Harry Potter RPG - For Grownups!.
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| Tuesday, August 19th, 2003 |
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Draco had had a most unpleasant day. He hadn't gotten more than four hours sleep the previous night. His mind had been too busy dreading the events to come. At 8:00 in the morning there was a knock at his door. This time, it was not a house elf on the other side. It was his Mother. His Mother only ever ventured to retrieve him from his chambers when something important was going on. She never truly trusted the elves with family business after the Dobby incident. By 8:30 Draco was in the dining hall, dressed in some of his finest robes, staring at a platefull of food and surrounded by 'friends' of the family. His Father at the head of the table, Draco to the left and Narcissa to the right. He had eaten very little. His stomach would not allow him much more than a few bites. After the meal he was ushered off to one of the private rooms of the house along with the rest of the guests, lead by his Father. He attended their meeting today, remaining silent as ever while the men talked. The meeting had lasted a few hours and Draco was feeling as helpless as ever by the end of it. When the last of the men left the room Lucius turned to face his son. Words flowed from the mans mouth, wrapping around Draco's mind like a snake. With each passing moment the coils grew tighter, constricting his freedom and sucking him into a bigger scheme of things. He was now involved whether he wanted to be or not. It was his duty as a Malfoy to follow his Fathers orders, follow the path chosen for him... It was all so much. Draco sat there feeling quite numb, his mind blank. Lucius had such a way with words.. such a way of manipulating the mind of whoever he was talking to. Twisting a point of view until his views were the only ones available.. Draco had been sucked in yet again and by the time his Father was through with him, he was void of all emotion. Once more, he would play the pawn. Once more, he would have no control. |
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Ron made his way quickly back to the dormitory after Hermione had returned to the Room, to fetch something she had forgotten she said. With the way things had gone before, well, Ron figured this might be a good time to take a bit of a breather and to collect some things that one might need. Also, this way she's sort of have to stay, or at least until he returned. He understood Hermione's reaction, and he had to admit to himself he saw his own anger and resentment and fear mirrored in her outbursts and behavior. He couldn't help it though. They were awake, they were back, and Sirius was most definitely more back than he was before. It didn't mean these past four awful days hadn't happened, but it always sort of settled this way with Ron. His relief and joy at things being Right again outweighed his negative thoughts or reactions. It had been stupid, and selfish to a degree, and careless, and he didn't think he'd ever be able to properly convey to anyone how torturous the weekend had been for he and Hermione, or indeed for Harry and Sirius. But now, well, everything was alright now..... wasn't it? Upon arriving in the dormitory, where luckily everyone else was asleep, he saw a note placed on his bedside table in a handwriting he thought he should recognize, but couldn't place. Shaking his head in disbelief as he read the note, and then jotting a quick response, he wondered exactly just how weird things would get before the universe imploded. Not bothering to stifle a gaping yawn, he made his way briskly back to the Room without incident. Just outside the door, he tried to catch any snippets of conversation so he would be somewhat prepared for what was going on inside. He agreed with Sirius, you shouldn't bottled things up as it only tended to make them worse, but sometimes you had to give people their space. Stifling the next enormous yawn, he wondered how offended his friends would be if he just plopped down on his cot and slept for a day or so. |
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| ( Owl to Ginny ) |
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Aquillo hooted moodily as Draco tied his letter to the birds leg. Apparently Aquillo still hadn't gotten over being abducted on his way back to his master the previous night and was reluctant to be sent off on another mission. Draco glared at the owl and growled out his orders "Take it to her now." With a few more angry hoots and what could easily be seen as a glare, Aquillo took off. With Draco's sudden change of mood, Aquillo planned on taking his time returning and at the moment, the owl would much rather be in the presence of Blaise than Draco anyway. ( Owl to Blaise ) The note seemed cold. It lacked the emotion his previous note had had completely. Something obviously happened within the hours between the sending of each note, that had triggered a complete change within Draco. She would have to wait for his return before she could find out just what. |
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Draco's night had been a restless one. Clips and phrases from his 'conversation' with Lucius echoed in his mind. It was more of a lecture than anything else. Draco had barely gotten a word in edgewise, and what he did manage to say only angered Lucius. "Father, I think it might be better if I were to stay out of this.." "Oh is that what you think? I don't recall ever asking your opinion on the matter. In fact I don't ever recall telling you that you had a choice." "But-" "But nothing. You shall do as you are told, Draco. To think, my own flesh and blood would betray my like this.." "Father I-I'm- ... " "You are a disappointment." This bit of the conversation repeated in his head at least a hundred times over, mingling with his other thoughts, invading the deepest corners of his mind. It was morning now. Well.. early afternoon. He hadn't moved since he entered his room the previous night. His stomach growled at him but he ignored the pangs of hunger. All that his Father had said left him feeling helpless and numb; those pangs were one of the few things that reminded him he could still feel. By noon he was on his way back to Hogwarts and soon after he found himself in the Slytherin common room. It was empty, as everyone was likely in the Great Hall or in class. It was better this way, he wasn't in the mood to see anyone anyway. With a sigh he headed to the boys dorms, to his bed, where he intended on staying for the rest of the day. |
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( Owl To Parvati ) ( Parcel for Vati ) |
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| ( Owl to Sirius ) |
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| ( Owl to Mr. Black ) |
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Blaise was in a foul mood when she returned to the dungeons after class. Crabbe and Goyle were loafing around the common room, so she gave them the homework assignments she had for Draco. She certainly wasn't going to come near enough to his quarters to even slip them under his door, neither was she going to spend any time waiting for him in the common room. She went up to her room and threw her books on her bed. She tried to tell herself that there really was nothing to be upset about, but something in her told her there was plenty to be upset about. She needed something to distract her...waiting to find out what was going on was killing her. She wanted to scream, she wanted to send Draco an owl asking why he had to be so damn confusing. Instead, she was going to go somewhere where she wouldn't be tempted to be emotional. She pulled her hair back in the same severe yet elegant twist that she always put it in when she was going to be leaning over her cauldron, and set off to Professor Snape's office, hoping that he wouldn't mind her putting in some extra time on the potions for the rest of the week. |
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Sirius had successfully snuck out of the castle earlier that morning. He roamed the grounds and the Dark Forest, catching glimpses of memories of his time there at the school. He had swam in the lake and was subsequently chased out by the giant squid. He roamed into Hogsmeade and from there he apparated to his house in Conventry. It was as he left it, nothing was out of place. There wasn't even dust on the floors or furniture. Thank goodness for the Impervious charm, he thought. The wizarding council hadn't confiscated it when he was sent to Azkaban because he had kept it under another name: Maximus Canis. The house held many memories for him. From the outside, the house looked like a regular two-story manor. But the moment one walked inside, you knew that it was a wizard's house. It was bigger inside than what it seemed. A large foyer greeted anyone who would enter the front door. To the right of the entrance was a large staircase that ascended to the second floor while towards the left of the staircase was a wide hallway that led to the kitchen. To the immediate left of the foyer was the entrance to the living room which was for now closed off by two huge mahogany doors. The living room was spacious. Bay windows to the east and south allowed the room to be flooded with light during the day while the north wall was decorated with a cozy fireplace. The middle of the room held a large, circular rug which added to the otherwise bare, wooden floors. One large couch faced the fireplace while on either side were two leather armchairs. There were tables in front of the east bay windows that held plants and other knick knacks while the south window was adorned with a large writing desk. To the west of the living space was a door that led to the kitchen. The kitchen itself was huge, big enough to hold a dining table at the north end of the area. In the middle of the cooking space was an island that held the range at one end of it. Above that was a rack that stored all of the cookware. The west end of the island served as a sitting area with high stools for anyone who didn't wish for a formal seating arrangement. The sink was directly opposite of the island along the south wall and the refridgerator was a few feet away from the sink. In the space between the dining area and the island was a door that led to the backyard. The backyard held a large porch that spanned the width of the house. Stairs led down to the grassy knoll that was directly behind there. The second level of the house held four bedrooms and two bathrooms and one very large sun room. At the top of the stairs to the right was the first bedroom. Next to it on the west wall was a bathroom and next to the bathroom was two other bedrooms. In the northwest corner was another bathroom and next to that on the south end was the final bedroom. On the east side of the top floor was the sun room. The sun room was completely encircled with windows on the south and east wall while the ceiling held skylights that let the light in as well. There were lush plants in the room as well as a comfortable chairs and an iron wrought table that looked to be used primarily for tea time. Bookcases lined the walls that didn't have windows giving the room itself a very studious feel. It was by far Sirius's most favorite room. Sirius sat in the sun room for a few moments before jumping to his feet, suddenly remembering what it was that he came here for. He ran over to the bookcase along the north wall and pulled out "Quidditch Through the Ages." Behind that book was a small compartment where he kept his Gringott's key. He snatched the key up and quickly pocketed it before apparating to Diagon Alley. He made his way swiftly through the crowds of people toward the bank. He marched up to one of the goblin tellers and spoke in a very calm, yet collected voice. "Mr. Maximus Canis would like to make a withdrawl from his account." The goblin looked at him from behind his glasses. "Key" he said after moment in a very cackled voice. Sirius handed him the key and the goblin looked down into his books, his wrinkled brow furrowing a bit. "This account has been inactive for almost twenty years..." "Yes I realize that... but I do believe it's been growing while I've kept it in there." The goblin looked down again. "Yes it has," he finally said, "and by the looks of it, it's grown quite a bit. You've amassed a good sized fortune in there Mr. Canis." Sirius simply smiled at the goblin as it jumped down off it's stool and led him to the vault that held his money. When they reached vault number 1215 Sirius took out a sizable amount of galleons, some of which he exchanged into Muggle money. He bid the goblin goodday and left to shop in Diagon Alley. There he bought a new wand from Ollivanders, some new robes, quills, parchments and a Northern Hawk Owl he lovingly named Ophelia. He passed by the Quidditch shop and bought himself a new broom as well. He smiled as he imagined flying with Harry around the Quidditch pitch, practicing moves and showing off to the girls who often liked to watch. He was lost in his own thoughts that he barely noticed the shopkeeper approaching him. "Excuse me sir," he said timidly, "can I help you with anything?" Sirius whipped his head around quickly, "Huh? Oh... help. Right. Well, I was wondering what new brooms are out this year?" The young man smiled as he lead him to a display near the front. The sculpture of the Quidditch player (who was now adorning the robes of the Chudley Cannons) was holding a shiny new broom which bore the name "Firebolt Mach 5". Sirius eyed it curiously as the shopkeeper began to speak. "This is the latest model in the Firebolt series," he said while picking up the broom, "It's the most lightweight out of any other broom on the market today giving it amazing maneuverability around the Quidditch Pitch. It has an automatic sensing function that customizes itself for each rider allowing for smoother flight." He smiled at Sirius who was still looking at it intently. The boy bit his lip, trying to think of any other points that might sell the broom. "It also sports a new feature..." the boy pressed a small button at the top of the broom and within a moment, it vanished, along with the boy, "an invisibility booster that hides the broom and the flyer anytime you happen to be in a Muggle populated area." The boy pressed the button again and reappeared before Sirius's eyes, which were now full of excitement. The salesman smiled, knowing that he could possibly sell the most expensive broom in his shop. Sirius took the broom from the boy and held it in his hand. It was indeed light and when he mounted it and hovered slightly above the shop floor, he could feel the broom adjusting to his height and weight, making it more comfortable and easier to control. He hopped off quickly and put the broom back in the displays hands. "I'll take two of them," Sirius said firmly as he watched the boy's light up with happiness. The shopkeeper scurried away to the back of the store and proceeded to wrap the two FM5's for Sirius. Sirius left the shop happily, holding his packages in his arms. He had passed by Flourish and Botts when a book caught his eye. He stopped in front of their display window and eyed the book on the center shelf, "Occlumency for the Modern Witch: How to take control of those pesky emotions without losing a sense of yourself" by Splendoria Bigelow. His thoughts immediately raced to Hermione as he rushed into the store and took the only copy of the book they had. The storekeep told him that not many people were interested in Occlumency these days and when the publisher had sent it to him, he put it in the front window in an attempt to sell it. It had been sitting there for weeks until Sirius bought it. He was glad to finally get rid of it. The shopkeeper wrapped the book and Sirius left the store and soon thereafter apparated back to his house in Coventry. He dropped of his packages before apparating to London. There, he proceeded to buy clothes and accessories that he needed now that he was alive. He spent all the money he had exchanged and his shopping trip ended with him carrying bags upon bags of clothes. When he arrived back at his house, he looked at all the packages he had bought and reduced them all to the size of a galleon. He put them in his bag (which he bought in London). He suddenly noticed an letter on the floor of the sun room. He picked it up and tore it open, reading it quickly and smiling as he did so. He pocketed the note without sending a reply knowing that he'd full well see his godson as soon as he returned to the castle, which would be in about fifteen minutes. Sirius apparated to Hogsmeade and snuck into Honeydukes, taking the secret passage all the way back to Hogwarts. He carefully made his way through the halls which he found to be pleasantly deserted. He went back to the Room and entered quietly. |
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Hermione's sleep last night had been a disturbed one, although she hadn't had a nightmare. That came as something of a surprise to her. After everything that had happened, she'd ecpected to be ravaged by them. But she supposed sleeping in a room with her protectors had done its job...even though only one of them was really in any condition to do anything for her had she needed it. Before she'd even gotten out of bed, her hand had slid under her pillow...and instead of finding her diary, she found a note. Her heart stopped. Where was her diary? What was this note about? Everyone else was still asleep...although in the darkness she couldn't tell if Sirius was even here. She fumbled for her wand and whispered "Lumos", then set about tearing the envelope open as quietly as she could. She read the few lines that were there and felt herself start to cry again. Again. God, did it ever end? Of course, she hadn't realized there was another note laying on the floor nearby that she also might have wanted to read... Forgetting completely about her diary, Hermione got up and left the room, hoping that Ron would stick around to take care of Harry. She needed to go to class. She needed to do something normal. And there was someone she thought she needed to talk to. |
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Ron awoke abruptly when Hermione shook him by the shoulder, telling him it was time to go to class. "Class? We're going to class today? Bloody hell..." he mumbled underneath his breath. He gathered his things quickly together, completely missing the note Sirius had left him, and hurried out the door behind Hermione. Before Transfiguration, he whispered to Hermione where he was going, and then hurried back up to the seventh floor. When he came in, there was only one occupant. Throwing his book bag on the cot, he noticed the note with Sirius' handwriting. He read it, ears turned bright red with pleased embarassment. Well, wasn't that nice...Ron thought to himself before getting back to the tasks at hand... |
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| ( A parcel at the base of the girl's staircase in the Gryffindor Tower, labeled for Ginny Weasley ) |
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Blaise set down her book. She'd borrowed several more from Professor Snape this evening before she left. He'd obviously noticed that she was distressed, but thankfully he hadn't commented on it. When she had finished the potions for the rest of this week's classes, he'd handed her the recipe for a Sleeping Potion that Pomfrey was about to run out of, and waved her back over to her cauldron without a word. He'd obviously understood why she was there, even if she hadn't supplied the details. Now, after a mediocre dinner and several hours of reading, she could no longer keep her mind focused. It kept drifting back to Draco. She eyed the vial of Sleeping Potion she had kept for herself after informing Professor Snape of her own troubles with insomnia, but she wasn't quite ready to sleep yet. She was afraid of what the next day would bring. Hopefully, Draco would recover from his weekend after some rest, but...she didn't want to think about it. Blaise sighed, opening her book again. |
Harry Potter RPG - For Grownups!.
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