McHaggis

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Siobhan rolled her eyes, muttering, "Boys." She tapped her nose -- for once, it appeared she knew something that Kyle didn't -- and grinned. "I'll tell you some other time."

The night was getting colder, betraying the fact that it was September; the wind had already picked up by the time they got to the stairs and hurried inside. Siobhan nodded, wondering whether there were any interesting spells she could learn from library books rather than teachers, but she couldn't wait to get there. Dinner at the Gryffindor table would not be fun, she predicted.

As they split up, Siobhan took a seat right at the end where all the other first years seemed to gather, greeting Yvette with a quiet hello. The muggleborn girl was her only friend inside her house, though she seemed better suited to Hufflepuff. The brunette was too timid. She wondered if Kyle would dislike her on principle, if only because of her impure blood.

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Siobhan rubbed her chin contemplatively before unhelpfully offering, "Go to his class?"

She tucked her hair behind her ears, looking back over at the corner of the castle walls that now separated them from Alistair and his gang. Her nose wrinkled involuntarily. "He really doesn't like Snape... but I'm 90% sure that it was all to show off for your sister... " Siobhan felt nonplussed about the whole situation; her brother never was a good leader, at least in the few times she remembered them playing with other children on the mainland. He always made things so complicated until he got them all wrapped up in a tangled web of rules and orders. "Alistair's giving you some responsibility so he can get in good with her. Though I'd say he genuinely wants to know why he doesn't like me."

"Besides," she continued. "Didn't you ever play spy games as a kid? They were so fun. Just treat it a bit like that."

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

That's really cool! I'd like, die for one of my shorts to be published.

I was going to, but I have bucket loads of work to do and a dissertation to start writing. I might do a partial NaNoWriMo, or aim for like, 25,000 words of one of my fanfiction/original fiction plotbunnies.

I'm finding RP to be good practice at writing anyway. Only started recently. :D

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Siobhan watched carefully -- too carefully -- at what Kyle would probably think were the wrong things. Every now and then, Alistair would twist around ever so slightly to glance at Maggie. He wasn't looking for approval, didn't need it, but it was almost as if he was checking...

Ew, no! The younger MacFusty shook her head to clear it of the observations. That outcome would be bad for Alistair, she knew. Maggie wasn't someone she'd trust with her brother's life, and yet he seemed to trust it with her intimately.

"First thing tomorrow," Alistair repeated, more to himself than anyone else. He turned to address the others. "Here's the thing -- an' it might make me a bit unpopular -- but I don't like Snape. There's something off about him getting the Defense position now of all times, 'specially when our 'esteemed Headmaster' has a fatal curse on his damn hand."

The boy named Craig seemed poised to interrupt again, and Siobhan watched as her brother expertly shut him down with a icy glare. Whoa, what was that all about? When did he learn to do it? Why did he have the power to do it? "I know he's our head of house. I know the - Dark Lord - uses him as a spy. But I swear he's a double agent, and not one on our side. Don't you want to be the ones to turn in a traitor, if it turns out he is one?"

Alistair leaned over to quietly whisper to Siobhan and Kyle, flicking his wand in a circular pattern with a sharp jab in the middle. A girl with long blonde locks grimaced and tapped on her ear in a manner as if trying to empty it of water. Small frowns were evident on everyone else, save Maggie, who didn't seem perturbed by anything. "Damn it, Ali!" she said, though it sounded to them as if she were so very far away and whispering, barely audible. "Did ya have to use that stupid privacy ward?"

Siobhan wondered what the spell was and how she could get it for use in Potions with Slughorn.

"Here's the deal," Alistair started. "Yeah, I don't trust Snape, but he's well aware I'm a Death Eater so he's not going to do or say anything in a class of Slytherin upper years. I want you to look for anything strange -- anything at all -- and... find out why he was proper glaring at my sister when she came over to the Slytherin table, right?" His sister blinked in surprise. She hadn't noticed the ex-Potions professor's presence at breakfast, but Alistair clearly had. She supposed that was evidence enough that he was looking out for her.

Craig, obviously fed up judging from the sour expression on his face, shot a finite incantatem at the area around Alistair's head and her brother grinned wickedly. Sound returned to normal. "Run along now, children. I have a duel to start, and the spells are going to be too dangerous for your virgin minds."

Siobhan predicted that her brother would have been crazy enough to be in Gryffindor too. Suspicions that Craig was really a good friend of Alistair's and that they were merely putting on a show for the young'uns arose swiftly. She didn't miss Maggie's raised eyebrow, either.

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

published author

Well that right there's the ideal future/ultimate dream :p

I think I'll settle for teaching, maybe university lecturing if I'm good enough for it (probably not). I went through a phase a couple months ago where I was like, "Oh, I should teach English abroad," but then I realised I can't speak any foreign languages.

What did you publish?

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Haha yeah, that's the dream. Applying for my English Lit/English Language courses now x)

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Ah, edited my post too. Sorry the post took so long, got caught up in Uni applications.

Figured I might just as well throw in some Alistair being all fabulous in there, but it was a bit rushed :3

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Siobhan felt suddenly out of place, even though Alistair was her brother and she shouldn't. Though she wasn't at all small for her age, two of the older Slytherins were massive - built like brick walls with faces looking like they'd been smashed in, or at the very least seen a hard life. She watched Alistair carefully, all too aware of the red and gold on her Gryffindor tie.

Alistair raised an eyebrow at Maggie as she distanced herself, if only slightly, from the group. "You don't seem to like it," he said genially. "Am I not allowed to introduce my cute little sister to mean the ol' Slytherins? Just 'cause she's in the wrong house doesn't mean she can't be guided in the right direction."

"You're a weirdo, MacFusty," said one of the boys, alternating between sending lost-puppy glances at Maggie, who seemed to be completely ignoring him or disinterested entirely in his presence, and staring stoically in challenge at Siobhan's brother. She wondered what that meant -- perhaps Alistair had "called dibs" on Kyle's sister, as he once said about life in the Slytherin dorms before. "She's probably turn around and go straight to McGonagall, rat us out and the like."

"Rat us out for what, Craig?" Alistair mocked in an innocent-sounding voice. His following laugh was crueler and colder than Siobhan had ever heard before. "'Sides, I got stuff for them to do. Sure as hell don't trust any of yous to take care of things after the year's out. Save Mags, of course."

Siobhan watched as he ran a tired hand through curly blonde hair, eyes tightening for only a split second before he was striding to the side. "Kyle! How's life been treating you so far? Good? Okay then," he said, quickly enough so as to cut off any attempts Kyle would make to respond. The Death Eater's sister raised an eyebrow at his rude antics, and he sighed in response. "I have an important, important task for you in particular. If you do it, I might make you 'King of the Firsties' -- crown and all -- ah..."

Maggie had given him a flat look, and Alistair deflated slightly. "When do you next have Defense?" he asked finally in a low voice, close enough now to the two first years that only they could hear him. Despite his previous words, Siobhan thought he didn't look all too fussed or serious about it, a sly half-smile plastered across his face.

Something told her, perhaps the part of her mind that wanted to be in and should have been in Slytherin, that this would be a fool's errand to keep them busy.

The Relics

I'm Scottish.

Name doesn't have enough patriotism in it. I call shenanigans.

Forsaken Children of War (Kirah and McHaggis)

Around a mouthful of apple, Siobhan grinned at Kyle. Even though the air was chilly -- it was September after all -- she was sure that nothing could dampen her perfect mood. Potions with Slughorn, though horrible, still allowed her time spent with her friend rather than Gryffindors.

As Kyle had told her about his dorm, Siobhan informed him of how Gryffindor tower was so high -- it had a view of all the grounds and the Quiddich Pitch; even if everything was all red and gold on the inside. It felt like summer inside, the crackling of the fire and the bright lights.

Siobhan stared out across the lake at the gathering of Slytherins, noting Maggie's presence. She wondered what the book was in her hands -- whether or not it was something dark. Not that it mattered of course; Alistair probably read things like those as well.

And there he was, her brother, bent over to read over Maggie's shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up, presumably because they were on the far side of the lake and nobody could see the Dark Mark that stained his arm. Siobhan didn't know what it meant, only what it was called. Of course, she got a plain view of it when he waved Kyle and her over. She wondered whether that meant he was in support of her new friendship with Maggie's brother, or at least trusted him enough to keep his mouth shut from the teachers about whatever taboo the tattoo symbolised.

"We should probably go and see what they want, right?" Siobhan twirled her hair around her fingers nervously.