From the Ashes

Jon,

I've compiled a list of the most current scholastic articles and published experts on puffskeins, as requested. Unfortunately, it's not a lot. Apparently puffskeins are not a hot zoological topic. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help.

You don't happen to know if prolonged proximity to thestrals causes nightmares, do you? Are there any other plants or animals you know of which might have that effect? If you have any ideas, I would appreciate it.

- Bill B.

yo bilvy-

caught a note from one of my fourth years, drea alexander, today, gossiping about the herbology professor passing out in the library wednesday afternoon??? is spence okay? he's been looking a little worn out and then schechter posted the notice about all the students with magical fatigue - is it related? has spence said anything?

oh yeah, do you know of any wizard who's done any extensive studying of puffskeins? i owled an old professor, but thought you might be able to help too. -jjw-

Who: Mikey and Jon
Where: Jon's hut
When: Thursday, after last period
What: Mikey needs a favour

Mikey walked slowly out through the grounds, nursing the small pricks on the side of his thumb and thinking uncharitable thoughts about his third year class. It hadn't been their fault he'd picked up a hedgehog rather than a pincushion, but they were the ones that had been making enough noise to distract him into doing it. And probably also enough noise to distract anyone else in a three room radius.

He couldn't understand how they managed to be so loud sometimes. Especially as the Ravenclaws were usually quiet enough until they succeeded in getting their task done. Though he hated to admit it, it was the Gryffindors that caused all the trouble. They didn't seem to be able to wave their wands around without yelling about it first. It was a show of how noisy they really were that he'd actually docked points after they'd ignored his first warning. And even that hadn't been particularly relieving or satisfying because as much of a show as he'd made about looking pained, they'd all still stared at him like he was twisting knives into their chests. He sighed even thinking back to it.

Being out in the grounds was helping to soothe his mood, though. The grass was a little wild in places, but mostly it was all exactly as he remembered it. Inside the castle it was sometimes difficult to forget it had been the stage for a battle, but outside everything seemed to have just carried on growing regardless, replenishing itself without much help. It was hopeful in a quiet way that he really liked.

He stopped to knock at Professor Walker's hut, hoping he'd come at the right time and the professor wasn't out in the Forest or up at the castle.

who: Pete & Jon
when: tuesday, fifth period
where: Jon's class
what: omg puffs

Pete was kind of amazed that it took him this long to hear about it, but once one of his third years mentioned the that Jon was basically drowning in puffskeins, he about threw himself out of his window in the middle of class; sadly, he couldn't actually go interrupt Jon's classes, so he had to wait until fifth period when they were both free.

Well, really, he was loitering at the edges of Jon's fourth period class from about halfway through, but whatever. He still waited decorously until almost all of Jon's students had left before he presented himself, bouncing excitedly on his toes, and said, "Tell me it's true. And tell me you still have them."

Who: Jon and Spencer
When: Saturday afternoon
Where: Jon's hut/pseudo-classroom
What: Fresh air! With no gossiping whatsoever. Nuh-uh.

Spencer was in a bad mood all morning. It had been his first day with the chance to sleep in properly, no classes to prepare or get up early for, and he'd ended up waking before the sun rose, a sense of danger and fear leaving his skin clammy, breathing ragged. It was the fifth nightmare in a week, and Spencer had never been one to suffer from bad dreams before. Now, he was lucky to go a night without one, and he had started having trouble falling asleep in the first place, too cautious of what might come. The urge to quote Macbeth, he thought gloomily, was probably a sure sign of madness.

That morning, though, he chewed idly on dittany leaves to clear away some of his exhaustion while he was marking the Seventh Years' homework, and then the afternoon rolled around and the clouds cleared and it was suddenly, unexpectedly, a beautiful day. Spencer felt his grumpiness dissipate easily, and before he even had a real destination in mind, he was walking out across the grounds, hands in his pockets, face tilted up to the sun.

He set off for Jon's hut, deciding to ask him how the first week of classes had been. He'd seen Jon very briefly on Wednesday night at dinner, but mostly he'd been avoiding the inside of the castle as per usual, and it would be cool to catch up with Jon again, at least find out how the baby hippogriffs were going. Spencer felt kind of attached to the idea of them.

"Hello?" he called, when he could see Jon's hut, close now. "Anyone home?"

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: Brendon and Billiam (now with bonus Jon!)
When: Sunday evening. Kiddies ahoy!
Where: Outside the castle
What: Unicorns.

Having levitated and transfigured more spare doors into feasibly operational boats than had possibly been seen since the Spanish Armada, William had left the others to the duties of chaperoning first-years across the lake and gone to find Brendon with the carriages. As a pastime, fishing eleven-year-olds out of murky water at night left a certain something to be desired.

He had a reasonable amount of faith in Jon, but the grimaces Schechter had displayed during his earlier offer of mermaids left William feeling that perhaps reinforcements might be welcome. If not, he could always head back inside to double-check the master list of arriving students and have a chat with the Sorting Hat about organizational charms. Also possibly nick a pumpkin pasty.

"Brendon?" he called, keeping his voice down so as to not startle any unicorns. "Are you...?" Ah. There he was. And there were the unicorns, waiting silent and resplendent only a few meters away. Brendon was standing more still than William suspected he'd ever been, staring at them with hearts almost palpably visible in his eyes.

"Brendon?"

Who: Jon and William
When: Sunday afternoon, before the students arrive
Where: Out on the grounds
What: Book delivery

It had taken William some time to find Jon, but since he'd said not to send an owl, William figured meeting him outside would be best. The students would be starting classes tomorrow, so it seemed imperative that the issues of textbooks and classrooms be sorted out now rather than later. The recently discovered storage closet containing the animated skeleton had been securely locked and quarantined; it could wait.

He wasn't entirely comfortable out here, and not only because his arms were full of books. The hair kept prickling on the back of his neck, and every time he turned around he expected to see someone - or something - watching him, but nothing was ever there, only empty field. It was a relief to finally locate Jon, although he looked uncharacteristically bleak.

"The headmaster sent me," William reported, glancing over Jon's expression and the way his shoulders were hunched over as he walked over. "And I have your books. Is everything all right?"

Who Jon and Adam (and anyone else!)
Where the staff lounge
When Lunch, first day of classes
What (who the hell thought teaching was a good idea?)



Jon was having serious, serious thoughts about this whole 'teaching' business. He also wanted some more coffee, but it was far away on the opposite counter and he really couldn't be bothered to lift his head from the table, much less a wand.

Seriously, he hadn't been near that bad at 13, had he?

William,

Along the lines of my forgetting the books I might need for classes, I was also wondering if I had an actual classroom? It's my firm belief that while the 'hands-on' approach is best with the ins and outs of CoMC, the classroom atmosphere offers its own benefits.

I don't think it'd be great to send an owl right now as I'm off to check on Heckle and Jeckle, but I'll be around later this evening.

Thanks,

JWalk

Who: Anyone and everyone
When: Monday morning
Where: The staff lounge
What: Staff meeting!

William strolled into the staff lounge five minutes early, with teacup in hand and new robe flowing breezily behind him. He sipped briefly as he noted the other staff members already present, and then the note hovering just above the table, covered in Schechter's sharp, harried handwriting.

It was hard to resist anything in writing, particularly when it might be informative. Glancing around, William flipped his voluminous sleeve back with one smooth twist and plucked the note card from the air between two fingers, scanning the contents.

Business to attend to, arranging the train or an alternative method of transportation. I'm sure all of you can handle whatever needs to be discussed. Don't forget the kids come on Sunday. - Schechter

William blinked once, then set the card carefully back into mid-air. "Well," he remarked. "That's interesting."

Who: Shane and Jon
Where: The grounds between the gate and the castle
When: Mid-morning
What: Shane's arrival at Hogwarts

Shane stops just shy of the gates, closes his eyes and tries to talk himself into going through them. He had thought that getting on the plane from Vegas to London would be the hardest part, that once he arrived he would be prepared to be back. That was why he had decided to travel the Muggle way, to give himself some time to prepare, to be ready to face this place (these people) again. Apparently it hadn’t worked. Shane takes a deep breath and opens his eyes. He can do this. He picks up his trunk and forces his feet to move.

As he approaches the castle Shane looks around taking in the changes. It’s obvious that cleanup has begun; the last time he was here, during the war, the grounds were a wreck. Now it looks close to how it looked when he first arrived. Memories of his time at Hogwarts flash through his mind: studying in the common room, quidditch on Saturdays, singing Muggle songs with Brendon. Shane smiles. He really did have some good times here. He is so lost in thought that he doesn’t see the person approaching until they are almost on top of each other.

Who: Jon and Spencer
Where: Front steps of the castle
When: Morning
What: A tour 'round the castle.

Spencer clutched the large cup of coffee to his chest a little possessively and sat down on the third step from the giant doors. He'd Owled Jon Walker last night suggesting meeting after breakfast outside, and now he was occupied trying to remember at what time the rest of the castle ate. Spencer hadn't gone down to the Great Hall for breakfast -- it had been strange enough last night with shadows taking up a good portion of the corners, and Spencer didn't think he was quite ready to see exactly how empty it was in the full light of day. A trip to the kitchens for coffee and out there on the steps left him, he hoped, sufficiently awake.

He wasn't sure how they'd been selected for the tours, although he guessed that his appointment made sense. He'd spent most of the summer prowling the grounds, looking out first for the (many) hidden traps and dangers that had been planted generously through Hogwarts, and then hunting for supplies for the depleted greenhouses. He'd found plenty of both, and had the odd advantage of knowing the school grounds like the back of his palm by now. So, okay, the appointments had made sense. Mostly, Spencer was just glad that -- anyway. He wasn't going to think about this evening. He was going to make nice to Jon, and then go and hide in Greenhouse #4, the one hidden halfway into the Forbidden Forest, for the rest of the day.

The clock in the castle rang out nine o'clock, and Spencer stood up, hunching his shoulders against the cool breeze and blinking into the morning sun.

Who: Summer staff and early arrivals
Where: The Great Hall
When: Dinnertime
What: The last evening before new arrivals


William understood the need to move from the staff lounge into the Great Hall for meals now that their numbers were increasing, but it was still strange (and slightly creepy) to eat dinner in a vast room so empty that it echoed whenever his fork tapped his plate. Maybe they should have Chinese next time; chopsticks would make less noise.

It was sirloin tonight, it looked like. Most likely the house elves wanted to enjoy themselves cooking fancy meals for a just a few before they had to start preparing food in bulk. The high table was set up with all chairs facing the hall, which made sense during the year when there were children to supervise, but made conversation difficult right now. William hooked his wand beneath the decorative filigree on the back and cast enough of a lightening charm to pull the chair around behind him to the opposite side of the table. It was a little close to the edge of the dais, but it would do.

"It's weird in here," he commented, settling in across from the others and summoning a place setting from the abandoned corner of the table. "Nice, but still weird."