Catch The Snitch

It was nine-o'clock in the morning on a brisk but dry Saturday in October, and Prof. Forrester stood on the leaf-strewn cobblestone of the clock tower courtyard where it met the covered bridge. He was dressed in his usual outdoor robes as he collected signed permission slips from students eager to visit Hogsmeade. As each form was presented to him, he cast a charm on it to ensure it hadn't simply been signed by the student handing it in. It wasn't a fool-proof mechanism, but it was better than nothing, and it counted as "security through obscurity" because he didn't tell anyone precisely what charm he was using. Already, he'd caught one third-year Gryffindor forger and spoiled that student's weekend plans and docked him ten points.

Another professor would be in charge of the trip; Ethan was merely assisting in his usual capacity, and Aurors would also be accompanying the group.

Ethan recalled that at the start of term, he'd offered to recount some of his experience with curse-breaking should Trent accompany him on the long walk to the village, and he wondered if the boy would show to take advantage of the offer. If not, he knew he'd enjoy the trip regardless.

(I think this is before the Boggart event, but can't find a specific date for that, so the forest and Hogsmeade are still intact)

Professor Silverberg made her way down to the clock tower just before the time that was announced to the students. She always liked to be early in order to make sure no students went off without the rest of the school. Always a lady of wizarding fashion, she wore her deep raspberry-colored coat with yellow gold embellishments over her navy blue robes and her hair back in a classic, yet messy bun. As she made her way down to the clock tower courtyard, she noticed that students were already gathering and could see Professor Forrester collecting slips.

Just as she was about to make her way over, an Auror intercepted her path to ask some questions about the trip, such as timing and such. With a smile she nodded as she listened and provided him with the details and discussed some of the expectations for his team. The students were free to wander throughout the village, but there was an unspoken perimeter to which they were contained. Additionally, some of the older students liked to slip into the forest when they weren't supposed to. Once the Auror confirmed the details, she gave another nod and a smile before heading out to meet the group that had been forming.

"Good morning, Professor Forrester. Thank you for your assistance this morning. I hope the students haven't been too devious this year. Any creative attempts this year?" She grinned to him, recounting the time when they were at school together and the ways that students tried to get around the permission slips. Elyria could remember one of the howlers that came through early the next week to a Hufflepuff who attempted to hide on the other side of the bridge until the group passed.

Professor Silverberg waited until the waves of students slowed down before taking her place at the top of the steps, slightly more elevated than most. She pulled out her wand and pointed it to her throat, nonverbally casting the Amplifying Charm,
"Students, we are about to make our way to Hogsmeade Village. As always you are not to leave the village until we regroup at its entrance. The Aurors will be monitoring the village during the visit and you are expected to listen to any instructions they give." She paused for a moment and scanned the group. Her voice was not shouty, but more like how she spoke in class, only louder. "Now then, we'll proceed in a few moments. Please find your travel companions and make sure no one is walking alone."

Elyria pulled the wand away and placed it neatly back into her robes, giving her throat a light clearing. She looked around at the other Professors to see if there were any she expected, but hadn't seen.

Quinn arrived and made her way through the crowd, seeming to look for someone as she did so.

She was wearing a brown coat overtop a tan sweater, trousers with the Union Jack printed on one of the back pockets, and turquoise canvas sneakers. Her socks were mismatched as usual (for good luck) but not attention-grabbing. It was notable that she was wearing shoes at all today though, as she was known to prefer to go barefoot if she could get away with it, as when walking on the grounds or practicing flying.

"Good morning, professors," she said to Ethan and Elyria as she offered her permission slip for inspection. "I saw that wolf again when I was out practicing this morning, and I gave it a good chase as always, but it evaded and lost me as usual," she lamented. "I'm no closer to figuring out where its den might be."

Ethan glanced up from his sheaf of permission slips when he heard his name called. Upon seeing his longtime friend, he smiled and took a moment to appreciate what she was wearing. "Good morning, Elyria. It's no trouble, I rather enjoy Hogsmeade weekends myself, and collecting permission slips is simple enough. As it happens, I did spot a forged signature by Mr. Whitman--er, the one from Gryffindor, not the one from Hufflepuff. The first outing of the term usually has more forgery attempts, what with students being easily distracted over the summer and forgetting to ask their guardians to sign."

He quirked an eyebrow as Quinn recounted her adventure with the wolf. "I believe you're the only student that's ever reported a sighting. But you're also one of very few students who ever leaves the castle before breakfast. I think this is likely not a coincidence--the wolf is probably scared to approach the castle when the grounds are crawling with students."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that one of the Whitman boys would be the ones getting caught this year. That will be a fun owl to send to his parents." She gave a chuckle and shook her head, looking on as Ethan check slips. She was always amazed by the lengths some of the students went to just for a trip to the village, and she couldn't blame theme. Getting out of the castle and among people that weren't students and professors could be rather refreshing.

As Quinn walked up, she gave a polite nod and spoke, "Good morning, Miss Rockwell." Elyria listened on as Quinn told her account of seeing a wolf in the early hours of the morning. At first her reaction was to be fearful of the student being around such a wild animal, but a memory struck her. During their last years at Hogwarts, Ethan showed her his animagus form -- a wolf. The two always liked to tease each other and that Christmas, Elyria asked the house elves to make her some cookies in the shape of a bone. She transfigured a cup into a cookie jar with the word 'TREATS' written on the front and wrapped it up as a gag present for Ethan.

"Professor Forrester, do you remember that wolf I used to see when we were in our seventh year? I remember leaving out those bone-shaped cookies for it in the early mornings. Perhaps Quinn could do the same thing for this one. Who knows? They may be related." Inside, Elyria was laughing, but tried to hide the humor with her smile, wondering how Ethan would respond to the thought of those cookies re-emerging after all these years.

Zahir was standing in the overlook of the Bell Tower Courtyard as students and staff were gathering for the first trip to Hogsmeade. Even after working at the school for the last year, it still felt somewhat weird to be back in a position of authority. He leaned against the railing and waited for a larger crowd to form. It was still rather early for the students to arrive, but he was sure the excitement of their first visit would have them arriving in droves sooner than later.

He leaned against the railing and watched over the courtyard from above. After a while, he noted a professor collecting slips and chuckled when it appeared one had gotten into trouble for a forgery. Typical, he thought. Zahir noted that the courtyard was beginning to fill much more quickly than before and decided to head down himself. He stood up and rolled his shoulders and neck to prepare for his favorite trick (much to the chagrin of others). He took a few steps back and took a deep breath. With a courageous run, he lept up onto the stone railing and jumped into the sky. No sooner than his feet left the stone, he morphed into his grandala form.

Zahir flapped and glided through the sky for a moment, enjoying the view and the since of freedom for a brief moment. Figuring it would be best for him to get down to the courtyard sooner than later, he dived downward as if he were about to dive bomb to attack a predator. As he got closer to the ground, he pulled back and extended his wings to slow himself down. As soon as his feet would touch the ground, he transformed back into his usually self, giving a bit of a skip as he landed. The Auror gave a solute to the professors with a cheeky grin on his face as he heard some of the lower year students in awe of the feat. Yes, he did enjoy showing off from time to time.

"Nice, brisk day for a trip to Hogsmeade," he said to no one in particular.

Kyle had gotten up earlier than usual on the morning of the first Hogsmeade trip of the school term. He was looking forward to hanging out with Quinn, but alas that was not the reason why he had dragged himself out of bed at such an unholy hour. Earlier that week the gamekeeper had asked Kyle to help tend to the thestrals at the paddock. As one of the few students who could see the winged horses and knew how to take care of them, it wasn’t a chore that he could easily refuse and pass on to someone else.

After his pre-dawn run and a hasty breakfast that he grabbed directly from the kitchen, he had trudged off to the paddock with two large baskets of fresh meat. By the time Kyle was done feeding and grooming the thestrals and arrived at the courtyard, a sizeable crowd of students had already gathered. Drawing himself to his full height, he looked around, hoping to catch sight of Quinn – or at least, her platinum-blonde hair. Maybe he should have worn something more eye-catching than the grey camouflage pattern jacket he had on, considering how Quinn stood a much higher chance of spotting him than the other way round. He did have a bright red hoodie under the jacket, but he doubted that little splash of colour would be helpful.

Near the end of the queue, where Professor Forrester was checking the permission slips, he spotted the familiar blonde locks of the Gryffindor chaser. Hastily he cut through the crowd of students who were milling around and waiting for their friends, muttering a string of “excuse mes” and “sorrys” until he finally joined the queue. It was moving briskly, and before long he found himself approaching the end of the queue.

One of the younger students – a Third-Year, probably – suddenly pointed towards the sky as his eyes widened in shock. Turning around, Kyle caught sight of a bird with brilliant blue plumage diving at high speed towards the ground, and just before it hit the ground, it transformed into a tall and lean man. The impressive stunt elicited a chorus of cheers and gasps of awe from the other students, and even Kyle couldn’t help but applaud despite having seen the Animagus’ stunts before. “Great day to scare the kids too, Mr Esperian,” Kyle called out jokingly while the Third-Year continued to stare wide-eyed at the Auror, still stunned by what he had witnessed.

When it was his turn to submit his permission slip for inspection, Kyle greeted both professors before handing it over. “Good morning, Professors.” While he waited for Professor Forrester to give him the green light, he waved at Quinn and smiled. “Morning, Rockwell. Oh, I remember you mentioning the other day that you saw a wolf near the pitch,” he said, completely oblivious to the true nature of the wolf. “I was up earlier than usual today, but I didn’t see him anywhere, not even near the paddock.”

Ethan had a sinking feeling that Elyria was going to tease him relentlessly and enjoy every moment of it. How troublesome that Quinn had brought up the wolf sighting! Not that he had anything to hide, but he was reluctant to admit the truth of the matter because he rather enjoyed the long-running game he was playing with Quinn. Her broomstick flying was top-notch, which forced him to be creative in evading her. It kept his mind and his muscles fit.

To this day, he had a jar of bone-shaped cookies on the desk in his office that he avoided explaining to anyone who inquired about it.

"As a matter of fact, I do recall you mentioning that wolf, Professor Silverberg," he replied. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, if Miss Rockwell is so inclined. Be advised though that chocolate should be avoided, as it would be dangerous to a wolf's physiology."

Zahir's own animagus transformation caught his attention for a moment. Sometimes he imagined how liberating it must be to become a bird, but he was more than content with his own lupine form. Discovering one's own form was a special part of every animagus' own journey, and he considered it a good thing that those who undertook the process of becoming one didn't get to choose. Variety in the distribution of animagus forms helped make each one that much more special.

"Good morning, Mr. Winters," Ethan replied as Kyle presented his permission slip for inspection. He was halfway through casting his nonverbal detection charm on the document when Kyle brought up the subject of the wolf once more, and it sufficiently caught him off guard that he messed up the charm and had to cast it a second time. He decided not to comment further on the subject if he could avoid it. "You're good to go," he declared.

"Bone-shaped cookies?", Quinn repeated. "You mean, resembling dog treats, but actual cookies?" She glanced up at Prof. Silverberg questioningly. "That seems like a peculiar thing to try to feed to a wolf."

Auror Esperian's animagus display interrupted her train of thought. "That was so cool!", she exclaimed. "I bet that takes so much practice, I don't think I could ever accomplish that unless I completely dropped everything else." Between quidditch practice, the choir, the student newspaper, and other activities, her schedule always seemed to be overflowing. Fortunately, she never seemed to run out of energy.

And then Kyle arrived and announced his presence, the very person she'd been hoping to find. She turned and craned her neck to look up at him. "Winters! I was just thinking about you. Oh, when I spotted the wolf today, he was near the Whomping Willow, but I quickly lost him," she recalled. "Are we still on for the Three Broomsticks?"

As it turned out, Trent did get detention for today, but it wasn't going to keep him from the first Hogsmeade trip. At least, he thought while he checked his watch, he hoped it wasn't. After neglecting to turn in his Potions homework two lessons in a row, Professor Daley had given him Saturday detention, but he was free to leave as soon as he cleaned every cauldron in the classroom. No magic, naturally.

At five that morning, Trent dragged himself out of bed, grateful for once that the Slytherin common room and dormitories were in the dungeons and he did not have to go far to find the Potions classroom. For the next three and a half hours, Trent scrubbed foul-smelling, caked-on Potions out of cauldrons by hand. Though he often broke the "no magic" rule when it came to detentions, this time it was not worth the risk to get caught using magic; only a month into the school term, Trent was already desperate to get out of the castle and off of school grounds.

Finishing his detention with only ten minutes to spare, Trent quickly washed up in the classroom sink and then dashed up the dungeon stairs, taking them two at a time. Jogging to the Clock Tower Courtyard, Trent arrived just in time to see Kyle hand over his permission slip. He froze. Trent had (foolishly) assumed that seventh-years would be exempt from needing permission; they were all of age. Trent slowly advanced to the front of the line, his thoughts racing. He had used a permission form last year, though it had been signed by Professor Fah, his Head of House, rather than his parents after she had confirmed that he was seventeen. Why did he expect it would be any different this year?

Late as he was, the line was short and Trent reached the front in no time. "Hey," he said, flashing a grin at Kyle and turning to look at Kyle's companion, a blond girl whom Trent knew by sight but not by name. Though he didn't often pay attention to younger students, she had been hard to miss; they both had a penchant for being outside, and Trent usually got a laugh out of watching her chase after that wolf. "Hi," he added to her, then stepped forward to address Professors Forrester, Silverberg and the Auror Mr. Esperian as a whole. "I don't have a permission slip," he said coolly, though his heart was beginning to beat faster. "It's probably still in my trunk, I could run back and get it?" he added, looking directly at Professor Forrester, who, having helped Trent with his application to Gringotts, knew without a doubt that Trent was of age.

Though he had never serious considered tracking down the wolf himself, it intrigued Kyle to hear about his movements from Quinn. “The Whomping Willow… the wolf’s probably agile enough to avoid its flailing branches with ease, I guess.” And when the Gryffindor mentioned the Three Broomsticks Inn, he nodded. “Definitely!” he replied with a sunny smile. Thanks to his medical appointments he had the ‘privilege’ of leaving Hogwarts more often than the other students, but those trips were a far cry from hanging out at Hogsmeade with his friends. “I’ve been looking forward to this for eons.”

Professor Forrester seemed to be taking a little longer with his permission slip. For a moment Kyle wondered if anything was amiss, until the professor dispelled his worries by declaring that he was good to go.

As he thanked the professor, a familiar voice behind him called out, and Kyle immediately knew who it was. “Glad you made it,” he said as he turned around and returned the smile. Though he had gotten up earlier than usual this morning so that he had sufficient time to feed and groom the thestrals, Trent had already left the dorm by then for his detention. He didn’t know what Professor Daley had in store for Trent, but judging from how long Trent took to finish his task, it must have been pretty rough.

"Good morning, Mr. Innes," Prof. Forrester replied as the Slytherin boy approached. He'd previously promised to share some stories with him, if he attended this outing. He really wanted Trent to come.

He thought for a moment how to best handle this problem.

"In the past, reaching your majority would be sufficient to negate the need for a permission slip. However...given the circumstances, there's a significant liability issue. If we should be attacked and you sustained injuries on this outing, without a signed slip, the school in general, and I, myself, in particular, would be found at fault. However, I'm in no hurry, and we have aurors who can go on ahead with the group, so I'm willing to wait here for you to retrieve your slip. You and I can walk to the village together, if that's acceptable to you."

"Hello," Quinn replied to Trent. She only really knew him as someone who hanged out with Kyle. Both boys must've been a foot taller than she was. She was just that petite. "I'm Rockwell, but you can call me Quinn if you prefer."

Quinn returned Kyle's smile. "It's only been a month, hasn't it? A month flies past in no time." The two had agreed to go on the outing together following her broom-flying stunt on the first weekend after the start of term. She was looking forward to getting to know Kyle a little better. They'd been involved in a couple incidents together, but still didn't really know each other well, and she wanted to befriend him before the opportunity slipped away. It was possible she'd not see him again after he completed the year, after all. With the world being so depressing, one needed as many friends as they could get.

Elyria chuckled when Quinn voiced her opinion on the cookies for the wolf. The whole history between Ethan and herself was one that she cherished and perhaps even more so now that they found themselves back at Hogwarts together. When he was out hunting Dark Wizards with the Auror's office, it never set easy with her. Ethan was more than capable when it came to dueling and his overall knowledge, but all it took was one Killing Curse to end it all. Having him at Hogwarts boosted her confidence, even if she tried her best to act like it was all natural.

She greeted Kyle when he walked up to them and acknowledged them, "Good morning, Mr. Winters." She watched as Ethan reviewed the slip, curious to see if any tricks would be uncovered. When everything looked clear, she gave a nod to him. "I'd say you are good to go. I trust you and Mr. Innes will be on your best behavior today." She gave the Seventh year an inquisitive look and arched brow that was broken just as Trent walked up.

When Trent mentioned not having his slip, her professor mode was about to kick in just as Ethan suggested he go back and find it and would take walk with him to Hogsmeade. "Thank you for that kind offer, Professor Forrester. I think it's time to round up the students and start heading toward the village. I'll leave Mr. Innes in your capable hands. Care to meet for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks later?" She looked to Ethan and stepped away to the crowds of students.

She placed her wand to her throat to amplify her voice once more, making sure no one was too close to her before she spoke. "Students to your partners and into your lines, please. We will now proceed to Hogsmeade Village. Keep your voices at a respectable volume. I know this is an exciting time for you all, especially those visiting for the first time. If at any point you act out, the Aurors and Professors will guide you back to the school and House points will be deducted for conduct. Now then, let us begin our walk." She lowered her wand and offered a kind smile to the students before heading to the front of the line.

"Nearly didn't make it," Trent replied to Kyle in a dark tone. "I had to clean out all of the cauldrons without magic." he looked to see if the professors and Aurors were paying attention to their conversation before adding in an undertone, "And I actually did this time. Took all morning." When Kyle's companion introduced herself as Quinn Rockwell, Trent gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Trent," was all he said in return, and he listened to their continued conversation without contributing himself. As he looked between the two, Trent began to get the impression that they had planned to visit Hogsmeade together, and not wanting to be a third wheel, he offered them a brief but polite smile before stepping away.

As Trent waited for his verdict as to whether or not he'd be permitted to visit Hogsmeade today, he reconciled with the possibility that he'd simply need to sneak in. He'd done it before, though it wasn't easy, and a quick intake of breath was all to suggest his relief when he had been granted permission. "Thanks," he said simply, stepping aside not to impede the procession of students that hadn't forgotten their permission slips that were now heading into Hogsmeade.

"Thanks again, sir," Trent said again to Professor Forrester as the pair walked back to the castle. "I'm eighteen now, so I didn't think I would need the permission slip that Professor Fah signed for me last year," he explained. "I think it's still in my trunk. Might be a little crumpled though." He waited for a moment, wondering if it would be imprudent to ask for a favour after causing Professor Forrester an inconvenience. Deciding to broach the subject anyway, Trent spoke again. "I was hoping I could ask your opinion on something regarding my future as a Curse-Breaker? Could we meet up somewhere in Hogsmeade?"

"I'd be delighted to meet you there," Ethan replied to Elyria. "Perhaps at two o'clock? We could also grab a bite to eat then, if you don't mind a late lunch?" That would give them plenty of time to talk before the group was scheduled to head back to the castle.

He followed Trent back towards the clock tower, as the throng of excited students rushed past them. "It's unusual for a head-of-house to sign a Hogsmeade permission slip, but I've no doubt that she had a valid reason to do so, and won't pry. Your misconception is completely understandable, though. It's just that our present circumstances require a little extra vigilance and legal formality."

"We can either discuss your career while en route to Hogsmeade or meet up again later if you wish. At the moment, I only have one appointment to keep."

He stopped when he reached the fountain. "I'll wait for you here in the courtyard, as I've no inclination to visit the dungeons, and I'd probably be unwelcome in your common room at any rate. But if I've not seen or heard from you in half an hour, I'll come looking." Reaching into his overcoat pocket, he withdrew a small book and began flipping through its pages.