Brian Rogers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
subplotkudzu) wrote2008-06-29 05:58 am
subplotkudzu) wrote2008-06-29 05:58 am
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...and the Root of all Evil II
Chapter 2: war begins anew
Once again our heroes board the train to Hogwarts. In the last week they learned that Lachlan is brooming it in from his castle some half an hour from the school. Juliet is grateful for the room as they settle in to their compartment and discuss their favorite plots from Crypt Raider radio show and speculate on how sidekick auditions will work. Shortly after the snacks cart comes by there is a knock at the door.
It’s an elderly Witch, looking like everyone’s kindly aunt with snaggle teeth, a hook nose and a wart. The sweet dear old lady is delivering their gift bags, handing out one red and blue ones to the boys, green to Jasmyn and pink to Juliet. She wishes them all well and carries her basket back into the corridor.
The students are surprised and suspicious – no one had ever mentioned these! They’re not impressive: small school scarves, chocolate frogs of a special “Wizards of Hogwarts” Edition, some pencils, a pen and some ink. “why not just put these on our beds?” Pollux wonders. Jasmyn, ever excited by a mystery, no matter how small, goes to find Daisy for the lowdown. The rest just set their bags aside. None notice the rustling of the pink bag a few moments later, or the serpentine motion of a Hogwarts scarf as it slithers up the wall….
Daisy, meanwhile, gets to listen to the speeches from the new Head Boy and Girl, Theo Trindle & Anna-Maria Animaia. The Hufflepuff head boy talks in a maddeningly slow monotone. He warns them that just because he’s slow in speech he’s still “very….quick…up …here,” tapping his temple with his wand. Absolutely brilliant, he’s duller than something very dull indeed.
The Gryffindor head girl is all about the pep squad, starting with a big “Go Hogwarts” and then rapid-fires through the rest of the material in question – the new DADA prof (who is not yet known), that Prof Plain is still around with her husband watching the baby – something it’s apparently OK for Muggle men to do. Anna-Maria also sets aside some time to extort everyone who’s interested to try out for the Witches Bowl, on campus this year and a swell opportunity to show your school spirit. “Everyone with me: Go Hogwarts!”
Daisy and Regan roll their eyes at this, but add their voices to the general chorus, weak and sarcastic though they may be. It looks like Peaseblossom & Tommy are no longer an item. Still, neither girl sees the Gryffindor prefect as much of a catch. In their discussion it takes Daisy a moment to realize that the student Theo is talking to at the cabin door is her sister. Still the word ‘ferret’ is distinctive.
She pushes in to the conversation and asks what’s going on. “I’m looking…at this…young girl’s… ferret.” Eventually Jasmyn is able to remember her question about the gift bags, though it seems less pressing since she saw some other second years with them in another cabin. However Daisy and Theo are confused, as there are no second year gift bags. Anna-Maria muscles in and quickly debunks things since she, as a lifelong chocolate frog collector – not just the cards, but the frogs themselves, with she keeps in small cages because for some strange reason she’s not allowed too much sugar – knows that there is no special Hogwarts Teachers edition. Daisy’s quick Astrology spell reveals multiple layers of enchantment on the chocolate frogs: changing the packaging and cursing them as well as the usual animation charm.
This is when the screaming starts, Juliet’s distinctive, magically enhanced voice echoing across the whole of the train. The Fontaine girls break into a run, the smaller of the two scampering past the growing crowds with the prefect bulling through Jasmyn’s wake. Daisy barks orders back to the other prefects to find and isolate any other gift bags. Something is afoot!
Juliet, much to her shock and claustrophobic dismay, finds herself the target of some constrictive blackness – something has wrapped around her head and is squeezing her, collapsing her world into the darkness of the grave. Under the sudden assault all she can do is scream. The Dee twins are completely taken aback, as nothing seems to be wrong with their companion – well aside from the screaming. Both boys yank out their wands and cast spells, Castor’s mentat acutia rebounding off of Pollux’s pacifica, so that only the latter takes effect. This calms the Ravenclaw girl for long enough to choke out “strangling me, get it off, get it off!” before the continued presence of her phobia overwhelms the spell, throwing her back into screaming.
At least they had an idea what the problem was now, and the boys felt Juliet’s face, their hands finding what their eyes could not see. Several ineffectual tugs from the smaller than average twins produced nothing, but finally acting in concert, with Pollux bracing both legs on the wall, they manage to rip the obstruction free. It’s enchantment shattered, it is once again an inert, visible and ripped Hogwarts scarf. Castor keeps careful hold of it while Pollux pins the other two gift bags to the roof with a wingardium leviosa – who knows how many of these things there are! Juliet, for her part continues screaming, but has enough venom of mind to stomp on her bag and then throw it out the window.
A crowd had gathered by this point, and all of them hear and smell a picture flash, but there’s no way to tell who took the shot in the mass of faces and bodies.
Daisy and Jasmyn arrive, with Theo right behind (“what’s all the rumpus?” he asks). Jasmyn calms Juliet while Daisy asks the questions. Theo turns his wand on the torn scarf, quickly identifying the several sophisticated enchantments that went into its design, all now ruined. Anna-Maria reveals that her search located no other gift bags, meaning that the people in this room were the targets of this expensive prank.
“But I saw them! I saw other gift bags!” Jasmyn insists, and leads the prefects to that cabin, occupied by Peri Undulata, Roberta Resquait & Luci Lung in various states of hysterics, doubled over with laughter. Of the gift bags, or any other evidence, there is no sign, but Theo warns the girls that any further incidents of this sort won’t be tolerated. Daisy wonders how a lackluster student like Peri could have made such a thing, and Regan theorizes that her sister bought it in Scotland.
“I’m gonna kill her. I’m gonna kill her.” Juliet cursed as they approached the school.
“Yes, but not now, because then everyone will know it was you.” Pollux cautioned. “Keep it reined in for a little while and it will work better.” Still, the young Ravenclaw is incensed, a feeling not improved when she sees clusters of students laughing about the prank as they disembark. She quietly notes everyone who is laughing at her. She’ll get all of them too. “She started this, so I get to win. That’s my right!” Juliet insists as the thestrals pull their carriage to the school. Her friends just nod, humoring her.
The banquet is much like last year’s – the sorting ceremony, Dumbedore’s odd speech (“I’d like to say a few words: Kumquat! Aardvark! Antediluvian!”) the meal, and finally the introduction of the DADA Prof. Night’s presence ripples across the students, moving from the front of the room back until one Gryffindor yells “Louis Night!” and passes out. “Let the swooning begin,” Jasmyn remarks. The teachers seem willing to accept Night, who is approaching the affair with the right degree of gravitas. Yes, Snape shoots him some vile looks, Vector looks a little dreamy and Castor can almost see Ogham quivering at the idea of getting Night to help with the Dramaturgy club, but that’s minor. Dumbledore’s speech, however, makes it plain that Professor Night is here as a teacher, not a celebrity, and does not want any undue time and effort spent on his work history.
The headmaster closes with the an announcement about the Witches Bowl and saying that he would very much like it if the students of Hogwarts could provide them with a victory this year. The competition will be after Easter break, with tryouts to be on the team ongoing to Xmas.
Once again our heroes board the train to Hogwarts. In the last week they learned that Lachlan is brooming it in from his castle some half an hour from the school. Juliet is grateful for the room as they settle in to their compartment and discuss their favorite plots from Crypt Raider radio show and speculate on how sidekick auditions will work. Shortly after the snacks cart comes by there is a knock at the door.
It’s an elderly Witch, looking like everyone’s kindly aunt with snaggle teeth, a hook nose and a wart. The sweet dear old lady is delivering their gift bags, handing out one red and blue ones to the boys, green to Jasmyn and pink to Juliet. She wishes them all well and carries her basket back into the corridor.
The students are surprised and suspicious – no one had ever mentioned these! They’re not impressive: small school scarves, chocolate frogs of a special “Wizards of Hogwarts” Edition, some pencils, a pen and some ink. “why not just put these on our beds?” Pollux wonders. Jasmyn, ever excited by a mystery, no matter how small, goes to find Daisy for the lowdown. The rest just set their bags aside. None notice the rustling of the pink bag a few moments later, or the serpentine motion of a Hogwarts scarf as it slithers up the wall….
Daisy, meanwhile, gets to listen to the speeches from the new Head Boy and Girl, Theo Trindle & Anna-Maria Animaia. The Hufflepuff head boy talks in a maddeningly slow monotone. He warns them that just because he’s slow in speech he’s still “very….quick…up …here,” tapping his temple with his wand. Absolutely brilliant, he’s duller than something very dull indeed.
The Gryffindor head girl is all about the pep squad, starting with a big “Go Hogwarts” and then rapid-fires through the rest of the material in question – the new DADA prof (who is not yet known), that Prof Plain is still around with her husband watching the baby – something it’s apparently OK for Muggle men to do. Anna-Maria also sets aside some time to extort everyone who’s interested to try out for the Witches Bowl, on campus this year and a swell opportunity to show your school spirit. “Everyone with me: Go Hogwarts!”
Daisy and Regan roll their eyes at this, but add their voices to the general chorus, weak and sarcastic though they may be. It looks like Peaseblossom & Tommy are no longer an item. Still, neither girl sees the Gryffindor prefect as much of a catch. In their discussion it takes Daisy a moment to realize that the student Theo is talking to at the cabin door is her sister. Still the word ‘ferret’ is distinctive.
She pushes in to the conversation and asks what’s going on. “I’m looking…at this…young girl’s… ferret.” Eventually Jasmyn is able to remember her question about the gift bags, though it seems less pressing since she saw some other second years with them in another cabin. However Daisy and Theo are confused, as there are no second year gift bags. Anna-Maria muscles in and quickly debunks things since she, as a lifelong chocolate frog collector – not just the cards, but the frogs themselves, with she keeps in small cages because for some strange reason she’s not allowed too much sugar – knows that there is no special Hogwarts Teachers edition. Daisy’s quick Astrology spell reveals multiple layers of enchantment on the chocolate frogs: changing the packaging and cursing them as well as the usual animation charm.
This is when the screaming starts, Juliet’s distinctive, magically enhanced voice echoing across the whole of the train. The Fontaine girls break into a run, the smaller of the two scampering past the growing crowds with the prefect bulling through Jasmyn’s wake. Daisy barks orders back to the other prefects to find and isolate any other gift bags. Something is afoot!
Juliet, much to her shock and claustrophobic dismay, finds herself the target of some constrictive blackness – something has wrapped around her head and is squeezing her, collapsing her world into the darkness of the grave. Under the sudden assault all she can do is scream. The Dee twins are completely taken aback, as nothing seems to be wrong with their companion – well aside from the screaming. Both boys yank out their wands and cast spells, Castor’s mentat acutia rebounding off of Pollux’s pacifica, so that only the latter takes effect. This calms the Ravenclaw girl for long enough to choke out “strangling me, get it off, get it off!” before the continued presence of her phobia overwhelms the spell, throwing her back into screaming.
At least they had an idea what the problem was now, and the boys felt Juliet’s face, their hands finding what their eyes could not see. Several ineffectual tugs from the smaller than average twins produced nothing, but finally acting in concert, with Pollux bracing both legs on the wall, they manage to rip the obstruction free. It’s enchantment shattered, it is once again an inert, visible and ripped Hogwarts scarf. Castor keeps careful hold of it while Pollux pins the other two gift bags to the roof with a wingardium leviosa – who knows how many of these things there are! Juliet, for her part continues screaming, but has enough venom of mind to stomp on her bag and then throw it out the window.
A crowd had gathered by this point, and all of them hear and smell a picture flash, but there’s no way to tell who took the shot in the mass of faces and bodies.
Daisy and Jasmyn arrive, with Theo right behind (“what’s all the rumpus?” he asks). Jasmyn calms Juliet while Daisy asks the questions. Theo turns his wand on the torn scarf, quickly identifying the several sophisticated enchantments that went into its design, all now ruined. Anna-Maria reveals that her search located no other gift bags, meaning that the people in this room were the targets of this expensive prank.
“But I saw them! I saw other gift bags!” Jasmyn insists, and leads the prefects to that cabin, occupied by Peri Undulata, Roberta Resquait & Luci Lung in various states of hysterics, doubled over with laughter. Of the gift bags, or any other evidence, there is no sign, but Theo warns the girls that any further incidents of this sort won’t be tolerated. Daisy wonders how a lackluster student like Peri could have made such a thing, and Regan theorizes that her sister bought it in Scotland.
“I’m gonna kill her. I’m gonna kill her.” Juliet cursed as they approached the school.
“Yes, but not now, because then everyone will know it was you.” Pollux cautioned. “Keep it reined in for a little while and it will work better.” Still, the young Ravenclaw is incensed, a feeling not improved when she sees clusters of students laughing about the prank as they disembark. She quietly notes everyone who is laughing at her. She’ll get all of them too. “She started this, so I get to win. That’s my right!” Juliet insists as the thestrals pull their carriage to the school. Her friends just nod, humoring her.
The banquet is much like last year’s – the sorting ceremony, Dumbedore’s odd speech (“I’d like to say a few words: Kumquat! Aardvark! Antediluvian!”) the meal, and finally the introduction of the DADA Prof. Night’s presence ripples across the students, moving from the front of the room back until one Gryffindor yells “Louis Night!” and passes out. “Let the swooning begin,” Jasmyn remarks. The teachers seem willing to accept Night, who is approaching the affair with the right degree of gravitas. Yes, Snape shoots him some vile looks, Vector looks a little dreamy and Castor can almost see Ogham quivering at the idea of getting Night to help with the Dramaturgy club, but that’s minor. Dumbledore’s speech, however, makes it plain that Professor Night is here as a teacher, not a celebrity, and does not want any undue time and effort spent on his work history.
The headmaster closes with the an announcement about the Witches Bowl and saying that he would very much like it if the students of Hogwarts could provide them with a victory this year. The competition will be after Easter break, with tryouts to be on the team ongoing to Xmas.
no subject
The name Lucy Lung is suggestive of an interesting ancestry, both by the language the surname might be in and by its meaning in that language.
no subject
No, they don't - it's just Annamaria, who is just really over-exuberant. She was designed to be the polar opposite of the tortoise-like Theo. I used the phrase to get across her personality, not to imply that there were Quidditch cheerleaders. And there aren't any Buffy jokes coming.
Luci is indeed of interesting ancestry, but the short form is that she's from Hong Kong. She gets a little more screen time in this book as part of Peri's coterie. I'm trying to make Peri's henchmen a little more fleshed out and capable than Crabbe and Goyle.