From the Ashes

Who: Spencer and Pete
Where: The Great Hall
When: Thursday evening
What: Dinner & Duels

Thursday night was Sticky Date Pudding night, and aversion to eating in the Great Hall or not, there was no way Spencer was going to miss that particular occasion. It had been a reasonably peaceful day, the general attention of his classes moved on from his and William's epic and -- somehow, apparently -- tragic romance to the latest Gryffindor-Slytherin relationship that had gone ka-boom. Aside from stopping the two students in question from killing each other in class, Spencer had had a refreshingly calm day.

Possibly it was a warning for ominous things to come, but Spencer had never been very good at Divination.

William had sent him the first issue of Plants In Peril that afternoon, and Spencer was running through some of the latest theory in it in his head. He was not really prepared, so when someone next to him made a surprised, choking sound, he barely glanced up, and it wasn't until his glass of pumpkin juice was upturned with a certain dramatic air that he really noticed what was going on. Noticed, but didn't understand.

"Um?" Spencer said, plaintively.

Who: Gerard and William
When: Monday afternoon (the day of the full moon)
Where: The library, current safe haven from certain Ministry officials
What: Past and current events

William had a great deal to think about. The headmaster had sent him to greet the visiting Ministry official, as everyone else was busy with classes, and apparently Headmaster Schechter still had a creative sense of humour, because the official in question had turned out to be Hayley Williams.

He'd gotten her settled in her guest rooms with minimal awkwardness, considering their history, and fled before she could unpack parchment and quill to start asking him official Ministry questions. He wasn't sure, anymore, that she was really here as a grief counselor. He needed some time to think about it. And about what he was going to say. She'd looked a bit wide-eyed at the rubble in the entrance hall; hopefully that wouldn't come up.

Thankfully, the library was relatively safe territory. Not that she wouldn't know exactly where to find him if she wanted to, but she was a Ravenclaw, and he doubted she'd start asking leading questions in mutually respected neutral territory. Not yet, anyway. He might not be as lucky in another few days.