17 March 2012
1pm, a little after the protest ends: 17 Mar 2012 - We Have Not Yet Begun to Burn
Road from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts

Zeta was feeling that aggravating mixture of tired and wired. She was babbling to her fellow Peppers as they walked back towards the castle, trying to process the exhilaration and frustration of their mixed-success protest at Zonko's.

"I don't know what I expected," she said, turning to walk backwards. "I do know that the smoke bomb was not us. Now people are going to think we're a bunch of brawling quiddy hooligans. I mean, they deserved it, but ... And who put up those messages?"[1]

Zeta hated thinking she'd let things get out of hand again, but it wasn't her fault so many of these kids were so uneducated. It was one thing to try and fix issues in the world, and quite another to have your own werewolf rights groups being immature and ignorant. At least Rigel and Feliks Spectre hadn't come. Troublesome boys with big blabby mouths.

But on the other hand, it could have been outside people trying to sabotage their credibility and sow discord. Maybe that meant they were doing the right thing. No matter what, though, Zeta knew her sisters and cousins would have her back. Hufflepuff shows up, but Peppers stick together.

1.	"SAWS Bite Back! Werewolf Rights!" - Yume Hatsui; "Pull the pops or Lucinda will Bite!" - Allura Bythesea.

“… I mean, they deserved it, but .. and who put up those messages?”

“Wasn’t it that… ‘in your face’ girl?” Ambrose tried his best to explain, hands in the pockets of his warm brown coat which he liked for work.[1]

“You mean Yume?” Tim suggested, two strides behind his brother, a collection of SAWS placards worth keeping stacked over his shoulder, bound with a rope charm. The top one was black with bold white letters of one of their eventual chants We stand up for werewolf rights.
“Oh yeah, Yume,” Ambrose nodded over his shoulder, conscious of how many names had begun to fade from his memory for not being at school every day.

“She meant well, but I think she got whipped up in the excitement, you know.” Tim continued, ”A lot of people did.” He defended his housemate and classmate. “I don’t think she did all of it though…” He added in a quieter voice, readjusting the stack, wondering if he was better to levitate them, and eyed his cousin’s technique ahead of him.

“Well, they took note,” Theta replied, in a calm and steady manner. “Maybe it wasn’t exactly how you planned, but it seemed to have the desired impact.” The banner bobbed in her wake as a bundle, floating behind her right shoulder. Eta clung onto her left arm, overjoyed to see her biggest sister.

“Nobody will want to buy them now they’re stinky!” Eta claimed confidently, beaming.

“I dunno Zee, I think it’s cool people turned up when you asked. I wouldn’t knock it,” Ambrose shrugged, curling the bottom of his coat as he turned his hands in the pockets.

1.	From the other thread: He was wearing jeans, a red t-shirt with a dragon on and a warm brown coat he wore for work. It had golden abraxan hair rubbed on the arm where he’d met one and a burn mark on the other elbow where a fire-breathing chicken belched before he could trap it.

The other Peppers were all being very supportive and there were no layered choruses that the whole thing had been a disaster, so Zeta had to believe it could be relied on. Theta brought an ancient wisdom, Ambrose brought a sweet-cheeked gold-star-for-effort, Tim had the ear of everyone at school, and Eta - Eta had her visions.

"Well if Eta says so, it must come to pass," Zeta teased with wide eyes, but then attempted to make a linked row of three with Eta and Theta (albeit out of order). One day maybe, Eta would unlock her third eye, or whatever, and make fools of them all. In the meantime, her predictions were at best aspirational and inspiring, and at worse grim and gory.

"Did you get an eyefull of Osha's cousin? I thought someone had called the Aurors for a second," Zeta said, brightening up. Omari Warrington was an full Auror but had played it cool and let the demonstration run its course.

Eta giggled at her middle sister, pleased of the validation of her long-sought seeing abilities (even though she was marooned in a family of artists and metalworkers.)

“Auror Warrington?” Theta echoed, “Oh yeah, he’s quite the catch isn’t he?” She gave that smile that read ‘I know what you’re thinking’ to Zeta. Their letters had exchanged thoughts and suggestions of who Theta should try and date in a dry spell after her first long relationship. It was nice to gossip a little in person, even if Tim and Ambrose got to hear it.

“You know he came to question Josie at St Mungo’s when she couldn’t remember what happened for three days,” Theta added, not sure if she had mentioned in one of the letters. “Put it this way, she wasn’t as worried when he was around.” Josie had just spent a while with them in the pub getting all she needed to write what they hoped would be a decent article for whoever would buy it.

“Tsh, witches.” Tim teased from behind, looking to his brother for reaction, and shook his head. Ambrose, ahead of him, was looking confused for some reason, piecing something together on his own, lips apart as if he had been about to say something.

“Next time you’re over in the holidays I’ll suggest Fauna invites him over for you.” Theta suggested, winking at Zeta. “Talking of wizards, don’t know what Bagnold’s thing was though, seemed like half of Hogwarts wanted a word.” Theta shrugged and shook her head.

"Ew!" Zeta blushed at Theta. "No! Old men for old ladies!"

At the mention of the werewolf hunter, Zeta scoffed. "Bold of him to show up. Read the room! Guess they have nothing better to do off a full moon than harass a scary crowd of students holding scary signs."

Now she was stewing. "Don't know how Fauna can stand to be so chummy. Figaro I understand because Figaro but he tried to arrest Fauna. I don't understand some people. You know if he had half the chance, Bagnold would lock up Lucinda and Greer and the Headmaster and never let them out. And Ollie! I was really hoping she'd show..."

This had all started with Olivia Foley, hadn't it? Must be a heavy burden.

“… holding scary signs.”

“Akira’s colours were pretty scary,” Tim added, referring to the signs. It had certainly caught the eye. Zeta was off on one though, ranting about Fauna, who Tim vaguely knew was one of the names of Theta’s housemates, then Figaro, who Tim remembered from when he was at school. Somewhat infamous was Figaro Sellaphix.

“… Bagnold would lock up Lucinda and Greer and the Headmaster and never let them out. And Ollie! I was really hoping she’d show…”

“Maybe something came up,” Tim suggested, level-headedly. “I’m sure she would have been there if she could be. Lots of people did come,” Tim looked tentatively to the others for backup, suddenly feeling exposed speaking out like this when Zeta was in one of her moods.

“I think he’s gay…?” Ambrose suddenly spoke out loud, and Tim stumbled over a non-existent stone, taken by surprise.

“Ollie’s a girl” Eta informed in that know-it-all kind of tone that girls could put on.

“Who? No, Auror Warrington.” Ambrose had been on the previous topic and tuned out, head busy with his thoughts rather than the current conversation. This was nothing unusual, but was supplying added confusion and humour quite without intention.

“He is?” Theta looked surprised but quickly tried to cover her expression, “I mean, oh, yes, of course. Zeta was talking about Kurby Bagnold from the Werewolf Capture Unit, Ambrose.” Theta recovered.

“Maybe Fauna fancies him?” Tim suggested with a shrug. “That makes people act funny.” It had certainly made Akira act funny, and she was already pretty funny in a harmless way.

Tim, ever the mediator. One would think he was a middle child, but no. Tim was just Tim. Zeta wondered what it would be like to be as easy-going as Tim, taking things as they came, keeping his judgements to himself.

"Fauna doesn't fancy Bagnold. Besides, I thought Fauna was gay?" Zeta piped in, easily keeping up with the rapid way her sisters and cousins carried on conversation.

"Bisexuality exists," put in Eta, continuing to be the most informed Pepper, at least on the match-ups of the older Hufflepuff set apparently.

"I know!" Zeta sniffed and gave Eta a little shove as they still walked arm-in-arm. She couldn't remember if she knew that or not, actually, but it was as likely as anything. She might've been happy to keep trading theories on strange pair-ups and sexualities. However, Zeta Pepper was still miffed about the protest.

"If I find out who popped off that smoke bomb, I'm going to hex off all their hair so it never grows back," she said. "And make them smell like armpit and rotten eggs forever. This school sucks."

She kept saying that. Day to day, Zeta was either overflowing with energy and engagement in all the trappings of Hogwarts or sulking around and blowing off essays. The truth was, it wasn't as bad as she made it out to be, but the unpleasant stuff stood out and it felt like growing up and leaving (like Ambrose had, and Theta) would solve it all.   

“… Besides, I thought Fauna was gay?”
“Bisexuality exists-”
“I know!” The witches bickered.

“I think so…” Theta added though did not issue the information about her trainee auror housemate with authority like she might transfiguration advice.

“She is? I can’t keep up…” Tim replied quietly behind them, rubbing his forehead. He’d only just got his first (sugar-driven-hyperactive) girlfriend and they were just the hand-holding, hugging and bashful cheek kissing sort.

“Hah, welcome to my world.” Ambrose teased his brother, and cuffed him round the shoulder in a motion of solidarity. Tim smiled, missing his big brother despite it all. It had been good to see him again for the first time in months, and not to have to change dirty nappies.

“If I find out who popped off that smoke bomb I’m going to….” Zeta was off on one again. “… This school sucks.”

“It’s not that bad,” Ambrose stuck up for Hogwarts, “I would never take the meals for granted, and you get to hang out with your mates all day when you’re not in lessons.”

“Next you’ll be saying you miss going to lessons.” Tim teased.

“Why was the stink bomb so bad?” Ambrose asked, “It stopped people buying Zonko stuff, and they closed. Yeah, it stank.”

“I think Zeta wanted it to be peaceful,” Theta chipped in, “Wasn’t it?”

Ambrose! Zeta could only roll her eyes and shake her head at her cousin's insufferable level-headedness, always with the dopey cheery outlook. He was hard to hate, but he was, indeed, an utter menace. Tim did the duty of teasing Ambrose for the rest of them.

At least Theta was paying attention.

"Well, not peaceful peaceful. A level of obnoxiousness is required of activists. But our plan was, like, you know, clever signs and rude chants and crossly-worded speeches... A stink bomb is like ... warfare or something. The distinction makes sense in my head," Zeta insisted, feeling now her limitations in the theoretical side of the business.

"That manager was absolutely raging, though, wasn't he," Zeta said with a sniff and a laugh. "He had absolutely no clue what he was talking about! What an idiot. Reckon he'll get sacked, Eta? One Josie prints her story?"

“Totally!” Eta exclaimed, and then sobered, “I mean, I will do a thorough reading when we get back.” She nodded in an assured way, keen to use any opportunity to try and use her divination skills (or lack of).

“He was rather irate,” Theta agreed. “Perhaps he wasn’t the person who wrote back to you all?” She hadn’t seen the replies but understood from the others that they had been fill in the gaps exercises and not at all personal or thoughtful. Then again, could you picture the complaints department at Zonko’s? The number of prank victims seizing their quill and parchment to write about how cruel or unfunny the pranks were? It was no wonder they had turned to that response.

Theta didn’t share her insight on being the other side of the ‘adult veil’ so to speak. To learn that the real world was murky grey and not so black and white clear cut that your childhood had you believe could get you down when you were on a mission.

“Josie certainly seemed to ask enough questions of everyone to get enough information for a story. But be prepared for it not to be picked up, she will have to sell it. It might end up in the Snitch, but it could then get picked up… Have you tried writing to the letters page of the Prophet? I definitely feel Nicola Bourbaki could get behind this.” She winked at Zeta.

Her sister was in on it - that regular Prophet letters page correspondent, Nicola Bourbaki, who wrote in eloquently on inequality and other current affairs, was Theta. It had begun when she was at school, aware that if she wrote in as a student her letter would end up in the dragon shredder, but adopting a pseudonym and posing as a grown-up would give her a chance. The name had come from her arithmancy book, where a collection of mathematicians had written under the name Nicolas Bourbaki.

Theta often wondered if ‘Nicola’ would find it easier to find a decent wizard to date…

Many of the Peppers had found it best to humor Eta's conviction that she had The Gift - it avoided impossible fights and would, time to time, provide amusements. Zeta managed this encouragement well on her better days. Maybe one day, Eta would have her own fortune-telling shop and counsel all kinds of people in their problems, Gift or no.

"You let me know," Zeta said to Eta without too much sarcasm.

But Theta had something constructive to say! Zeta released linked arms with her sisters and skipped ahead a step, her red hair bouncing in the messy bun on top of her head.

"Oh, wise Theta, eldest of three," Zeta giggled. She wasn't too old nor too young to have fallen out of love with her sister who seemed to know how everything worked. Nicola Bourbaki - her greatest invention. Zeta wished she could be as savvy and chaotic as that, to slip by expectations and find a big voice in a big world.

"Fantastic. First the Howler, then the world," she said holding up a finger.

It was about then that one of the fourth years came up the path heading the other way.

"Have you all seen Lucinda?" she asked not slowing much.

"Up at the protest, but it's over," Zeta replied, now realizing Lucinda must have left before they were done because she wasn't in the final huddle.

“Perhaps he wasn’t the person who wrote back to you all?”

Tim thought that it was likely an enchanted typewriter wrote back to them, if he was brutally honest. He hoped a human couldn’t be so cold, but then he was a scholar of history of magic and defence against the dark arts. Could a typewriter write a ‘poison pen’ letter? There was a thought…

“Fantastic. First the Howler, then the world.” Zeta held a finger up.

“Hurrah!” Tim echoed, smiling genuinely. “Hope so!” It would be awesome to see them in print. He was imagining a photo of them all chanting and waving their placards over a headline STUDENTS STRIKE… no something snappier or wittier…

One of Tim’s classmates, Isla approached from the direction of the castle.

“Have you all seen Lucinda?”
“Up at the protest, but it’s over.” Zeta replied quickly.

“Hey.” Tim greeted. Blushing ever so slightly. He had once harboured a bit of a crush on her, but it had mostly passed.
“Hey.” Isla skipped on past, and Tim found his smile lingering. The other girls she was with were eyeing up Ambrose and whispering.

“Have a good time,” Ambrose wished them well, mostly oblivious to their tittering. Tim rolled his eyes.

“So is there like a magic cupboard in the Hufflepuff common room we can put these in, or are we carrying these back for exercise?” Tim asked, once again shuffling the placards on his shoulder. “Or are we going back again tomorrow?”

The thing between Tim and Isla did not go unnoticed, but Zeta kept quiet about them until after Isla and her friends were out of earshot.

"She's pretty," Zeta then observed finding a way to bump into Tim, then breezed on.

"That letter was from some public relations person," she said, confirming suspicions it wasn't the sorry manager.[1] "But it doesn't matter. We'll regroup and come up with our next move. And not tomorrow. Dear me, I wish we could smuggle in some wine. I could use a glass or several. Maybe I should become a delinquent."

They were rounding the bend now and the castle seemed to burst into view, rising up over the trees on its rocky tor.

1.	1 Mar 2-12 - Can't Stop Won't Stop

"What have you tried?" Ambrose asked, surprised. He might have been a Gryffindor but doing such a thing had never crossed his mind. He hadn't been that interested in alcohol, but understood now it was part of the culture of the Beast Division, and the aurors.

"Of course she hasn't." Theta replied quickly, interrupting, as she could see Eta's metaphorical ears pricking at the possibility of it. She shot Zeta a cautious look over their youngest sister's head.

"Be a bad omen to go again tomorrow, huh, Eta?" Tim quickly swooped in to distract, "Give us a hand to carry, my arms are killing me..."
"Can sore arms kill you?!" The younger Peppers trotted ahead with the bundle.

"It was all about billywig stings the other year..." Ambrose shrugged, dipping back, and asked in a quieter voice to Zeta, "that still a thing?"

"I thought those were on the caretaker's banned list now too." Theta shook her head. "Zee, you don't need wine or billywig stings. What you did today was a triumph, even if it hasn't gone exactly to plan. SAWS hasn't made so much noise in quite some terms."

"Yeah, Theta's right," Ambrose agreed, brightening up. They paused on the track, the castle now fully ahead of them, home to three of the five Peppers on their journey. "I wish I could sneak into your common room and celebrate with you. I bet the first and second years can't wait to hear how it went."

"Fauna, Figaro and the rest of us old lot wouldn't have turned up if we didn't believe in it too. So, keep it up. Dad's proud of you too, even if Mum sent her caution." Theta added, reaching out to sweep her middle sister into a reassuring hug. Ambrose piled on with a jump, and with a clatter Tim and Eta dropped the signs, rushing to join in, Eta merrily squeaking 'Pepper bundle!' 

Zeta had shook her head distastefully to confirm that no, billywig stings are no longer in vogue. The students had found them to be too much hassle for very little pay-off and they were indeed on the contraband list.

But oh, Merlin, the sincerity! Zeta might pretend to cringe at it, the earnest show of emotion and affection, but the praise of her older sister sent Zeta soaring like a comet inside. Ambrose on some level as well. It made her feel like maybe they were doing something that mattered after all. She tried to force down a smile but couldn't manage it - the corners of her mouth lifted and her ears went pink as she got swarmed.

"Oh, stop! I'll drown in the sweetness of it all," she said even as she returned the hug. "And someone needs a wash!"

There was giggling and someone kissed her cheek.

"I think if we get chastised by faculty we'll know for sure we've done something good," she half-joked, still attached to the contradictory goal of putting rightness in the world and earning clout through misbehavior.

Up ahead, the signs spilled on the path were in danger of getting dirty. "Wingardium leviosa," Zeta incanted once the Pepper Bundle disintegrated. The lot of them floated along into the air making the image of a ghostly march ahead of them.

"Am," she addressed her cousin after a moment, "do you ever go to the Werewolf Wing?"