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For copyright and disclaimers, please see chapter 1
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9 - Classes, Week Ten, First Year
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Wednesday, November 4, 1998:
Hogwarts, Great Hall, Slytherin table
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"Ready to go, Miss Wayne?" I looked up, and Professor Harry was standing next to me. He reached over and snagged a piece of fruit, then sat when Terry budged over for him.
I took a quick gulp of milk, then asked, "Sure. How are we getting there? Should I get my broom?"
He swallowed the bit of fruit, then said "No, I'll apparate us, although you might want to fetch another jumper or a coat. The wind off the firth can be cold."
I nodded, and then said, "Oh, Sprink! Could you turn in my homework to Professor McGonagall for me?" She nodded, and I dug it out of my bag.
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As we walked toward Hogsmeade, I ventured, "Professor? I had a question, if you don't mind." He nodded, and I asked, "When you taught us the Unforgivables, you mentioned that you'd know if they were used. Does that mean you monitor us all the time?"
He shook his head, "No. The Ministry monitors for those, and for underage magic usage. I mentioned that in class, remember my cousin and the Dementor?"
I asked, "So when are we going to see a Dementor in the DA?"
He looked at me, then said, "Believe me, you DON'T want to see one. They're horrible creatures, horrible. They suck all the happiness, all the joy out of your life." He was quiet, then added, "I've several boggarts, possibly next week we'll use one." He paused, then said, "Hang it all. Can you keep a secret?"
I looked at him, and he grinned, adding, "Sorry. I forgot who your folks are. We're out of sight of the castle. Have you ever apparated before?"
"Once, on a trip to Diagon Alley. I thought you couldn't apparate from Hogwarts?"
"Very few can." He took my hands, and ...
.... we appeared in a parking garage. I looked around, and Professor Harry said, "The lift's over here."
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We waited in the Arrivals section, behind the Customs booth as the gleaming white jet moved toward the terminal, the simple Wayne crest on its tail. It stopped, a crew ran out, and an official walked toward the plane.
"Mattie!" Mom called, and I ran toward them. We had a group hug, and then I disconnected myself. I grinned, and said, "Everyone, this is one of my professors, Harry Potter."
"Good to meet you at last, Mr. Potter," Babs said. She grinned, shook his hand, then said, "I'm Barbara Grayson, but please call me Babs. From what your press makes you out to be, I thought you'd be eight feet tall and covered with hair."
"No, that's my friend Hagrid. Please, call me Harry," he said with a grin. He shook Dick's hand, got a quick hug from Mom, and a sizing-up eye, followed by a firm handshake from Dad.
"Mattie hasn't been misbehaving too much, has she?" Dick asked as we walked toward the luggage carousel. He ruffled my hair as I complained, "Dick!"
"No, she's been very good. Top marks in my classes, too." Harry said.
"That is suspicious," Babs said. "What about those cauldrons the first week of school, young lady?" she asked. "Hmm? Come on now, spill."
"Weeeeelllll, that was a little, tiny insignificant mistake on my part," I hedged.
"Which she hasn't repeated," Harry added with a grin. "To my knowledge."
Babs made a 'come on' gesture as Dick pushed her wheelchair. Mom raised her eyebrow, and I said, "Well, it was the first weekend of school. I had just had my first Occlumency lesson from Professor Dumbledore, and we were talking about it..."
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"Oof. Babs, what did you load in here, lead?" Dick asked.
"A couple changes of clothes, some shoes. Nothing much." She winked at me, and Harry asked, "Is that everything?"
"I think so. We'll need a forklift for all of your shoes, though, Babs."
"Gather round, then," Harry said. We formed a huddle, and Harry took out his wand, and whispered 'Tollenosis'. He grinned, and quietly said, "Featherweight charm. Mattie could carry them all now."
"Hmm. That could be handy," Dick said. "Let's get these loaded on a cart, and go find Bruce with the van."
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"So, how do we get there?" Dad asked from behind the wheel.
"We need to get on the A96 toward Inverness, then the A9, and finally the 662 toward Avoch," Harry said. He traced the route on a map, adding, "We're going around Moray Firth, looking for a town called Evanton. We'll get off the 662 just before it, and then I'll show you how to find Hogsmeade."
"Drive on the wrong side Bruce," Dick called from the middle seat, next to Babs. Harry chuckled from the front left seat, and I grinned at Mom, next to me in the back.
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The rental van moved through the tiny village of Hogsmeade, and pulled up when Harry motioned. "There it is. Hogwarts." Everyone craned over to see. The last time I had seen the whole castle was from the train platform, at night, but it was still a magnificent sight.
We gazed for a few minutes, then Mom ruffled my hair, and Dad put the van in motion.
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Professor Dumbledore was waiting for us, along with a house-elf. We clambered out, and got Babs into her chair. He smiled, and said, "You must be Mrs. Grayson. I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. I'd like to welcome you, but let's move along out of the wind. We've arranged connecting quarters for you on the third floor, and this is Cindy, your house-elf. She'll be available to assist you in anything you might need."
"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore," Babs said. "This is my husband Dick, and you know Bruce and Selina Wayne."
"I certainly do! Welcome, welcome back!" He shook hands, and then shook Dick's hand. With a wave, the massive oak doors opened, Bab's chair floated into the air, and we followed it inside.
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"I'll leave you to get re-acquainted now, and I'll see you again at dinner. Please call me if I can do anything for you." Professor Harry nodded politely, and moved back toward the staircase as we entered the suite.
"Well, now. This is certainly nice," mom said as Cindy lit the fires, and asked, "When's dinner?"
I checked my watch, and said, "In about an hour and a half. Would you like to check in at the Infirmary? It's just down the hall."
They glanced around, and Babs said, "That would probably be best. By that time that's finished, we can get dinner. Should we eat here, or with you, Mattie?"
"Normally, I eat with my housemates in the Great Hall. You're welcome to join us." I grinned, and added, "They've been dying of curiosity, and Cindy can get you all unpacked and ready." Dad looked sharply at me, and I said, "House-elves are very discreet. They don't reveal secrets, Dad, and only four people here know about the sub-basement: Professor Harry, Professor Snape, my head of house, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress."
He nodded, "All right. Let's get Barbara squared away, and then we can eat."
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Dick and I held open the doors to the Infirmary, and Madame Pomfrey bustled up. She smiled, and said, "You must be Mrs. Grayson. Please, come in, come in. I'd like you to meet my associate, Narcissa Black, and her son, Draco."
"Draco's here?" I asked. Barbara turned, and let out an 'eep!' of surprise. I frowned, and said, "Draco, not everyone's used to ghosts. Everyone, this is Draco Malfoy. You remember that goblin scroll from June? Draco was killed then."
"Sorry, Mattie," Draco said. He smirked, and added, "This is my mum Narcissa, who is very much alive."
Barbara shook the tall blonde's hand, and said, "Thank you for agreeing to see me."
"Our pleasure," she replied. "It's the least we can do for kin. If you'd like, we can examine you now, while Mattie can show the rest of you about a bit." Barbara squeezed Dick's hand who said quietly, "I'll stay, if that's all right." Dad clapped him on the shoulder, and we left.
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"Where to first?" I asked. "Top down, or bottom up?"
"Why don't we start where you live, munchkin, and go from there?" Dad said.
"Okay, off to the dungeons," I said, taking their hands, and leading them down a staircase. "The stairs move, by the way," I added, as another one mated with a clunk on our landing. "C'mon, that's a faster way down."
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I motioned to a door, and said, "That's the Potions classroom, and here is Professor Snape's office." I stopped at the entrance, and said, "This is the Slytherin common room." I told the door, 'essence of hellebore', it opened, and I waved them in.
"Hey, Mattie!" Karen called. I waved, and said as Karen stood up, "Mom, Dad, this is Karen Bundy. Karen's a fifth-year, and our Quidditch team captain."
"I'm looking forward to seeing the game, and watching Mattie." Mom said.
"Well, then we have to outfit you properly!" Karen said. "Mattie, I thought your brother and sister-in-law were coming?"
"They're up in the Infirmary," I said.
"That's right, Narcissa was going to look at her spine. Well, we'll get them kitted out too. Half a 'mo, please!" Karen stuck her quill in her textbook, and ran down to her dorm. Dad looked at the title of her book, which read 'Defensive spells and jinxes for the paranoid, level five'. He looked at Mom, and Karen ran back in, saying, "It's supposed to be in the 40's and breezy Saturday, so we want you nice and warm. Here we go, with warming charms on all of them, nice woolen hat, gloves, and scarf, all in proper Slytherin colours!"
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I carried the extra woolens for Dick and Barbara as we walked back up to the Infirmary. Barbara waved from a prone position, floating with a hover charm as Narcissa, Draco and Madame Pomfrey murmured over a charmed representation of her spine. She looked in a hovering mirror as Dick held her hand, and asked, "How does it look?"
"Removal doesn't look particularly difficult," Madame Pomfrey said. "However, you'll need to drink nerve and muscle regeneration potions every three hours after that for a few days, and exercise to reacquaint you with walking. We'll tell Severus the particulars, and he'll mix them right up. I don't see why you can't walk out of here by the middle of next week."
"Fifteen years in a wheelchair..." Babs mumbled, teary-eyed. "THANK YOU."
"Pish-tosh. Nothing to it, dearie." Madame Pomfrey said.
"You thought we wouldn't help?" Narcissa asked with a smile. "Now the only real question is if you want to watch the game on Saturday, or go through surgery then?"
"Why wait?" Dick asked. "When can you start?"
"I would prefer you get a day's rest first, to get over the travel shock," Madame Pomfrey said. "Friday would be the soonest, we can immobilize you if necessary for the game." The bell rang, and she added, "Classes are over for the day. You said you wanted to eat in the Great Hall with Miss Wayne and her housemates?"
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Cindy floated Babs down the staircases to the ground floor, then we turned left through the double doors into the Great Hall. Babs parked herself at the end of the table, and Dick sat to her right, mom and dad to her left. I said to the table, "Everyone, this is my mom and dad, my brother Dick and sister-in-law Barbara. They're here for the game."
"Well, not only for the game," Barbara said. "A bit of surgery, and ... oh, Mr. Dumbledore, may I tell them?"
"I will be making an announcement in a few minutes, Mrs. Grayson." The Headmaster said. She nodded, and asked the table, "So, what should I know about Quidditch?"
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Professor Dumbledore stood, and tapped his goblet. The Great Hall quieted, and he said, "I have a simple announcement to make. As you may have noticed, we have guests tonight at the Slytherin table. Mrs. Grayson is here from the States, not only to enjoy the Quidditch match on Saturday, but also to plan the installation of a computer network into your individual Houses and the Library. We hope to have this installed by the time you return from the Christmas holidays. Your Heads will each be holding a House meeting for staff and students on Friday afternoon, therefore the classes that afternoon are cancelled."
There was an excited buzz, and the Headmaster held up his hand. "We have determined that it is not convenient for Mrs. Grayson to continually monitor the network from the United States. Each house will therefore have two people to fix problems as they arise. They will have additional rights and responsibilities, as do prefects." He smiled, and added, "The staff will be considered another House for this purpose." There was more speculation, and the Headmaster had to tap his goblet again. "Two other points to mention to you. We will be hiring a full-time network administrator, who will be considered staff, with all of the concomitant duties and privileges. She is a relative of one of you, and will be arriving tomorrow morning. I expect you to treat her as you would any member of the faculty."
More excited speculation, and another tap on the Headmaster's goblet. "Lastly, the following persons are excused from classes tomorrow afternoon, to meet with Mrs. Grayson and our new administrator." He peered at a bit of parchment, and said, "From the staff, Professors Flitwick and Potter. From Gryffindor, Mr. Clausen and Mr. Spencer. From Hufflepuff, Miss Branstone and Miss Michaels. From Ravenclaw, Mr. Li and Miss Quirk, and finally from Slytherin, Miss Wayne and Miss Bundy. Please meet me in the fourth-floor corridor at one o'clock."
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Thursday, November 5, 1998:
Hogwarts, Slytherin House, First year girls' dorm
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"Here's the homework from Transfig, Mattie," Sprink told me. "So, how'd you get appointed one of the Prefects, mate?"
I shrugged. "Thanks. Can you catch Potions for me this afternoon? I knew Barbara and Professor Dumbledore were talking, and I passed some stuff back and forth. Professor Dumbledore asked me to keep it quiet, though." I added, "I told him that I got my stuff from Karen's sister in London, and my folks are donating some equipment for the network, but that's really all I know."
"Good equipment?"
I snorted, "My family buys ONLY top-of-the-line equipment. With that and Bab's expertise, this network should be bloody greased lightning."
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Professor Dumbledore stopped at the Slytherin table, and "Miss Wayne, since your sister-in-law is undergoing surgery this morning, if you would like to be there, we can postpone today's lesson."
"I thought that was tomorrow, Professor," I asked.
He shrugged, "They decided to move it up, I do not know why. I confess, it works out well for my scheduling, as I am meeting with our new administrator in a few hours, once she's fetched from London."
"Thank you, Professor, I will," he nodded and moved on, and I asked, "Who has relatives in London?"
"At a guess, maybe twenty percent of the school," Emma Dobbs said. She called, "Oi! Anyone running book on which house the new teacher's from?"
Vickie Frobisher in Gryffindor waved, and called back, "I am." Professor McGonagall frowned at her, and I moved over to join the line. Someone asked, "What if they're a muggle or a squib?"
"I'll go by the House they're closest relative's in," Vickie said. I looked around, and didn't see someone. I moved up, and told her with a smile, "I've got five galleons on Slytherin."
"Long odds on that house," Vickie said. "Not too many muggle rellies there."
"Well, house pride and all," I admitted. She grinned, and gave me a receipt, and I asked, "Anyone taking book on Saturday's game?"
"Luna in Ravenclaw," she said. "She's the only one crazy enough to, since you Snakes STILL haven't released a player roster. Care to enlighten us?" I smiled and shook my head.
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Surgery wasn't what I was expecting. Babs floated with a hover charm; her spine exposed while Narcissa and Madame Pomfrey moved their wands. Occasionally, a puff of vapor would arise from the frosty air, and a black blob would disappear from the charm showing her spine.
"That looks like the lot," Narcissa said as she stretched, back crackling. "I don't see any other bits of metal."
"How can you be sure?" Dick asked.
"Hold your left hand under her, dearie," Madame Pomfrey said as she stretched. "You'll see your wedding ring there in the charm. It is set to detect metal, and the only bits I see are in your wife's brassiere hooks."
"Dick?" Babs asked.
"Only thing I see, Babs. It moves when I move my hand. I think that's all of it, too."
"Good. Thank you, Draco, for chilling her down. Narcissa, could you close, please?"
"My pleasure," Draco said as he reappeared. He moved so Babs could see him, and said, "Sorry for touching you, Mrs. Grayson."
Babs extended a hand to him, and said, "No problem, Draco. Thank you for your help." He grinned, and touched her hand. Madame Pomfrey bustled up with two steaming potions, and he winced. "One advantage of being dead - no more horrible tasting potions!"
"Now, Draco!" She turned to Babs and said, "The green one is for your muscles, the blue for your nerves. Every three hours like clockwork, and we'll tell your house-elf. You should have feeling back in your legs by this afternoon."
"Yes, ma'am," Babs said. She sipped at the first, then with a wince, gulped it down. "Gaa! Please tell me the other is better." She sipped, then said, "I don't know which is worse," and gulped it.
"There are much more horrible tasting potions," Narcissa advised. "Have some chocolate, it will help."
"Motivation to endure those. Thanks," Babs said, then asked, "Is Kelly here yet?"
"Ha! I just won money! Thanks, Babs!" I said. She cocked an eyebrow at me, and I said, "There's a book on which house the new teacher is from. I put five galleons on Slytherin."
"Keep it quiet, then. Shouldn't you be in class?" Dick asked.
"I'm normally with Professor Dumbledore now, for my Occlumency lessons. It worked out better for both of us to postpone today's lesson," I grinned at Dick, and said, "I could spend time with my favorite brother and sister-in-law!"
"Oh, that's promising! Did you feel that, dear?" Madame Pomfrey asked. "Do it again, please, Narcissa."
"No, I didn't. What's promising?" Babs asked.
"You're wiggling your toes when Narcissa runs a quill over your feet, dear. That's a very good sign."
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At one o'clock, I joined the others in the fourth-floor corridor, waiting for Professor Dumbledore to appear with Kelly. The Ravenclaws sat against the banister, catching up on some studying, while Harry spoke quietly with Professor Flitwick. I leaned on the banister, and quietly told Karen, "Looks like your sister gets her wish to come to Hogwarts."
She grinned, and whispered, "She was so excited this morning when I showed up with Professor Sinistra, she was bouncing off the walls."
"In time to see you play Quidditch, too."
"That's even better," she looked around, and added quietly, "She was thrilled to finally get her own wand, too. That's one reason we ran a bit late, she's always stealing mine at home, trying to do magic. I think she's finally managed 'wingardium leviosa'."
"Hey, if I can help her, please let me know. You guys have helped my family out..." Karen made a 'pshaw' noise, then said, "Hey, there they are!"
"Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming," Professor Dumbledore said. "I apologize for our tardiness. I would like to introduce Miss Kelly Bundy, our new administrator, and some of you may already have met Mrs. Grayson. Now then, based on what Mrs. Grayson specified, I have chosen this room for your meetings and the equipment you will need. The current password is 'perspicientia'." The large painting moved aside, and he waved us in, adding, "Please keep this information confidential."
The room looked like a small classroom, with a blackboard along one side, tables, chairs, and so forth. We took a seat, the door closed, and Babs said, "Good afternoon, and thank you, Professor Dumbledore. While Kelly is handing out notes, let me just go over how we're setting up the network, who can do what, and who to call when you can't figure it out..."
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Friday, November 6, 1998:
Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom
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"Good morning, everyone!" Professor Harry said. He tossed his robe over a chair, and said, "Is everyone looking forward to tomorrow's Quidditch game?" He grinned, and said, "I promise I'll try not to catch the snitch myself. Now, let's see who's here. Mr. Adams?"
"... and Miss Wayne. By the by, Miss Wayne, do you have Slytherin's team roster? I know you were going to try out."
I kept a straight face, and said, "Professor Snape said he'll give it to you, sir."
"Finally!" he said. "Why the delay?"
Sprink glanced at some Gryffindors, and answered, "Confusion to the enemy, sir."
Charlie Adams said with a grin, "Slytherins!"
"Smile when you say that, or we'll start using Hufflepuffs instead of Gryffindors in our evil experiments!" I shot back with a grin.
"People, people! Settle down," Professor Harry called. "Now then, we didn't finish our review from last week. Let's continue down the alphabet with Miss Leeds, and then Mr. Kirke. Amanda, you had some interesting comments on 'dissendium'."
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The bell rang, and Professor Harry called, "Remember, there are House meetings this afternoon. Everyone is expected to attend. Aside from that, if you're going to the Quidditch match, I hope you have a good time, and good luck to both Gryffindor and Slytherin. Have a good weekend!"
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I ran down to my dorm to dump my bag, then back to the common room. On the way up, Kelly intercepted me, and asked, "Please make sure each person gets a packet." Since Karen stood by the door, I moved around the room, handing out papers to those that needed them.
At one o'clock, Professor Snape stepped to the front of the room next to the fireplace, and asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Everyone but Professor Trelawney, sir," Karen called from the door.
He sighed, then said, "I will fetch her. Callista, please take over, and proceed without me." With a swirl of his black robes, he left.
"Right-o," Professor Vector said. She moved up next to the fireplace, and asked, "Everyone hear me? Right-o. As you are all aware from the Headmaster's comments, we will be installing one of those compulator networks here at Hogwarts. Now then, Karen's sister Kelly is who'll be running it day-to-day. Assisting her are the prefects, two for each house." She motioned, and Karen and I came forward to join Kelly. "They have the same rights and responsibilities as other prefects, so listen to them. Now then, Kelly will give us a run-down on what's what."
Kelly cleared her throat, "Thank you, Professor. Does anyone need a packet?" A couple hands waved, and I passed packets back as Kelly pulled a sheet off a table. "Now then. As you can see from the table, and also from the second page in your packets, there are several parts to a computer." She tapped on the item as she spoke, "This is a monitor - that's what you look at. A printer produces what you enter. A keyboard - where you enter your information, and the mouse, which is moved about to enter information. It all connects to the computer itself, which will normally be sitting on the floor." She raised her hand, and added, "I know it's a bit confusing, but in a short while, you'll get used to it. Now, there's one other bit that's not a standard part," She held up a slim black item with two cables coming out. "This is a wand-rest. It sits above the keyboard like so," she replaced it, "and you put your wand in it when using the computer. This is a bit of extra security, for instance if you're using a unit in the library, where anyone can sit and use it as opposed to here in the common room. Questions so far?"
Terry raised his hand, and asked, "What about getting units in the dorms?"
"We'll see how this works out first," Professor Vector replied.
"Moving on," Kelly said. "If you'll look at the top of page three, you'll see a line there for what's known as your user name. This is the first letter of your first name, and your last name. Yes, a question?"
Julie motioned to her brother, and asked, "What about duplicates?"
"Insert the first letter of your middle name, so mine would be 'kabundy', and Karen's would be 'kcbundy'. Simple enough?"
"A sickle it confuses some Gryffs!" someone called, and someone else answered, "No bet!" People laughed, and Kelly continued with a smile, "Now, when you return back to school in January, we'll go through and get everyone sorted with logging in. Your initial password will be 'Slytherin', but you'll need to change it. Make a note to yourself, because you'll need three or four passwords, each with at least six, and no more than twelve characters. It's better if they have numbers in them. These you'll keep secret, and no one will ask for yours," she motioned to Kelly and myself, and added, "If we need to log in as you, we'll use our own wands and passwords."
"We need those now?" someone asked, and Karen said, "No, when you get back from Christmas break, have them. For instance, Mum rides a Cleansweep Five, so I might use that as a password. You'll need three or four like that." She motioned to the packets, and said, "There's space for notes, and we'll be here after for questions. Kelly?"
Kelly said, "Moving on, then. Page four has a diagram," people turned the page, and I heard several grunts of confusion. "There are three circles there, which illustrates where your files go."
There was continued muttering, and I glanced at Kelly, who nodded, "Let's take a bit of homework as an example," I said. "If I write an essay on the properties of a bezoar, I'm going to file it in my folder, the top circle. Only two people have access to it there, myself and Kelly."
"Why Kelly?" someone asked.
"I'm the administrator. I have to have access to everything," she said calmly. There was some muttering at this, and Narcissa said, "I have access to everyone's medical records, but I won't disclose anything. That doesn't bother anyone."
"No, but..." someone said.
Kelly answered, "I can't fix it if I can't get to it, now can I? Besides, I gave Professor Dumbledore my word I wouldn't abuse it. Mattie, you were saying?"
I nodded, "Right. Now, the bezoar essay, if I want to share it with Slytherin house, I'd move it to the middle circle. There, anyone who's a member of the Slytherin group," I waved at the packed common room, "can read it, change it, or delete it, depending on how I set the permissions. However, someone from Hufflepuff can't, they won't even know it exists."
"This is an example of my getting to things," Kelly said. "If someone cocks up the permissions on Mattie's essay so she can't change it to correct a hideous spelling error, then she's either got to start over on it, or contact someone that can fix things. This is the most common place where people get things wrong, and this is also where Karen and Mattie can fix things."
She nodded at Professor Vector, and added, "The staff have an additional folder on this level, that can only be shared with other faculty and staff. Therefore, the Professor here would have access to not only the Slytherin folder, but also the staff folder. However, Karen and Mattie would not have access to the staff folder, but I would."
"It's like warding your formulary," Karen said. "If you don't want Professor Snape to see the lust potions you've got hidden in there," a few people blushed, "then you change the permissions."
"The last circle is known as the 'world' folder, although it should properly be called the 'Hogwarts' folder," Kelly said. "If Mattie wants to share her essay with friends in Hufflepuff, she puts it there. Similarly, any prefect from any house can fix things here. So if you're in the library, and you need help on this folder, you can ask any prefect, not just Karen or Mattie. Is everyone sorted on the folder structure? Questions?"
"So does that mean you can get to McGonagall's Quidditch notes?" someone asked. Karen chuckled, and said, "I can't, although Professors Flitwick or Potter could, or Kelly."
"Assuming that she's put them on the computer, and that I'd be willing to nose about and break my oath like that?" Kelly said. "That brings up a few other things. First, we'll be connecting to both the Internet and the Maginet, so you'll have a lot more references available for research," I cheered, along with several others, and Kelly continued, "We'll also be putting the Hogwarts library on line, as a fully-searchable resource." I whooped, and did a happy dance. Kelly held up her hand, and said, "I glanced in the library, and that's going to take a long time, there must be hundreds of thousands of books there."
"Millions, the last I heard," Professor Vector said. "What about private libraries, like ours?"
The door opened, and Professor Snape entered with Professor Trelawney. "What about our library?" he asked.
Kelly said, "Do we want to scan it into the library database? Remember that it would be available to both Hogwarts and the Maginet."
"Hmph. Something to consider," he admitted. Narcissa moved over to talk to Professor Trelawney, who didn't look at all well.
"If we don't want something available, then we simply don't enter it?" someone asked. Kelly nodded, but then added, "Remember, others have shared their information, so it's the honorable thing to share back." She shifted, then added, "Last thing, then I'll take questions. Please go back to the bottom of page three." There was a shifting of pages, and Kelly said, "E-mail. It's like magimail, only muggles and other people without a wand can also send to you. It's also much faster than owls, and the parchment doesn't get soaked with the rain. This way, if you have muggle friends, you can give them this address. This is also very easy, do you see the blank line to the left of the circular mark?"
People pointed it out to each other, and Kelly waited a minute, "The circular thing connects your address with Hogwarts' address. You would put your user name, then the circle, and then Hogwarts' address. As you can see, it's hogwarts, then a period, then edu, another period, and finally uk, with no trailing period."
"Where's the circular thing from?" someone called.
Kelly shrugged, and said, "It started in the 1970's, and means 'at'. When you're telling your address to someone, you'll give your user name, then AT hogwarts DOT edu DOT uk. The 'edu' part stands for a school, and the 'uk' part is for Great Britain." Kelly added, "You can also set up private mailing lists, for instance for a study group, class, or Quidditch team. However, remember that once an email is sent, it can't be recalled."
I said, "There is one drawback to email - spam."
"You had to mention that, didn't you?" Kelly said with a grimace. "Spam is junk email. It's advertising, except that it's all bollocks. The best thing to do if you don't recognize the mail is to delete it unopened. It's all trash, I guarantee it."
"Better they know now," I said. "If you see a bit of email that looks suspicious, call a prefect, but you're usually safe to delete it."
"Can't you block it?" someone asked.
"I can block some of it, but it's constantly changing," Kelly said, "You can set up traps, filters, and such, but they're not always successful. Any other questions?"
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Saturday, November 7, 1998:
Hogwarts, Great Hall, Slytherin Table
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Barbara had been able to move her legs a bit this morning, although she was still using her wheelchair. Narcissa had given her several blankets (in Slytherin colors) for the game, and Babs chatted with people at the table. I had a bad case of butterfly stomach, so I had volunteered to hand out Slytherin hats and scarves to the students arriving for breakfast. Gryffindor hadn't thought of that little tactic.
"Go on, we'll finish up here," Emma said. I dithered, and she said, "Pre-game jitters?" I nodded, and she advised, "At least get some milk or something on your stomach. You'll be fine."
I sat down, and had a half-goblet of milk down, when Karen looked down the table, and said, "It's time!" Both our primary and reserve teams rose, and waved at the other houses as they speculated. As the Gryffindor teams rose to follow us, I saw Professor Snape smirk, and hand a bit of parchment to Professor Harry, who shot him an irritated look.
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After we had changed, we waited as Karen stood for the pre-game pep talk. "All right, everyone. I know most of you are nervous about your first game. Don't be. Everyone got their earworms in?" I nodded, but someone raised their hand, and the box from the Wheeze was passed to them. They inserted one end in their ear, and ran the slimy thing along their jaw to their mouth. Karen continued, "The earworms will let you talk to each other, and James will be running the team from the Keeper's position. In previous years Slytherin has used brute-force tactics, and that's what the other houses expect this year. Well, we're not doing that. We're sneaky, devious, and cunning, and that's how we're going to play. We've got good intelligence on the Gryffs, and we've seen Ginny practicing the same tactics as last year. Why shouldn't she, they beat us with them - why change what works?"
She paced, then said "Last year, Harry was their team captain, and he let Ron Weasley run the team. Ron is a better tactician than Ginny, although she's just as devious as we are - she should have been Sorted into the Den. I expect a few surprises from her, and I expect a scrupulously fair game from Professor Harry. If anything, I think he'll bend over backward in our favor, as his fiancée is captain of Gryffindor."
"What else? Ignore the crowd and the commentators. Professor McGonagall has the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff captains commentating, just like Ginny and I will be in three weeks time." Karen looked at us, and said, "Frank and Ian will be protecting us, and especially Mattie. Mattie, remember, you've got the fastest broom out there and you can cover the length of the pitch in a few seconds. Agility and maneuvering are the keys for you. Remember the first line in the Beater's Bible is to 'Take out the Seeker'. Because Ginny has more experience Seeking, you may want to mark her some of the time. Everyone, keep your perimeter charms on. Chasers, if you get boxed in, pass to someone else, don't risk a Stooging penalty." She looked us over, then said "Questions, anyone? The weather is 43 degrees, with light, gusty winds from the south. Let's play some QUIDDITCH!"
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I half-listened to the commentators, when Frank leaned back from his broom, and asked, "Nervous, lil' sis?"
I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry, and Ian said, "Don' be. You'll do fine, and we'll keep an eye our f' ye. Let the chasers have a bit 'o fun, and then catch the snitch."
"Shh! Here we go!" Karen whispered, and the commentator said, "...AND WEASLEY!"
"FROM SLYTHERIN HOUSE WE HAVE: BUNDY, DORNEY, DORNEY, MACDONALD, MACDONALD, TONKS AND WAYNE!" I kicked off, and zoomed out of the tunnel after my teammates.
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Karen shook hands with Ginny as we waited the signal to kick off. The snitch was released, the whistle blew and we kicked off while the Quaffle was tossed into play. I rose with the others, and started to orbit while the Chasers fought over the Quaffle, passing and intercepting each other. I could see Ginny on the opposite side of the field, keeping an eye on the game and her team. My perimeter charm twitched, and I did a sloth roll, hanging upside down from my broom as the Bludger passed overhead. Ian bashed it toward Ginny as I remounted the broom, and continued looking for the snitch. James mentioned that Ginny had begun marking me, I acknowledged and half-listened to the suggestions and comments from the reserve team.
Something tugged at my hair as my charm tickled, I turned and saw Ginny closing on me. I saw a flash of gold, and the snitch zipped away from me. I dove, screaming after it, grabbed it, holding it up, and heard the commentators say, "WE HAVE A CATCH! THE SNITCH HAS BEEN CAUGHT; THIS LOOKS LIKE A SCHOOL RECORD! WHAT'S THE OFFICIAL TIME? HOW MANY MINUTES? PLAYERS, PLEASE RETURN TO THE GROUND."
I grounded, and gave the snitch to Professor Harry, then looked at my teammates. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Pure luck," Karen said with a grin, as she went to meet with Ginny and Professor Harry.
"So, nae that ye've won ye' first game for Slytherin, how dae ye feel, lassie?" Frank asked.
"We won?"
"Aye," Ian said. "Ye didn'a use a summonin' charm or 'aught, did ye?"
"No! Besides, it would have been seen!"
"Aye, but they'll check anyway. Here's our bonnie wee Karen, nae."
"Subject to Professor Harry's verification, but it stands, as does your record, Mattie. Four minutes and three seconds," Karen said, "Now what?"
"I want to play Quidditch. I've got relatives in the stands," Julie said.
"So do I. Kick off, everyone," and as we rose to about seventy feet, level with the stands, Karen moved out in front of us. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! SLYTHERIN HOUSE WELCOMES YOU TO THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON." People resumed their seats, and she continued, "DUE TO THE SKILL OF OUR SEEKER, THE FIRST GAME SEEMS TO HAVE ENDED A BIT QUICKER THAN ANTICIPATED. WE HAVE A PROPOSAL FOR OUR FRIENDS IN GRYFFINDOR. WHILE IT WON'T BE AN OFFICIAL GAME, BECAUSE WE ALREADY WON THAT, WE WANT TO PLAY QUIDDITCH! WHAT SAY YOU, LIONS?"
I saw Ginny huddling with her team as Professor Harry levitated a chest of Quidditch balls out to midfield. They broke up, and kicked off to match our semicircle of players, while Ginny flew up beside Karen. "GRYFFINDOR HOUSE ALSO WELCOMES OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS BACK TO HOGWARTS FOR ANOTHER EXCITING QUIDDITCH SEASON! THE LIONS ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE FROM OUR FRIENDS IN THE SNAKE'S DEN, AND WISH THEM LUCK, BECAUSE THEY'LL NEED IT!" Ginny said something else to Karen, who laughed and shook her hand. The teams were motioned back to the ground, the balls were released, and the game was on.
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My perimeter charm tickled, and I swerved to avoid the Bludger. It zoomed past, then dove toward a Gryff chaser. I kept an eye on Ginny, she had faked a couple moves I had fallen for. The Gryff dodged the Bludger and I looked around. Our chasers were having a grand time, scoring on the poor Gryff keeper almost at will. The bell 'dinged', and I glanced at the scoreboard, we were up another ten points, 160-30.
Gryffindor came up field with the Quaffle, but it didn't do them much good, as Julie intercepted a pass and went back down. I saw a glint of gold and dove, as Karen and Sprink passed back and forth, while Julie went in a ballistic arc and dove toward the Gryffindor goal. A quick pass, another 'ding', and it was 170-30. The flicker of gold was near the Gryffindor goals, but their keeper was falling. Our chasers were in midfield, where the game's attention was. I flattened myself against my broom to race gravity.
"Got you!" I skewed with the mass imbalance, almost coming off my broom as I grabbed the collar of his robes. He grabbed the broom handle while I circled to put him down. I don't think either of us cared about the foul. I landed (creating another foul), and asked, "You all right? What happened?"
"Yeah. Thanks, mate," He sat, shaking his head, then said, "Starfish without the Stick is definitely not recommended. Father would NOT be pleased if I went splat."
"Well, at least our fouls cancel each other out," I admitted.
"True," he agreed. "We really didn't get a chance to talk yesterday, in the computer meeting." He stuck out his hand, saying, "Harry Spencer, rather battered Keeper."
"Mattie Wayne, new Seeker." I shook his hand, then added, "Should we rejoin the game?"
"Looks like they're joining us," he said. "When did you blokes develop new tactics?"
"When we got bored with the old ones," I admitted.
"That ballistic one is rather clever, and deuced hard to defend against. I wonder what the score is?"
"170-30, last I checked."
Ginny landed, and overheard my last comment, "Actually, Mattie, it's 170-180." She held up the snitch, and I groaned.
Ian landed next to her, and said, "Daen't worry, lil' sis. Ye caugh' it the first time, and thae be the one what counts." He offered Harry his broom, and said, "Here ye' broom, mate. Be careful oot' thar'."
Karen landed, and smiled, saying "What a game! You two all right?" I looked at Harry, and nodded.
Ginny cleared her throat, and said delicately, "Karen, we had a wager on the game?" She frowned, then nodded. Ginny took her scarf off, and passed it to Karen, who wrapped it around her throat, over her own. Karen looked at us, and said, "We're wearing Gryff scarves for a week, people." Harry unwrapped his, tossing it to me, then saying, "I feel a chill coming on. Mattie, have you a scarf I could borrow?" I grinned, and tossed him mine.
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