Monday, December 31, 2007

More Tales of Beedle the Bard

First read this



As you people might have read on JKR's site about the "Tales of beedle the Bard", she auctioned of the 7th copy of the book - the Moonstone edition. This has been bought by the Amazon website now at a price over a million dollars. Since no one's mentioned it so far and because I feel that this place could do with a "RENERVATE" , here are the details of the book. (Fawkes to the rescue, once again..... I'm like a lucky potion myself !!!! lolz... only joking... You're all doing a fantastic job on this blog) These are the only details and pictures of the book that I've been able to get. Below is the official review of the book by the Amazon website. Have fun reading.... this should do until the book is actually printed for the public, if it ever is. I personally, couldn't wait. This is also my new year present to all of you. Happy new year !!!

1. The Wizard and the Hopping Pot

As in her Harry Potter series, garnishing the top of the first page of the first fairy tale, "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," is a drawing--in this case, a round pot sitting atop a surprisingly well-drawn foot (with five toes, in case you were wondering, and we know some of you were). This tale begins merrily enough, with a "kindly old wizard" whom we meet only briefly, but who reminds us so much of our dear Dumbledore that we must pause and take a breath.
This "well-beloved man" uses his magic primarily for the benefit of his neighbors, creating potions and antidotes for them in what he calls his "lucky cooking pot." Much too soon after we meet this kind and generous man, he dies (after living to a "goodly age") and leaves everything to his only son. Unfortunately, the son is nothing like his father (and entirely too much like a Malfoy). Upon his father's death, he discovers the pot, and in it (quite mysteriously) a single slipper and a note from his father that reads, "In the fond hope, my son, that you will never need this." As in most fairy tales, this is the moment when things start to go wrong....

Bitter about not having anything but a pot to his name and completely uninterested in anyone who cannot do magic, the son turns his back on the town, closing his door to his neighbors. First comes the old woman whose granddaughter is plagued with warts. When the son slams the door in her face, he immediately hears a loud clanging in the kitchen. His father's old cooking pot has sprouted a foot as well as a serious case of warts. Funny, and yet gross. Vintage Rowling. None of his spells work, and he cannot escape the hopping, warty pot that follows him--even to his bedside. The next day, the son opens the door to an old man who is missing his donkey. Without its help to carry wares to town, his family will go hungry. The son (who clearly has never read a fairy tale) slams the door on the old man. Sure enough, here comes the warty, befooted clanging pot, now having captured both the sounds of a braying donkey as well as groans of hunger. [Spoiler alert!] In true fairy tale fashion, the son is besieged with more visitors, and it takes a few tears, some vomit, and a whining dog before the wizard at last succumbs to his responsibility, and the true legacy of his father. Renouncing his selfish ways, he calls for all townspeople far and wide to come to him for help. One by one, he cures their ills and in doing so, empties the pot. At the very last, out pops the mysterious slipper--the one that perfectly fits the foot of the now-quiet pot--and together the two walk (and hop) off into the sunset.

Rowling has always made her stories as funny as they are clever, and "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" is no exception; the image of a one-footed cooking pot plagued with all the "warty" ills of the village, hopping after a selfish young wizard, is a good example. But the real magic of this book and this particular tale lies not just in her turns of phrase but in the way she underlines the "clang, clang, clang" of the pot for emphasis, and how her handwriting gets messier when the story picks up speed, like she's hurrying along with the reader. These touches make the story uniquely her own and this volume of stories particularly special.

2. The Fountain of Fair Fortune:

Featured at the top of what may be one of our favorite fairy tales ever is a picture of a sparkling, flowing fountain. Now that we're thirty pages into the book, it has become clear that Rowling enjoys (and is quite good at) drawing stars and sparkles. The beginning and ending of almost every tale appears sprinkled with pixie dust (à la Peter Pan--fans know that Rowling's pixies are less likely to leave such a pretty trail). This first page of the story also features a small rose bush below the text. It is quite lovely, and as anyone who has tried to draw a rose knows, not that easy to pull off--a fact that makes it less likely that Rowling did it to cover up a mistake (the way some of us might). It is a gorgeous way to start, and it gives "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" a lot to live up to. Perhaps this is why the story begins so grandly and with such a perfectly lush and mysterious fairy tale setting: an enchanted and enclosed garden that is protected by "strong magic." Once a year, an "unfortunate" is allowed the opportunity to find their way to the Fountain, to bathe in the water, and win "fair fortune forever more." Ahhhh, such is the stuff of Harry Potter fans' dreams. In fact, this tale stands out as a favorite partly because it follows the quest arc that fans fell in love with in her novels—the kind we still crave. Knowing that this may be the only chance to truly turn their lives around, people (with magical powers and without) travel from the far reaches of the kingdom to try and gain entrance to the garden. It is here that three witches meet and share their tales of woe. First is Asha, sick of "a malady no Healer could cure," who hopes the Fountain can restore her health. The second is Altheda, who was robbed and humiliated by a sorcerer. She hopes the Fountain will relieve her feelings of helplessness and her poverty. The third witch, Amata, was deserted by her beloved, and hopes the Fountain will help cure her "grief and longing." In just a few pages, Rowling has not only created terrific fairy tale drama, but an interesting conflict--readers young and old can relate to at least one of the woes of Asha, Altheda, and Amata (and can we talk about how great those names are?), so how can you choose which one should win? The witches (much like the characters from our favorite series) decide that three heads are better than one, and they pool their efforts to reach the Fountain together. At first light, a crack in the wall appears and "Creepers" from the garden reach through and wrap themselves around Asha, the first witch. She grabs Altheda, who takes hold of Amata. But Amata gets tangled in the armor of a knight, and as the vines pull Asha in, all three witches along with the knight get pulled through the wall and into the garden.

Since only one of them will be permitted to bathe in the Fountain, the first two witches are upset that Amata inadvertently invited another competitor. Because he has no magical power, recognizes the women as witches, and is well-suited to his name, "Sir Luckless," the knight announces his intention to abandon the quest. Amata promptly chides him for giving up and asks him to join their group. It is heartening to see Rowling continuing to embrace the themes of friendship and camaraderie so prevalent in her series, not to mention her ability to draw strong, intelligent, female characters. We spent seven books watching Harry learn that it is okay to need the help and support of his friends, and that same notion of sharing responsibility and burden is strong in this tale.

On their journey to the Fountain, the motley band faces three challenges. We're in familiar fairy tale territory here, but it is the strong, simple imagery (a "monstrous white worm, bloated and blind") and way the characters work together to triumph over adversity that makes this story such a rich read, and pure Rowling. First, they face the worm who demands "proof of your pain." After several fruitless attempts to attack it with magic and other means, Asha's tears of frustration finally satisfy the worm, and the four are allowed to pass. Next, they face a steep slope and are asked to pay the "fruit of their labors." They try and try to make it up the hill but spend hours climbing to no avail. Finally, the hard-won effort of Altheda as she cheers her friends on (specifically the sweat from her brow) gets them past the challenge. At last, they face a stream in their path and are asked to pay "the treasure of your past." Attempts to float or leap across fail, until Amata thinks to use her wand to withdraw the memories of the lover who abandoned her, and drop them into the water (hello, Pensieve!). Stepping stones appear in the water, and the four are able to cross to the Fountain, where they must decide who gets to bath.

Asha collapses from exhaustion and is near death. She is in such pain that she cannot make it to the Fountain, and she begs her three friends not to move her. Altheda quickly mixes a powerful potion in an attempt to revive her, and the concoction actually cures her malady, so she no longer needs the Fountain's waters. (Some of you see where this is going, but stay tuned--Rowling has more surprises in store.) By curing Asha, Altheda realizes that she has the power to cure others and a means to earn money. She no longer needs the waters of the Fountain to cure her "powerlessness and poverty." The third witch, Amata realizes that once she washed away her regret for her lover, she was able to see him for what he really was ("cruel and faithless"), and she no longer needs the Fountain. She turns to Sir Luckless and offers him his turn at the Fountain as a reward for his bravery. The knight, amazed at his luck, bathes in the Fountain and flings himself "in his rusted armour" (this is the genius of Rowling--the addition of one word gives us the hilarious image of the knight bathing in full body armor in the Fountain) at the feet of Amata and begs for her "hand and her heart." Each witch achieves their dreams for a cure, a hapless knight wins knowledge of his bravery, and Amata, the one witch who had faith in him, realizes that she has found a "man worthy of her." A great "happily ever after" for our merry band, who set off "arm-in-arm" (it’s particularly nice the way this is handwritten, with the hyphens supporting a visual of linked arms). But the story wouldn’t be Rowling's without a kicker at the end: we learn that the four friends live long, never realizing that the Fountain's waters "carried no enchantment at all." Best. Ending. Ever.

As in her novels, Rowling emphasizes that the true power lies within, not merely in a wand and in a mind, but in a heart. Faith, trust, love give her characters the strength to meet the challenges before them. She doesn't preach to her readers, but the message is definitely there: if you allow yourself the chance to trust and love others, you can harness the power that you already have. What a great message for kids (and adults) to learn, and oh, what a lovely and memorable package.

3. The Warlock's Hairy Heart:

Beware dear readers: Rowling channels the Brothers Grimm for her third and darkest fairy tale. In "The Warlock's Hairy Heart" there is little laughter and no quest, only a journey into the shadowy depths of one warlock's soul. There is no evidence of pixie dust on this first horrible page, instead we see a drawing of a heart covered in coarse hair and dripping blood (again, it's really not easy to draw an actual heart, with valves and everything, but Rowling gets it just right--gross hair and all). Beneath the text is an old-fashioned key with three loops at the top, lying in a pool of blood, making it quite clear that we are in for a different tale than the others. Don't say we didn't warn you.... At the start we meet a handsome, skilled, and rich young warlock who is embarrassed by the foolishness of his friends in love (Rowling uses the word "gambolling" here--a perfect example of how she never talks down to her readers). So sure is he of his desire never to reveal such "weakness" that the young warlock uses "Dark Arts" to prevent himself from ever falling in love. Fans should recognize the beginnings of a cautionary tale here--Rowling has explored many lessons on the rashness of youth and the hazards of such power in the hands of the young in her series.

Unaware that the warlock has gone to such lengths to protect himself, his family laughs off his attempts to avoid love, thinking that the right girl will change his mind. But the warlock grows proud, convinced of his cleverness and impressed with his power to achieve total indifference. Even as time passes and the warlock watches his peers marry and have families of their own, he remains quite pleased with himself and his decision, considering himself lucky to be free of the emotional burdens that he believes shrivel up and hollow out the hearts of others. When the warlock's older parents die, he does not mourn, but instead feels "blessed" by their deaths. At this point in the text, Rowling’s handwriting changes a bit and the ink on the page appears slightly darker. Perhaps she is pressing harder--is she as frightened of and frustrated by her young warlock as we are? Almost all of the sentences on the left page nearly run into the fold of the book, as we read about how the warlock makes himself quite comfortable in his dead parents' home, transferring his "greatest treasure" to their dungeon. On the facing page, when we learn that the warlock believes himself to be envied for his "splendid" and perfect solitude, we see the first stutter in Rowling’s writing. It is as if she cannot bear to write the word "splendid" since it is so clearly not true. The warlock is deluded, making him all the more upset when he hears two servants gossiping--one taking pity on him, and the other making fun of him for not having a wife. He decides at once to "take a wife," presumably the most beautiful, wealthy, and talented woman, to make him the "envy of all."

As luck would have it, the very next day the warlock meets a beautiful, skillful, wealthy witch. Seeing her as his "prize," the warlock pursues her, convincing those who know him that he is a changed man. But the young witch--who is both "fascinated and repelled" by him--still senses his remoteness, even as she agrees to attend a feast at his castle. At the party, amidst the riches of his table and as minstrels play, the warlock woos the witch. Finally, she confronts him, suggesting that she would trust his lovely words if only she thought he "had a heart." [Spoiler alert!] Smiling (and still proud), the warlock leads the young maid to the dungeon, where he reveals a magic "crystal casket," in which lies his own "beating heart." We did warn you that this was going to be a dark tale, right?

The witch is horrified at the sight of the heart, which has turned shrunken and hairy in its exile from the body, and she begs the warlock to "put it back." Because he knows it would further endear him to her, the warlock "slices open" his chest with his wand and places the "hairy heart" within. Thrilled that the warlock may now feel love, the young witch embraces him (surprising, since we're clearly yelling "Get away from him!" by now), and the horrible heart is "pierced" by the beauty of her skin and the scent of her hair. "Grown strange" from being disconnected from his body for so long, the now "blind" and "perverse" heart takes savage action. Would that we could end here, and allow you to just wonder about the fates of the young witch and the hairy-hearted warlock, but Rowling marches the story on, as the guests at the feast wonder about their host. Hours later, they search the castle and find them in the dungeon. On the ground lies the dead maiden with her chest cut open. Crouched beside her is the "mad warlock," caressing and licking her "shining scarlet heart" and planning to switch it for his own. His heart is strong though, and it refuses to leave his body. The warlock, swearing never to be "mastered" by his heart, seizes a dagger and cuts it from his chest, leaving him briefly victorious, a heart in "each bloody hand" before he falls over the maiden and dies. The last paragraph describing the death of the warlock is the first that looks uneven--the handwriting skews up and to the right just slightly enough that it's noticeable, making the ending feel all the more abrupt and unsettling.
Rowling, like most of the really great fairy tale writers, has no pity for the wicked. Acting out of pride and selfishness from the start of the story, isolating and hardening himself against all feeling, the warlock opened himself up to madness, subsequently taking an innocent life, and destroying his own in the process (sound like any other villain you've met?). As with the other tales we've read, the secret lies in the imagery, both real and imagined (particularly once you see the drawings from the first page). The disturbing and indelible vision of the crazy warlock licking the bloody heart rivals the darkest of the Grimm brothers. Given that this story (and the entire text, after all) is meant to be a book of fables for young wizards and witches, it's fitting that Rowling would make a tale about the misuse of the Dark Arts the most horrible and least redemptive of them all. The Dark Arts, as we fans well know, are not to be toyed with--ever.

4. Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump:

A large tree stump (with twenty growth rings—we counted) squats atop Rowling's fourth and longest fairy tale. Five tentacle-like roots spread from the base with grass and dandelion clocks sprouting out from beneath them. At the center of the base of the stump is a dark crack, with two white circles that look like tiny eyes peering out at the reader. Under the text is a small narrow paw print (with four toes). Not as horrific as the bloody, hairy heart of the last story (and this time we do see bright pixie dust on the facing page), but we don’t entirely like the looks of that stump. "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" begins (as good fairy tales often do) long ago and in a faraway land. A greedy and "foolish king" decides that he wants to keep magic all to himself. But he has two problems: first, he needs to round up all the existing witches and wizards; second, he needs to actually learn magic. Just as he commands a "Brigade of Witch Hunters" armed with a pack of fierce black dogs, he also announces his need for an "Instructor in Magic" (not too bright, our king). Savvy wizards and witches go into hiding rather than heed his call, but a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability at all bluffs his way into the role with a few simple tricks.

Once installed as the head sorcerer and private instructor to the King, the charlatan demands gold for magical supplies, rubies for creating charms, and silver cups for potions. The charlatan hoards these items in his own house before returning to the palace, but he does not realize the King's old "washer-woman," Babbitty, sees him. She watches him pull twigs from a tree that he then presents to the King as wands. Cunning as he is, the charlatan tells the King that his wand will not work until "your Majesty is worthy of it."

Every day the King and charlatan practice their "magic" (Rowling shines here, painting a portrait of the ridiculous King waving his twig and "shouting nonsense at the sky"), but one morning they hear laughter and see Babbitty watching from her cottage, laughing so hard she can hardly stand. The humiliated King is furious and impatient, and demands that they give a real demonstration of magic in front of his subjects the very next day. The desperate charlatan says it is impossible since he needs to leave the kingdom on a long journey, but the now suspicious King threatens to send the Brigade after him. Having worked himself into a fury, the King also commands that if "anybody laughs at me" the charlatan will be beheaded. And so, our foolish, greedy, magic-less King is also revealed to be both prideful and pitifully insecure--even in these short, simple tales, Rowling is able to create complex, interesting characters.
Looking to "vent" his frustration and anger, the cunning charlatan heads straight to the house of Babbitty. Peering in the window, he sees a "little old lady" sitting at her table cleaning her wand, as the sheets are "washing themselves" in a tub. Seeing her as a real witch, and both the source and solution of his problems, he demands her help, or he will turn her over to the Brigade. It is hard to fully describe this powerful turning point in the story (and any of these tales, really). Try to remember the richness and color of Rowling's novels and imagine how she might pack these bite-sized tales full of vivid imagery and subtle nuances of character.

Unruffled by his demands (she is a witch, after all), Babbitty smiles and agrees to do "anything in her power" to help (there’s a loophole if we’ve ever heard one). The charlatan tells her to hide inside a bush and perform all the spells for the King. Babbitty agrees, but wonders aloud what will happen if the King tries to perform an impossible spell. The charlatan, ever convinced of his own cleverness and the stupidity of others, laughs off her concerns, asserting that Babbitty's magic is certainly much more powerful than anything "that fool's imagination" could dream up.
The next morning, the members of the court gather together to witness the King's magic. From a stage, the King and charlatan perform their first magical act--making a woman's hat disappear. The crowd is amazed and astonished, never guessing that it is Babbitty, hiding in a bush, who performs the spell. For his next feat, the King points the "twig" (every reference of this cracks us up) at his horse, raising it high into the air. Looking around for an even better idea for the third spell, the King is interrupted by the Captain of the Brigade, who holds the body of one of the King's hounds (dead from a poisonous mushroom). He begs the King to bring the dog "back to life," but when the King points the twig at the dog, nothing happens. Babbitty smiles inside her hiding place, not even trying a spell, for she knows "no magic can raise the dead" (at least not in this story). The crowd begins to laugh, suspecting that the first two spells were just tricks. The King is furious, and when he demands to know why the spell failed, the cunning and deceitful charlatan points at Babbitty's hiding place and screams that a "wicked witch" is blocking the spells. Babbitty runs from the bush, and when the Witch Hunters send the hounds after her, she disappears, leaving the dogs "barking and scrabbling" at the base of an old tree. Desperate now, the charlatan shouts that the witch has turned herself "into a crab apple" (which even at this tense and dramatic point draws a snicker). Fearful that Babbitty may turn herself back into a woman and expose him, the charlatan demands the tree be cut down--because that is how you "treat evil witches." It is quite a powerful scene, not only for its "off with her head!" drama, but because the charlatan's ability to whip up the crowd is evocative of the all-too-real witch trials. As the drama builds, Rowling's handwriting appears slightly less polished--the spaces between letters of her words widens, creating the illusion that she's making the story up as she goes along, getting the words down on the page as fast as she can.

The tree is chopped down, but as the crowd cheers and heads back toward the palace, a "loud cackling" is heard, this time from within the stump. Babbitty, smart witch that she is, shouts that witches and wizards cannot be killed by being "cut in half," and to prove it, she suggests that they cut the King's instructor "in two." At this, the charlatan begs for mercy and confesses. He is dragged to the dungeon, but Babbitty is not finished with her foolish king. Her voice, still issuing from the stump, proclaims that his actions have invoked a curse on the kingdom, so that every time the King harms a witch or wizard he too will feel a pain so fierce he will wish to "die of it." The now desperate King falls to his knees and promises to protect all the wizards and witches in his lands, allowing them to perform magic without harm. Pleased, but not completely satisfied, the stump cackles again and demands a statue of Babbitty be placed upon it to remind the King of his "own foolishness." The "shamed King" promises to have a sculptor create a statue in gold, and he heads back to the palace with his court. At last, a "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from hole beneath the stump (aha! The source of those tiny white eyes) and leaves the kingdom. The golden statue remained on the stump forever more, and witches and wizards were never be hunted in the kingdom again.

"Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" highlights the winking ingenuity of the old witch--who should remind fans of a certain wise and resourceful wizard--and you can imagine how old Babbitty might become a folk hero to young wizards and witches. But more than just a story about the triumph of a clever witch, the tale warns against human weaknesses of greed, arrogance, selfishness and duplicity, and shows how these errant (but not evil) characters come to learn the error of their ways. The fact that the tale follows so soon after that of the mad warlock highlights the importance that Rowling has always placed on self-awareness: Babbitty reveals to the King his arrogance and greed, just as the Hopping Pot exposes the wizard's selfishness and the Fountain uncovers the hidden strength of the three witches and the knight. Of the first four of her tales, only the hairy-hearted warlock suffers a truly horrible fate, as his unforgiveable use of the Dark Arts and his unwillingness to know his true self exclude him from redemption.

5. Tale of the Three Brothers:

The details of this tale has already been mentioned in the seventh book of the Harry Potter series.

I hope you liked that, guys. I really found all the stories fascinating, especially the Fountain of fair fortune. Adios ! I'm disappararting ! I leave you with these images.

(Note-the images will be posted by Fawkes as soon as she deigns to come online again--LostWeasley )

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Thorns and Roses



Roses are sweet but scorpions can sting


For the Silver Doe, hoping to enthrall,
Who gleams like my angel should darkness fall
For Fawkes, brilliant and majestic indeed,
A saviour true in times of need
For Babbity Rabbity & Tenebrous
And for Sniggy who heard this first
And for you, like she says
If you've stuck with Harry till the end


Chapter 1 -- Hogwarts


‘Missing mommy and daddy already, squirts?’ James Potter rapped Albus and Rose smartly on their heads.

‘Come off it, Big J. You are not going to get to bully us during school just because our parents won’t come to know.’ Rose looked cross, straightening her bushy red hair.

‘Why, what will you do, write to mummy 10 times in a day? Al will do a 20, he’s going to be lonely in the Slytherin common room. Won’t you, Severus? Catchya later Rosie Posie!’ James laughed and ran away laughing, giving Albus another tap on the skull.

‘Why don’t you ever stand up to him? You can’t let him bully you at school. That would be outrageous,’ frowned Rose.

‘Come on, let’s get back to our compartment.’

Sighing, Rose followed Albus to their seats. She knew it would take years before Albus could finally stand up to James’ bullying, but that did not stop her from consistently nagging her cousin. Maybe she did not realise it, but it further increased Albus’ inferiority complex, or maybe Albus was too used to it to expect any better treatment. At any rate, he didn’t seem to mind.

There was another occupant in their compartment when they returned. A skinny boy with dark brown hair and rimless glasses had occupied one of the seats next to the window. Rose sat down opposite him and Albus dropped into the seat next to her.

‘Hi, I’m Rose Weasley. This is my cousin Albus Potter. Who are you?’

‘I’m…er…Obi Kumar,’ replied the boy shyly.

‘Obi…Are you muggle-born?’ asked Rose

‘My dad’s muggle, but mum’s a witch,’ said Obi.

‘Hmm. I thought as much. My grandparents watched Star Wars, too, all the time mum was away at school,’ said Rose.

‘Stars can wage wars?’ asked Albus, clearly startled.

‘No, silly. It’s a muggle TV programme. I meant Grandpa and Grandma Granger not Weasley.’

‘Oh, sorry!’ mumbled Al.

‘So you are muggle-born, too! Whew! I thought I’d be the only one!’ said Obi, cheered.

‘No, actually my parents are a witch and a wizard, but my mom’s a muggle-born. However, there are loads of muggle-borns in Hogwarts. You needn’t worry. These things don’t matter, not nowadays, really.’

Just then, there was a little knock on the door and it slid open. A large, tall boy entered, closely followed by a smiling boy with golden brown hair.

‘We couldn’t find any where to sit. Do you mind if we share your compartment?’

‘No problem. In fact, I was quite hoping some more people join us. That way, we’ll get to know other students before even reaching school. I’m Rose, and these are Albus and Obi. Which house are you in? I hope I’m in Gryffindor. My parents were and so were Albus’. What are your names?’ Rose said all this very fast.

'Er…I’m Bertie Mclaggen and this is Corcoran Zellerback,’ replied the large boy.

‘Don’t call me that, ‘Bertram’. I’m Corky and we’re first years, too, so we don’t know which house we’ll be in as yet,’ the second boy sat down grinning.

The rest of the journey passed amicably, arguing over names, discussing Quidditch and their favourite flavour of Bertie Bott’s Beans. They all bought sweets from the lunch trolley and immediately stated swapping Chocolate Frog Cards.

That was when the compartment door slid open from the outside for the second time. A tall, pale-faced boy entered their compartment, and behind him, a skinny and rather short boy. He surveyed the compartment with supreme arrogance, his eyes finally coming to rest on Rose.

‘If you were wondering what the smell was, Alfred,’ he said, turning to the short, skinny boy, ‘there’s a Weasley in this compartment.’

Rose jumped to her feet, ample and phoenix feather wand out, though, admittedly, she did not know any spell top cats. However, she didn’t need to. Albus was already pummelling the pale boy with fists, wand and father’s advice forgotten.

‘Ickle Alliekins fighting at school?’ came a drawl from the door.

‘He insulted Weasleys this one,’ said Albus emerging from the tangle on the floor sporting a cut lip.

‘Oh, now that’s serious,’ said James, immediately alert. ‘Skunkus!’

‘Ewwwww…,’ everybody pulled up their robes to their noses. The pale boy was issuing foul-smelling yellow liquid from all the pores of his skin. Cursing under his breath, and eyes watering due to the smell and vapours, he ran out of the compartment with his friend, who hadn’t said a word all this while.

‘A good spell to learn, kids. He wont get rid of the stink for weeks,’ said James, ‘And I think you lot ought to change into your school robes, too. I would put the snake badge on yours Al.’ James cackled and went away, slamming the compartment door behind him.

‘You like snakes! Blimey, then you must be in Slytherin,’ Corky offered cheerfully.

An hour later, they all got down at the Hogsmeade station with the jostling crowd. Darkness had already fallen, but a lamp was shining on the platform, held by a giant of a man.

‘Firs’-years! Firs’-years follow me! All right, Albus, Rose? Watch yourself there James, no pushing.’

The two cousins smiled up at the familiar old Hagrid, quite reassured. They followed him as he limped down a steep narrow path with the other first-years. The pale boy they had encountered on the train came along with his cronies but did not come near. He didn’t smell any more, and there was definitely no trace of the yellow liquid on him. Somebody on the train fixed it for him, thought rose, no doubt, he looked liked the sort who would know loads of people in the school already. They all stumbled on in silence, Hagrid panting slightly.

Suddenly, there came a number of ‘Oooh’s and ‘Ahh’s from the students up front, and Corky said ‘Wow!’ quite loudly. They had their first sight of Hogwarts.

It was the moment they had all been waiting for. They had heard all about the famous castles, its passages, corridors, classrooms; its grandeur and its battles, but never could they have imagined how majestic it looked under a clear starry sky, high above their heads, holding in its walls the secrets and traditions of the centuries.

They got to the castle by sailing across a great black lake in little boats. Once on the grounds, they raced up a flight of stone steps and went in through a huge, oak door. The magnificent Entrance Hall was lit with flaming torches. The first years turned their heads in all direction, eager to take in as much of the castle as they could. Hagrid led them across into a small chamber off the hall. They passed a set of double doors from which issued the noise that hundreds of students alone could make when together in a room after three months of holidays.

‘Now, now, yeh kids! The sorting ceremony will begin in a couple o’ minutes. I ‘ope yeh already know about the house system an’ all. There’d be four houses- Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff an’ Slytherin, into which yeh’ll be sorted. Points will be awarded and taken according to yer behaviour an’ at the end-o’ the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. O’ course, Harry Potter, a great pal o’ mine, incidentally,’ Hagrid nodded at Albus, who blushed deeply, 'reckons its all a load of tosh, only turned students against each other, but mind yeh, it was mostly him who earned the winning points for his house,’ said Hagrid with a small chuckle. ‘And, of course, they’d ‘ave never won without Hermione Granger,’ Rose grinned widely, ‘and Ronald Weasley,’ added Hagrid as an afterthought and gave another chuckle. ‘They very nearly often lost, what with Ron’s twin brothers Fred and George, pair o’ tykes, running amok in the school,’ he continued and actually wiped a tear from his eye. ‘O’ course, there was this time when in his firs’-year, young Nev--‘

‘Ah-Ahem!’ came a voice from the door and at once all heads turned in that direction. A tall, round-faced man in crimson robes stood there carrying a very old and bettered wizard’s hat, which looked as if it might have been burned at some point of time.

‘Thank you, Professor Hagrid. But I think they ought to be taken inside now,’ said the round-faced wizard.

‘Yes, yes, o’ course, din mean ter hold ‘em up. But they made me remember the good ol’ days,’ said Hagrid, waving an apologetic arm which narrowly missed a few students. They left him dabbing his eyes with a large spotted handkerchief.

‘I’m Professor Longbottom, your herbology teacher and Head of Gryffindor,’ the round-faced wizard smiled as he led them back across the Entrance Hall. The pale-faced boy from the train sniggered, but when Albus glared at him, he stopped and hung back a few steps, pushing Rose as she passed him. Unfortunately, as neither Professor Longbottom nor Albus noticed this, all Rose could do was give him as scathing a look as she could muster.

‘Now, form a line please,’ said Professor Longbottom and led them into the Great Hall. It was a splendid place, just like Rose had imagined, lit by hundreds of floating candles, and opening above to what seemed like the starry skies.

Professor Longbottom placed the old hat on a for-legged stool that he conjured out of thin air, in front of the first years.

Everybody stared at it expectantly, everybody except Rose and Albus that is, who were standing side by side, staring at James who was pulling faces at them from the Gryffindor table. But they were unable to respond as at that moment, the hat began to sing.

‘I may be old, I may be frayed,
However, a nobler hat you could not find,
For brave Gryffindor’s head was I made.
He bade me sort you into houses four.
And though, it’s my job, I regret it,
Hope my doing will not be your undoing
And so have said many of greater wit,
Stay united, stay friends and all will be well.
But listen to the legend now,
Generations of students have heard it.
And so will many more, I vow,
Till forever, Hogwarts will be proud.
Friends there were once, the enterprising four,
Founded they the Hogwarts School,
But they fought, or so goes the lore,
Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
Gryffindor the Gritty insisted on the intrepid,
Would not teach a student who wasn’t plucky.
Darin, nerve and chivalry were his bid.
Magic was not for the chickens, he said.
Ravenclaw the Ready accepted only witches and wizards,
Of a certain aptitude and skill,
Only those of wit and talent could learn magic words.
She was wise and old, and preferred not the dumb.
Hufflepuff the Humble chose the persevering,
Hard workers and those just and loyal,
Laziness and procrastination were unworthy things,
She approved of patience and truthfulness.
Slytherin would take only those of sophistication,
Be they crude or rude, his house had to be shrewd,
He looked for ambition, subtlety and gumption’
They might be clever, but not necessarily the best.
While they were alive and healthy, the friends,
Picked their students and taught them.
But what would happen when they met their ends?
So they gave me brains and bade me sort instead.
So come to me, young and little students,
Put me on your heads and I’ll look inside it.
To the house, which would value you, I’ll send,
Be you a chicken, or an idiot, or a slacker, or the naïve.'

The Hat bowed to each of the tables and everybody began to clap at once.

When the applause died down, Professor Longbottom held up a long roll of parchment and said, ‘When I call out your name, you will put on the Sorting Hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Now, ahem,’ he cleared his throat, ‘Alderton, Emily’

A curly-haired girl, blushing furiously, put on the hat as though she wished to disappear under it and sat on the stool. A moment later the hat shouted, ‘GRYFFINDOR!’

The table on the far left burst into loud cheers. Rose saw James thumping the table with his hands, and could not help smiling a bit despite her own nervousness.

‘Barnard, Julyan’

‘HUFFLEPUFF!’ shouted the hat and Julyan went towards the right to the cheering Hufflepuffs.

‘Chan, Ahito’ became the first Ravenclaw and ‘Dagworth, Cora’ was the first Slytherin. ‘Kumar, Obi’ was sorted into Gryffindor and after ‘Lloyd, May’ (‘GRYFFIDOR!’)

‘Malfoy, Scorpius’ called out Professor Longbottom.

With a jolt, Rose saw the pale-faced boy strut forwards and sit on the stool. She hadn’t seen Scorpius properly on the platform, when her father Ron had pointed him out, but now she saw him quite clearly, the boy who associated ‘smelly’ with ‘Weasley’. He was tall and pale, like she had already noted, but there was a certain noble refinement about his features. His sleek blonde hair added to the image of some sort of a rich, young prince. He had barely lifted the hat to his head when it shouted ‘SLYTHERIN!’ He smirked at Rose and stalked off to the table at the far right, where the Slytherins were cheering him quite madly.

Rose was feeling quite apprehensive by now, as she watched Bertie being sorted into Gryffindor. Although, unlike Albus, she was pretty sure she would not be sorted into Slytherin, Rose had her own misgivings. It was a favourite story of her mother Hermione’s, that she had very nearly been sorted into Ravenclaw, and then, how would her father Ron have passed any exam at all? Rose was a rather clever girl, but being sorted into Ravenclaw, she was sure, was another thing Grandpa Weasley, among others, would not approve of.

‘Nott, Alfred’, who Rose recognised as Malfoy’s friend from the train, became a Slytherin. Finally, after ‘Pacey, Elizabeth’ (‘GRYFFINDOR!’) and ‘Pepper, Honoria’ (‘RAVENCLAW!’) Professor Longbottom cried out ‘Potter, Albus’ and then positively beamed. Rose watched with concern as Al drifted forwards trembling, but barely a moment later the hat shouted ‘GRYFFINDOR!’ and she sighed with relief. Maybe she imagined it, but Professor Longbottom gave Al a small wink.

‘Preston’…’Randolph’…’Runcorn’…’Scarpin’…’Selwyn’…’Sipperly’…’Weasley, Rose’

James Potter wolf-whistled as she sat down on the stool. Grinning slightly she let the hat drop over her head.

‘Hmm…aaahhh…another Weasley, eh?’ said a small voice in her ear. ‘I’ve had way too many of you…lets see…hmmm…GRYFFINDOR!

Immensely thankful, Rose replaced the hat, jogged to the cheering Gryffindor table, and squeezed in between Bertie and Obi, grinning broadly at all of them. They watched, though now suddenly very hungry, as Corky sat on the stool after ‘Whalley, Opal’. A few seconds and then—

‘RAVENCLAW!’

Corky smiled ruefully at them and joined the Ravenclaw table. Professor Longbottom rolled up the scroll of parchment and walked out with the stool and hat.

They turned towards the High Table and saw Hagrid waving at them. Suddenly there was a hush in the Great Hall. Headmaster Minos Cagliostro-Manderley, otherwise known as Minor Cage-Man by his students at Hogwarts, had risen to his feet.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

PotterWatch

Hey guys, check out this contest at the Leaky Cauldron...Its a New Year Resolutions Contest and sounds like alot of fun. You basically have to pick a character from each of the 6 categories and make resolutions for them. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Shades of black(contd..)!!

Read the beginning here

He was not sure how long he had slept, just as he had not been sure how long he had kept running, and he wondered vaguely if he would ever be sure of anything ever again. But it was still dark outside when he awoke, so he concluded from this that not much time had passed, only a few hours at most.

Rodolphus rolled over onto his other side, and felt an unexpected lurch of his stomach:it sent an icy pang through his heart . . . well, probably not a heart, he mused, because Death Eaters didn’t have hearts, of course, everyone knew that. So perhaps just the dry, rotten remnants of his heart.


The remnants still hurt enormously strong for something so broken.Or was the fear getting to azkaban?He did not know!

He hadn’t thought he would miss her like this. Sure, they had been married, but it had been a meaningless marriage, arranged by their parents right from the beginning. That wasn’t to say he hadn’t been pleased at the time, because what man would have been displeased by being able to call the lovely Bellatrix Black their own? Only a fool man, of course.
And in their early years, he might have fallen in love with her, had they not been thrown into Azkaban . . . but they had been put in that horrid place, and being separate for all those long years did nothing to build the bonds between them. That Muggle saying about time making the heart grow fonder was true bullshit. But then again, neither of them had hearts (being devoted Death Eaters), so maybe the Muggle really had been right? How would Rodolphus know if the filthy Muggle had been right, really, if he could not speak from experience, if he did not have a heart?

In any case, he had not ever truly been in love with his wife — she was so distant, so unpredictable, so close to insanity, how could he have? But, he did not care..damn it, damn her!

He was confusing himself with all his contradicting and colliding thoughts. His head hurt, and had the pain in his chest not been so much worse, he probably would have been grumbling. But he did not grumble about it, and he did not try to remedy it either, for he did not care. Or did he care, and just not care enough to do anything?

He couldn’t take it anymore, he couldn’t stay here.The aurors would show up soon and catch him!

He continued on with his aimless walk through the woods — what else could he do? There was nothing else to do, not anymore, no lord to serve and sacrifice for and accomplish ‘tasks’ for . . . and so he trekked on, oblivious to the tears in his clothes from stray branches, listening to each haunting thud of his heart’s remnants against his chest, wondering if life in Azakban will be any worse than being on a run with nowhere to go!


He suddenly realized that it was not just his own footfalls he was hearing against the bark and twigs; someone was behind him. He turned his head around to see several cloaked figures.

“He’s making a break for it!” said one of them, a tall burly man, and all the people took off running.

Rodolphus didn’t stop to think; he just reacted, digging his feet deep into the ground as he bolted away, running, running, running, just as he had done mere hours ago as he went away from Hogwarts; running endlessly, onward and onward, his legs knowing he needed to get away, his mind only knowing Bellatrix, same as last time he had ran.

He did not run for long. He should have known he would not; they did, after all, have wands. So did he, but it had not occurred to him to use it in such a moment of reflex.

A spell hit him square in the back, knocking him to the ground, his body sprawling in dirt...







Saturday, December 8, 2007

Ode!

Somewhere, a boy is crying worse than ever,
Somewhere, an order has lost another member,
Somewhere, a man and a woman are laughing insanely,
Somewhere, a Metamorphagus regrets her bad duelling,
Somewhere, a rat is getting less attention than it used too,
Somewhere, a house has nobody left to be inherited to,
Somewhere, a Hippogriff is being tended to be a complete stranger,
Somewhere, a Werewolf has only a traitor as a fellow Marauder,
Somewhere far away, a man has been reunited with his best friend.

Sirius was never gone for a true harry potter fan!:)


P.S:This is the work of a fourth class student!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

101 Ways to Annoy, Harrass and Confuse Lord Voldemort

  1. Ask him why he doesn't have such a cool scar?
  2. Laugh at him.
  3. Wake him up by singing Beach Boys or even better, Himesh Reshammiya in his ear...
  4. Knit him things for his Birthday. Really hideous things.
  5. Give him Kangaroo-ears for a month.
  6. Smile during Death-Eater meetings and say you taught him everything he knows.
  7. Chew bubblegum all the time. Should he address you, your only response would be a series of huge bubbles in quick succession, the last of which will burst everywhere and make a huge mess.
  8. Dance the Funky Chicken.
  9. Ask him when was the last time he took a bath.
  10. Pat him on the head and give him flowers when his plans are foiled yet again.
  11. If you ever need to say, "Like taking candy from a baby", be sure to add "Of course, SOME of us might find that harder than others!". Stare pointedly at him.
  12. Play 'knock-and-run' at his bedchamber door late at night.
  13. Call him "The-man-who-let-the-boy-live".
  14. Ask why the Dark Mark couldn't look like something more socially acceptable?
  15. Insist that you have met chunks of cheese with more cunning plans than his.
  16. Pinch him. Make sure he squeals.
  17. Be cheerful. (Like Tonks.)
  18. When he tries to impress you with his powers say- "Aww lookit. Voldie's got a twiggle!"
  19. Try to teach him how to play a mouth organ. Click your tongue distastefully.
  20. Roll your eyes during plotting sessions and say things under your breath like "You're the boss, boss"
  21. Greet him in the morning with a "My Sir, you look particularly menacing today!"
  22. Taunt him about his middle name. "Marvolo? What's that, a washing detergent?"
  23. Keep a good behaviour chart. Award points and give out gold stars.
  24. Magic-marker Potter-style glasses on him while he sleeps.
  25. Apparate into and out of his room rapidly. Do thins non-stop for an hour. *poof*there*poof*gone*poof*there...
  26. Play cards with him. Bluff mercilessly.
  27. Let off party-poppers in his face whenever the urge strikes you.
  28. Ask him "Did you ever have a girlfriend? Like Ever?"
  29. Get a pair of finger puppets and enact all of Harry's victories over him in a spectacularly childish fashion. Make sure to give them both squeaky voices.
  30. Anyttime he eneters the room, insist on entering first and announce him grandly.
  31. In these announcements, fake a trumpet noise and give him an equally fake drumroll.
  32. Exclaim sarcastically, "You're breaking my heart, oh Dark One" whenever he starts talking of how he became who he is.
  33. Encourage him to think happy thoughts.
  34. Ask him to give you written summaries of his sinister plots for revenge and war. Correct his spelling.
  35. Mock him of his choice of Quirrel as a 'host'.
  36. tell him Yoga classes could cure him of his wicked ways.
  37. Get the song, 'Blame it on me' stuck in his head.
  38. If he's having evil-plotter's block in one of his sessions, "Wingardium Leviosa" a light bulb over his head. Turn it on.
  39. Tell him constantly to stop repressing his anger.
  40. Buy him a stress-ball shaped like a Smiley.
  41. Hint that he's the only character in the book who will never triumph.
  42. Call him Tommy-boy.
  43. if you're feeling gutsy, call him Voldie-poo.
  44. Whack him in the arm every five minutes and say "Mosquito"
  45. Say he looked better 'under a turban'/
  46. Roast his pet snake. Offer him some.
  47. Endeavour to teach him Bonsai, lean back and say 'Eeeexcellent'.
  48. Start drawing outlandish parallels between his life story and Star Wars. talk at great length.
  49. Be generally in awe of him and never look away.
  50. 'Imperius' his Death eaters into a rousing chorus of 'All things bright and Beautiful'.
  51. Shower him with confetti and rice.
  52. Paint all the Death eater mask with colour and glitter.
  53. Throw him a 'care-bears' theme party.
  54. Tell him what Snape's really up to.
  55. Politely exclaim "Don't know why you're so afraid of Dear old Dumbles".
  56. Sing 'California Dreamin' at the top of your lungs when he's trying to have an evil moment.
  57. Should you ever be eating together... drum tunes in your cutlery, play with your food and blow bubbles in your milk.
  58. Ask him to dance the polka with you.
  59. Work cutesy phrases like 'pushing up daisies' and 'smooth as a baby's bottom' into conversation as much as possible.
  60. Ask him if he's sure 'the-whole-evil-maniac-out-for-power-and-revenge-thingy' isn't getting a bit old?
  61. Get him to play 'Tag!' with you.
  62. Tell him you know this great therapist in London...
  63. Throw tupperware parties. Insist he sit through them.
  64. Tell him you've met puh-lenty of people more evil than he.
  65. Hide his teddy bear. That always makes him cry.
  66. Give him a plant. Act morally offended when he doesn't water it and it dies.
  67. Steal, snap and bury him wand.
  68. Tell him Lucius did it.
  69. Give Rite Skeeter full knowledge of his plans and whereabouts... and his preference in colognes.
  70. Remind him that he isn't even really alive.
  71. Write a Death eater theme song. Start singing it every time he is about to do something particularly clever and nasty.
  72. Offer to sacrifice Draco Malfoy 'to the cause'.
  73. Insist on reading him bedtime stories. Include 'The Ugly Duckling'.
  74. Make vague allusions to harry Potter being his son.
  75. When he's done something naughty, wag your finger and say "Now now, do you think Salazar would really approve of that?"
  76. ask him how he could wish to harm a single hair on that 'sweet, innocent, cute little boy'.
  77. Tell him Wormtail has a crush on him.
  78. Lecture him at great length on why he shouldn't use the Unforgivables.
  79. Leave disgusting and rotting dead things around him. Insist that it's Aromatherapy.
  80. Tell him that Fred and George Weasley are doing roaring business on their "You-know-poo" merchandise.
  81. Begin any question you ask him with "Riddle me this!". Emphasise on Riddle.
  82. Cuddle him at Random moments.
  83. Treat him as you would treat an eccentric acquaintance.
  84. Ask him why he's afraid of a frail old man with a beard the size of a beehive and can't fight babies.
  85. Throw biscuits at him. Constantly.
  86. Tell him you think evil master plans for world domination are 'kind of girlie'.
  87. Quote Argus Filch. Insist HE will one day rule the wizarding world.
  88. Mimic everything he says in a sing-song voice.
  89. Mimic everything he does with exaggerated limb movements.
  90. Write sonnets for him.
  91. Insist he help you with the newspaper crossword every morning.
  92. Offer him ice0cream cake.
  93. Tell people he's really just a big softie.
  94. Psychoanalyse him. Conclude that he is 'mildly depressed and a bit of a control-freak'
  95. Mock his baldness.
  96. Make a pass at him. Pinch his Butt-cheeks.
  97. Smile and say "Who loves you Volders?" at inopportune moments.
  98. Get him drunk.
  99. Drag out a banjo at Death Eater revel and start playing 'Kumbayah'.
  100. Let him catch you trying on Death eater robes.
  101. Be Harry Potter. Be alive...

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

HPNS- Chapter 3


Read Chapter 2: Trio Once More here or start at the beginning

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM


“What? What’s the matter?” Harry asked in a hoarse whisper, watching Hermione turn around for the tenth time.

“It’s nothing… I just feel like we’re being followed”, Hermione replied looking back again, as they hurried on.

“Keep up the both of you, this ain’t a school trip! Blimey we’ll never get there before the other guy!” Ron said bossily, leading the way with his wand light carving tunnels in the velvet dark.

“Ron seems pretty confident that we are being followed. I haven’t seen him this excited about something since, he won Gryffindor the Quidditch Cup” Harry muttered, smirking.

“It’s all gone into his head!” Hermione retorted annoyed, “Ooh look at me… I’m a Trainee Auror! Qualified to combat the Dark Arts and everything… all bigger and better than any of my brothers!”

Harry didn’t reply; he knew Ron and Hermione too well. They always seemed to be at each other’s throats but Harry had long realized that there was something much deeper between them that even they hadn’t figured out for themselves… he just had to wait for something…

They quickened their pace as the passage soon led to another large furnished room. It had a Serpentine feel to it, with the statues and figurines. There was a particularly large sculpture of a python made of porcelain. In spite of himself, Harry had to appreciate the ornate and fine scales of the python, curving as sinuously as the body itself. Its mouth was wide open enough to swallow him whole, and the sculpted fangs were dripping with porcelain venom.

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through Harry’s scar and he shivered. The eyes of the python glinted with evil.

“Typical.” Harry thought to himself.

There were figures of other exotic creatures he had never seen before; the one immediately to his left was surely that of a Manticore. Harry remembered having read of them while he had searched for cases to acquit Buckbeak during the Hippogriff trial in their third year. A frightening description that he recalled clearly, was sketched by a Roman wizard in the second century, who had drawn his account from works written seven hundred years earlier-



There is in India a wild beast, powerful, daring and as big as the largest lion, of a red colour like cinnabar, shaggy like a dog, and in the language of India it is called Martichoras. Its face however is not that of a wild beast but of a man, and it has three rows of teeth set in its upper jaw and three in the lower; these are exceedingly sharp and larger than the fangs of a hound. Its ears and hands also resemble a man’s except that they are larger and shaggy; its eyes are ice blue and they too are like a man’s, but its feet and claws, you must know are that of a lion. To the end of its tail is attached the sting of a scorpion, and this might be over a cubit in length, and the tail has stings at intervals on either side. But the tip of the tail gives a fatal sting to anyone who encounters it, and death is immediate…


The

A few feet from the Manticore was a gargantuan statue of a creature that Hermione identified as a Chimera. Its glass eyes glinted as though following their movements and it was so huge that it nearly covered most of the room, with dragon- like scaly wings, large enough to carry the whole Weasley family upon them.

Hermione stepped up to the Glass Chimera and looked straight into its face, while Ron and Harry followed. She examined the image up and down and let out a small exclamation.

“Its thumb is missing… look! And look there, I’ll bet that door will open for us to move forward if I insert the thimble on it” she said, fishing out the silver object from her pocket.

Harry glanced at the silver thimble in her hand, and something stirred yet again in his memory… he just couldn’t place it at that moment.

Hermione placed the thimble in the space where a thumb should have been in the Chimera. It jumped to life. Harry, Ron and Hermione backed away rapidly when they saw it unfurl its wings and emit a gut wrenching shriek.

“RON! HARRY! Take the passage and go ahead! This was my task, I’ll stall it!” shrieked Hermione.

Ron moved towards her instead but even before he could grab her arm, the creature spread it skeletal wings and grabbed hold of Hermione’s collar, lifting her up in the air.

“EXPELLIARMUS!” thought Harry, trying to disarm the horrific creature and failing to attempt non-verbally. Instead he caught Hermione’s wand in his hands, while she yelled at him in frustration.

Ron gave up all pretence and hurled a rare collection of complicated hexes at the creature that bounced off its glass frame. One of the hexes was badly aimed and cut right through Hermione’s arm while she screamed, suspended in mid air, rendered helpless without a wand.

“WILL THE BOTH OF YOU GIVE UP YOUR HEROICS, I’M IN MORE DANGER OF BEING SAVED BY YOU THAN BEING EATEN ALIVE!” she bellowed, before apparating straight out of the Chimera’s fumbling talons.

The creature circled them, making terrible predatory noises while they gathered around Hermione who mended her bleeding arm with her restored wand. Ron held her around the shoulder and apologized profusely. Harry heard loud swishing noises behind him and saw that he was to be the Chimera’s next target. It dived with its jaws set and wide open, ready to digest Harry into mince.

Before he could raise his wand, Ron was ready and bellowed clearly “AVADA KEDAVRA!”

Surprisingly, the spell did not bounce off the lunging creature, but caused it to burst into smithereens.

Harry and Hermione slowly turned their gaze away from the million sharp splinters of glass in the air, to Ron who still had his wand arm raised.

He was heaving after having performed the worst Unforgivable Curse, in their presence for the first time.

“Boy! You really mean business! Since when has the “Avada Kedavra” been at your wand-tips? Let me guess, was it the second semester of Auror training?” Hermione asked Ron sarcastically, panting for breath.

But before he could retort, the figure of the Manticore, behind Harry let out a growl.

“Quick the both of you run through the door! I’ll take care of all of them! GO!” Hermione screamed turning her raised wand to face the savage creature. They didn’t disobey her, both were aware of how good she was at incantation and how their lack of coordination the last time, had only caused more trouble.

And, it had occurred to Harry that they might need to conserve their energies and lives for the next two objects…

“We shouldn’t have left her… they’ll make a right dish of her and eat her up. She was still bleeding wasn’t she?” Ron asked taking a last look at Hermione who was dueling the Manticore.

Neither spoke as they made headway through yet another passage. The walls were decorated with portraits of the previous inhabitants of the castle… all of whom seemed to be part of an extended Slytherin dynasty. Harry reckoned this had been the property and treasures of the Gaunts before they had begun wars with each other, and groups of the family had been disinherited.

Harry couldn’t make out Ron’s expression in the dim light of the torches. He felt the same way as he had at the Third Task at the Triwizard Tournament.

‘One down…’ he thought.

Soon he and Ron found themselves facing a beautifully carved door, which they opened silently. Ron looked back once, as though to check if they were still followed. No one could be seen…

This room was a lot less ostentatious than the last one… there were no creatures here. It looked more like an alcove instead of an actual room. Furnished simply, there was only a large empty space of wall facing them. An authentic rug right before it and a fireplace in the corner was all that the room had.

“Blimey a lot quieter here ain’t it? What do you reckon now Harry?” Ron questioned looking around.

Without a word Harry walked up to the rug lining the wall, and casually stepped on it.

Just then, he felt as if his whole body was on fire. He would surely explode on the spot like the sting of a Blast Ended Skrewt, the pain was beyond endurance. Harry heard his own terrible screaming when suddenly an arm forcefully pushed him back. Falling on his back, he came to himself. The pain ceased and he caught his breath in sharp breaks. The little stars in front of eyes cleared.

He faintly heard Ron yell “Al…right? ...arry? F…eelin… o…kay?”

“Yeah I’m fine” he muttered back “What happened? ... RON! You’re still standing on that thing! GET OUT OF IT!”

“No Harry I figured this is it, only the pure-blood can stand on this rug. Sorry ‘bout that mate. But how are we going to move forward if you can’t stand on it? If you could fly right over it…” Ron finished, peering at Harry to check if he was feeling fine.

“Take that vial of blood and splatter it on the wall. Look! It’s got hinges in that crack. It’ll swing open with its deposit of blood. Don’t worry about me, just- do- it” Harry said, wiping the spit on his mouth with his sleeve and keeping his wand poised for any nasty surprises.

Ron opened the tiny bottle of blood, and with a quick motion, flicked its contents across the blank wall. The blood melted into the other side of the wall. As soon as the last drop of it vanished, the rug beneath Ron gave way into a deep gap.

The last Harry saw of Ron, was his mop of red hair vanishing into the darkness. His scream made the castle walls reverberate…

‘Two down…’ thought Harry ominously.

Harry could hear his own heavy breath echoing as he progressed rapidly into the next dark passage. This time it was moving higher, towards a greater altitude. His mind was numb with the thought of the both of them … they couldn’t both be dead.

He could only pray that Hermione was still alive; but judging by what the Chimera had single-handedly managed to do, he wasn’t quite sure. As for Ron he hadn’t the remotest idea as to where he was, or how deep the drop had been. Whether he was injured or unconscious… or in some fresh peril… Harry’s heart banged against his chest. He had lost two of the closest things to his heart for the horcrux. They had been enjoying tea together just a few hours back, but now…

Without further thought, Harry opened the door before him, this time quite alone… or so he thought.

He was up the tallest tower of the castle. The coffined air was suffocating, and Harry coughed loudly, clearing the dust with his wand. And then he saw it… right before him. A long dark wooden table upon which was placed, the handsome case he had seen in Dumbledore’s memory… the case that had belonged to Hepzibah Smith. It glowed in the dark, a gloomy green shade. Harry took out from his pocket, the key he had taken from the shelf and examined it in the faint light, lost in deep dilemma.

“ACCIO KEY!” yelled a husky voice right behind Harry.

The object flew clean out of Harry’s fingers into the hands of another hand… the owner of which had been tailing Harry, Ron and Hermione ever since they solved the puzzle.

Harry wheeled around in the spot where he stood. He found himself before a face he had seen many years ago. Except that the man was hidden behind a skull-like mask… a Death-Eater.

Walden Macnair.

The name rolled across Harry’s mind… battling the Manticore wouldn’t have been a problem for this man, he used to kill them for a profession- Walden Macnair of the Committee for Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Harry, Ron and Hermione had seen him when he had come to Hogwarts to execute Buckbeak. He had been a Death Eater then, and was certainly a Death Eater now. As if to tease Harry into confirming his thoughts, Macnair lifted the sleeve of his arm, revealing the Dark Mark… and licked the skin across it slowly and lovingly.

Macnair spoke in a harsh voice, “Master was right to be suspicious… right to keep me here in case someone came for the treasure. Master is never wrong. Do you think you and you’re ‘talented’ friends will be able to do what no one has ever been able to do? That witch Althea Smith was guarded under my Imperius Curse and when she gave you the real key, I followed you. ‘Norman Ridgeback’ indeed… I knew it was you Harry Potter. But now I have the key… and what are you going to do?” he finished with a manic gleam in his eyes.

“For a man who kills creatures for a living, you sure talk a lot” Harry replied coldly

Macnair bared a yellow grin and raised his wand, the curse right at his lips.

Harry continued to tease him back “You obviously don’t know what the ‘treasure’ is do you? Or else you would have taken it just like Regulus Black took the locket. My dear friend… that key you hold is the one I picked up from the shelf … in your own words, the fake. This key, Althea’s key, however leads you to one of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes… a piece of his soul. The piece that I have come to destroy”

He continued to speak viciously “Or are you here to strike a bargain? Would you perhaps give me my friends back for the horcrux? The supreme control over a piece of Voldemort’s soul… you’d have him at your mercy for a change”

Harry had gone too far.

“Why you insolent little…ACCIO KEY- ACCIO- ACCIO!” Macnair yelled wildly, his face contorted with fury.

Harry deflected the spell with his wand and tried to surprise him with the Disarming charm once more, without any success.

“Madame Lestrange told me you were a tricky customer. CRUCIO!” spat Macnair with pure venom on his face.

“Well give her my regards” Harry retorted dodging the unforgivable curse.

“SECTUMSEMPRA” thought Harry, concentrating with all his might.

It worked just as it had with Draco Malfoy in his sixth year at Hogwarts, except Harry hadn’t done it intentionally then. As though cut by an invisible sword, blood spurted from Macnair’s face and torso and he crumpled to the floor. Nevertheless, he sprung to his feet almost immediately, and raised his wand in spite of his mangled remains. A long struggle between him and Harry, ensued…

“STUPEFY!” a familiar voice chanted from the doorway.

The stunning spell struck Macnair in the back and he was blasted off the spot, crashing into a bookshelf that collapsed on him.

“RON! You’re OKAY!” Harry screamed rushing towards the tall red-haired figure kneeling at the entrance to the room.

But Ron was breathing fast, his chest heaving up and down like that of a werewolf during transformation. His face and bright red hair was matted with dark blood. Ron had dragged himself up the room, leaving a gory trail of wiped scarlet in the way and his right leg looked broken at the knee. There were several cuts across his face. Before he could say anything to Harry who knelt by his side, running his fingers frantically through his own dark hair in utter helplessness, a ribbon of blood rolled down his cheek from his lips…

“No… Ron NO! Don’t die… please don’t die!” Harry yelled hysterically, watching Ron close his eyes unable to catch his breath any longer…

Read Chapter 4: Burrow'ing here

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Shades of black!


He was running, running, endlessly and without pause. He knew not where he was running to, not where his final destination was, not where he was at present, not where the Aurors were positioned and waiting to catch him . . . soon, he figured, he would not even know his name. But nothing really mattered to him in that moment anyway, and certainly not something as trivial as his name; for really, what had his name ever done for him? What had anyone ever done for him? What had life ever done for him, even? Strange how disjointed and yet how clear the senses and mind were at the height of adrenaline.

He ventured on, running wildly through the thickets and trees. His head was clouded, and yet his thoughts were strong as they popped out at him; his muscles ached from not being used like this in so long, and yet he could not feel the burn; his throat was parched, and yet he did not want to drink; his breathing came out in short, haggard spurts, and yet he did not stop, could not stop . . .

They were looking for him, he knew it. Not just him, all the Death Eaters. Sure, there would be trials held at the Ministry, but what in the world could he possibly say in his defense? He was guilty of the crimes, he did not regret his actions . . . all he regretted was . . . but no, he would not think of her, not now, not ever again.

The battle was over; Potter had triumphed over the Dark Lord. The thing that Rodolphus Lestrange had dreaded and feared for years, the death of his master, had finally happened. So why did he find that he did not care one whit, why was it that the penetrating hurt deep within him came not over the Dark Lord’s demise, but over someone else’s? Because it shouldn’t, he knew, it shouldn’t . . . but it did. Terribly. Wretchedly. But, no, he would not remember her, he did not need her, and even if he did, it didn’t matter, there was nothing he could do anymore . . . still, his eyes stung with bitter tears for the first time in many years as he thought of her yet again.

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry

He did not know how long he was running for, did not care how long he ran, though this was not saying much seeing as he did not care about anything more . . . but eventually, he reached a destination, a destination he knew very well. And though he had not planned to, he went inside.

The house was just as it always was: dark, impressive, grand. He should know: it was his very own house, after all. But it felt different, somehow, knowing that it was just his house now, and not theirs.

He knew it was stupid to stay here. This would most likely be the first place the Ministry looked for him, after all. But he found that, just like everything else now in his life, he did not care if they found him or not. Would life really be so much better on the run than it would be in Azkaban? Might as well just stop here for a bit, get a few hours sleep. So he went up the stairs, his stairs, and fell onto the bed, his bed, pulling the covers around him. The singular possessive of the items made him feel strangely hollow again, and his eyes stung irritably once more. He wiped them with the back of his hand roughly, rolled over, and somehow managed to fall asleep despite his heavy thoughts. Well, he was very tired: servants of the Dark Lord did not have the most regular sleep patterns.

Continued here

Sunday, November 25, 2007

What next ?

That's what all of us potter-maniacs have been asking ever since July 2007. I mean what purpose is there in life now that the Harry Potter book series is done with? The answer is- the Harry Potter movie series! There are still two of them left, and hopefully they wont be as pathetic as the rest, now that Daniel Radcliffe is all grown up. My favorite, of course, is Rupert Grint. What say you?

This video is rather boring....rants on about the "new" Quidditch robes and Tom's orphanage...but really, we have to wait till November next year for the real thing so this is okay for the time being, I guess...

(oh, by the way, how is this for an official welcome???)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

HPNS - Chapter 2


Read Chapter 1: Reunion here

TRIO ONCE MORE


“REDUCTO!” bellowed Harry blowing away another obstruction. Moving forward fast, he wondered how long it would take Ron to get his owl, and for him to get there with Hermione. He was tired of making mistakes… he had underestimated Voldemort, the Dark Lord whose name was rarely spoken without trepidation… it was his powers that Harry shared- The Chosen One.

The mission that Dumbledore had left him involving finding and destroying the horcruxes, was not proceeding as successfully as Harry had hoped. The one thing achieved however, was Slytherin’s locket. Twelve months past, Harry had finally discovered the mystery of R.A.B, bringing him closer once again, to the Black Family. It had been Regulus Arcturus Black, Sirius’ younger brother who had stolen the original locket and tried to destroy the others. But Harry had learnt from Sirius himself, four years ago that Regulus had been killed, while he was still in the service of Lord Voldemort. The locket was found with Kreacher, the Black family house elf whose thieving habits and retention of many Black Family heirlooms, had finally paid off. Hermione recalled having seen a locket that they couldn’t open when Grimmauld Place was being made fit to be the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Immediately after, a savage raid of the house was conducted by Ron, Harry and Hermione and they found the locket beneath piles of Kreacher’s possessions. Kreacher had gone over to the side where his allegiance lay, and had left hexes and protective charms around Grimmauld Place. In the process of their ransack, Hermione had nearly lost a finger if it hadn’t been for Harry’s timely rescue… and so Harry came to obtain one horcrux. Dumbledore had gone however, without telling him how to destroy the cursed objects.

Meanwhile, Harry had moved on in his thirst to hunt down the others. Hufflepuff’s Cup was the next in line and Harry had spent day and night in determining an exact location for the Cup. Since Voldemort’s return and his coming of age, he was possibly in greatest danger of travel and being recognised, and thus had been shedding and taking on identities for the last couple of months. Armed with fresh stocks of Polyjuice Potion and his Cloak, Harry’s movements across Europe were as stealthy and watchful as his nemesis.

But recent events had proved that stealing the cup would be impossible without company. Ron and Hermione were the only people he trusted with his life, and he regretted not having contacted Ron for the past week, wondering if he was taking this as seriously as he should. How fast would Hedwig get there? Would Ron be at his apartment at all?

Lost in his thoughts, he missed a Doxy that flew right at him. Harry muttered a jinx that took care of it and quickly went up the steps of the castle.

During his progress upwards Harry heard many voices in his head. They whispered in a strange language he could not understand… it was not Parseltongue but Harry was certain that these were not human voices…

He felt a strange urge to open a door towards the left of the passage, but thought better of it. And then suddenly he heard something that made him jump.

Three slow successive knocks from the other end of that door…

Harry raised his wand and pressed his ear to the door. There was nothing to be heard. And then, almost exactly where his ear was placed on the wood, he heard sharp knocking again. It was not the sound of flesh and bone knocking against the wood, but Harry distinctly heard sharp talons. There was something cold and inhuman in the rhythm of the knocks that resounded in every corner of his brain, hypnotising him.

Pulling himself away from the door, he continued his progress forward. Instinct told him to proceed straight ahead without taking any shortcuts or doors, with the key he possessed. How Harry had managed to get the key was another adventure altogether…

It was only the day before that Harry had met Althea Smith of Dwight Manor, Hepzibah Smiths’ cousin twice removed, who had inherited the fortune she had left behind. Althea Smith had noticed the cup of Hufflepuff in its case missing, when the objects were being added to her property.

“I would have done anything to get the cup… it was Hepzi’s greatest treasure and an important family heirloom. And now it’s gone” Harry could recall Althea wave her hand imperiously.

There really was a thin line between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. The scene repeated itself fifty five years later, where similar powers of conviction managed to get Harry what he needed most. Under the alias of ‘Norman Ridgeback’, he had received from Althea, the key to open the case which Lord Voldemort had inadvertently forgotten. However, Harry knew him better, and supposed that the key would not be enough to get the cup… after all Professor Dumbledore had lost a hand in his attempt to destroy Slytherin’s ring… and Harry was no way as skilled as Dumbledore had been. He wondered what he would have to lose to get the cup…

Harry continued along the dark passage and was forcibly reminded of the route to the Department of Mysteries, three years back. A congruent panging thirst to move ahead and discover filled him... this however, was no nightmare and Harry could clearly sense the musty smell of the old, abandoned castle. There were dark scratches on the tapestry of the walls as though some vicious and uncontrolled beast had walked the same steps he was taking. The ambience was just as that of the Shrieking Shack… silence, that was so absolute and real, Harry could imagine cutting it with a knife.

Upon entering a large antechamber decorated lavishly, he found himself facing a large shelf with a roll of parchment in the corner. On the shelf were placed a collection of strange objects. One of them Harry identified as a spindly instrument he had seen in Dumbledore’s office in his fourth year. Another was a small vial of a scarlet substance, which looked like blood. The third was a silver thimble, but it was the last object that disturbed Harry.

A key… one that looked exactly like the one he held in his hand, the one he had fished out from Althea Smith. The question was… which one was the fake.

Suddenly, he heard a faint noise behind him. He covered himself up with the Cloak, wondering how effective it would prove against this adversary. His wand arm was raised in tremulous anticipation and he waited… there were footsteps accompanied by the same whispering. Harry’s mind went blank, except for the image of some large horrific beast.

The door that he had shut behind him silently swung open… but there was nothing to be seen, felt or heard in the air. Harry usually relied on his intuition that told him that someone or something was in the room. Was it invisible like him? Or perhaps a magical creature that Hagrid had never mentioned, or worse, never encountered before.

And then Harry saw it… he breathed a sigh of relief.

“We have got to stop doing this mate!” Ron said breathlessly “You scared the living daylights out of us… Hermione saw footprints on the carpet, and I swear I was praying it was you… but how did you know it was us?”

Harry couldn’t help grinning… the warmest feeling flooded him after having felt so cold for a long time. It was like a gush of a hot Butterbeer, something he associated with the happy memories of Ron and Hermione and Hogsmeade.

“I saw your trainer… I think the cloak must have slipped off a bit from your foot. Then I knew it was you guys under Moody’s Cloak”.

“That’s really dangerous!” Hermione wailed, “what if we weren’t facing Harry? Ron I told you to be careful under it! It’s always your foot that gives us away!”

“That’s NOT fair you can’t generalize the fact! How many times have we done this anyway? Wait! Don’t answer that” Ron said, admitting defeat.

“How did you guys get here so quick?” Harry asked in an urgent whisper.

“Hedwig got there with your letter just as I was leaving Ron’s place. We set off at once to the castle here. Some locals said that they saw a man enter the gates and we hoped that it was you… I’m very glad actually that it is you” Hermione said in a low tone.

“Hang on. I went in with the Cloak on me. How could anyone have seen me?” Harry retorted.

Ron said, “Knew that this was too easy… someone else is here, plain and simple. They either followed Harry or us. They were knocking at that door, Hermione”

“What! You heard that too?” Harry exclaimed.

“Yes Harry, but we didn’t open the door, it sounded really unsettling. If there really IS someone here, then we’d better get a move on… What’s all this” Hermione asked, business-like, motioning towards the shelf.

“It’s okay… some kind of puzzle here that I can’t crack and that’s where you come in Hermione” said Harry “I was reading the scroll of parchment here…”



Hitherto shall you come, but no further shall you go,

unless, you possess what the Dark Lord does not

Friends to be loved, friends to be kept,

friends to assist you in the path you chose

There is but one true blood in magic,

one blood as old and pure as magic itself

Once besmirched, the purpose is lost, magic is lost,

and you will find faith in things unreal, futile

And yet, it is the supreme balance that will rule,

emerge as worthy of the treasure you seek,

And move forward in a quest, as impossible as the aim

only in balance, will you be the master of destiny



Ron sneered, “What DO you possess that ‘the Dark Lord does not’, Harry? Well… glasses and a decent mop of hair is all I can think of. What in the name of Merlin’s lop-sided glasses was You-know-who thinking when he came up with this?”

“Shut up… what do you make of it Hermione?” Harry asked seriously.

Hermione was lost in her world, her eyes were glazed and distant and mouth was slightly open. She walked up and down the shelf, muttering softly examining the objects as she had done nearly, seven years ago when they had been searching for the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Ron who was obviously a little bored by the proceedings, made to lift the thimble- “What’s this muggle crap?”

“Ron don’t touch it! Not…” Harry didn’t finish.

“RON! That was Brilliant! Muggle! That’s really the key word! I’ve got it” Hermione exclaimed ecstatically, absolutely beaming at Ron, who looked rather surprised that he was of any stimulating help.

“It’s pretty obvious once you’ve solved it. The first part means simply that you can’t get the horcrux alone… you need at least two people trustworthy or close. ‘One true blood in magic’, that goes without saying- ‘pure- blood’. ‘Besmirched… futile and unreal’, you can only associate words like that with Muggle blood… ‘Mud- bloods’ And of course, ‘the supreme balance’… the source of Voldemort’s power himself. He’s half- blood isn’t he? It’s only a half-blood who’ll be able to get to the Horcrux. Which is why it won’t be a problem for him at all… it all fits”. Hermione’s explanation came all at one strike to Harry.

He understood exactly what the objects were for. But what he didn’t get, was why someone like Voldemort would stress the need for friends. Dumbledore had told Harry that Voldemort preferred to work in solitude, but this was almost as if he was unhappy he didn’t have any real people to count on, none comparable to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. ‘Friends to be loved, to be kept’. The words flashed across his mind. Maybe they were really of importance here.

Ron spoke excitedly “That means that only a half-blood will be able to hold that key. Harry that’s you of course… And if we need the other stuff, I’d be able to get that bottle of blood… coz not to be rude, but I AM the pure-blood here. What if blood-traitors don’t qualify” he finished mystified at his own deductions.

“In that case, I’ll be able to pick up the thimble, being ‘mud-blood’ as I am. But how are these things going to help us Harry… was it something like this when you had gone for the locket with Dumbledore?” Hermione said

“It wasn’t much then except a couple of Inferi floating dead in the water. But this is really convenient that’s all… there’s one of us for each of the objects and that’s a bit sinister” said Harry, now looking around for further clues.

Hermione whispered “The thing is Harry, I don’t think Voldemort accounted for three people who are friends and rightly suited for the task, to be standing here looking for his horcrux the way we are. It’s just a chance occurrence that’s all… but without a doubt, we have what it requires. What’s that object?” she said pointing at the spindly instrument.

Ron replied knowledgeably “It’s a Verifier, something that checks if the solution to a problem is correct. You just have to place your solution on the panel at the bottom, and if it’s correct, it emits a puff of white smoke. Red smoke if you’re wrong. We learnt about them in the first semester of Auror training”.

The other two glared at him as though it was impossible for Ron to venture so much information.

“What? Cut me some slack you guys, even I am allowed to be of some use!” Ron retorted angrily

“Last time at the cave we had to pay with blood, maybe we have to verify our blood this time too” Harry said.

“That’s settled then… We’ll each put a drop of blood on the panel and then take the object we need to take. Better hurry if we can” Hermione said, wondering how long the silence of the castle would prevail.

They each submitted a drop of their own blood on the panel and were allowed to retrieve the objects they could rightly collect. The shelf moved forwards to reveal a long winding passage forwards. Harry, Ron and Hermione together once more, took a deep breath and went ahead with their wands raised.

Read Chapter 3: Fantastic Beasts and where to find them here

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