Werewolf Moon: Mini Contest

[THE PHOENIX]

Mini Contest

The full moon has risen, ladies and gentlemen, and nobody within the walls of Hogwarts is safe. Werewolves are roaming freely about the corridors - and their intended prey? Whatever they can get their claws and teeth on. Your character has foolishly been out after dark - why on earth is that?

INSTRUCTIONS
If you participate in the event, you are not obligated or required to participate in this contest. This is just a little something to bring a little bit of light-heartedness to what is really a dark and relatively horrifying event. This mini contest is simple: what the bloody hell were you doing that kept you out past curfew? Write a 500-1000 word post or one-shot describing where your character was and what they were doing. The funniest, most original, in-character response will receive 150 Galleons and an additional prize to be announced by the staff! At the conclusion of this contest, a poll will be put up so all members can vote on the entries! You may enter only once per character. Each character must have their own entry/form (they may be posted separately or together).

THIS MINI-CONTEST WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28TH.

[b]Character:[/b]
[b]House (or Class, for teachers):[/b]
[b]Entry:[/b]
[spoiler][quote]PLACE YOUR ENTRY HERE[/quote][/spoiler]

[Deleted]

Character: Doreen Bennet
House (or Class, for teachers): Gryffindor
Entry:

SPOILER: Click to show

Safety was boring.

Doreen hadn’t purposely dawdled on her homework. In fact, she had been working very hard on it, or as hard as one can work while distracted by various thoughts. After all, what was Charms to the idea that next year her adventuring partner would be gone? She would have to sneak through the castle alone, and she had been planning to try for Hogsmeade or even venturing a little into the forest for her seventh year. Somehow, she had completely forgotten that Darrin would have graduated. She supposed she could find another adventuring partner, but it wouldn’t be the same.

Behind her, two third-years were practicing a spell, and someone was muttering a list of ways to prepare dittany. She tried focusing on the book in front of her, and for a few paragraphs she was able to just read. She even took a few notes of things to either look up or that would be difficult to remember. Then, as she turned the page, her thoughts turned away again. This time, she considered her family.

Charles had been having nightmares again. He had even gone up to her in the hall and asked if he could eat at the Gryffindor table so he could sit next to her. She had convinced him to stay with the Hufflepuffs, saying they were much nicer than Gryffindors, but she was still worried. He was so sensitive, and she wondered whether Jane would be the same way. Not that she would know, of course. Her little sister wouldn’t come to Hogwarts until after Doreen had left. She wouldn’t be there to see her sister’s sorting, and she couldn’t think about which House she would end up in.

One by one, students trickled out of the common room and into their beds, but Doreen stayed in her chair, alternating between reading and staring at the fire. She couldn’t think of a way to describe how she felt at first, but then a word sprang into her mind: melancholy.

She, of all people, was melancholy.

Great. How did this happen? She tried to think over what had happened to her lately, drumming her fingers idly on the chair as she watched the fire. No one I know has died, I haven’t fallen in love, I doubt I suddenly have depression… what is it?

As the last few students headed up, she caught a glimpse of dark red hair in the firelight and remembered. She had broken her promise to Sophie, and she still felt horrible about it. The thought that she had done something she had said she wouldn’t and had actually meant to avoid doing made her feel a little sick, and she looked away quickly. That must have been hanging over her head the past few days, making her feel bitter even when she had nothing to be bitter about.

She decided the best thing for her to do was to continue avoiding her problems. Since the common room was reminding her of that night and she would see Sophie if she went up to the dorms, there was nothing else to do but get out. Almost cheerfully, she grabbed her wand from the table – she was rarely without it – and headed for the portrait hole, not bothering to pack up her textbooks. After all, everyone was asleep. Who would see them and start to worry?

The Fat Lady was silent when Doreen left, but she thought she saw the picture roll her eyes. Doreen had used to sneak out often, and after the first few times the Fat Lady must have realized that nothing she could do would prevent the girl from wandering around at night. Not even detention deterred her; it only made her more eager to find places where she could hide, and those usually turned into daytime explorations.

She doubted she would get detention tonight. She would be careful, and she didn’t plan to go very far. What could go wrong?

[Deleted]

Character:Virgil Chapman
House (or Class, for teachers):Slytherin
Entry:

SPOILER: Click to show

“Armotentia, despite being the most powerful love potion ever existed, cannot create true love. As stated by to Dagworth-Granger in…”

The Slytherin boy stopped in the middle of his writing. Either that sentence did not sound interesting enough or he was just over thinking it. When it came to potion, Virgil had to focus all his mind and strength to make the essay as perfect as possible. He knew he was not good at making the potions, so he decided to concentrate on the homework assignments for better grades. He was lucky enough last year when his writing test was so good it saved his practical grade. He managed an E and that prevented his parents from nagging. He thought he could escape studying this subject this year, but the school had changed teacher yet again. His professor-Snape-refuses-accepting-students-with-grades-lower-than-Outstanding excuse became invalid. It seemed he was destined to study it. He did not hate Potion that much but preferred to have a little more free time to focus on what he liked to study. It could be quite helpful in the future, he admitted. But he considered it as a sub-skill for him.

The noises in the common room were starting to annoy him. He turned to look over his shoulder. Some kids were arguing with each other over the last bottle of fire-whiskey, secretly sold by a seventh year. Rolling his eyes, the sixth year boy tried to go back to his homework. Just then, an uneasy and monstrous growl came from his stomach. He had skipped dinner again to complete his assignments (earlier he was struggling with History of Magic). He, like many students, never learned to arrange their agenda, always waited until the last day to do everything. Virgil tried to ignore it and continue writing. However, an hour later, he could not push the thought of food away from his mind, nearly writing pumpkin pie into his paper. He eventually gave up, putting all the parchments and books into his bag and dropping it on his bed in the dorm room. He came out of the Slytherin common room into the dark corridor of the dungeon. An advantage of living there was he could often sneak over to the basement nearby and get some snacks in the kitchen quite easy. He found the secret passage to it years ago by pure luck, thinking there was a strain on a fruit drawing and tried scratching it off the pear.

The kitchen house elves were so hospitable they never let him exit empty handed in spite of how rude he was to them. This time was no different. After he had refilled his energy through the food, he left the kitchen with a red apple in his hand. The fact that it was already way past seven - the curfew time was changed since the incidents at Hogsmeade - at that time did not scare him. Slytherins snuck out of their room at night all the time. He was sure the Gryffindors too, possibly even more. Over the years, he had gotten lots of knowledge on the art of escaping, whether it was a secret way to escape or an excuse when running into prefects. Yet, he did not count on a teacher patrolling on the way too soon. He was about to round the corner after tossing the apple core behind him when he caught a glimpse of a person walking toward the common room door. He immediately recognized the familiar figure of Horace Slughorn. There was no way he could return now. Fortunate for him, the professor had walked past where he was earlier and his back was facing Virgil. If he went quietly enough, he could sneak back into the entrance hall and find a place to conceal himself for a while before coming back.

Slowly, he tip-toed back. It supposed to work if he had watched his steps. He stepped on the very eaten apple he just thrown behind. It made him trip and fell bottom first on the floor. It was so sudden he accidentally let out a short cry. Surely, karma had its own way of hitting someone. “What the crap? You bloody-“ Mumbling curses while one hand holding up the evil consumed apple by the stalk, he used the other hand to rub his rear. Falling on the stone ground of the dungeon was certainly not to be taken lightly.

“Who’s that?” He could hear the teacher’s voice as he turned around and started coming toward the corridor he was in. There was no time to think. He slippery got up on his feet and started running up the short stairs into the entrance hall. He stood for a few seconds, looking both sides for anywhere he could hide but saw nothing. His panicking mind, instead of telling him to hide in the Hufflepuff basement, led him running up the stairs as fast as he could. Looked like he would have a long night waiting for the chance to come back to the common room.