Midnight

Isaac had never been much for celebration or huge public gatherings, but not going to the Remembering Day festivities would have felt too wrong.  He had found ways to escape it in the past, but the tenth anniversary was much too important.  He knew he should at least been seen at the fireworks that evening, the rest of the events he could pick and choose as he saw fit.

Finding a low wall that was unoccupied, he sat just as the bright rockets began to shoot up into the sky.  Around him were so many faces, both familiar and complete strangers.  Those he knew, especially his studnets, smiled at him as they passed.  He could hear the 'oohs' and 'aaahs' around him at the display going on in the sky.

It was amazing to him how ten years had flown by and yet it still seemed like only yesterday he had received word of everything that had happened.  May third would mark the ten year anniversary of when his words was so drastically changed by one letter.  That would be his true Remembering Day.

The fireworks made Emmy think of home, and how her family might be spending this day. Though she knew that they'd send her a letter telling her all the details it was times like this that she wished she could be with them.

The ten year anniversary, it had really been that long... Emmy had mingled her way through the crowds watching the fireworks as she went, she felt mellowed out by all the thinking about what had occurred those many years ago. She was so small then, and she could recall asking a bajilion questions about what was going on, and never really understanding it until she was several years older.

Running a hand through her hair she looked for a place to sit down, she wasn't much for being stuck in a crowd alone. It was then she spotted Professor Fraiser sitting by one of the lower walls. Seeing that she was already headed in that direction she figured why not join him.

"Hey Professor, mind if I join you?" Emmy gave one of her usual friendly smiles in addition, hopping to also not catch him to off guard.

A voice drew Isaac from his thoughts and he looked up with a smile at the familiar face of the fourth year student approaching him.  Emmy was one of the brighter students, never seeming to fall in with into the background of whatever was popular.  He certainly considered he one of the leaders amongst the students.

"Please sit, Miss Darknight," he said, motioning to the spot next to him.

He was a bit surprised to see one of the students wandering through the crowds alone.  It wasn't that he expected anything to happen, but when surrounded by such a large group one could never be sure.  He was also glad for the company, knowing that if he were alone he would only continue to dwell on the past which he could never change.

"Are you enjoying the festivities so far?"

There were far too many strangers at Hogwarts for the suspicious,  conspiracy theorist that Faelyn was. She didn't trust most people and avoid large crowds unless she was up on a stage, even then she had protection.  Fae walked around the grounds looking for the best spot to sit and watch the fire works. She wanted an area that would protect her back but allow her to see people before they noticed her, or at least gave her a better advantage. You never knew who would show up to remembering day. Death eaters had family that wanted to honor them to.

Faelyn walked rather slow with her wand held out in front of her lighting the path. The stars were hidden by the smoke from the silly fireworks. Faelyn wondered how one created them. It would be an interesting project learning how to make them . She wondered where she should look to find the answer.

Faelyn frowned when she heard voices a head of her sitting on a wall away from the crowd. Her small light showed that it was the muggle studies professor and her closest friend Emmy. Fae walked over extinguishing her light as she walked next to them. She didn't want to blind them.

" Any objections?" She asked as she hopped up onto the wall next to Emmy. She flashed her friend a smile, not that she would see it in the near darkness. Faelyn felt a little uncomfortable about the professor. She liked what she had heard about him since she didn't take muggle studies but she didn't fully trust him.

"How do muggles create fireworks?" She asked not being able to put the subject out of her mind.

"Please sit, Miss Darknight,"

Emmy smirked and took the spot next to the professor. "Why thank you kind sir," she replied settling herself in. Emmy liked the Professor, he was definitely one of a kind, and he seemed, at times, almost as laid back as she could be. "Oh and please call me Emmy, or Em.. Which ever seems fine, Miss makes me feel old," she joked in a slightly more girly voice than her usual one.

Emmy was comforted by the fact that she found somebody in the mass of festivites that she was comfortable around.  Muggle  Studies was one of her stronger suits, due to the fact that half of her family was either a muggle or a squib.  Through frequent visits and numerous letters she knew enough about the muggle world to understand why the magical world was kept hidden away.

"Are you enjoying the festivities so far?

"Hmm?" she shrugged slightly "Yeah, except for the fact that my family couldn't make it this evening," she added. "Other than that things have gone well.. How about you Professor?" Emmy tucked her bangs behind her ears looking briefly at Isaac before turning her head up towards the sky watching the rainbowic barrage of colors.


" Any objections?"

Not glancing down as Faelyn seated herself  next to Emmy. With a small smirk "Well you are already seated so how could I say no?" she replied teasing her friend.  She'd known Fae since the middle of their first year. Fae was certainly a bit more bubbly than Emmy, but she preferred things that way. 

"How do muggles create fireworks?"

Emmy glanced down at Fae with a smile, "Well you see Fae, it all started with the.. Chinese.. They used gunpowder and some other technical stuff that I'm to lazy to say to make fireworks.. When the British invaded China they adopted fireworks and it's spread since then.. So technically its a bunch of pyrotechnics... Nothing magical about it. Just rather mystifying to watch, they are very different from ours here, but still just as fun to watch," a bright red firework light up the sky just then. 

As Emmy settled herself on the wall, Isaac chuckled a bit.  Her humor was not lost on him, as he sometimes found formalities necessary but tedious.  He watched the fireworks for a moment as she answered nodding slightly when she mentioned her family.  With his father’s health being so poor his parents had not ventured out to join the crowds.

“I must say, it’s quite an event they’ve planned,” he said in response to her question.  Further explanation was cut short by the approach of another student.  After a moment of thought he identified her in his mind as Faelyn Bancroft, another fourth year from Ravenclaw.  She had yet to take a Muggle Studies class, and he knew little about her other then he had seen her with Emmy before.

"How do muggles create fireworks?"

He had been about to respond when Emmy jumped in.  He listened to her answer, looking down at both of the girls for a moment.  He resisted the urge to turn into the professor and fill in the blanks; instead he gave a slight approving nod and turned his attention back to the sky. 

"Just because I'm sitting doesn't mean you can't object. What if I were sitting on an egg, or something?" She teased as she began to kick her legs back and forth in a child like manner. If her mother spotted her doing such a thing she'd be up mud creek without a wand.  At the moment she was hiding from her family who kept trying to give her advice on how to play Molly Weasley. Even her Father had come to the festivities. He had dared to bring his new girl friend.

Faelyn was not satisfied with the basic answer. She wanted to know how to  make them. "Just gun powder ? How boring. There must be something else . How are the patterns and colors formed?" She asked turning to the professor, her eyes bright with the bug of learning.

Emmy giggled, something rather un-common at least for Professor Isaac to witness. When in good company outside of a classroom Emmy let her walls down. "An egg huh? That could be messy and uncomfortable if you ask me.. But to each his own, I always say," she replied looking over at Fae.

 "Just gun powder ? How boring. There must be something else . How are the patterns and colors formed?"

"I being lazy, can you blame me?" she smirked slightly "There's tons more, but hey Professor why don't you fill in my huge loop holes?" She asked looking over at Professor Isaac with a grin. She should have known Fae wouldn't be satisfied with her simplistic answer on fireworks, but who better to fill in her blanks than Isaac. After all Emmy had been vague on purpose just to be slightly annoying, she knew Fae would understand, she'd put up with Emmy's antics for a good three and a half years already.

Isaac smiled slightly as they asked for a more detailed answer.  He folded his arms across his chest, looking up at the sky for one more moment.  As long as they girls were a receptive audience he would humor them.  After all, it was his subject area, even if the basics of fireworks was not his favorite choice of subjects.

"Well, the colors are determined by the type of metal that is being burned," he said, looking back over at them, taking on his usual 'professor' tone for a moment.  "Different metals will burn a different color.  For example, the metaltitanium will burn a bright silver color."

As another firework lit the night sky he turned back to look again and then continued, "Now, the patterns depends upon the make up of the materials placed within the shell of the firework, and specifically what are known as stars.  The stars are made up of materials that will produce sparks when ignited by an explosion within the shell.  A pattern is made within the shell with the stars, and each has it's own explosive charge that, when ignited, will cause the star to burn and be pushed outward into the desired pattern."