Archive of Five Words Stories

Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:19 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic - (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #52, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "Snape and the Jobberknoll"

This story was written from August 22, 2007 to September 5, 2007. Eight writers contributed to the story, which is 705 words long. Three of the eight writers posted feedback.

- azi, Sep 7, 2007 10:39 pm: Wow, that story is shorter than I thought! It's one of our better ones though, I think.

- Phelim Mcintyre, Sep 8, 2007 8:46 am: I knew we'd be the top two, but why pass your starting privileges? And was it really that short? Oh well. *Waves back to Azi*  

- Tazzygirl, Sep 8, 2007 11:00 pm: The last story: Poor Snape!! He gets so abused.

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:23 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Oct 7, 2007 8:38 pm (#1048 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "The Hyde Park Picnic"

The London underground was chaos. Commuters were dashing through the stations as Arthur and Percy tried to get on board. They were running late for a meeting with Tonks in Hyde Park. Percy was muttering under his breath about the weirdness of his father’s clothes, which included a flat cap, braces, a sleeveless jumper and rah-rah skirt and leggings. “Father, why do you insist on dressing so inappropriately? It’s going to attract attention!”

“Percy, I like the breeze around my ankles.” Arthur glanced around in a very guilty manner and then quickly led the way onto the correct train. He sat opposite Percy and took out the Daily Prophet. The train sped through the station. “Well, I see that Rita Skeeter’s still reporting lies before Harry and Dumbledore. Apparently they have been missing for weeks and she says that they have been seen talking to Newt Scamander about Runespoor being the possibly cure for Sybill’s mental status. Dumbledore is, as usual, being very evasive about the whole thing; however, Skeeter believes that Sybill’s madness is down to nothing more than alcohol and strange incense in her room. I think insanity runs in the Trelawney family.” The train stopped and he and Percy quickly got off. “So, what’s new at the Prefects Who Gained Power convention you’ve been attending?”

“It was fantastic! I met Gaspard Shingleton. I introduced myself as Crouch’s assistant and he nearly fell off his chair! He couldn’t believe that someone with my knowledge on cauldrons would show themselves there! He offered me a position as Head of the Cauldron Thickness Inspection Department!” Percy announced proudly.

Arthur stifled a chuckle, coughing, “My, that sounds fabulous, Perce.”

“Need some water, Dad?” Percy asked.

“No, no, I just swallow the little tablets and—” Arthur trailed off. His eyes widened as he saw an airplane travel across the sky.

“Wotcher.” Tonks approached, her hair bright pink and spiky. “So what kept you? Hopefully Kingsley will turn up soon. We need to discuss the picnic plans. You used Muggle transportation in the hope that you wouldn’t be spotted by Rita; that’s the least of our worries. Rumour is that Rufus has been snooping around the office, looking for people to try his homemade potato pie.”

“Why is he doing this? It’s worrying as cooking is hardly his favourite pastime!”

“His cooking’s dangerous,” muttered Arthur. “He made a plate of stoat sandwiches once – even Hagrid said—” He broke off, an owl suddenly landing on his shoulder, carrying what looked like a box of Honeydukes chocolate. Upon closer examination, Tonks noticed that there was steam coming from the box.

BANG! There was slime everywhere.

“Urg! Portable swamp!” Percy spluttered. “Don’t they realize how much this will draw the attention of Muggles!” Tonks laughed as Percy started to turn purple where the swamp had splashed him. “I think they added a new coloring ingredient. Why else would the boils be a violet colour?” Tonks tried to look sympathetic but failed miserably. “Cheer up, Perce! They’ll be gone in a few days, if not you could always wear a ski mask!”

“What’s a ski mask? Will I look more intelligent, or is it designed to conceal one’s identity?”

Arthur looked at his son as if he were mad. “Haven’t you taken Muggle Studies, Percy?”

“Of course, googles keep the snow out of one’s ears!”

“Goggles, Percy, not googles. And they don’t keep the snow out your ears, it’s your eyes,” said Hermione. She had just arrived with Ron and Harry, who was carrying a rattling box.

“What’s in there?” Percy asked nervously. “Not another Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes I hope.”

“No, it’s just a trained rattlesnake. Don’t worry, I had a talk with him and we’re going to her earlier. He won’t bite and Trelawney says we can give all of Scrimgeour’s cooking to him. Apparently he likes it…” Tonks smiled. “I knew he had a reason for going…” he trailed off. A dark figure was peering out at them from a window of a parked car. Harry jumped. “Rita Skeeter! She will not be allowed to stay! Do you remember all the horrible things she wrote?!”

“Yes, but I try to forget and hope she will go and boil her head in bubotuber pus,” Hermione replied calmly. They walked over to a rubbish bin, pointed their wands at a moldy chunk of bread and sent it flying towards the vehicle. Ron magically opened the car window and with a loud thud, it collapsed into the car. “Oops, I meant to roll it down, but falling on her lap is fine.” The bread smashed into Rita’s face. Laughing, they walked off, leaving her covered in peanut butter and green jelly.

“We’ll read all about that for the next few months in the Prophet,” laughed Tonks as the group left and headed down towards the Underground for the Leaky Cauldron.

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:36 pm

These stats were first posted by Finn BV - Oct 7, 2007 8:41 pm (#1049 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 53
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
Phelim Mcintyre	39
azi	8
legolas returns	7
Tazzygirl	17
geauxtigers!	32
Snuffles	19
Puck	31
Good Evans	4
kaykay 1970	5
Herm oh ninny	1

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 163
Total Words: 815
Last Submission Date: #1044, October 1, 2007, 5:01 P.M. (geauxtigers)
Total Time to Create Story: 23 days, 15 hours, 15 minutes.

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:37 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic – (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #53, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "The Hyde Park Picnic"

This story was written from September 8, 2007 to October 2, 2007. Ten writers contributed to the story, which is 815 words long. Four of the ten writers posted feedback.

- Finn BV, Oct 7, 2007 8:42 pm: It's so good to be back, despite not participating in that last story! It kind of lost its steam there in the end, didn't it? Anyway, I can't believe it's been over a month. I apologize for depriving you guys of Five Words for past few days, and I hope never to go on a holiday away from this thread again!

Phelim, anticipating the next story!

- Phelim Mcintyre, Oct 8, 2007 8:55 am: Wow Azi had single figures in that story - what went wrong? Oh well, looking at the weather here in the UK something appropriate is called for: The fire in the Gryffindor Common (should say room, but common room is two words.)

- azi, Oct 8, 2007 12:54 pm: The last story went off on a weird tangent so I got lost and gave up.   

- geauxtigers, Oct 9, 2007 12:06 am:   Last story was weird. 22 posts today! Back on track! LOL

* Five Words – Volume 5 Index *

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:39 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Nov 11, 2007 2:57 am (#1297 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "Colin and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"

The fire in the Gryffindor common room was blazing as snow fell past the window. Colin Creevey sat staring at the white grounds, thinking of home and seeing his parents waving to him for the hundredth time in his imagination.

“Hey, Colin, it’s time for Gobstones Club,” called a tall blond headed boy with spots. Colin slowly rose and followed Euan Abercrombie to Classroom Eleven. He wasn’t in the mood for Gobstones today. As they opened the classroom door, they came upon a horrific sight: in the corner there appeared to be a duel between Pansy Parkinson and Ginny Weasley. The walls were crumbling around them and something slimy was oozing across the floor.

“What is going on here?” boomed Filch. Pansy turned to stare at the caretaker, but Ginny ignored him. She shot a hex that hit Pansy squarely in the chest, causing her to develop what looked like slimy tentacles on her skin. “You just wait until the Headmaster hears about this,” cackled Filch.

“Well, maybe he won’t have to.” Ginny aimed her wand. “Langlock!” Filch’s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth and he stormed away angrily.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Colin muttered. “Filch is bound to get revenge somehow. Please don’t make him worse.” Colin remembered the time when Filch had caught him altering – or, attempting to alter – the Quidditch banner in the Great Hall.

Shuddering, he turned toward the doorway hoping to escape to somewhere safe. He ran along the corridors quickly and quietly. To his left, he saw Professor Snape. “Why the hurry, Creevey?” he snarled. “What have you been up to?”

“Uh—”

“Hesitation. Detention, my office, 6 on Saturday. I have some barrels of frog legs that need to be sorted.”

“I—but—didn’t!” Colin sputtered. Snape merely sneered as he turned and walked off.

Colin burst into tears before starting to run back to the common room. As he turned the corner he crashed into a suit of armor. Pain shot through his big toe and he screamed in rage. The armor shifted angrily as Peeves entered, drawn to the sound of cursing. “Well, well, does little Creevey want his mommy to come and kiss his toesy?” He cackled.

“Do we need to tell the Bloody Baron where you are?” said Hermione, who suddenly appeared.

“Thanks,” mumbled Colin, as Peeves shot off muttering rude things.

“No problem. Have you seen Harry anywhere? He got annoyed when I wouldn’t let him copy my potions homework.”

“No, but I’ll help you find where hid his book.” They set off for the seventh floor. As they turned a corner, they found themselves face-to-face with Draco who was making daisy chains using debilitating daisies from Greenhouse Three.

“If you’re looking for your Mudblood brother, he’s in detention because he tried to curse Snape. Do you like being related to him? I personally would find it very hard.”

“You leave my brother out of this, you git!” Malfoy’s wand shot out of his pocket, but Hermione was faster. She sent a Bat-Bogey Hex at him

Pansy walked round the corner and Draco started to blush. He ran off with his arms shielding his face. “Draco, where are you going?” Pansy called.

“Er, bathroom,” he replied, before running full pelt across the corridor and out of sight. Hermione tugged Colin’s robe and dragged him through a door. “Colin you promised to help me find Harry.”

“I’m right here,” came a voice behind a tapestry.

“Harry!” exclaimed Hermione. “Where have you been?”

“Spying on Snape and Malfoy. Snape has been hiding in Moaning Myrtle’s. I dunno why, but Draco has been keeping watch. Do you think he is trying to get into the Chamber of Secrets?”

Hermione gasped, “I think you’re right! Basilisk is a rare ingredient for use in potions that keeps you alive forever and stops you getting old. It was reportedly used by Nicolas Flamel when he made the Philosopher’s Stone. Maybe Snape is trying to make his own Stone!”

Colin remembered seeing Snape looking pleased about something the smug way he usually did. “Quick! We’ve got to stop him! We don’t want Snape and his greasy hair to cause oil slicks throughout England. It would mentally scar so many innocent toads.”

Neville stepped up and slapped Snape hard across the face. The two had fallen out of the tapestry and crashed unceremoniously on the floor. “What is this?” said Snape. “Finally, a Gryffindor expulsion!”

Suddenly, three jets of light lifted Snape off the floor and slammed him against a wall. Harry, Colin and Sirius laughed. Dobby and Kreacher picked up Snape and carried him to the compost heap. Hermione was panicking, “We attacked a teacher, we are going to get into a huge pile of trouble!”

“Don’t worry about that slimy git!” said Sirius, grinning. “He’ll be fine once the pumpkin peelings have been removed from his ears. His lovely hair needs cleaning!”

Neville looked at Colin, surprised, and shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “I don’t care if he uses L’Oreal shampoo because he’s not worth it.” Neville let them standing there a bit baffled.

“What did I miss? Where did everyone appear from?” Ron, who had been waiting by dancing Barnabus the Barmy after searching the Room of Requirement for his illegal broomstick, with turbo boost time turner function and built-in invisibility booster.

“You don’t want to know,” Colin replied.

Ten minutes later, the trio was walking into the Great Hall. Colin waved happily at them as he joined Dennis for dinner. “Not pumpkin juice tonight,” said a voice to his right. Colin turned and was surprised to see a very pretty girl there.

“I, uhh, hi…” Colin stammered. He wished he could shrivel up and die. Girls were scarier than Snape. Taking her picture, however, would making dealing with her easier. “Say ‘Canary Cream.’”

The girl looked at him funny. “What?”

“Care for a sample?” asked Colin as he clicked the camera, taking Padma’s picture. Padma was soon clucking and laid an egg. She pecked Crabbe, who had been teasing her in Herbology last time the Venomous Tentacula had attacked. He ran way screaming before large purple spots appeared before his eyes. It was not very attractive at all. He tripped and landed in a heap at the feet of Dumbledore.

“Ah, I see you have been mastering the fine art of table diving. Extreme table diving is the favorite sport of my old aerobics and chamber music teacher. Alas, he only lived another year after breaking his legs.”

Colin stared at Dumbledore and was transfixed by the headmaster’s moving story. “Wow, Professor, I never knew that chamber music was so dangerous.”

“Only when the lead tenor relies on pasta for his bow and warm-up exercises! And spaghetti must never be overcooked and floppy because it won’t hold your trousers up.” Dumbledore winked, then returned to his office, humming to himself.

Colin walked up the Grand Staircase with the wonky step, remembering at the last second to jump the vanishing step. Neville of course got stuck. Colin pulled him out and said, “I think we all need to go straight to bed.”

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:41 pm

These stats were first posted by Finn BV - Nov 11, 2007 3:01 am (#1298 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 54
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
Phelim Mcintyre	24
Snuffles	20
Puck	72
azi	35
Finn BV	16
geauxtigers!	25
Herm oh ninny	8
Tazzygirl	1
Anna L. Black	1
James Greenfield	7
legolas returns	31

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 240
Total Words: 1200
Last Submission Date: #1290, November 4, 2007, 9:33 P.M. (azi)
Total Time to Create Story: 27 days, 20 hours, 38 minutes.

**Please note that the times used to record the Last Submission Date and all other time-based data for these statistics were taken by subtracting 8 hours from the time that currently appears next to posts, to reflect regular Forum time, which is based out of San Francisco, CA.

* Five Words – Volume 5 Index *

* Five Words - Volumes Index *

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* Five Words - Stories Index (by topic) *

* This volume's stories, stats and post-story comments archived from WX by Verity Weasley; formatted/posted by Potteraholic

Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:43 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic - (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #54, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "Colin and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day "

This story was written from October 8, 2007 to November 4, 2007. Eleven writers contributed to the story, which is 1,200 words long. One of the eleven writers posted feedback.

- Finn BV, Nov 11, 2007 3:07 am: Welcome to the many new posters of Five Words, and congrats to Puck, who is the runaway winner of this (rather long-winded) story. Good luck starting the next one!

I wanted to point out something -- this just goes to show how off the ball I've been -- but we completely missed the second anniversary of Potty Five Words on October 9. Last year, we had a big party which passed us by this year… that just means we'll have an even bigger party for our second-and-a-half anniversary!

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:44 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Nov 29, 2007 3:20 am (#1626 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "The Three-Horned Creature's Wax Seal"

Hedwig soared through the stormy sky, pursued by a Dementor that was gaining on her. She angled down into the Forbidden Forest, before crashing into Grawp. The Dementor circled overhead briefly, then zoomed away hurriedly. Dazed, Hedwig sat on a tree branch directly above the angry giant and breathed deeply. She had been delivering a large, heavy package to Harry from Fred and George. It had a large label that was smudged and ripped, as if someone had tried to remove it without much success.

Whistling, Hagrid strode into the forest, accompanied by Fang. A centaur appeared in the shadows. “Darkness falls across Saturn’s rings.” As he pointed to the stars, Bane added, “All thieves need beware the Ides of March or their downfall will wash over them.”

“Eh, right,” said Hagrid, scratching his nose. He continued down the path which led towards the centre of the forest. “Grawpy! Where are yeh?” Hagrid moved briskly to where Grawp should have been, but there were only a few broken branches strewn on the ground. Suddenly, Hedwig swooped down and began pecking nervously at Hagrid’s shoulder. “Hedwig, what are yeh doin’ here?”

Hedwig’s large amber eyes were staring at the package on Hagrid’s other shoulder. “Oh, this must be the secret weapon you were supposed to deliver to Harry.”

Grawp stumbled out from the undergrowth, howling loudly. Blood gushed from a deep cut in his thumb. He saw Hagrid and plodded towards him, sucking his bleeding thumb. Hedwig swooped down toward the disheveled parcel atop Hagrid’s shoulder, and grabbed it in her claws. Ignoring Hagrid’s yells, she unfolded her great white wings and flew off towards the lake.

Grawp, meanwhile, was tugging at a giant bandage which hung from Hagrid’s coat pocket. “Okay, Grawpy, calm down, I’ll fix you up in a mo’!” He reached into his pocket, but to his surprise, Grawp grabbed the bandage and himself. Then he began to wrap the bandage around his wound, showing Hagrid his handiwork proudly. “Very good, Grawpy!”

A beaming smile on his bearded face, Hagrid was squashed between the outstretched hand and the bandage, rapidly losing breathing ability! Hagrid freed himself and continued down a path that led to the Shrieking Shack where Harry stood waiting for him.

“Do you think anyone followed you, Hagrid?” Harry asked, eyeing the trees over Hagrid’s shoulder.

“Jus’ ran into Grawpy and yeh wouldn’t believe how much he’s comin’ on Harry. Anyway, I reckon you meant Malfoy?”

“Yeah. He knows about the delivery from Hedwig, so we have to—”

“Hedwig! She’s back! Let’s get this parcel off yer and see what’s inside.”

“Hurry up!” said Harry, tugging the small parcel free. It fell to the ground, revealing a small red object that resembled a satsuma that had been flattened. “This is the secret weapon Malfoy was trying to get his slimy hands on?”

Hagrid was chuckling. “Don’t you worry, Harry, if Fred and George have anything ter do with it, it’s sure ter be a small diversion away from the real weapon itself.”

Harry picked up the object. An almighty screech echoed around them. Harry dropped the noisy thing. Just as it hit the ground, it flew open, revealing a shiny object inside. Harry bent down to get it, but Hedwig got there first.

“She’s tellin’ yeh not ter touch it, Harry,” said Hagrid as Harry tried to grab it away from her.

“Right, give me your gloves so I can pick it up. Hermione will know what to do… I hope!” They hurried to the library, where they found Hermione talking to Neville and Ron.

“Look what Neville has been growing, Harry.”

“Sorry, not now, Hermione. Fred and George have sent me this brass… seal?” He held it up to the light to get a better look. Engraved upon it was the image of a three-horned creature with a spiked tail and soft, curly, black fur.

“What do you think it is supposed to do?” asked Ron.

“We can’t get a message to Fred and George to ask if it’s safe.”

“Safe? It’s from Fred and George!” said Hermione impatiently, scanning the titles on the shelf, looking for Newt Scamander’s book. “Isn’t it obvious that we must place the seal on any letters we send to Order members.”

“Why?” asked Ron, reaching over to pick it up. He was startled when the thing began to shake.

Harry, however, moved closer, and drawing his wand uttered, “Immobilis!”

“Put it down!” Hermione snapped.

Hagrid added, “It screamed bloody murder when Harry touched it.”

Hearing that, Hermione conjured up a glass orb for that noisy, twitchy thing. “Safety first!” murmured Hermione.

“Well,” said Neville, “how are we going to figure out what this thing does?”

“We could do a quick read of Magical Stationery Devices,” said Hermione, reaching for a battered leather-bound book. She turned the pages and found a replica sketch of the three-horned spiky-tailed creature. “The beast was once native to England, and particularly found in Yorkshire Dales. It could keep its balance on the most treacherous of steep cliffs or edges of swallow holes. This creature’s soft, curly fur disguised its tough skin. ’Twas prized for its fierce protection, which it provided to any item graven with a fragment of its fur.”

“So, let’s try it on a letter we won’t mind being seen by that toerag, Malfoy,” Ron suggested. The group quickly composed a pretend love letter between Filch and Professor Umbridge, confirming their date in Hogsmeade on Saturday. Hedwig was instructed to “accidentally” deliver the letter to Malfoy, who, according to the Marauders Map, was in the Great Hall. It was almost lunchtime so nearly every student was going to be there.

Harry and the others chose seats, Hagrid taking his usual spot at the head table. Suddenly, owls zoomed in, dropping packages in their owners’ laps. Hedwig drifted away from the Gryffindor table, dropping her letter on Malfoy’s head. He looked up, muttering about how stupid Potter’s third-rate owl couldn’t even deliver a letter. He attempted to break the wax seal on the parchment envelope, but froze at the earsplitting shriek that emanated from it. Chains rose from beneath Malfoy’s hands to wrap firmly around his wrists, binding them together.

He turned, furiously, to Crabbe, who was backing away from the table. “GET PROFESSOR SNAPE, YOU IDIOT!” Crabbe turned, but Professor McGonagall was already there.

“What, pray tell, is the reason for all this infernal commotion?” she demanded.

Draco spluttered, “It’s this letter Potter’s useless owl dropped on my head! These chains just appeared out—”

“Why were you so nervous when you saw me approaching, Miss Granger?” Hermione’s head snapped up and her eyes flitted to Harry and Ron, her hand quickly moving to snap her bag closed.

Professor McGonagall didn’t miss the action, but merely narrowed her eyes. Draco was still struggling in his chains. McGonagall muttered under her breath and they disappeared. “Miss Granger, Potter, Weasley, come with me. Immediately!”

They slowly rose from the table and followed McGonagall to her office.

“Sit,” she said, pointing grimly. “Show me what’s in the letter you gave to Mr. Malfoy. It is obvious that you were trying to trick him into opening the wretched thing.” Harry produced the letter.

“We were testing whether this seal worked,” Hermione explained.

“We think it has been sent to Harry so that he can send messages to members of the Order yet not have them read by Death Eaters,” Ron said matter-of-factly.

“Glad to see you listen to the Sorting Hat’s warnings.”

Harry wasn’t sure what McGonagall meant, but Hermione was nodding even though Ron looked as though he’d been hit by a Confundo spell. “Sorry, Professor,” Harry said, “we should have asked you about it, rather than try and sort it out ourselves.” He looked at Professor McGonagall; could she have the answers?

Slowly McGonagall met Harry’s eyes. “You do know, don’t you, Potter, that we are being watched? We have to create new ways to contact the Order in secret because all other usual means are being monitored. Even Patronuses are not safe anymore.” Hermione slapped her hand to her mouth to cover her gasp. “Of course, why didn’t I think of that myself?”

“Well, now we know that it works; shouldn’t we send a message to an Order member, telling them it does?” asked Ron, turning to Hermione. She tapped the crystal orb and it floated towards McGonagall, who reached for it and placed it on a cushion and tapped it lightly with her wand.

“Doremifasolatido,” she sang.

Immediately the brass seal began glowing brightly; it raised into the air. It revolved once, reanimating the stamp’s graven image. The beast snarled and shook its mane, then spoke: “Now the truth shall be known. To release my protection on communications the handler need only kiss my waxen image thrice.”

“Aha!” shouted Harry. “Sounds simple, yet no Death Eater would ever think of it.” He suddenly remembered “Filch’s” letter, wishing he had left it in the Great Hall.

“Mr. Potter, kindly remember that the walls have ears,” she paused. “Now hand over that letter, please.” Minerva suppressed a smile with difficulty as she scanned the page. “That will be all. Back to the common room.”

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:47 pm

These stats were first posted by Finn BV - Nov 29, 2007 3:20 am (#1628 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 55
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
Puck	32
James Greenfield	3
geauxtigers!	8
azi	60
Finn BV	13
megfox*	9
Potteraholic	98
Snuffles	6
Good Evans	25
Choices	2
freshwater	40
PatPat	12

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 308
Total Words: 1540
Last Submission Date: #1616, November 26, 2007, 4:21 P.M. (Puck)
Total Time to Create Story: 15 days, 21 hours, 2 minutes.

**Please note that the times used to record the Last Submission Date and all other time-based data for these statistics were taken by subtracting 8 hours from the time that currently appears next to posts, to (approximately) reflect regular Forum time, which is based out of San Francisco, CA. (The hour is not the only number that is off; the minutes are somewhat fast as well, but the number by which they vary has not been constant across the whole posting period, and thus they will remain as they are.)

* Five Words – Volume 5 Index *

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:48 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic - (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #55, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "The Three-Horned Creature's Wax Seal"

This story was written from November 11, 2007 to November 27, 2007. Twelve writers contributed to the story, which is 1,540 words long. One of the twelve writers posted feedback.

- Finn BV, Nov 29, 2007 3:27 am: Well, it is with no surprise that Potteraholic will be starting our next story! Congratulations to a now well-established "newbie"!

I have a request for the next story -- this one, while I enjoyed its many twists and turns, was an epic. We haven't had this long a story in quite a while (since the first story on this thread, July 5, 2007, with 417 posts). We used to have stories that only lasted 5 or 6 days and were of about half the length (some were of the same length, too, like one of my favorite stories, "The Most Evil Source of Evil"). Can we aim to finish this story by next Tuesday or so? Let's create a nice little vignette -- I suggest we all go back and read from the terribly unofficial and just-now named "Golden Age" of Potty Five Words (will get some links in just a sec).

Anyway, glad to see such a resurgence in Five Words!

EDIT: I would estimate about May to November 2006 was our Golden Age. Here's a totally wacky story that we all quite enjoyed, "Tax Forms, or, the Giant Chicken in the Road". (Actually, it might be helpful to read through it post-by-post to see the thought process, but only if you have time.)

This was a lot of fun. I just got very Five Words-nostalgic.  

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:50 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Dec 6, 2007 12:38 am (#1786 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "The Trouble with Time"

“Harry, wake up! It’s nearly time for the match!” Seamus yelled as he ran past the armchair Harry was dozing in. His potions book dangled from his fingertips. “I haven’t finished Snape’s essay about the seven uses of purple loosestrife,” he thought, as he got up. He hadn’t slept last night – the stupid essay was supposed to be 1000 words long, but he only had half that amount.

Hermione walked across the common room with Neville, both of them excitedly whispering and looking at a pamphlet. “Harry, did you hear? The world-renowned botanist Algernon ‘Algie’ Herbival is coming to Hogwarts today! I can’t believe I forgot to make the date in my planner!” Neville said.

Harry grinned at the excited pair. He couldn’t understand what Herbology had that Quidditch didn’t; Gryffindor was playing Slytherin so it was bound to be violent. His Firebolt was in the dorm but it wasn’t in its usual pristine condition. Realizing the time, he grabbed it, ignoring the bent twigs and scratched handle.

“We’ve got to go, Ron. The match will start soon.”

“Alright,” Ron said sleepily, getting out of the next couch and heading towards the door. “Come on! You can’t possibly miss the last Slytherin–Gryffindor match of our Hogwarts careers!”

Hermione began to splutter, “Oh… well… the thing is, Ron… Neville was hoping I—”

“NEVILLE?!” Ron asked incredulously. “Are you telling me you’d rather go with Neville… hang on, where are you planning on going?”

Hermione blushed slightly. “Well, this eminent herbologist is coming to Hogwarts, and I thought…”

“What? And miss my last game?” Ron’s ears turned red.

Harry tried to forestall the explosion of bickering. “Couldn’t Neville take notes for you?” Hermione looked meekly at the pamphlet in her hands. She wondered how she was going to get her Time-Turner from her trunk without raising suspicion. She had never told anyone that she still had it. She dared not reveal that fact now, considering all that they had been through.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Perhaps Krum is coming to this Herbology thingy, and that’s why you are so keen!”

“For goodness sake, Ron, not that silly jealousy of Viktor thing again! Besides, he’s refereeing the match between Puddlemere and Ballycastle today. He never even contacted me about today’s lecture. It’s not his sort of event.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time for this bickering! The match—”

“—will have to be forfeited if you guys don’t hurry up,” snapped Harry.

Neville offered, “Ron, you don’t understand. Professor Herbival will never give another Galleon to Great-Uncle Algie if I don’t attend this lecture.”

“Imagine that, being poor!” Ron said. “I know what that’s like.” He looked down at his frayed cuffs and sighed.

“Fine,” Hermione sighed. “Let me get my omnioculars. I’ll be right there. Neville – Hannah Abbott isn’t going to the match; why don’t you go with her? You know how much she fancies… er, Herbology.” Hermione rushed off to the girls’ dormitory without waiting for an answer. She grabbed the omnioculars and the Time-Turner before anyone could enter the room. Ten seconds later, Hermione was back, both items tucked safely in her bag.

“What’s happening now?” asked Ron, glancing at Hermione.

Harry had reached the end of his tether and yelled, “You’re all so indecisive! IMPERIO!” Three pairs of eyes glazed over. “Now I can finish my essay.” He pulled the parchment out of his bag and then remembered – Hermione’s Time-Turner! “Hermione, go get your Time-Turner.” Harry looked on with surprise as Hermione reached into her bag.

“Right, you finish my cup of tea, and Ron you can set about doing your homework. After we finish, Hermione and Neville can go to their precious Herbology lecture.”

Harry threw the Time-Turner around his neck and tried to turn it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Naturally,” Harry muttered, as the wise words of Dumbledore floated into his mind. Harry knew what he must do. “When perplexed, have a butterbeer to help clear your mind.”

Harry called for Kreacher, who, on appearing, immediately made the best ice cream sundae Harry had ever tasted. It was big enough for them all and butterbeer flavored: his favorite. After three spoonfuls, he decided that he didn’t care anymore about the spat between his friends. In fact, he was beginning to forget the whole thing. He grabbed his wand and whispered, “Deimperio!” Picking up his and Ron’s brooms, Harry grabbed Ron and headed for the door. “We’re off to the Quidditch pitch. See you at the lecture, which conveniently will also be held tomorrow!”

Neville and Hermione looked relieved.

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:51 pm

These stats were first posted by Finn BV - Dec 6, 2007 12:40 am (#1787 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 56
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
Potteraholic	49
Puck	25
Columbine Fairy	7
Snuffles	4
Finn BV	22
freshwater	20
azi	4
PatPat	11
Good Evans	3
Tazzygirl	7
legolas returns	2

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 153
Total Words: 765
Last Submission Date: #1782, December 4, 2007, 11:42 P.M. (Tazzygirl)
Total Time to Create Story: 5 days, 3 hours, 11 minutes.

**Please note that the times used to record the Last Submission Date and all other time-based data for these statistics were taken by subtracting 8 hours from the time that currently appears next to posts, to (approximately) reflect regular Forum time, which is based out of San Francisco, CA. (The hour is not the only number that is off; the minutes are somewhat fast as well, but the number by which they vary has not been constant across the whole posting period, and thus they will remain as they are.)

* Five Words – Volume 5 Index *

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* Five Words - Stories Index (by topic) *

* This volume's stories, stats and post-story comments archived from WX by Verity Weasley; formatted/posted by Potteraholic

Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:53 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic - (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #56, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "The Trouble with Time"

This story was written from November 29, 2007 to December 5, 2007. Eleven writers contributed to the story, which is 765 words long. Two of the eleven writers posted feedback.

- Finn BV, Dec 6, 2007 2:31 am: Nice job, PAH, two in a row!

This was a fun story. Notice how we wrote about half the words in a third of the time. This is how we always used to write stories -- it's good to see that after about 5 or 6 months of slooowness we're getting a little back on track.

Let's watch out for plot inconsistencies next time! We seemed to be digging ourselves deeper and deeper into complete contradiction.

- Potteraholic, Dec 6, 2007 3:10 am: Many thanks, PatPat and Finn! And Finn, I agree about the timespan and length of the story; hopefully we can keep to this pace.  

Let's watch out for plot inconsistencies next time! We seemed to be digging ourselves deeper and deeper into complete contradiction. Finn

  My thoughts exactly! I know I posted a lot , but there were times when I just did not know how to continue a post and hoped somebody else would come by and figure out how to get the story back on track.  

- Finn BV, Dec 6, 2007 3:20 am: PAH, I often feel the same way but usually just take a stab at something even if it messes it up more.

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:55 pm

This story was first posted by Tazzygirl - Dec 16, 2007 10:21 pm (#2014 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "Chester"

Snow fell heavily all night. Ariana watched through her window, thinking about the fun she’d have come morning.

Hours later, she was fast asleep, leaning against her favorite bear for comfort. Aberforth entered the room and called out, “Ariana, time for the goat’s breakfast!”

Sleepily, she got out of bed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The goat, a billy, which happened to be called Chester, looked up expectantly as they approached. Ariana fed him while Aberforth replenished his water supply. While leaning towards the animal, Ariana was suddenly knocked to the ground. She looked up, dazed and surprised, and started to cry. Aberforth rushed to her side and wiped her tears. “There, there, it’s okay! Chester was just playing. He’s been cooped up all night, he just wants to run around outside in the yard and play!” Ariana sniffled and looked around for her jacket and snow boots. She looked questioningly at her brother, plucked her jacket off its peg, and went outside into the snow covered garden. “Ariana, you forgot to take Chester!” said Aberforth, “And your boots, too!”

Ariana giggled as the goat sauntered over and nudged her gently towards the boots. She pulled them on, and ran outside, pulling Chester’s lead.

The sound of her laughter roused the rest of the house. Albus leaned out the window and cast a silencing spell on Ariana and tried to silence Chester’s bleats, too, but Aberforth directed his want at his brother and yelled, “Finite!”

Ariana’s eyes widened fearfully as Albus stumbled back into his steaming cauldron. He landed in the shimmering purple liquid and cast a cooling spell before he got burnt. Muttering under his breath, Albus slammed the window shut and started removing the chilled purple remnants of three months of careful brewing. Ariana hurried inside to Albus’ room and touched his hand. “I’m sorry, Albus,” she murmured. Something in his eyes softened. His friend, however, would not be so kind.

“Our potion! It’s ruined! All that work wasted! That Aberforth and his stupid goat!”

“Chester’s smart, Gellert, he would never ruin anything!” Ariana stared reproachfully at her brother for letting his friend speak unkindly about her beloved goat. Aberforth looked livid.

“Shut your mouth!” he shouted across the room. Grindelwald’s eyes flashed with anger.

“How dare you speak to me like that! You are an insolent little—”

“NO!” Ariana cried, but it was too late. Grindelwald had already raised his wand and pointed it at Aberforth, who had his wand ready, too. He barely had time to react, however, as Albus intervened by placing a shield charm between them, shouting angrily at them.

“Freak August snowstorms do not mean we should lose our cool. Look, breakfast is ready!”

“Good morning, dears!” chirped Bathilda. “I made all your favorites. Fried mushrooms, Cumberland sausages, smoked bacon, eggs, toast, and a hot pot of tea to warm you up.” Albus thanked her. “Strange weather for August, eh Albus?” Bathilda persisted. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Yes, well…” Albus had other concerns on his mind, namely getting everyone fed before tempers got even more out of control. He just wished that his family understood how important his work with Gellert was.

“Come and sit down, dears,” Bathilda said, nervously glancing at the group. Her nephew was still fuming and steam was unfurling from the charred remains of the stained robe.

Suddenly, a loud BOOM sounded from Albus’ workroom. They all rushed into the next room, finding it filled with rancid, blue iridescent slime. It was splattered across the entire back wall, dissolving everything in its path. Albus raised his wand, but Gellert brushed it aside.

“Let’s see what it can do.” He watched in fascination as the wall disappeared and snow began to drift into the room.

“It’s not even cold!” Albus noted. He looked at Gellert before trying to catch a snowflake on his tongue. “It tastes like sorbet too!”

Ariana giggled with delight and scooped up a mound of the soft flakes before turning to Albus with her hands outstretched. “Do you like it?” he asked, as she threw the snow above her head. Ariana just smiled and tossed the snow towards her brothers.

“Ari, did you have something to do with this?” asked Aberforth. Ariana just giggled mischievously and looked away shyly.

Albus’ eyes widened in surprise. He scooped up some of the snow, and then turned to Gellert. “This is advanced magic! A freak storm cast by such a young witch is extraordinary!”

Gellert sneered. In his mind, young out-of-control witches could hardly be described in positive terms. Control was essential; power and authority were unattainable without it. Magic by mistake was indefensible.

“Extraordinary? Troublesome, certainly. Our portion is ruined! How can you forget that fact?”

“She can’t help it, Gellert. The snow didn’t ruin the concoction you two have been brewing. I think it actually helped it… look!” said Aberforth. The mysterious brew was beginning to grow in size and a large bubble was expanding. It broke off and floated out of the open wall, twinkling and changing color in the morning light.

Suddenly, Albus yelled, “Reparo Maximus!” but too late- Chester was in his way, deflecting the spell.

“Chester!” cried Ariana, as he was knocked out by the force of the incantation.

“That stupid goat!” cried Albus. “Rennervate!” he muttered over the animal. Chester stirred weakly, and then immediately got up, completely revived. “Please get him out of the way. I need to fix this wall!” Everyone was soon chasing Chester around the room, and then out into the yard.

Bathilda, panting heavily, slumped into a chair and summoned five mugs of tea. “I need a moment.”

Chester butted Gellert, who Avada Kedavra-ed him unexpectedly causing an uproar from Aberforth, who cursed his brother’s friend.

“STOP!” yelled Ariana. “You are an evil wizard! Poor, poor Chester!” She cried over his lifeless body.

Albus was stunned, but Aberforth glared at his brother. “This is your fault for bringing this… murderer into our home!”

Bathilda stepped forward, attempting to shield Gellert from Aberforth’s wand, but the wizard’s fury subsided momentarily as Ariana rushed forward and placed her hand in his.

“I’m hungry,” she declared. “Let’s eat our breakfast.”

Aberforth smiled at her and followed her back into the yard to bury poor Chester. Albus said a few kind words to calm Gellert, and to change the subject he offered him a lemon drop. Albus wondered if things between himself and his siblings would ever be the same again.

* Five Words – Volume 5 Index *

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:57 pm

These stats were first posted by Tazzygirl - Dec 16, 2007 10:22 pm (#2015 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 57
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
Potteraholic	51
Finn BV	12
azi	35
Snuffles	6
Puck	39
Tazzygirl	16
legolas returns	8
freshwater	5
Columbine Fairy	19
PatPat	25

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 216
Total Words: 1080
Last Submission Date: #2005, December 14, 2007, 12:56 P.M. (Potteraholic)
Total Time to Create Story: 9 days, 7 hours, 46 minutes.

**Please note that the times used to record the Last Submission Date and all other time-based data for these statistics were taken by subtracting 8 hours from the time that currently appears next to posts, to (approximately) reflect regular Forum time, which is based out of San Francisco, CA. (The hour is not the only number that is off; the minutes are somewhat fast as well, but the number by which they vary has not been constant across the whole posting period, and thus they will remain as they are.)

* Five Words – Volume 5 Index *

* Five Words - Volumes Index *

* Five Words - Main Archives *

* Five Words - Stories Index (by topic) *

* This volume's stories, stats and post-story comments archived from WX by Verity Weasley; formatted/posted by Potteraholic

Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:58 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic - (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #57, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "Chester"

This story was written from December 6, 2007 to December 14,2007. Ten writers contributed to the story, which is 1,080 words long. Two of the ten writers posted feedback.

- azi, Dec 16, 2007 10:28 pm: I think that was a really well-written story! Congrats all!

- Columbine Fairy, Dec 17, 2007 3:50 pm: Btw I really liked that last story!!  

- Tazzygirl, Dec 18, 2007 9:20 am: Thanks for all the grammar tips everyone! Don't worry too much about noting paragraphs though, unless it is really necessary. When Finn and I write out the stories as they go along, we create the paragraphs. (We write all the posts out by hand, and then type it up. Helps to smooth out rough spots and errors. )

- Potteraholic, Dec 18, 2007 11:35 am: Duly noted re: posting ¶ tips, Tazzy. Wow, I'm impressed with yours and Finn's 'compiling' process. That seems like a lot of work to me, the 'writing by hand' part, I mean!  

- Potteraholic, Dec 18, 2007 9:15 pm: I wanted to edit my previous post: re: ¶s, but was timed out and didn't want to use up a post unnecessarily.

Tazzy, I find it helpful when someone posts that a new ¶ has started, especially after a few narrative-only posts with dialogue popping up when someone new is speaking. It makes it easier for me to understand the plot better and write accordingly. So... I hope you don’t mind, but I will still post 'new ¶' when I start one, and will try not to post tips about where new ¶s could start, present post excluded.

- Tazzygirl, Dec 19, 2007 4:23 am: PAH- If we keep up with all the posts, it isn't a long process to record the stories. LOL! About the paragraph stuff- I don't mind if someone says there is a new paragraph, I just thought I'd share that you don't have to unless you want to.

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:59 pm

This story was first posted by Tazzygirl - Jan 1, 2008 11:56 pm (#2264 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "The Battle of Hogwarts: Part I"

Severus Snape entered the Great Hall and headed immediately for the Gryffindor table. “Longbottom and Patil, what is the meaning of this?” he sneered, pointing at a twisted glob of green goo splattered on the front of his robes.

“I-I fell over,” stuttered Neville.

“Fell? I happen to know that just two minutes ago you stunned a certain young Slytherin during a childish duel.” Snape sneered.

“M-me?” stammered Neville.

“Honestly, Professor Snape,” said Parvati emphatically, “I saw him fall in the Potions classroom! There was a puddle of putrid perplexing potion!” At this Neville averted his eyes, trying to avoid Professor Snape’s gaze. If Snape saw the grin on his face, he was done for. Snape glared at Parvati, whose expression didn’t waver.

“Fine! But just one toe out of line and I will personally make sure that you help Mr. Filch clean Myrtle’s bathroom.” Snape stomped off, eyes blazing with anger.

“Nice one, Parvati.” said Neville, sitting down and reaching for The Daily Prophet sticking out from under a cushion.

Parvati sat back down and said, “He doesn’t scare me. Anything interesting in today’s Prophet?”

“There are rumors about more Harry sightings, and even more rubbish about Hagrid being captured in Scotland.” Parvati glanced at Hagrid talking to McGonagall at the teacher’s table, wondering what today’s topic of discussion was. There was an apprehensive look on McGonagall’s face. Things were tense.

“I think McGonagall’s got some bad news to give us.”

“Wonder what could be worse than Harry being accused of blowing up Lovegood’s place?” asked Neville, flattening the paper so both of them could see.

“What?! Harry’s attacked Gringotts now?” Lavender smiled. “He’s keeping them busy, isn’t he? Maybe he will overthrow the Ministry next!”

“I doubt Potter has the guts to set foot in a public place,” sneered Malfoy.

Neville gave Malfoy a dirty look and turned back to Parvati. “I think it’s time we put our plan into action. You go to the staff table and tell McGonagall that we’re ready. I’ll head to the common room and give Ginny the signal. McGonagall will tell the ghosts.” Folding the paper, Neville quickly left the Great Hall.

Parvati walked to the front table. “Professor McGonagall, sorry to interrupt you, but Peeves is smashing up Professor Trelawney’s teacups.”

“Right. Follow me, Miss Patil.” McGonagall said, acknowledging the coded message. “Let’s go, quickly now.” She motioned to Parvati, who followed her.

“I’ll get goin’ then.” Hagrid said shrewdly, getting up and ‘accidentally’ knocked over a Death Eater sitting nearby.

“You clumsy half-breed,” sneered Amycus. Hagrid looked menacingly at him, then went down to the kitchens.

The house-elves were busy washing dishes. Winky approached Hagrid –hiccupped- and handed him a small object. She said, “Dobby told Winky that Mr. Hagrid needed some help with a task.” Hagrid nodded.

Meanwhile, in Gryffindor, Ginny had nodded at Neville’s quick ‘thumbs up’, unseen by some other Gryffindors lounging around. She went to the owlery. Once there, she sought out a small, ruffled looking owl. “Pig, I need you to find Fred and George and give them this password. They’ll know what to do. Hurry, Pig!” She ran downstairs and found McGonagall and Parvati waiting for her.

“All ready?” inquired McGonagall, looking anxious.

Determined, Ginny opened a box that Parvati was holding. “Careful, Ginny. Don’t let it shake too much. There’s a motion detector on it.”

McGonagall added, “Here, let me at it.” She whipped out her wand. “Diffindo!” The box’s top flew off, revealing a shiny blue pearl the size of a Bludger. Ginny slowly lifted it out.

“How long will we have before it explodes?”

“As soon as Pig returns, we wait for the signal from Neville and take this to the Astronomy Tower. Once we’re there, I’ll tap this twice and the powder will disperse around the castle, making it completely dark.”

“Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Parvati asked.

“Yes.” Ginny replied, looking slightly worried, “But with DA members everywhere, no one should get hurt. Not students anyway.”

“Right. Let’s get on with it, “ said McGonagall, just as a firework shot over from the Astronomy Tower. “That’s the signal! Let’s go!”

They rushed to their positions. Ginny threw the blue pearl upwards after tapping it twice. A loud CRACK sounded. Tiny powder pellets scattered over the floor, before taking flight in every direction. A loud POOF later, darkness fell instantly throughout the castle. Screams came from every direction.

Ginny, Parvati, and McGonagall began heading down to the lower levels, where the stash of anti-darkness goggles had been hidden.

“You’re here!” whispered Neville with a serious but excited look. “Take these.” he said, offering them goggles. Once on, they entered a broom cupboard and reviewed their plan.

“The Carrows, how will we get them into the staff room?” McGonagall asked.

“We’ve sent Professor Flitwick to get them. Professor Snape is currently occupied trying to round up Peeves. Little does he know that Peeves is actually helping us with the Carrows.”

“How’s he doing that?” Ginny asked.

“Well, he crashed into me on my way here and I managed to convince him to help by blocking all the staircases.”

“Good. Now, the ghosts are awaiting our signal in the staff room. When that miserable pair come along, they will glide through them both, shocking the siblings to the point of complete numbness. That’s when the second phase of the operation starts. Hagrid will release the Billywigs into the staff room which will then sting Snape as soon as he enters.” McGonagall finished talking and cast a patronus to summon Snape to the staff room.

“Okay, let’s get going.” Neville said.

Everyone set to work. McGonagall headed for the staff room while Neville and Parvati left to find Peeves. It wasn’t long before shrieks emanating from Peeves warned McGonagall of the Carrows’ fast approach toward the staff room, accompanied by Snape. Neville couldn’t help but hold his breath as a crash reverberated throughout the Entrance Hall.

Parvati ducked falling debris from a statue hit by a spell that had been cast by Alecto. Amycus was about to send off another curse, but bumped into the staff room door and fell inside. Alecto stumbled in after him, and Parvati managed to close the door behind them with her wand. They heard the ghosts swooping down and a scrambling commotion could be heard inside. A few screams later, silence fell.

“That’ll be the ghosts scaring the Carrows,” grinned Neville. Parvati nodded.

“Alecto, Amycus! What’s going on?” yelled Snape.

A few minutes dragged on before a loud crash echoed around the Entrance Hall as Hagrid rushed through the doors. “What’s that?! Peeves, is that you?!” shouted Snape.

“Let us out!” The Carrows whined shiveringly from behind the door.

Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared from Snape’s wand and shattered the door. Neville and Parvati, goggles and all, yelled, “Run!” and sprinted for the main doors.

“STOP AT ONCE!” screamed Snape, furiously, aiming a curse.

McGonagall raised her wand and said calmly, “What on earth is going on here? Let’s not shoot blindly at the students! We wouldn’t want another death on the school’s record, would we, Headmaster?” Snape and McGonagall locked eyes for a few seconds. Then Snape turned and left.

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* This volume's stories, stats and post-story comments archived from WX by Verity Weasley; formatted/posted by Potteraholic

Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:04 pm

These stats were first posted by Tazzygirl - Jan 1, 2008 11:57 pm (#2265 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 58
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
Potteraholic	93
PatPat	32
Puck	29
azi	44
Columbine Fairy	32
Tazzygirl	9
Ticker	3

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 242
Total Words: 1210
Last Submission Date: #2261, December 31, 2007, 9:43 A.M. (Potteraholic)
Total Time to Create Story: 14 days, 16 hours, 50 minutes.

**Please note that the times used to record the Last Submission Date and all other time-based data for these statistics were taken by subtracting 8 hours from the time that currently appears next to posts, to (approximately) reflect regular Forum time, which is based out of San Francisco, CA. (The hour is not the only number that is off; the minutes are somewhat fast as well, but the number by which they vary has not been constant across the whole posting period, and thus they will remain as they are.)

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:06 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic - (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #58, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "The Battle of Hogwarts: Part I"

This story was written from December 17, 2007 to December 31,2007. Seven writers contributed to the story, which is 1,210 words long. Four of the seven writers posted feedback.

- Tazzygirl, Jan 2, 2008 12:03 am: Thanks for being so patient everyone!   This story made me want to pick up and read DH all over again! LOL

- Potteraholic, Jan 2, 2008 12:19 am: Tazzy, I know what you mean about wanting to read DH over again. I had to consult it a few times just to keep things straight while posting for this story. And I like the title, too.

'Twas a hard story to get out, wasn't it? But we got there, in the end. And it does make some kind of sense, after all, I think. There was a quick bit of action near the end that was amusing. It reminded me of the silent-movie-era Keystone Cops. For non-US Forumers, I don't know a more globally-known entity to compare the KCops to except for lots of circus clowns coming out of a tiny car and the silliness that ensues.

Wow, this is a pretty short list of contributors! Maybe the shortest ever? Maybe things will pick up soon.   

Tazzy, you suggested in your post #2224, "I'm thinking we can get this story wrapped up in 10 posts or less...", but it took another 37 posts (until post #2261), to finish the darn thing! Too many loose ends to tie up, I think.   

- PatPat, Jan 2, 2008 3:26 am: Congrats to everyone! That was a tough one, but we pulled it out! I am beginning to feel JKR's pain with how difficult it is to keep all of the details straight!

- Finn BV, Jan 2, 2008 7:18 am: Sorry I've been AWOL everybody! I really needed to concentrate on the end of the (half) year at school and being with family.

I'm going to use a very large non-post to address some things that came up over the last 300 posts or so, since I read through them all.

We write all the posts out by hand, and then type it up. Helps to smooth out rough spots and errors. --Tazzy, a while back

Hehe, speak for yourself! I type up the posts, but go back with a fine-toothed comb, usually when recording stats (by hand). I couldn't have the patience to handwrite everything! However, to all: don't worry about paragraphing markings (we originally played it without even noting them in the post) and punctuation. As Tazzy said, the (new para) markings and similar are totally optional. I do them sometimes just because I know I'm putting them in my copy of the story, but really, you don't have to bother thinking about when a new paragraph should start. Perhaps the only time you should really include them in your post is if you have the end of one person's dialogue and the beginning of someone else's contained in your five words.

Man, that was a confusing story just to read, let alone to take part in I'm sure! Just a suggestion for 2008 -- let's try not to overthink it too much. This is only a constructive criticism. Just let the stories fold out as they do. I know we're all guilty of guiding it sometimes (myself included many times over) but sometimes if something is confusing, just go with it, you never know how it'll turn out. (A little hinting/explaining is naturally necessary every now and then, so don't abstain when you think it will server the greater good. )

- Potteraholic, Jan 2, 2008 11:36 am: A couple more thoughts about the previous story: 
• Poor Ginny was left out near the end, when Everyone set to work. First JKR, now us. Oh well, I guess we stayed true to canon.
• Oh, and we sure like the word sneered. It showed up about 3 or 4 times. Archive of Five Words Stories - Page 8 464751818

Archive of Five Words Stories - Page 8 464751818

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:08 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Jan 15, 2008 3:35 am (#2587 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Due to a malfunction in World Crossing's servers, a number of posts were lost from this thread. Some of those posts included an ending to this story, which we had finished. Because the stories are recorded offline as well, the text and the statistics were not lost entirely. However, instead of just posting the ending to the story as it was already written, we decided to continue with the story, breaking off after the last common five words shared between the two endings. At the conclusion of this post, you will have the option to choose your own ending, and, thus, the fate of the characters! Two sets of statistics will be posted.

Potty Five Words: "The Urn of Agrippa"

Sirius sighed and looked out his bedroom window. “Another day trapped in this place,” he thought glumly as he dragged a fresh bag of rats behind him, setting it in a corner. He flopped onto his bed and read the headline of the Daily Prophet. “Umbridge quells student revolt at Hogwarts,” he muttered under his breath. Furious, he threw the newspaper down and stormed out of the room. He descended the stairs, bumping into Kreacher, and entered the drawing room. He was surprised to see Remus and Tonks talking quietly on the sofa. They jumped when they saw him.

“Hi Sirius!” said Tonks, a little too squeakily. “We were, um… just talking about what’s happening at Hogwarts!” She looked at Remus for help.

“Umbridge is determined to stop the kids from learning any defensive spells.” Sirius shook his head and frowned while Remus continued to explain the dilemma. “Tonks and I were hoping we could help somehow, maybe by sending Boggarts to practice on,” he continued. “You know, to help Harry stay in top form should he need to fight.”

“Right,” replied Sirius. “The question is how you could bring a Boggart into the castle without setting off any alarms installed by Umbridge?”

“Me and Remus thought we could try and take some to Hogsmeade, where Aberforth lives. He’s got some contacts who could smuggle them in.”

“Contacts? Not Mundungus, I hope!” Sirius said, looking severe. “He’d charge us for doing something that dangerous.”

Tonks shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “We should probably send Remus underground,” she said. “Come on, Remus, we’ve got to agree on your disguise.” She got up and walked to the door, with Lupin at her heels.

“Do you suppose Sirius suspects us?” whispered Tonks, glancing back at the closed door.

“Don’t worry about Sirius. I can keep him from finding out. Just try not to think about it,” Lupin said.

“That’s easier said than done,” said Tonks. “Being a Death Eater’s target must be frustrating, especially being stuck in a house all day where he can’t do much.”

Remus sighed and gave Tonks a kiss on the forehead. “He’ll be fine. We need to think of some way to get him involved, that’s all.”

Tonks thought for a moment. “How about asking Mad-Eye what he thinks,” suggested Tonks. “He will know what the best way to help Harry is.”

“Good idea! I think he’s due at headquarters any time now,” Lupin said, checking his watch.

A knock sounded from the main door. Lupin opened it and Moody came stomping in. “What’s the password?” Tonks demanded.

“Tiddlywinks,” came the reply.

“Correct!” Tonks lowered her wand.

“Where’s Sirius?” Mad-Eye asked. “I’ve got something for him.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” came a voice from upstairs. Moody looked up as Sirius walked down quickly. “What is it?” he asked, looking happier than he’d looked in months. Mad-Eye reached into his cloak and withdrew a small box, its cover adorned with a large moonstone, surrounded by rubies. Sirius took it and looked inside. It was empty. “What is it supposed to be? What am I meant to do with it?” he asked impatiently. “It’s a pretty box and that’s it!”

Moody fixed his magical eye on the ceiling. “Your house-elf, upstairs, is it?

“Dunno, haven’t seen him since this morning.”

“Right, well, we need to be sure this information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. We found this box recently, among Malfoy’s secret stash, hidden inside the mansion. When Dumbledore saw it, he thought it had historical significance.”

“What could be so interesting about a box?” asked Sirius. “Did it belong to someone suspicious?”

“We don’t know for sure,” replied Moody. “But it’s your job to find out!” “Really,” Sirius replied sarcastically. “You mean Dumbledore is going to let me out?” Moody smiled grimly. “No, that’s too risky. You should be able to work it out by staying indoors. Dumbledore thinks you can, by using this,” he said, tapping Sirius on the nose.

“What, sniff the answer out?” Sirius scoffed. “That should keep me busy for five minutes!” He took the box and shoved it in his pocket.

Several hours later, after Tonks and Lupin had gone, Sirius decided that he had no other option but to go downstairs to the library and read some books of his great-great-grandfather’s, Hogwarts’ least popular headmaster, Phineas Nigellus. Sighing, he began looking through the titles of the books, finally reaching for a thick, battered volume entitled A Guide to Charmed Objects.

Suddenly, Kreacher came running into the library carrying a letter. “Master, you told me to bring you any letters from your friends when they arrived.” The elf bowed low, muttering about filthy half-bloods and werewolves until Sirius yanked the letter off him and hit him on the head. Kreacher mumbled about blood traitors and Sirius shut the door on him.

Sirius recognized Harry’s handwriting on the letter and ripped it open, quickly scanning the first few lines. “Harry isn’t well today, cancel Boggart delivery.”

Sirius was puzzled by this message. He turned the parchment over. “Harry couldn’t have written this – it’s a fake! A bad copy! But how do they do it?” he wondered. He pulled out his wand, pointed it at the parchment, and said, “Specialis Revelio!” The parchment glowed green, then began transfiguring into a stealth probe. Sirius destroyed it before it could gather any more information. “Who knows I’m… Kreacher!” yelled Sirius. “Get down here now!”

Moments later, and CRACK, the house-elf appeared, quickly hiding something inside a bag he was carrying. “Kreacher is here, Master,” said the house-elf.

“Would Master like to feed his giant bird?”

“What? No! Where have you been the past few days… and, what’s in that bag?” Sirius grabbed the bag and looked inside. “What would you need with a quill, Kreacher? What have you been doing?”

“I cannot lie, Master. Master told me to ‘get out’ so I went and then thought Master must need me, so I came back.”

Sirius fumed. That worthless little wretch! He could tell Kreacher was in a better mood than he had been in weeks. That couldn’t be good. “He’s being evasive,” thought Sirius. “Who’s he taking orders from?” He wished he had someone else to talk to.

Suddenly, Kreacher’s screams broke Sirius’ concentration. Sirius jumped as the elf started banging his head against the wall. “Stop that and get… er… go to the kitchen for a butterbeer!” he said, just wanting the elf to leave. “And stay there!”

Kreacher rushed off, leaving Sirius alone. He wished he could discuss the situation with Remus. Sirius turned to look at the box. “Is it a snuffbox?” He shook it, wondering if it would rattle or hum. Instead, a faint aroma rose from within as the hinged lid opened. He sniffed, but the must peppermint smell offered no help except to make him sneeze. So, he began pacing up and down, trying to understand why Dumbledore needed him to figure it out.

Suddenly Sirius could hear Remus and Tonks crashing through the front hall. “Freaks, half-bloods, scums, mutants!” shrieked Mrs. Black again from her freshly opened portrait. Sirius ran forward and pulled the curtains closed over his mother’s face.

“Hi guys,” he said.

“Sirius, we have some news about the Malfoys; they’re planning to meet with Cornelius Fudge at the Ministry tomorrow about Dolores Umbridge and this Inquisitorial Squad. They’re going to ban clubs.”

Just then, Remus noticed Sirius holding the box in his hand. “Hey, mate, did you figure that thing out yet?” he asked.

“Well, it smells like peppermint,” Sirius answered, “but so what?”

“Let me smell it,” Remus said, reaching for the snuffbox. “I can barely smell anything. You must have some nose there, Padfoot.”

“Wait,” interrupted Tonks. “Peppermint… Agrippa!”

“Who or what is Agrippa?” asked Sirius.

“You know, Agrippa,” Remus added. “The Muggles imprisoned…

------------------------------------

Take your pick! Ending A or Ending B

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:10 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Jan 15, 2008 (date and time not copied/archived) (#2588 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Ending A:

… him for discovering peppermint! It is beginning to make sense! This box must be the urn of Agrippa! Stolen by Gunhilda of Gorsemoor for her beloved pet cat.”

Sirius laughed. “Right, so why's it was important! It's a historically significant peppermint box?” he scoffed.

“It’s reputed to be inscribed with runes which give power to anyone who holds it,” said Tonks.

“That's why Dumbledore doesn't want Malfoy getting hold of it,” Sirius suddenly realized. “You better get it back to Dumbledore right away, Tonks,” he said.

“Yes, now we know how dangerous it is!”

Remus chuckled, “And it's all thanks to you, Padfoot!”

“Woof!” He curled up and slept.

Ending B

Story #59

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:11 pm

This story was first posted by Finn BV - Jan 15, 2008 (date and time not copied/archived) (#2589 of 2988) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Ending B:

… his dog which motivated him to open a peppermint factory.”

“Why’d he do that?” Sirius asked skeptically. “Does peppermint have some unusual power or something?”

“Yes! When rubbed against boxes, it protects the contents inside. But to learn who owned this box and what it holds, you’ll have to ask—”

“Who?” Sirius asked, cutting Remus off. “Whoever stole it? What possible reason could anyone have to steal something for peppermint?” asked Sirius incredulously.

Tonks started to laugh. “It’s not for the peppermint, silly! It’s for the box’s properties! Peppermint just hides the box’s real properties. The secret is, when ordinary items like shells or pebbles are put into the box, they turn into fake money! People have killed trying to get it, especially Muggles.”

“Really? So who’s after it now?”

“Malfoy must be skint those days, having to pay for his special relationship with Fudge. Bribes don’t come cheap,” Remus said. “Personally, I think you should see if it works before you go destroying it.”

Luckily, a nearby houseplant provided small enough berries, so Sirius plucked some and dropped them in. With a [poof!, the lid opened and revealed four small bronze coins.

“Wow,” Sirius chuckled. “It actually works! Should we try—”

“No,” interrupted Tonks, “it’s not a harmless toy! We should destroy it! Remus…”

“Reducto!” Remus shouted, after knocking the box from Sirius’ hand. “There! It’s done! The end of the Urn of Agrippa.”

Ending A

Story #59

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:28 pm

These stats were first posted by Finn BV - Jan 15, 2008 3:45 am (#2590 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 59 Ending A
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
azi	69
Potteraholic	94
Columbine Fairy	70
PatPat	36
Tazzygirl	2
Finn BV	7
Puck	5
Ticker	2

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 216
Total Words: 1080
Last Submission Date: #2557, January 8, 2008, time unknown. (Columbine Fairy)
Total Time to Create Story: Unknown!

These stats were first posted by Finn BV - Jan 15, 2008 3:56 am (#2592 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Statistics for Story 59 Ending B
ordered by first contribution to the story

User	# of Submissions
azi	68
Potteraholic	105
Columbine Fairy	78
PatPat	38
Tazzygirl	2
Finn BV	11
Puck	4
Ticker	3
Snuffles	1

The user in red is the rightful starter of the next story. They are welcome to pass on the privilege to the user who posted the second most number of times, who may in turn pass it to the user who posted the third number of times in the story, and so forth.

Total Submissions: 310
Total Words: 1550
Last Submission Date: #2583, January 11, 2008, 5:45 p.m. (Columbine Fairy)
Total Time to Create Story: 9 days, 10 hours, 24 minutes.

**Please note: For both versions, that the times used to record the Last Submission Date and all other time-based data for these statistics were taken by subtracting 8 hours from the time that currently appears next to posts, to (approximately) reflect regular Forum time, which is based out of San Francisco, CA. (The hour is not the only number that is off; the minutes are somewhat fast as well, but the number by which they vary has not been constant across the whole posting period, and thus they will remain as they are.)

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:34 pm

These post-story comments were first posted by Potteraholic – (date, time, and post # not copied/archived) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Post-Story Comments for Story #59, Volume V,
Potty Five Words: "The Urn of Agrippa"

This story was written from January 2, 2008 to January 12, 2008. Nine writers contributed to the story, which is 1,080 (Ending A) or (1,550 Ending B) words long. Two of the nine writers posted feedback.

- Finn BV, Jan 15, 2008 4:02 am: Whew, that was exhausting. It took 25 minutes or so to do all the postings, but a little over an hour to record all statistics and gather everything into its appropriate place. I'm worn out. Needless to say, that was not one of my favorite stories. Sorry to all, but what with the missing posts, double ending, and confusing and tiresome plot, I was happy to put it into the archives. Bring on the next story, and remember, please, let's not overthink, let's keep it simple, and let's keep it moving!

Congrats to PAH, we haven't had somebody break 100 posts in a long time!

- Potteraholic, Jan 15, 2008 4:31 am: Thanks, Finn, for getting this behemoth of a story (stories!) posted, with all the explanatory notes and different links. It sounds like it was quite a chore.   

What twisty/turny stories we write! Thought it might be nice to try and have a more light-hearted story and/or a short "nice little vignette", like "Chester" as Finn suggested here when we finished an equally twisty/turny story, "The Three-Horned Creature's Wax Seal".  

So, with that in mind, how about starting our new story with a blast from the past?

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Potteraholic Thu Jul 28, 2011 2:40 pm

This story was first posted by Potteraholic - Jan 22, 2008 5:13 am (#2816 of 2989) on the World Crossing home of the 'Harry Potter Lexicon Forum'.

Potty Five Words: "A Playground Memory"

“Breakfast!”

Lily and Petunia rushed downstairs, where their mother, Matilda had prepared yet another delicious bowl of oatmeal, like always. The girls squabbled over places at the table and tucked in.

“What are you two doing today?” Matilda asked. “We're doing some gardening. Your Dad thinks that it's time we planted some lilies and petunias!”

“That's right, my dears,” said Rupert, walking into the kitchen. “You can help if you would like.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Lily said, “but we're going to the playground.”

“No, we're not!” exclaimed Petunia. “That horrible boy will be there!”

“Who?” Matilda asked. “Are you being bullied? What happened?” Lily looked at her mother.

“I didn't do anything, Mum,” Lily began.

“Yes, you did!” protested Petunia. “You showed him your flying trick and how you could turn grey pebbles into green marbles!”

Matilda turned to Lily and frowned. “What's this? What is Pet talking about? Lil, have you forgotten what will happen if someone—”

“Yes, Mum, I know!” Lily poked her tongue out at Petunia, who was looking smug.

“Girls,” chided Rupert, ruffling their hair at the table. “Play nice. Life's too short for bickering.” Matilda laughed. “See you two later,” Rupert called, waving as the girls left the table.

“Be home before dinner,” Matilda called to her daughters as they ran out the door, still arguing.

“Lily, why do we have to go to the playground? They've got lovely salmon-colored dresses at that little shop in the High Street,” Petunia whined. “He's from Spinner's End; he dresses so oddly! Why do they wear those cloaks and—”

“They're magic! Severus, his mum; she’s got a wand and everything!”

“But he's creepy, and he makes fun of me! Please Lily, let's go to the High Street instead? Pretty please?”

Lily paused, hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed. “You told on me to Mum. I don't think you should get to choose!” Petunia's cheeks turned pink.

“Oh all right then, but I get to choose what we do tomorrow!” She turned and walked away, heading towards the playground. Lily followed, a smile on her face.

When they reached the playground, Petunia headed for the see-saw, but stopped suddenly, a flush creeping up her cheeks. It was Severus. “What are you doing here?” Petunia asked with a scowl.

Snape smirked, leaning against the fence. “The question is, what are you doing here,” he scowled right back.

“Hi, Severus!” Lily smiled. Petunia shot her a dirty look. “What's the matter with you?” Lily hissed. “Why can't you just ignore his clothes? Just because he doesn't have a lot of money doesn’t mean that he’s not a nice person!” Snape smiled as Lily's words rushed out in one breath. Petunia noticed.

“Ickle Sevvykins liked that, Lily,” she sneered.

Snape flushed. “Well, at least I can do this!” He pulled out an apple from his pocket. It exploded. Apple juice covered Petunia's clean yellow dress. “See, I don’t need to name-call. I use my brain,” Severus taunted.

Petunia broke into tears. Lily stifled a giggle before saying, with mock sternness, “Sev, look what you did to Tuney! She prefers orange juice.” Petunia stared at Lily in horror and jumped up on the red metal roundabout inches from Snape. It began to move.

THWACK! A football, hurtling through the air, suddenly smacked Petunia in the head and knocked her down. Lily hurried over to her side. “Tuney! Are you okay?” she asked, brushing the dirt off her sister’s face. Petunia looked dazed and started rubbing her head. “Where did that come from?” Lily asked, looking around the playground.

Severus was striding towards a group of boys who had resumed kicking the ball against a graffitied wall. “Oi!”

Meanwhile, Lily helped Petunia up and gently placed her hand on her sister's forehead. There was a small cut. Snape had, meanwhile, managed to get one of the boys against the wall by knocking over a nearby bench. “What the—” the boy shouted. His friends looked shocked and started to back away.

“You nearly hit my friend!” Snape yelled furiously. The boys turned and noticed Lily holding her sister. She looked even angrier than Severus. Lily removed her hand from Petunia's, marched over to the boys, and stood facing them.

“You hurt my sister! Say sorry at once!” she demanded.

Severus ran over and joined Lily. “Do as she says, or else!”

The biggest boy laughed. “What you gonna do? Sorry, you and your girlfriend,” the boy sneered. The other boys snickered. Lily and Severus, though a full head shorter than these three bullies, stood their ground, shoulder to shoulder.

“You're supposed to say sorry when you hurt someone,” Lily began, “but you hit my sister and you don’t seem to care. That’s just mean.”

The boys snickered again and started to walk away. “Come on, let’s leave these losers,” said the biggest boy.

Suddenly he was hoisted into the air and a loud bang rang out. “No! Stop!” Petunia shouted. The boy had landed on the ground and was groaning in pain. His ankle had twisted upon impact. He grabbed his leg, howling in anger.

“What did you do to him?” growled the larger of the other two boys.

Severus gave a satisfied smile and said, “I didn't lay a finger on him.”

Lily nodded, saying, “That's what happens when you mess with things and don't apologize, I guess.” The bully squared his shoulders, eyeballed the skinny pair, turned, and left.

Lily hurried back to Petunia, who looked mortified. Lily looked at the cut. “It's not that bad, Tuney.”

Petunia's lip trembled as she pointed over Lily's shoulder. One of the other boys was starting to move toward Snape. Lily turned, then ran quickly at the boy. His eyes widened in amazement. He and his friend took off as she began waving her arms and the football exploded in their midst.

“That was brilliant, Lily!” Severus said, but Petunia was frantically looking all around for the source of the explosion. Then it clicked. Magic.

“Lily,” she gasped, “you just did magic in front of those boys!”

Snape looked at her in disbelief. “She just got rid of the bullies!” While Petunia mulled that over, Lily moved toward her, putting her hand on Petunia's forehead. Lily's hand glowed, suddenly, and a tiny jolt of energy seemed to flow from her, and onto the cut, healing it completely. Petunia lifted her eyes, gave Lily a pensive look and, finally, a smile.

“That's what sisters are for,” said Lily, “and friends, too,” she added, looking at Severus.

Petunia nodded, smiling at them both.

Severus skipped back home.

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