHO: Adam and Patrick
WHERE: Staff Lounge
WHAT: Snarkfest
WHEN: Friday, Lunchtime (10/2)

Friday, it seemed, had been a long time coming. Adam was pretty sure it had been Monday for at least three days, maybe more, and it was a Hogsmeade weekend and there were kids losing their magic all over the place and he just wanted to sleep for a week.

It didn't help, of course, that his own magic was iffy at best, and he was pretty sure that he was coming down with something, maybe Brazillian Death Flu or even Ebola or something.

Also, he'd had kind of a lot of coffee, so to save the embarrassment of probably spilling everything everywhere in the great hall at lunch, had retreated to the staff lounge with a sandwich and tea (decaffienated, for the love of Merlin), and a book.

Only, he was failing at reading, since he'd kind of dozed a little in the chair and was sliding out, all eight miles of leg spread across the floor in front of him.

Who: Gerard and Patrick
What: Lunch. Revelatory lunch.
Where: A secluded alcove on the grounds.
When: Monday afternoon

Gerard had gladly taken Patrick up on his offer to go eat lunch outside. It was a gorgeous day, unseasonably warm, and probably one of the last few they were going to get. He'd picked up a sandwich and a thermos of tea from the kitchens and then walked outside and around the corner of the castle, settling into a quiet, cool niche in the stone. It was shady and pleasant and, best of all, quiet, especially in comparison to the great hall.

He settled in and unwrapped his sandwich, figuring it was okay to get started on it because Patrick hadn't arrived quite yet.

Who: Joe and Patrick
What: Joe arriving at Hogwarts
When: Sunday morning
Where: Outside the main entrance


Excited as Joe was to finally have gotten the position, after nearly a month worth of twice daily owls, the closer he got to the castle, the more nervous he became. Helpful as his dreams are, they don't tend to really deal in specifics and there's always the chance that he's interpreting classroom/England/castle in a way that it isn't meant to be.

He's excited, too, though, as he lands his broom and steps off, starting off across the grounds toward the meandering, imposing castle. As a student, he always liked tutoring his fellow students who needed the help, so the idea of actually being paid to talk to kids about his dreams and teach them how to do what he loves is kind of a trip.

Standing in front of the imposing doors, Joe sweeps a hand across his robes and looks around for anyone, hopefully, send to meet him.

WHO: Adam and Patrick
WHERE: Adam's office
WHAT: Patrick may or may not be a little ragey. Maybe.
WHEN: Lunchtime Wednesday

[delivered via owl, between first and second periods]
Dearest Auror Stump,

You have my eternal gratitude and undying love. I heard the most wonderful stories about your teaching abilities from my fourth-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. I owe you big time.

- Adam

Who: Gerard and Patrick
Where: In a distinctly dungeon-like area of the castle
When: Wednesday, early evening.
What: Scouting


"This place kind of creeps me out a little," Patrick said, pointing his wand at an unlit sconce on the wall and igniting it.

"Not in a legimate way where I'm, like, quaking in my boots. But it's a little. Unsettling." Patrick wasn't normally talkative when he was scouting, but then he didn't normally have anyone to talk to. And when he did, it wasn't always someone who'd been in the same situations as him, the same school of thought (literally), so the words seemed to tumble out of their own acccord at the opportunity.

He continued his way into the room with Gerard, squinting slightly as he scanned his surroundings. Everything more than a little damp, musty, and covered in some odd moss-like growth.

"And the ghosts here are bizarre," he continued on distractedly. "I've never been scolded by one before."

who: Pete & Patrick
when: Tuesday night
where: Pete's office
what: a little PTSD?

Pete was kind of starting to feel like he was getting a reputation for being, well. Frankly, a bit of an alkie. So maybe less "getting a reputation" and more "revisiting his teenage reputation."

It was just that sometimes, sometimes a man needed alcohol. Like Patrick. Patrick, who Pete stumbled across after the end of classes looking shell-shocked and a little like he was trying to justify hexing someone to within an inch of their life. He put that together with Patrick's note on the bulletin board offering to teach the sixties Defense, and promptly ushered Patrick to his office.

"Fortifying," he said, muttering a password at his locked bottom drawer with a flick of his wand and pulling a flask out. "It's okay, I won't tell."

Who: Adam and Patrick.
What: Lunchtime hangs.
When: Uh, lunchtime.
Where: The staff lounge.



Patrick had been at Hogwarts for long enough to get acclimated, and it wasn't exactly majestic, but it was still way more... grand, he supposed, than it seemed any school needed to be. Maybe it was the castle thing. His own school in Salem had really been more along the lines of standard issue US public schools. Excepting the whole magic and ghosts and secret underground culture thing.

The staff lounge was a pretty big departure from that, though. It was also quiet most of the time, which was its biggest draw. He walked inside carefully balancing his food as he entered the room.

Who Anyone and everyone
What Staff party
When Eleven and any time after on Friday
Where Pete and Brendon's Magical Muggle Pool Ballroom

For the evening, they've given up on the dream of muggle accuracy and the whole thing is decked out magically; the pool is full, but the water glows for no apparent reason. Brendon has decked shit out with trees, there are portraits of jungle animals hung on the walls in various parts of the ~forest that make their applicable noises, and there's even a "beach" of pure white sand. The ceiling is charmed to look like the night sky, complete with a moon about half-full (just in case there are any werewolves in attendance whose biology might get confused), and there is a "cabana" of sorts with food and more alcohol than you can shake a stick at.

It's a casual affair and, despite Pete's careful wording on the invitation, the point, plain and simple, is to get wasted.

[OOC: basically a free for all where time is fluid and threads can be started all willy nilly!]

Who: Pete & Patrick
When: After lunch
Where: Pete's classroom
What: Auror-type shit

It wasn't precisely that Pete jumped on Patrick when he found out Patrick was an auror—and a skilled one, at that—because Pete, at the time, had been eating. But he still definitely had some work for a gentleman of Patrick's inclinations and skill level, so yeah, maybe he did come on a little strong in his ~casual inviting of Patrick to come look at something in his classroom.

"It's a bloody nuisance," he said brightly, steering Patrick around the corner towards his classroom. "And believe me, I've done similar in my history at this school, but no matter what I try, I can't pin down the root of the spell they used. It's nothing I've ever seen before. It's frustrating and insulting."