Hogwarts, known to the wizarding world as a school for young wizards
and witches, has attracted the attention of the Muggle world. Not as the
mysterious school it really is, but as the dilapidated old castle that
historians have become interested in. A team of historians and
carpenters/architects have come to explore and find out whether the
building is sound enough to renovate and turn into a history museum.
The team arrives during the Hogwarts school year and proceeds to
explore the school, finding it to be surprisingly stable. Unfortunately,
the electronic instruments they brought along don't seem to work near or in
the building. Also they begin to have all sorts of unexplainable problems,
like things disappearing, odd noises, walls disappearing/appearing, solid
objects where empty hall stands, and other such things.
The students and employees at Hogwarts of course know why their
electronic instruments won't work, and why walls and rooms disappear and
reappear. A few students know in particular where those odd noises, solid
objects, and things disappearing come from. They would of course be Fred
and George Weasley, and their counterpart-soulmates, Aili and Hazel.
The well-used map lay on the table, underneath several old, musty books, and a mass of curly mouse-brown hair. A pen angled from a loosely clenched fist over a notebook filled with notes and hastily scrawled drawings. A gray cat stood on a windowsill above the woman, and as she continued to sleep, jumped down on her. "Wha!." she grumbled, sleep thick in her voice. She straightened up and rubbed her neck from where she'd fallen asleep over her research the night before. "Great," she muttered, shoving the cat off the table and pushing her square-rimmed glasses up her nose. Glancing at the time, she quickly got up and ready. She had a meeting with the Board of Historical Sites in England to talk over the old Pendrag estate, an old tumbledown castle, thought to be simply another of England's many castles, the ruins blending into the countryside. She snatched up a few rolled maps and several books, carefully carrying them out to her car and putting them in the seat beside her. She looked up and spotted her gray cat, Mouse, sitting in the window of her apartment as she pulled out of the lot. "Wish me luck," she whispered to him as she pulled away. "I will need it." The cat she didn't notice, a gray-striped tabby with odd markings around her eyes, sat across the street, watching her as she drove off. Once she was out of sight, the tabby blinked once and was gone.
Dumbledore sat in his office listening to McGonagall's report attentively. ".so Professor, as you can see we need to do something about this newest problem with muggles," she finished, sitting so stiffly on the edge of her chair, it looked as though someone had turned her spine into an iron rod. Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore steepled his fingers and studied Professor Minerva McGonagall over his fingertips before reaching for a bowl on his desk. Holding it out, he broke his silence. "Lemon drop, Minerva? No? Alright, but you don't know what you're missing. Muggles really do know how to make candy." He leaned back and sucked on a lemon drop as Minerva indignantly sniffed and straightened her glasses. "I don't think you understand the severity of this matter, Professor," she stated in her prim and proper manner. "If the muggles begin poking around here, the whole wizarding world will be in danger of being discovered!" Professor Dumbledore smiled in his knowing way and folded his hands. "You really can call me Albus, Minerva. As to this extremely urgent problem of yours, I believe that if the muggles come to Hogwarts, believing correctly that they've discovered the legendary castle of Arthur Paendragon, king of Camelot, the problem will sort itself out. So why should we waste the time of many workers in the Ministry of Magic on a problem that will sort itself out?" Minerva sat up stiffly, quite a feat since she already looked as though she was tied to a board, and continued. "How can you be so sure, Pro-Albus?" His name came out stiffly and Dumbledore fought back a smile. "You don't have any gift of divination that I know of, and this is far too serious of a matter to go simply on a hunch of yours." Dumbledore did smile, now. "Well, Minerva, I may not have the gift of a third eye, but we have a teacher here in Hogwarts who does. Shall I call her in? Or maybe you'd rather speak to her on your own free time." Minerva's eyes widened and Dumbledore thought he saw the hair on the back of her neck bristle up. "I just may do that, Professor. But right now I have a class I must prepare for, so if you'll excuse me." Dumbledore nodded, and she made her hasty exit. Once Dumbledore was sure she was out of hearing range, he sat chuckling. There was no love lost between the Transfiguration and Divination teachers at Hogwarts.
The curly mouse-brown haired woman concluded her speech but continued standing, self-assured and poised. Questions came, as she was sure they would. "How did you come across this map, Ms. Honeyworth?" was the first. "I visited another castle a few months ago and was given permission to look through the books. When I pulled one out, I spotted something shoved against the back of the shelf, and got it out. It was a map of very old England. They allowed me to keep it for a time, and by the time they wanted it back, I'd made an identical copy." An older woman folded her hands on the table. "You did check to make sure of it's authenticity, didn't you, Ms. Honeyworth?" That was just a hairsbreadth away from being an insult, but Ms. Honeyworth batted it away mentally and answered. "Yes, I did. The paper dated all the way back to the 1200's, and the date on the map wasn't much later than that." "All the other information you've given us was concise and didn't seem to have flaws in it, Ms. Honeyworth," spoke up the gray-haired man from the head of the table. "But asking us to believe that the castle of Camelot was real, and still stands, at least partially, today, is asking quite a bit." He took a breath and expelled it slowly. "However, you do have evidence, and it does seem to all be in order. Will you leave us overnight with your portfolio and the original map for our decision upon funding?" Happy and relieved, she tried not to show it as she sat two old leather books on the table beside a firm plastic tube, which held the original map. Pulling her portfolio out of her bag, she sat it on the table and exited. The next day, Mary Honeyworth was called back before the Board. The news for her was good. They would supply funding and help her pick out a team of carpenters, as well as assign a few other historians to explore and evaluate the castle. They should be ready in two weeks.
Aili fidgeted in the seat of her last class before lunch. She wanted to be at lunch, not only because she was hungry, but because her closest friends and her had something planned. Hazel, Fred, George, and her had been plotting and planning on this for a very, very long time, as no doubt everyone in the school had been at one time or another. But they were actually going to go through with it. Finally, after what seemed like another couple of centuries, class was let out and the students proceeded to lunch. "What's been up with you lately?" came a voice from behind her simultaneously with a hand on her shoulder. Aili glanced over her shoulder to see Liabri's large, golden-brown eyes. "You just haven't been coming home 'til really late if you come before I fall asleep, and kinda edgy otherwise. And in Potions yesterday, your concentration really slipped if you forgot that briarroot extract mixed with.oh, whatever else it was, would explode!" the girl exclaimed, fingering a lock of Aili's singed hair. "That's just not like you!" By this time, Liabri had pulled her into a restroom and was concernedly looking at her. "I'm ok, Liabri, I really am, I've had a lot on my mind." Aili carefully sidestepped the question about her coming in late at night. She had a reason for that as well, but she wasn't going to tell Liabri about it. She felt bad keeping something so important from the girl who'd told her the biggest secret in her life, but Aili's secret was just too big. You just didn't go around telling people you were an illegal animagi who went out almost every night to talk and run with at least one other illegal animagi from the same school. After a few more minutes of convincing Liabri she was alright, they went to lunch. Liabri immediately went and joined Veracity at the Hufflepuff table, while Aili slipped over to the Gryffindor table. She really wasn't supposed to, since she was a Hufflepuff, but most of her friends were Gryffindors, and she was a sworn Gryffinpuff. Hazel pointed to the spot directly across from her, and George leapt up to pull the chair out for her with a chivalrous bow. "My lady." She smiled at George and sat down. Fred rolled his eyes at his brother and got a characteristically bright, up-to-no-good smile in return. Aili, Hazel, and Trin laughed as Fred rolled his eyes again. Food appeared on the table, and they began eating. When everyone was finished, Dumbledore stood up. The room erupted in a buzz of quiet surprise. "Faculty and students, I just have a single announcement to make, then I'll let you all get back to your classes, which I'm sure Miss Granger would like more than anyone here." Eyes turned to Hermione, and she looked as though she might try disappearing in her seat. "However," Dumbledore continued. "This is on a serious matter. In a few weeks, a group of muggles will be arriving at Hogwarts. Or rather, an old ruined, collapsing castle. We will ward the castle so you can walk, speak, even shout in the hallways without them hearing, and so you can wave your hands in front of their faces and they won't see. Though I wouldn't recommend it," he warned, aiming it in the Weasley twins' direction. They looked up from where they'd had their heads together with Aili and Hazel, grinned at him and waved, giving him the thumbs-up sign. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head before thanking the assembled students and sitting down. Everyone filed out of the Great Hall talking excitedly. Aili and Hazel, though, looked at each other and exchanged identical mischievous grins. As they parted to go to their next classes, the twins came up to them. "We'll talk to you two after classes, say, in the common room?" Fred said, looking at Hazel. "The normal spot. Oh, and Aili, one more thing." George stopped as he turned to go. "The password changed." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "It's now Jupiter Jumpers." He paused, "Gosh, your hair smells good." Aili laughed. "See you later, lieblings," she grinned up at him, then walked down a hallway for her next class.
Dumbledore leaned back in the chair in his office and began mulling over the latest important news at Hogwarts. He believed it was important for the muggles to discover their past, including what had practically turned into a myth for them. Since Camelot had been founded before the Muggle Secrecy Act, it would have been near impossible to hunt down every single person with a copy of the story, and every single person who'd ever heard the story to put a memory spell on them. For those reasons, the Ministry of Magic had let the story be obscured until it was regarded as little more than a legend, passed down many, many years. The truth of the matter was, an extremely long time ago, Artur Paendragon had founded and raised the city of Camelot. The castle of Camelot had been built first, and the city after and around it, but only the castle had survived the passing of time. That castle was, of course, the one and only Hogwarts. The four founders of Hogwarts had indeed founded the school, but in an already existing building, one already exposed to great amounts of magic. That magic had, of course, been from Merlin and his students. To Muggles, the building stood only barely, seemingly burnt and ravaged by the sands of time. But to the students of Hogwarts, and indeed any of the wizarding blood, Hogwarts stood tall and strong, ready for any and all students. Already, several teachers, most of them, really, had been recruited to put up wards against the Muggles spotting any of the students as they went about their everyday lives. Also, there would be spells cast against them hearing or touching the students, or anything that they couldn't see. Dumbledore supposed it would be up to the Muggles to decide whether to stay or leave, but he had a feeling at least two fiery-haired individuals would have a hand in that decision, if not a whole arm!
Two weeks later, Mary Honeyworth was extremely excited over what her discovery might mean to the human world. To find that Camelot hadn't only been an imaginative story would change the way historians, at least, thought. The caravan of two vans held equipment and supplies, as well as the three other members of the team. They'd spent the day driving and had gotten to know the other person they were riding with rather well. Mary rode with the other historian, Derrick Browning. The two carpenters had ridden together, almost all Mary knew about them was that their names were Jack Curry and Larry Christophson. "It should be coming up pretty soon," Derrick commented from the driver's seat. "I've never driven up this way, but I studied the map pretty closely before we left, and you did say it would be down this road." he trailed off as they rounded a bend, and there it stood. Nothing much to some eyes, but to a historian who believes they've just found the fabled Camelot, it was a ruby in a coal mine. The building was obviously a castle, sitting beside a large lake, which reflected the charred ivy-covered stone walls. Four towers rose up from the corners, seemingly peering out in each direction. The whole building had an eerily comfortable, homey, lived in feel about it. Mary shrugged it off as her nerves getting to her. The vans pulled up a ways away from the castle and stopped on a level spot where they could pitch camp. Mary helped where she was needed, then took a walk down to the lake and sat by the shore, studying the building. They wouldn't go in today, and not at all until they got the carpenter's approval, but soon, she could just feel it in her bones, they would be walking the same halls as Artur Paendragon had walked so many years ago, and that only the rare, occasional person had walked in since. She sighed happily then went back to camp to partake of the evening meal and speak with her comrades.
Hazel looked around at her three friends clustered around her book "Eating of the Uncooked Goose," and smiled mischievously. "This is what we're looking for, guys," she said, pointing to a spell. "There is no way this spell won't work." "What about you two?" Aili asked the twins from where she was squished between George and Hazel, but still managing to be comfortably snuggled up against George more than pressed up against her, Hazel noted amusedly. George and Fred glanced at each other and exchanged grins. "What do you mean!" Fred cried. "You two don't trust us enough to have our parts ready!" He squeezed Hazel's hand and winked. She blushed then glared at Aili as the girl bit back a laugh. "We don't trust you two at all, so you better have all your parts done!" She warned, shaking her head at Fred's shocked and hurt expression. Unable to hold it back, George laughed. "We've got everything ready, and we got everything Aili's gonna need." "Yeah, once Dobby remembered we were friends of Harry's, he was quite compliant with getting a hold of some of the potion ingredients we needed," Fred added, giving Hazel a grin that warmed her insides. "Ok," Hazel said, "As long as Aili can make that potion right, it won't matter too much if you guys are ready or not, I suppose." She couldn't resist getting one last little dig in. Fred caught George's eye over their heads and rolled his eyes, mouthing the word 'girls' to his brother. George mouthed back, 'she's yours, not mine.' Hazel gave them a glare and Aili just shook her head and grinned. "Anyway," Aili said, "my part will be ready, I have all the ingredients, I just need to make it, and I could use an assistant or two or three." Fred and George didn't even glance at each other before answering. "I'm no good at potions, you know it. I tend to make the things explode whenever I'm within five feet," Fred commented ruefully. "I'm much better at spells, so I'll help Hazel prepare her spell if you want to help her with the potion, George." "Sure," George said, and Hazel shook her head at the way they'd manipulated that. Hazel and Aili both knew that Fred and George were both pretty good at potions, and spells, but they had their own reasons for pairing up the way they had. "How about tomorrow right after classes in that room you two discovered?" Aili asked George, and he nodded. "We can practice pretty much anywhere," Hazel said to Fred. "But maybe we should do it in one of the passages that Filch and Mrs. Norris don't know about." Fred agreed, and they split up for the night. George walked Aili over to the portrait hole while Fred walked Hazel up to the girls' dorms. "'Night Hazel," he said softly then kissed her cheek before going up to bed in the guys dorms. Happily, Hazel trailed her fingers where he had kissed her before turning to go to her room.
Aili made her way to her room as well, though she didn't make it there. Along the way, she slipped into an empty classroom and out the window. She, Hazel, and Trin had agreed to meet in the Forbidden Forest that night. All three were illegal animagus who had met just this year and had become fast friends. There probably wasn't a closer group of friends in the entire school, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They kinda had to be, since they were sworn not to tell each other's biggest secrets. As she slipped her way around the building, she caught Trin as she was getting ready to sneak her way across the lawn. "Hey," she whispered, a sound just barely audible to Trin. "Hi, coming?" she asked, setting out across the lawn. Aili followed on her heels. Once inside the cover of the forest without incident, they threw glances at each other and changed. Trin shook her long silver-white mane behind her tall, pearly, spiraled horn and snorted. She'd chosen Silverhorn, her winged unicorn form this time, as she usually did. Aili was, of course, in the only form she had, an ancient mystical Egyptian Sphinx. When finished transforming, she was about the height of Silverhorn. "Incoming," Silverhorn said simply, tossing her horn in the direction just beyond Ladyclaw. Aili looked behind her and saw Hazel as a goose sized flaming phoenix, fly in for a landing on her back. "Gee Featherflare, haven't seen you in a while," Ladyclaw said sarcastically, joking with her friend. Featherflare stuck her bird tongue out at the black haired sphinx. Ladyclaw smiled, making her seem evil with her completely black eyes. "Guys, I really need to start getting some more sleep in, so while it totally sucks, I'm gonna leave right after I beg Silverhorn for this one thing," Featherflare said, catching Silverhorn's attention. Ladyclaw already knew what was going on, and helped explain to Silverhorn what exactly it was they were planning. "Sure, no problem," Trin said. "It might have been a little hard for me to get any charms done in time, but I actually already made sphinx, winged unicorn, and phoenix charms, just for the heck of it for us three. I already have something that might work for the other two, I just want to play with them a bit now, just to make them cooler than they might have been in the first place." "Thanks so much, Silverhorn," Featherflare said graciously. "I've got to get some more sleep as I said, so I'm gonna head back now." "I'll go with you," her roommate, Silverhorn, said. Ladyclaw walked back with them, then took a different route to her room. Up on the roof, across it quietly, and then change back to Aili to edge her way along the wall to her room.
Mary Honeyworth woke up early to the sound of birds in the forest just outside her tent. Getting up and dressed quickly, she prepared breakfast over the fire she stoked. The group had decided not to try and stay in any nearby towns, since it would have meant a two to three hour drive both ways everyday. Instead, they'd brought camping supplies and tents with them. Waking to the aroma, or perhaps just drawn out by the scent, the carpenters, Larry and Jack, emerged from their tent, conversing quietly over what one could see structure-wise from the outside of the building, and also over the foundation. Derrick made his appearance hiding a yawn behind his hand. After breakfast, the carpenters went up to the building to check out the entrance hall and various other entrances to see which ones, if any, were safe. Mary sat down with one of her books and began to lose herself in it when Derrick spoke to her. "You know, when the Board called me and told me I was going to go with you to "explore Camelot," I wasn't sure what to think, especially since that was all they told me. I didn't get the chance to ask any questions or anything, so if you wouldn't mind, now's as good a time as any." Mary smiled and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Sure, I'll get my maps out." A few minutes later, the carpenters returned to find one very pleased historian, and another very enraptured historian. The carpenters, however, weren't very pleased. "I just don't get it! They may not be brand new, but they're still in good condition, so why won't they work!?" Larry ranted, digging through his toolbox and pulling something out. He fiddled with it for a moment, then frustratedly swore at it. "Oh, now just look at this, it's decided to work again!" Jack, much calmer than Larry, offered an explanation. "It could just be that the building itself is in a pocket where electrical things just won't work. In that case, why don't we just revert to older methods for the time being," he suggested, leading the red-faced Larry back in the direction of the castle. Mary and Derrick, though a bit confused at his ramblings, shrugged it off quickly and returned to peering over the books. About an hour later, Larry and Jack returned, bearing good news. "The whole building looks as though it's ready to collapse, but at least the part we've seen is solid enough to walk on," John reported to the pleasure of the two historians. Getting up and packing their materials away, Mary and Derrick hurried and joined them in the main doorway. "If you want, you can go a little ways in, but don't walk too far, or go into any of the side rooms. We think they're safe, but it's best not to push it until we're for sure." Larry cautioned. Mary and Derrick, though a little disappointed, found the hallway not extremely special, which was a disappointment of itself. A little deflated, Mary and Derrick retreated to the camp to talk over the maps and books of Mary's research instead of staying with Larry and Jack to wait for them to maybe finish a room by the end of the day. That night, the carpenters happily reported that in the morning, they could explore the great hall, and a few other rooms off to the sides, rooms that were surprisingly stable.
"Pass me the fur of Marshrabbit, will you?" Aili asked George as though it was the most common thing in the world, and he passed it over without an eye blink. Aili sprinkled the fur in the bubbling gray-green concoction and watched it turn a vivid blue. "Just a touch more crushed Winterhart hoof," she murmured, before realizing George had come to the same conclusion and, being nearer the ingredient, threw a pinch in. Stirring, it turned a startlingly electric blue, and Aili smiled, looking up at the fiery haired twin she'd fallen for. "What's the last ingredient, Aili?" he asked, not seeing her smile since he didn't look up from the potion. She looked at the old, dusty book and grinned. "One I'm sure you'll like," she smiled coyly as he looked up questioningly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sprig covered in green leaves. For a moment George looked at it curiously, then he realized what it was. "Ah-ha!" he cried, snatching it out of her hand from where she'd been about to drop it in. "It's my mistletoe now, and just guess what that means!" he exclaimed tyrannically, and Aili shook her head in pretend fright. "Oh no! Why ever would you do such a thing to me!?" she pretended to swoon, letting her knees buckle. Within an instant, George was at her side, his arm supporting her, waving the mistletoe above their heads. He pulled her up to meet his lips and didn't let go for several seconds. "Whoa," Aili breathed, "Why didn't you tell me that's what you were gonna do? I figured you were gonna beat me with the stick or something." George laughed. Aili gave him a look then stopped his laughter rather effectively with another kiss. The rather loud sound of Fred clearing his throat and Hazel suddenly bursting into laughter in the doorway startled George into dropping Aili. She yelped, but just before she hit the hard stone floor, Hazel waved her wand and created a pillow of air under her. "Well, we came to see if you two were finished with the potion," Hazel said once she stopped laughing. "I sure hope we didn't interrupt a vital part of it," she burst into laughter, and banished the air pillow, causing Aili to hit the floor with a thud. "Yeah, we both know how important the right motions and actions are to proper potion mixing, right Hazel?" Fred said seriously until he saw Hazel. They both bust up laughing. "Oh shut up you two," Aili growled crossly, picking herself up from the floor and accepting the proffered culpable sprig of mistletoe from George. "I seriously doubt either of you two can talk. I can tell just from looking at my brother's face you two didn't just practice the spells!" George accused as Aili plunked the sprig in the potion. She stirred it as Hazel and Fred's faces turned as red as George's and Aili's had been. All teasing ceased, however, as the potion began whirling around and around in the cauldron by itself. The four of them gathered around the pot and watched it as from the center, a deep black overtook the electric blue, and swirled around and around until the black was all there was. A second later, a deep, rich purple spot appeared in the center. They watched as tendrils of purple came off of the spot and overtook the black in the cauldron. When it was completely that royal purple color, it stopped whirling and settled down quietly. Aili shut the potions book with a thud, and peered at the purple liquid. "That's it," she stated simply. "Hand me the bottles, please," she said, dipping a ladle in. Several minutes later, they'd filled an assortment of bottles with the liquid, and, glancing at each other, the twins left together, carrying all the bottles with them, hoping not to draw attention to themselves.
Hazel had thought she'd never stop laughing at George and Aili, until Aili grumpily finished the potion that would make an animate object solid to the muggles. The potion turned odd colors and spun itself furiously before Aili had pronounced it done. Hazel's impression of it as she helped Aili ladle it into the eight bottles they'd rounded up wasn't very good. Two bottles for each person, but Hazel didn't think she wanted too much of hers. Hazel stayed with Aili to clean up while the twins went off with the bottles so as not to attract too much unwanted attention with the four of them holed up in a room all by themselves. Hazel helped Aili clean out the messy cauldron and pack up the extra ingredients in the bottom of it as they talked. "How come you and Fred always manage to walk in right in the middle of things with me and George and it's never the other way around? Do you guys even talk when we're not around?!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. Hazel laughed. "Maybe it's cause you never play the game of hard-to-get," she grinned, poking her wand at Aili. The girl opened her mouth to reply when footsteps sounded outside the door alongside a loud meowing sound. Hazel, with her lightning-quick reflexes, pointed her wand at the cauldron and remaining ingredients and whispered, "Reducio!" The cauldron shrunk to a size she could hide in her robes while Aili whipped her wand out and pointed it at her bag. "Accio homework," she said quickly as the sound of a cat scratching the door could be clearly heard. Hazel threw her a grateful look as Aili threw over a roll of parchment. Both now sitting, the door flung open without warning to show Filch in the doorway with his beloved tattletale cat, Mrs. Norris. Hazel found her heart was beating a hole through her chest and forced herself to calm down. Mrs. Norris sniffed the air disdainfully before trotting in and staring accusingly at Hazel. "What is going on in here!" Filch accused harshly, and Hazel looked to Aili a faintly puzzled look in her green eyes. "We've been studying for our classes, sir." Hazel explained, respect clouding her voice. Her ability to act came in extremely handy at times. "Is there a problem? Is there someone you're looking for?" Filch, glancing from her to Aili suspiciously and ignoring the question, let them off with only a warning. "It's time for you to be back in your houses. If I ever have problems with you two again, I'll turn you in to the heads of your houses!" Without another word, he wheeled on his heel and stalked out of the room, Mrs. Norris following close behind, snubbing the two girls with a flick of her tail. The door swung shut, and Aili looked to Hazel as though she might kiss her. "Remind me to take you along with me whenever I'm in trouble. You know, it's scary when you're friends with a girl who can act!" Hazel grinned but didn't answer as they finished picking up and went to their houses for the night.
Morning found the historians and carpenters together in the Great Hall, blowing dust and cobwebs off the great heavy benches and tables that stood in great lines in the vastness of the hall. Mary ran a hand over one of the tables' smooth but dirty surface and looked up at Derrick, practically glowing with happiness. "Just think of it! No one's eaten at these tables in at least the past 700 years! No one's walked these halls in at least that much!" she exclaimed excitedly, swinging her arms around in a wide circle, completely unaware of the hundreds of Hogwarts students sitting and eating breakfast, and especially the four students standing nearby, waiting for them to move so they could sit down. Impatiently, Hazel tugged at the small Egyptian-looking charm on a bracelet around her wrist. Aili looked at her and she grinned as the girl fingered the similar one on her wrist. Hazel's was in the form of a Phoenix rising from its ashes gloriously, while Aili's was of a Sphinx. Rather fitting, considering those were their animagi forms. The twins also had charms, but they wore them around their necks. With one quick muttered activation spell on both Aili and Hazel's parts, they exchanged another glance and slipped past the group. With the charms Trin had made so well, and that Hazel had bewitched, the muggles could hear t he two of them and any noise they made. "Oh excuse us," Aili said, grinning at the shocked look on their faces. "Oh yes," Hazel added, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "We're rather hungry and you're blocking our seats." Mary jumped back and Aili and Hazel softly deactivated the spell before t hey bust out laughing with the twins as though they'd just told an extremely funny joke. Trying not to appear too guilty, the four of them sat down next to Trin and Lee who had saved them places. All six watched the group of four as they flipped out. "Did you hear that!" "What was it!" "This place is haunted!" they spoke in a jumble before edging their way out the door and out of the castle completely, every step seemingly faster than the last. The six laughed. "Do I want to know?" Trin asked, looking suspiciously at the twins and Aili and Hazel. "Oh you definitely want to know," Aili said with a grin. "Let's just say we've found an extremely good use for a certain spell and the charms you made for us," Hazel added, shaking her wrist. Aili fingered hers and the twins patted their chests where the leather cords ended each in a different amulet. Trin had fashioned them so ingeniously that Fred's, a blazing sun with a lightning bolt etched in it's surface, fit together with Hazel's to show the phoenix rising from it's ashes into the blazing sun. George's was an open book that fit just above and behind the Sphinx. The book had a few words etched on the open pages in the ancient Egyptian language: "The Sphinx's love." Hazel had told Trin to put it on there without Aili knowing, and while she'd acted like she was ticked off, she was secretly pleased, and she thought Hazel knew it. Trin smiled, happy her work was so well liked. Lee, not having seen much of her art before, asked to see someone's charm. Hazel volunteered hers, and Fred brought his out as well to show how they matched up. "Wow," Lee said in awe. "These are really good Trin!" You really have a talent with these things!" Trin blushed profusely at the praise, and the twins exchanged their typical up-to-no-good grins. "Maybe Trin could show you sometime how she makes them," Aili suggested, and Lee quickly jumped on that before Trin could shoot Aili an evil look. "I'd love to! That is, if you don't mind, Trin," Lee said, making the girl blush a bit m ore. Grinning broadly as Trin shrugged, the four troublemakers turned to a subject that was a bit safer for all six of them.
Half an hour later, Larry, the generally annoying pessimist, had calmed everyone down, and convinced them that they hadn't heard anything but the creaking of wood, which, "is very common in such old buildings, and at times can be mistaken for the sounds of a voice." Once they accepted it, they all felt foolish and stupid over what they'd done, and Larry wore a smug look on his face, especially when the two historians elected not to go exploring any more that day, and instead peruse books, "in an effort to find references to locations in the castle." Larry and Jack, on the other hand, went back to the structure, just wanting to get the job done.
Liabri, along with all the other students in the school, had stared curiously at the muggle visitors, though she was most definitely the only one to use her rapidly twitching nose with its great sense of smell to observe them as well. She ran a hand through her short golden hair, glancing to Vera, and when she looked out, the muggle group looked edgy and frightened, standing over the place where Aili and her group were sitting, sniggering over something. No doubt they were the reason for the group who were now moving, quickly, out the door, glancing over their shoulders the whole time. With the disappearance of the Muggles, everyone settled down to their breakfasts, talking to their friends about the normal morning things that happened in Hogwarts. Liabri found herself drifting off, staring at nothing in particular with a peculiar smile on her lips. She was out in the forest, walking in the trees, looking for someone. Her hooves stepped lightly, and she didn't make a sound, but he still found her first. Kentaru came out from behind a tree like a golden dream, strong, tall, with a small, but undamaged rack of antlers. She froze, taking in the sight of him as she would a breath. He changed in front of her, and she followed suit. Instead of greeting her, instead of waiting for her to make the first move as was customary, he reached out and. "Lia-bri. Lia-bri," she heard a voice calling to her, and saw a hand quickly pass over her line of sight. "Liabri! Wake up!" Vera said sharply, waking her from her daydream. Liabri sighed wistfully and turned to her breakfast of leafy greens. "What were you spacing about?" Vera asked, handing Shimmer, her golden fire-lizard, a piece of meat. Shimmer's eyes whirled happily, and she nuzzled Vera's neck. "It's that guy I told you about the other night. I saw him again." She was undecided about telling Vera about what exactly it was that she was; a Golden Hind. The only other person who knew in the school besides Dumbledore was Aili. Kentaru was another Hind, a stag she'd met while out on the Hind's way of meeting people, called the Hunting. "And you're stuck on him like a fly to muggle flypaper, right?" Vera asked sympathetically. Liabri just nodded mutely and let her head drop on her golden arms. Vera patted her shoulder. "It'll be ok, really. Either put him out of mind permanently, or go for him. There's no reason you shouldn't, really." Liabri's head came up for a moment. "Just what would he see in a misfit like me?" She meant this two ways. She was a slight misfit among humans because of her odd skin and hard, two toed feet, and she was a misfit among Hinds because she went to school with humans. "You're not a misfit. You're different, and guys like different. Go for him," Vera urged, and Shimmer chirped in agreement. Liabri looked up at her friend and locked eyes with her. 'I'll tell her,' she decided out of the blue. "Would you like to meet him?" she asked, and Vera nodded eagerly. "I'll take you to where he may be tonight. If he's not there, I'll try until he is," she said determinedly. She hoped that Kentaru would show up.
Larry and Jack entered the building and avoided the great hall. Larry may have convinced them it wasn't anything, but he wasn't convinced, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone.
The well-used map lay on the table, underneath several old, musty books, and a mass of curly mouse-brown hair. A pen angled from a loosely clenched fist over a notebook filled with notes and hastily scrawled drawings. A gray cat stood on a windowsill above the woman, and as she continued to sleep, jumped down on her. "Wha!." she grumbled, sleep thick in her voice. She straightened up and rubbed her neck from where she'd fallen asleep over her research the night before. "Great," she muttered, shoving the cat off the table and pushing her square-rimmed glasses up her nose. Glancing at the time, she quickly got up and ready. She had a meeting with the Board of Historical Sites in England to talk over the old Pendrag estate, an old tumbledown castle, thought to be simply another of England's many castles, the ruins blending into the countryside. She snatched up a few rolled maps and several books, carefully carrying them out to her car and putting them in the seat beside her. She looked up and spotted her gray cat, Mouse, sitting in the window of her apartment as she pulled out of the lot. "Wish me luck," she whispered to him as she pulled away. "I will need it." The cat she didn't notice, a gray-striped tabby with odd markings around her eyes, sat across the street, watching her as she drove off. Once she was out of sight, the tabby blinked once and was gone.
Dumbledore sat in his office listening to McGonagall's report attentively. ".so Professor, as you can see we need to do something about this newest problem with muggles," she finished, sitting so stiffly on the edge of her chair, it looked as though someone had turned her spine into an iron rod. Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore steepled his fingers and studied Professor Minerva McGonagall over his fingertips before reaching for a bowl on his desk. Holding it out, he broke his silence. "Lemon drop, Minerva? No? Alright, but you don't know what you're missing. Muggles really do know how to make candy." He leaned back and sucked on a lemon drop as Minerva indignantly sniffed and straightened her glasses. "I don't think you understand the severity of this matter, Professor," she stated in her prim and proper manner. "If the muggles begin poking around here, the whole wizarding world will be in danger of being discovered!" Professor Dumbledore smiled in his knowing way and folded his hands. "You really can call me Albus, Minerva. As to this extremely urgent problem of yours, I believe that if the muggles come to Hogwarts, believing correctly that they've discovered the legendary castle of Arthur Paendragon, king of Camelot, the problem will sort itself out. So why should we waste the time of many workers in the Ministry of Magic on a problem that will sort itself out?" Minerva sat up stiffly, quite a feat since she already looked as though she was tied to a board, and continued. "How can you be so sure, Pro-Albus?" His name came out stiffly and Dumbledore fought back a smile. "You don't have any gift of divination that I know of, and this is far too serious of a matter to go simply on a hunch of yours." Dumbledore did smile, now. "Well, Minerva, I may not have the gift of a third eye, but we have a teacher here in Hogwarts who does. Shall I call her in? Or maybe you'd rather speak to her on your own free time." Minerva's eyes widened and Dumbledore thought he saw the hair on the back of her neck bristle up. "I just may do that, Professor. But right now I have a class I must prepare for, so if you'll excuse me." Dumbledore nodded, and she made her hasty exit. Once Dumbledore was sure she was out of hearing range, he sat chuckling. There was no love lost between the Transfiguration and Divination teachers at Hogwarts.
The curly mouse-brown haired woman concluded her speech but continued standing, self-assured and poised. Questions came, as she was sure they would. "How did you come across this map, Ms. Honeyworth?" was the first. "I visited another castle a few months ago and was given permission to look through the books. When I pulled one out, I spotted something shoved against the back of the shelf, and got it out. It was a map of very old England. They allowed me to keep it for a time, and by the time they wanted it back, I'd made an identical copy." An older woman folded her hands on the table. "You did check to make sure of it's authenticity, didn't you, Ms. Honeyworth?" That was just a hairsbreadth away from being an insult, but Ms. Honeyworth batted it away mentally and answered. "Yes, I did. The paper dated all the way back to the 1200's, and the date on the map wasn't much later than that." "All the other information you've given us was concise and didn't seem to have flaws in it, Ms. Honeyworth," spoke up the gray-haired man from the head of the table. "But asking us to believe that the castle of Camelot was real, and still stands, at least partially, today, is asking quite a bit." He took a breath and expelled it slowly. "However, you do have evidence, and it does seem to all be in order. Will you leave us overnight with your portfolio and the original map for our decision upon funding?" Happy and relieved, she tried not to show it as she sat two old leather books on the table beside a firm plastic tube, which held the original map. Pulling her portfolio out of her bag, she sat it on the table and exited. The next day, Mary Honeyworth was called back before the Board. The news for her was good. They would supply funding and help her pick out a team of carpenters, as well as assign a few other historians to explore and evaluate the castle. They should be ready in two weeks.
Aili fidgeted in the seat of her last class before lunch. She wanted to be at lunch, not only because she was hungry, but because her closest friends and her had something planned. Hazel, Fred, George, and her had been plotting and planning on this for a very, very long time, as no doubt everyone in the school had been at one time or another. But they were actually going to go through with it. Finally, after what seemed like another couple of centuries, class was let out and the students proceeded to lunch. "What's been up with you lately?" came a voice from behind her simultaneously with a hand on her shoulder. Aili glanced over her shoulder to see Liabri's large, golden-brown eyes. "You just haven't been coming home 'til really late if you come before I fall asleep, and kinda edgy otherwise. And in Potions yesterday, your concentration really slipped if you forgot that briarroot extract mixed with.oh, whatever else it was, would explode!" the girl exclaimed, fingering a lock of Aili's singed hair. "That's just not like you!" By this time, Liabri had pulled her into a restroom and was concernedly looking at her. "I'm ok, Liabri, I really am, I've had a lot on my mind." Aili carefully sidestepped the question about her coming in late at night. She had a reason for that as well, but she wasn't going to tell Liabri about it. She felt bad keeping something so important from the girl who'd told her the biggest secret in her life, but Aili's secret was just too big. You just didn't go around telling people you were an illegal animagi who went out almost every night to talk and run with at least one other illegal animagi from the same school. After a few more minutes of convincing Liabri she was alright, they went to lunch. Liabri immediately went and joined Veracity at the Hufflepuff table, while Aili slipped over to the Gryffindor table. She really wasn't supposed to, since she was a Hufflepuff, but most of her friends were Gryffindors, and she was a sworn Gryffinpuff. Hazel pointed to the spot directly across from her, and George leapt up to pull the chair out for her with a chivalrous bow. "My lady." She smiled at George and sat down. Fred rolled his eyes at his brother and got a characteristically bright, up-to-no-good smile in return. Aili, Hazel, and Trin laughed as Fred rolled his eyes again. Food appeared on the table, and they began eating. When everyone was finished, Dumbledore stood up. The room erupted in a buzz of quiet surprise. "Faculty and students, I just have a single announcement to make, then I'll let you all get back to your classes, which I'm sure Miss Granger would like more than anyone here." Eyes turned to Hermione, and she looked as though she might try disappearing in her seat. "However," Dumbledore continued. "This is on a serious matter. In a few weeks, a group of muggles will be arriving at Hogwarts. Or rather, an old ruined, collapsing castle. We will ward the castle so you can walk, speak, even shout in the hallways without them hearing, and so you can wave your hands in front of their faces and they won't see. Though I wouldn't recommend it," he warned, aiming it in the Weasley twins' direction. They looked up from where they'd had their heads together with Aili and Hazel, grinned at him and waved, giving him the thumbs-up sign. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head before thanking the assembled students and sitting down. Everyone filed out of the Great Hall talking excitedly. Aili and Hazel, though, looked at each other and exchanged identical mischievous grins. As they parted to go to their next classes, the twins came up to them. "We'll talk to you two after classes, say, in the common room?" Fred said, looking at Hazel. "The normal spot. Oh, and Aili, one more thing." George stopped as he turned to go. "The password changed." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "It's now Jupiter Jumpers." He paused, "Gosh, your hair smells good." Aili laughed. "See you later, lieblings," she grinned up at him, then walked down a hallway for her next class.
Dumbledore leaned back in the chair in his office and began mulling over the latest important news at Hogwarts. He believed it was important for the muggles to discover their past, including what had practically turned into a myth for them. Since Camelot had been founded before the Muggle Secrecy Act, it would have been near impossible to hunt down every single person with a copy of the story, and every single person who'd ever heard the story to put a memory spell on them. For those reasons, the Ministry of Magic had let the story be obscured until it was regarded as little more than a legend, passed down many, many years. The truth of the matter was, an extremely long time ago, Artur Paendragon had founded and raised the city of Camelot. The castle of Camelot had been built first, and the city after and around it, but only the castle had survived the passing of time. That castle was, of course, the one and only Hogwarts. The four founders of Hogwarts had indeed founded the school, but in an already existing building, one already exposed to great amounts of magic. That magic had, of course, been from Merlin and his students. To Muggles, the building stood only barely, seemingly burnt and ravaged by the sands of time. But to the students of Hogwarts, and indeed any of the wizarding blood, Hogwarts stood tall and strong, ready for any and all students. Already, several teachers, most of them, really, had been recruited to put up wards against the Muggles spotting any of the students as they went about their everyday lives. Also, there would be spells cast against them hearing or touching the students, or anything that they couldn't see. Dumbledore supposed it would be up to the Muggles to decide whether to stay or leave, but he had a feeling at least two fiery-haired individuals would have a hand in that decision, if not a whole arm!
Two weeks later, Mary Honeyworth was extremely excited over what her discovery might mean to the human world. To find that Camelot hadn't only been an imaginative story would change the way historians, at least, thought. The caravan of two vans held equipment and supplies, as well as the three other members of the team. They'd spent the day driving and had gotten to know the other person they were riding with rather well. Mary rode with the other historian, Derrick Browning. The two carpenters had ridden together, almost all Mary knew about them was that their names were Jack Curry and Larry Christophson. "It should be coming up pretty soon," Derrick commented from the driver's seat. "I've never driven up this way, but I studied the map pretty closely before we left, and you did say it would be down this road." he trailed off as they rounded a bend, and there it stood. Nothing much to some eyes, but to a historian who believes they've just found the fabled Camelot, it was a ruby in a coal mine. The building was obviously a castle, sitting beside a large lake, which reflected the charred ivy-covered stone walls. Four towers rose up from the corners, seemingly peering out in each direction. The whole building had an eerily comfortable, homey, lived in feel about it. Mary shrugged it off as her nerves getting to her. The vans pulled up a ways away from the castle and stopped on a level spot where they could pitch camp. Mary helped where she was needed, then took a walk down to the lake and sat by the shore, studying the building. They wouldn't go in today, and not at all until they got the carpenter's approval, but soon, she could just feel it in her bones, they would be walking the same halls as Artur Paendragon had walked so many years ago, and that only the rare, occasional person had walked in since. She sighed happily then went back to camp to partake of the evening meal and speak with her comrades.
Hazel looked around at her three friends clustered around her book "Eating of the Uncooked Goose," and smiled mischievously. "This is what we're looking for, guys," she said, pointing to a spell. "There is no way this spell won't work." "What about you two?" Aili asked the twins from where she was squished between George and Hazel, but still managing to be comfortably snuggled up against George more than pressed up against her, Hazel noted amusedly. George and Fred glanced at each other and exchanged grins. "What do you mean!" Fred cried. "You two don't trust us enough to have our parts ready!" He squeezed Hazel's hand and winked. She blushed then glared at Aili as the girl bit back a laugh. "We don't trust you two at all, so you better have all your parts done!" She warned, shaking her head at Fred's shocked and hurt expression. Unable to hold it back, George laughed. "We've got everything ready, and we got everything Aili's gonna need." "Yeah, once Dobby remembered we were friends of Harry's, he was quite compliant with getting a hold of some of the potion ingredients we needed," Fred added, giving Hazel a grin that warmed her insides. "Ok," Hazel said, "As long as Aili can make that potion right, it won't matter too much if you guys are ready or not, I suppose." She couldn't resist getting one last little dig in. Fred caught George's eye over their heads and rolled his eyes, mouthing the word 'girls' to his brother. George mouthed back, 'she's yours, not mine.' Hazel gave them a glare and Aili just shook her head and grinned. "Anyway," Aili said, "my part will be ready, I have all the ingredients, I just need to make it, and I could use an assistant or two or three." Fred and George didn't even glance at each other before answering. "I'm no good at potions, you know it. I tend to make the things explode whenever I'm within five feet," Fred commented ruefully. "I'm much better at spells, so I'll help Hazel prepare her spell if you want to help her with the potion, George." "Sure," George said, and Hazel shook her head at the way they'd manipulated that. Hazel and Aili both knew that Fred and George were both pretty good at potions, and spells, but they had their own reasons for pairing up the way they had. "How about tomorrow right after classes in that room you two discovered?" Aili asked George, and he nodded. "We can practice pretty much anywhere," Hazel said to Fred. "But maybe we should do it in one of the passages that Filch and Mrs. Norris don't know about." Fred agreed, and they split up for the night. George walked Aili over to the portrait hole while Fred walked Hazel up to the girls' dorms. "'Night Hazel," he said softly then kissed her cheek before going up to bed in the guys dorms. Happily, Hazel trailed her fingers where he had kissed her before turning to go to her room.
Aili made her way to her room as well, though she didn't make it there. Along the way, she slipped into an empty classroom and out the window. She, Hazel, and Trin had agreed to meet in the Forbidden Forest that night. All three were illegal animagus who had met just this year and had become fast friends. There probably wasn't a closer group of friends in the entire school, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They kinda had to be, since they were sworn not to tell each other's biggest secrets. As she slipped her way around the building, she caught Trin as she was getting ready to sneak her way across the lawn. "Hey," she whispered, a sound just barely audible to Trin. "Hi, coming?" she asked, setting out across the lawn. Aili followed on her heels. Once inside the cover of the forest without incident, they threw glances at each other and changed. Trin shook her long silver-white mane behind her tall, pearly, spiraled horn and snorted. She'd chosen Silverhorn, her winged unicorn form this time, as she usually did. Aili was, of course, in the only form she had, an ancient mystical Egyptian Sphinx. When finished transforming, she was about the height of Silverhorn. "Incoming," Silverhorn said simply, tossing her horn in the direction just beyond Ladyclaw. Aili looked behind her and saw Hazel as a goose sized flaming phoenix, fly in for a landing on her back. "Gee Featherflare, haven't seen you in a while," Ladyclaw said sarcastically, joking with her friend. Featherflare stuck her bird tongue out at the black haired sphinx. Ladyclaw smiled, making her seem evil with her completely black eyes. "Guys, I really need to start getting some more sleep in, so while it totally sucks, I'm gonna leave right after I beg Silverhorn for this one thing," Featherflare said, catching Silverhorn's attention. Ladyclaw already knew what was going on, and helped explain to Silverhorn what exactly it was they were planning. "Sure, no problem," Trin said. "It might have been a little hard for me to get any charms done in time, but I actually already made sphinx, winged unicorn, and phoenix charms, just for the heck of it for us three. I already have something that might work for the other two, I just want to play with them a bit now, just to make them cooler than they might have been in the first place." "Thanks so much, Silverhorn," Featherflare said graciously. "I've got to get some more sleep as I said, so I'm gonna head back now." "I'll go with you," her roommate, Silverhorn, said. Ladyclaw walked back with them, then took a different route to her room. Up on the roof, across it quietly, and then change back to Aili to edge her way along the wall to her room.
Mary Honeyworth woke up early to the sound of birds in the forest just outside her tent. Getting up and dressed quickly, she prepared breakfast over the fire she stoked. The group had decided not to try and stay in any nearby towns, since it would have meant a two to three hour drive both ways everyday. Instead, they'd brought camping supplies and tents with them. Waking to the aroma, or perhaps just drawn out by the scent, the carpenters, Larry and Jack, emerged from their tent, conversing quietly over what one could see structure-wise from the outside of the building, and also over the foundation. Derrick made his appearance hiding a yawn behind his hand. After breakfast, the carpenters went up to the building to check out the entrance hall and various other entrances to see which ones, if any, were safe. Mary sat down with one of her books and began to lose herself in it when Derrick spoke to her. "You know, when the Board called me and told me I was going to go with you to "explore Camelot," I wasn't sure what to think, especially since that was all they told me. I didn't get the chance to ask any questions or anything, so if you wouldn't mind, now's as good a time as any." Mary smiled and pushed her glasses up her nose. "Sure, I'll get my maps out." A few minutes later, the carpenters returned to find one very pleased historian, and another very enraptured historian. The carpenters, however, weren't very pleased. "I just don't get it! They may not be brand new, but they're still in good condition, so why won't they work!?" Larry ranted, digging through his toolbox and pulling something out. He fiddled with it for a moment, then frustratedly swore at it. "Oh, now just look at this, it's decided to work again!" Jack, much calmer than Larry, offered an explanation. "It could just be that the building itself is in a pocket where electrical things just won't work. In that case, why don't we just revert to older methods for the time being," he suggested, leading the red-faced Larry back in the direction of the castle. Mary and Derrick, though a bit confused at his ramblings, shrugged it off quickly and returned to peering over the books. About an hour later, Larry and Jack returned, bearing good news. "The whole building looks as though it's ready to collapse, but at least the part we've seen is solid enough to walk on," John reported to the pleasure of the two historians. Getting up and packing their materials away, Mary and Derrick hurried and joined them in the main doorway. "If you want, you can go a little ways in, but don't walk too far, or go into any of the side rooms. We think they're safe, but it's best not to push it until we're for sure." Larry cautioned. Mary and Derrick, though a little disappointed, found the hallway not extremely special, which was a disappointment of itself. A little deflated, Mary and Derrick retreated to the camp to talk over the maps and books of Mary's research instead of staying with Larry and Jack to wait for them to maybe finish a room by the end of the day. That night, the carpenters happily reported that in the morning, they could explore the great hall, and a few other rooms off to the sides, rooms that were surprisingly stable.
"Pass me the fur of Marshrabbit, will you?" Aili asked George as though it was the most common thing in the world, and he passed it over without an eye blink. Aili sprinkled the fur in the bubbling gray-green concoction and watched it turn a vivid blue. "Just a touch more crushed Winterhart hoof," she murmured, before realizing George had come to the same conclusion and, being nearer the ingredient, threw a pinch in. Stirring, it turned a startlingly electric blue, and Aili smiled, looking up at the fiery haired twin she'd fallen for. "What's the last ingredient, Aili?" he asked, not seeing her smile since he didn't look up from the potion. She looked at the old, dusty book and grinned. "One I'm sure you'll like," she smiled coyly as he looked up questioningly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a sprig covered in green leaves. For a moment George looked at it curiously, then he realized what it was. "Ah-ha!" he cried, snatching it out of her hand from where she'd been about to drop it in. "It's my mistletoe now, and just guess what that means!" he exclaimed tyrannically, and Aili shook her head in pretend fright. "Oh no! Why ever would you do such a thing to me!?" she pretended to swoon, letting her knees buckle. Within an instant, George was at her side, his arm supporting her, waving the mistletoe above their heads. He pulled her up to meet his lips and didn't let go for several seconds. "Whoa," Aili breathed, "Why didn't you tell me that's what you were gonna do? I figured you were gonna beat me with the stick or something." George laughed. Aili gave him a look then stopped his laughter rather effectively with another kiss. The rather loud sound of Fred clearing his throat and Hazel suddenly bursting into laughter in the doorway startled George into dropping Aili. She yelped, but just before she hit the hard stone floor, Hazel waved her wand and created a pillow of air under her. "Well, we came to see if you two were finished with the potion," Hazel said once she stopped laughing. "I sure hope we didn't interrupt a vital part of it," she burst into laughter, and banished the air pillow, causing Aili to hit the floor with a thud. "Yeah, we both know how important the right motions and actions are to proper potion mixing, right Hazel?" Fred said seriously until he saw Hazel. They both bust up laughing. "Oh shut up you two," Aili growled crossly, picking herself up from the floor and accepting the proffered culpable sprig of mistletoe from George. "I seriously doubt either of you two can talk. I can tell just from looking at my brother's face you two didn't just practice the spells!" George accused as Aili plunked the sprig in the potion. She stirred it as Hazel and Fred's faces turned as red as George's and Aili's had been. All teasing ceased, however, as the potion began whirling around and around in the cauldron by itself. The four of them gathered around the pot and watched it as from the center, a deep black overtook the electric blue, and swirled around and around until the black was all there was. A second later, a deep, rich purple spot appeared in the center. They watched as tendrils of purple came off of the spot and overtook the black in the cauldron. When it was completely that royal purple color, it stopped whirling and settled down quietly. Aili shut the potions book with a thud, and peered at the purple liquid. "That's it," she stated simply. "Hand me the bottles, please," she said, dipping a ladle in. Several minutes later, they'd filled an assortment of bottles with the liquid, and, glancing at each other, the twins left together, carrying all the bottles with them, hoping not to draw attention to themselves.
Hazel had thought she'd never stop laughing at George and Aili, until Aili grumpily finished the potion that would make an animate object solid to the muggles. The potion turned odd colors and spun itself furiously before Aili had pronounced it done. Hazel's impression of it as she helped Aili ladle it into the eight bottles they'd rounded up wasn't very good. Two bottles for each person, but Hazel didn't think she wanted too much of hers. Hazel stayed with Aili to clean up while the twins went off with the bottles so as not to attract too much unwanted attention with the four of them holed up in a room all by themselves. Hazel helped Aili clean out the messy cauldron and pack up the extra ingredients in the bottom of it as they talked. "How come you and Fred always manage to walk in right in the middle of things with me and George and it's never the other way around? Do you guys even talk when we're not around?!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. Hazel laughed. "Maybe it's cause you never play the game of hard-to-get," she grinned, poking her wand at Aili. The girl opened her mouth to reply when footsteps sounded outside the door alongside a loud meowing sound. Hazel, with her lightning-quick reflexes, pointed her wand at the cauldron and remaining ingredients and whispered, "Reducio!" The cauldron shrunk to a size she could hide in her robes while Aili whipped her wand out and pointed it at her bag. "Accio homework," she said quickly as the sound of a cat scratching the door could be clearly heard. Hazel threw her a grateful look as Aili threw over a roll of parchment. Both now sitting, the door flung open without warning to show Filch in the doorway with his beloved tattletale cat, Mrs. Norris. Hazel found her heart was beating a hole through her chest and forced herself to calm down. Mrs. Norris sniffed the air disdainfully before trotting in and staring accusingly at Hazel. "What is going on in here!" Filch accused harshly, and Hazel looked to Aili a faintly puzzled look in her green eyes. "We've been studying for our classes, sir." Hazel explained, respect clouding her voice. Her ability to act came in extremely handy at times. "Is there a problem? Is there someone you're looking for?" Filch, glancing from her to Aili suspiciously and ignoring the question, let them off with only a warning. "It's time for you to be back in your houses. If I ever have problems with you two again, I'll turn you in to the heads of your houses!" Without another word, he wheeled on his heel and stalked out of the room, Mrs. Norris following close behind, snubbing the two girls with a flick of her tail. The door swung shut, and Aili looked to Hazel as though she might kiss her. "Remind me to take you along with me whenever I'm in trouble. You know, it's scary when you're friends with a girl who can act!" Hazel grinned but didn't answer as they finished picking up and went to their houses for the night.
Morning found the historians and carpenters together in the Great Hall, blowing dust and cobwebs off the great heavy benches and tables that stood in great lines in the vastness of the hall. Mary ran a hand over one of the tables' smooth but dirty surface and looked up at Derrick, practically glowing with happiness. "Just think of it! No one's eaten at these tables in at least the past 700 years! No one's walked these halls in at least that much!" she exclaimed excitedly, swinging her arms around in a wide circle, completely unaware of the hundreds of Hogwarts students sitting and eating breakfast, and especially the four students standing nearby, waiting for them to move so they could sit down. Impatiently, Hazel tugged at the small Egyptian-looking charm on a bracelet around her wrist. Aili looked at her and she grinned as the girl fingered the similar one on her wrist. Hazel's was in the form of a Phoenix rising from its ashes gloriously, while Aili's was of a Sphinx. Rather fitting, considering those were their animagi forms. The twins also had charms, but they wore them around their necks. With one quick muttered activation spell on both Aili and Hazel's parts, they exchanged another glance and slipped past the group. With the charms Trin had made so well, and that Hazel had bewitched, the muggles could hear t he two of them and any noise they made. "Oh excuse us," Aili said, grinning at the shocked look on their faces. "Oh yes," Hazel added, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "We're rather hungry and you're blocking our seats." Mary jumped back and Aili and Hazel softly deactivated the spell before t hey bust out laughing with the twins as though they'd just told an extremely funny joke. Trying not to appear too guilty, the four of them sat down next to Trin and Lee who had saved them places. All six watched the group of four as they flipped out. "Did you hear that!" "What was it!" "This place is haunted!" they spoke in a jumble before edging their way out the door and out of the castle completely, every step seemingly faster than the last. The six laughed. "Do I want to know?" Trin asked, looking suspiciously at the twins and Aili and Hazel. "Oh you definitely want to know," Aili said with a grin. "Let's just say we've found an extremely good use for a certain spell and the charms you made for us," Hazel added, shaking her wrist. Aili fingered hers and the twins patted their chests where the leather cords ended each in a different amulet. Trin had fashioned them so ingeniously that Fred's, a blazing sun with a lightning bolt etched in it's surface, fit together with Hazel's to show the phoenix rising from it's ashes into the blazing sun. George's was an open book that fit just above and behind the Sphinx. The book had a few words etched on the open pages in the ancient Egyptian language: "The Sphinx's love." Hazel had told Trin to put it on there without Aili knowing, and while she'd acted like she was ticked off, she was secretly pleased, and she thought Hazel knew it. Trin smiled, happy her work was so well liked. Lee, not having seen much of her art before, asked to see someone's charm. Hazel volunteered hers, and Fred brought his out as well to show how they matched up. "Wow," Lee said in awe. "These are really good Trin!" You really have a talent with these things!" Trin blushed profusely at the praise, and the twins exchanged their typical up-to-no-good grins. "Maybe Trin could show you sometime how she makes them," Aili suggested, and Lee quickly jumped on that before Trin could shoot Aili an evil look. "I'd love to! That is, if you don't mind, Trin," Lee said, making the girl blush a bit m ore. Grinning broadly as Trin shrugged, the four troublemakers turned to a subject that was a bit safer for all six of them.
Half an hour later, Larry, the generally annoying pessimist, had calmed everyone down, and convinced them that they hadn't heard anything but the creaking of wood, which, "is very common in such old buildings, and at times can be mistaken for the sounds of a voice." Once they accepted it, they all felt foolish and stupid over what they'd done, and Larry wore a smug look on his face, especially when the two historians elected not to go exploring any more that day, and instead peruse books, "in an effort to find references to locations in the castle." Larry and Jack, on the other hand, went back to the structure, just wanting to get the job done.
Liabri, along with all the other students in the school, had stared curiously at the muggle visitors, though she was most definitely the only one to use her rapidly twitching nose with its great sense of smell to observe them as well. She ran a hand through her short golden hair, glancing to Vera, and when she looked out, the muggle group looked edgy and frightened, standing over the place where Aili and her group were sitting, sniggering over something. No doubt they were the reason for the group who were now moving, quickly, out the door, glancing over their shoulders the whole time. With the disappearance of the Muggles, everyone settled down to their breakfasts, talking to their friends about the normal morning things that happened in Hogwarts. Liabri found herself drifting off, staring at nothing in particular with a peculiar smile on her lips. She was out in the forest, walking in the trees, looking for someone. Her hooves stepped lightly, and she didn't make a sound, but he still found her first. Kentaru came out from behind a tree like a golden dream, strong, tall, with a small, but undamaged rack of antlers. She froze, taking in the sight of him as she would a breath. He changed in front of her, and she followed suit. Instead of greeting her, instead of waiting for her to make the first move as was customary, he reached out and. "Lia-bri. Lia-bri," she heard a voice calling to her, and saw a hand quickly pass over her line of sight. "Liabri! Wake up!" Vera said sharply, waking her from her daydream. Liabri sighed wistfully and turned to her breakfast of leafy greens. "What were you spacing about?" Vera asked, handing Shimmer, her golden fire-lizard, a piece of meat. Shimmer's eyes whirled happily, and she nuzzled Vera's neck. "It's that guy I told you about the other night. I saw him again." She was undecided about telling Vera about what exactly it was that she was; a Golden Hind. The only other person who knew in the school besides Dumbledore was Aili. Kentaru was another Hind, a stag she'd met while out on the Hind's way of meeting people, called the Hunting. "And you're stuck on him like a fly to muggle flypaper, right?" Vera asked sympathetically. Liabri just nodded mutely and let her head drop on her golden arms. Vera patted her shoulder. "It'll be ok, really. Either put him out of mind permanently, or go for him. There's no reason you shouldn't, really." Liabri's head came up for a moment. "Just what would he see in a misfit like me?" She meant this two ways. She was a slight misfit among humans because of her odd skin and hard, two toed feet, and she was a misfit among Hinds because she went to school with humans. "You're not a misfit. You're different, and guys like different. Go for him," Vera urged, and Shimmer chirped in agreement. Liabri looked up at her friend and locked eyes with her. 'I'll tell her,' she decided out of the blue. "Would you like to meet him?" she asked, and Vera nodded eagerly. "I'll take you to where he may be tonight. If he's not there, I'll try until he is," she said determinedly. She hoped that Kentaru would show up.
Larry and Jack entered the building and avoided the great hall. Larry may have convinced them it wasn't anything, but he wasn't convinced, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone.