27. Muffliato
mini challenge twenty-seven: Healer {2014 Days of Potter}

Slipping a sign outside of the treehouse that read 'Consulting Detectives', Simon set to work to fix up the room into making it appear more like an office. A few minutes later, Ethan dashed into the room and then collapsed on the nearest couch, making a variety of muffled noises. "Mate, I can't understand you. What's wrong?" he said, smirking as he placed his notebook on the journal.

Ethan lifted his head slowly to look at Simon. "Jo.. She... She didn't show up to the ball. I had asked her, but..." Ethan moved his lips, but no noise came out. The Aussie knew exactly how Ethan felt. Having feelings for such a girl for a long time and then having her stand you up was hard to deal with. And Simon had been pretty certain that she had had feelings for his mate. Not knowing what to say, Simon just stared for a moment. It was as if someone had cast the Quieting Spell on him.

After a few moments, Ethan looked up. His eyes were a little red and swollen. "I think I need a Healer."

Detective work could wait. Matters of the heart were important.

26. Morsmordre

Simon had been daydreaming about solving cases when he heard the door to the Slytherin Boys Dormitory enter. He looked down at his textbook. "Wotcha up to Simon?" said an oh-so-familiar voice. The Snake bit his lip as a shiver went down his back. He knew that voice so well. It was Cutty Mordaunt. Cutty was a complex kettle of fish. Simon didn't know where he stood with Cutty. They had been friends once during their third year, but something happened mid-way during the year and the boys grew apart. Simon didn't know why. It always bugged him that he didn't know why or how they had fallen apart as friends. Perhaps it was because he became closer to Cutty's cousin, Ethan. Or perhaps it was because of the resemblance that Simon to Tobias Tempus. The Australian boy had heard that Tobias and Cutty had been very close as well.

Simon glanced up from his textbook to gaze at Cutty. Merlin, the other Mordaunt had grown taller. "Reading the Herbology chapters to ready myself for OWLS. How are you?"

"Well enough... Werking on some more potions. Want to try one?"

Cutty was always up to no good.

37. Relashio

With his notebook in his left hand and quill in his right, Simon began jotting down several notes of clues that he had found around the castle. He was interrupted from his thoughts by another student. "You may want to add cookie crumb trail found right outside Professor Culloden's office?" suggested a familiar voice which made Simon feel as if his stomach was filled with butterflies.

Bianca Caruso.
She was an enigma to him.
Beautiful, bright, bold, kind, intriguing, and sassy. Slightly aggravating too.

Simon was happy to see her. "Miss Adler, how can I be of service?" he said with a slight bow and flashed her a flirtatious grin. Bianca smirked at him, approaching him slowly. She reached out to take a look at his notebook and then ended up grabbing it to read it. "Uhh.. What are you doing?" he asked slightly confused about what was happening.

Bianca winked at him. "Solving your cases."

Simon gaped. Those were his cases though. MERLIN. She should get her own cases to solve. Instead of freaking out, Simon smirked and quickly cast the Revulsion Jinx. Then he left. "Thank you. I'll see you later, Miss Caruso."

4. Blasting Curse

He dipped his quill into the inkwell and began writing his essay for charms. He only had two hours left before it was due. Unfortunately he had left it to the last minute due to other pressing crimes that needed solving.

The Blasting Curse, also known as Confringo, is a spell used to make an object that it comes into contact with burssstt...

Someone had bumped into him, making his quill slip. The result was a horrid line across the page. Simon bit his lip and ripped the piece of paper out of his notebook. Then he tossed into the fireplace into the Slytherin common room. He dipped his pen back into the inkwell and made a second attempt at his homework.

The Blasting Curse, also known as Confringo, is a spell used to make an object that it comes into contact with burst into flames....

Five minutes passed before someone bumped into him, making him draw an even bigger ink stain on his paper. He ripped out a piece of paper from his notebook crumpled it up and cast the blasting curse. The paper turned a vibrant orange and burst into flames. Simon Holden was not happy.

49. Wingardium Leviosa
Dedicated to Weasley Girl's innocent Hugo

After putting the books away, Simon turned to Hugo and grinned. He wanted to know about Animagi. The boy was quite the eager beaver, huh? He smirked. Did he KNOW anything about Animagus'. Please. Simon practically lived amongst the books in the library. Besides a wand to duel, the use of knowledge was his preferred sparring weapon. "Well, I know a lot of things about them. What do you want to know in particular? There are many books about Animagi."

If he had been a cartoon character, a light bulb would have appeared above his head for Simon Holden had figured out just the book the boy needed. "Come this way. I know a couple of books that'll help." He waved the boy to one of the aisles. He pulled out a book, flipped the pages until he reached the section on Animagus. "Here's your basic information on Animagus. What sort of information would you like to know?" The boy raised his eyebrows curiously.

Yeah, deal with it. Simon was just as cool as Hermione Granger when she said "Wingardium Leviosaaah". Mhmm.. All he needed was some shades and Grayson Whitlock to stand behind him looking super cool.

17. Imperio
Dedicated to IBeJenn's Bianca

Simon had received Bianca's coded cry for help and had literally run up all seven flights of stairs as fast as he could. When he made it to the top, he continued running down the corridor. He was on an adrenaline rush. He didn't need to breathe. He slowed down when he found a body lying on the icy seventh floor corridor. His blue eyes widened when he realised who it was. "Bianca!" he cried as he ran over towards her. She didn't move at all. She didn't even look like she was breathing. Gently picking her up, he felt for a pulse, trying to determine if she had simply been knocked out or if she was dead. His heart beat faster. Perhaps he was too late. He continued to search for a pulse.

Could he use magic? Who knew? Maybe she was under an enchantment like the Imperius Curse.

He leaned down, bringing himself closer to her rosebud lips. Next thing, he knew her eyes flung open and she smirked at him. "Honestly, Watson, if you wanted to plant one on me, just ask."

"Err.. I wasn't planning on doing that. Don't be silly, Bianca.... Adler"

5. Colloportus
Dedicated to Mordred's Ethan

Simon Holden flipped the sign that read 'Consulting Detectives inside' to the reverse which read 'We're away. Come again another day'. Then he went back inside the Treehouse to relax beside his best mate. Ethan hadn't been doing so well during the last meeting for he seemed distant. It was probably Josie again. His mate couldn't stop thinking about her.

With a flick of his wand, he quickly cast, "Colloportus" and then headed cleared up the table that they were using. Taking a deep breath, he tried to figure out how to approach the matter at hand. "Hey Ethan. I know you're worried about Josie not being interested in you, but..." He paused, looking for the right words to say. Merlin's Beard! He had known what he wanted to say but now the word was on the tip of his tongue and he couldn't even utter it. "But she likes you a lot, mate. More than you know. I know you feel as if she's stood you up but she hasn't." He plopped down onto the arm chair next to his mate and then glanced over at Ethan who was already asleep. Simon chuckled. "G'night Romeo."

13. Flargate

Blatantly ignoring some advice the troupe had received, they searched for the Room of Requirement. "There's the door!" cried Zander.

Ethan furrowed his brows. "Strange. Isn't it hard to find it?"

Simon nodded. "This seems a little too convenient. Almost as if this had all been planned."

Nevertheless, they pushed the doors and found a stone maze inside the room. "Magic is awesome. How could a maze this big fit into this sized room?" said Zander with blue eyes as wide as saucers. "I bet Romanos is behind this."

Meanwhile Ethan began to analyse the maze in front of them whilst Simon took notes. "It's another riddle waiting to be solved..." muttered Ethan as he stepped forward.

"You always think that she's behind everything bad that happens here mate," said Grayson folding his arms. Sophie rolled her eyes at Zander and Grayson's bickering. "Right. What are we waiting for?" Then she bolted off into the maze. The door to the maze began to close. "Guys! Come on!"

"Flargate!" said Simon as he drew an 'X' with his wand and then he joined his mates and darted into the maze.

30. Oppugno

Simon heard crying. He knew who it was almost immediately. Agatha. He wanted to run down there immediately to comfort her but restrained himself, knowing that she yell at him. Agatha had never been the type to share her feelings with anyone. And Simon had so desperately wished to be her person. He would be an active listener for her.

He stood on the stairs, debating whether or not he should continue. Simon sighed when he made his final decision as he continued down the steps to go comfort his friend. Agatha was more important than him getting a few scrapes or cuts. He approached her slowly, trying his best not to startle her. "Agatha? Is everything okay?" He wanted to help her as much as he could, wrap his arms around her and conceal her in a warm embrace. He wished to tell her that everything would be okay. The two spoke quietly until Simon heard the dreaded words. She was leaving Hogwarts. Forever. He now felt as if someone had cast Oppugno and had sent small glass shards into his heart repeatedly, cracking it into little shards.

"I wish you the best. I'll miss you, Agatha."

14. Glisseo

The date: April 1st.
Weather: Mildly balmy.
Today's project: Prank Agatha Hapagood.

"Grayson, we're all set over here," said Simon. "If you want to head to the top of the stairs then we should be all set." His mate nodded, headed up the stairs with makeshift sled in hand, and prepared himself. Ethan watched with a smirk plastered on his lips. Simon paused, feeling his stomach sink slightly. He knew this was a horrible idea and he knew Agatha would be upset; however, it was April Fool's so there wasn't any harm that she could do to them. Simon whispered the spell, turning the staircase into a giant slide. "Glisseo"

Ethan sent a quick thumbs up to Grayson as he watched Agatha approach the staircase. "Now the real fun begins!"cackled Ethan Holmes. He glanced over at Simon's grim expresion. "Lighten up, Si, this is a great idea. I-" He was cut off halfway through that sentence by Grayson sledding down the staircase with Sophie Newell.

Both Ethan and Simon's eyes widened when they saw the Head Boy headed their way. "Abandon mission! Head Boy on route! Abandon mission!" cried Simon, reverting the spell.

18. Incarcerous

mini challenge ten: cookie craze

A GROWL interrupted Simon and CB's conversation over homework. The boy, completely and utterly embarrassed, turned as red as one of Zander's scarves. He wished that he could just crawl into a hole and die. He glanced down, excusing his stomach's behaviour. Meanwhile CB just smiled, telling him not to worry. She was too nice. "Have you eaten anything today, Simon?" He shook his head. He had not had time between solving cases and homework. "You're silly. Let's go get food." He wouldn't say no to such a great opportunity to spend more time with CB. She was perfect. And he, for lack of better words, was just plain Simon Holden. He wasn't as exciting as Ethan nor as smooth as Grayson. He was just the awkward one. Why in Merlin's Beard would CB or any girl ever take a romantic interest in him? It puzzled him. However, he wouldn't take this for granted because he thought the world of CB. It was as if she had enchanted him and had ensnared his heart forever by using incarcerous.

He had to impress her.

"How about I make some cookies?" he offered as they packed up their bags.

22. Legilimens
Setting: FF Outdoor Seating

When in Merlin had Cutty Mordaunt arrived here? Cutty was surely following them just like Gollum following Samwise and Frodo from Lord of the Rings. This was just too coincidental. Simon raised a curious eyebrow at his fellow dormmate as he was suspicious of this Slytherin's movements. He'd have to keep an eye on him. It had stunned Simon. How had the other boy managed to sneak his way over to that spot without anyone noticing? He must have slithered into the establishment. When Cutty began to speak about something dark and a little bit strange, he zoned out, wondering what went on in Cutty Mordaunt's brain. It must have been an interesting yet extremely terrifying place. It was strange to think that the two of them had been close earlier in the school year; however, they had drifted apart over the course of the year. Simon had become closer to Ethan. Funny how things change.

The conversation continued and the tension grew between the Newell siblings and Grayson. He smirked, glad that he wasn't in Grayson's shoes. Sure, the situation was awkward for poor, old Grayson but Simon was certain that they would all jest about it one day.

10. Engorgio
Setting: Home

Life without Hogwarts was something that Simon never considered. Graduation had always been this myth that awaited him in the future. However, it had snuck up on him. This was weird. He would never share the same dormitory with Ethan, Caleb, Grayson (even though Grayson had graduated a year before him), and even Cutty.

This fall would bring new beginnings. Grayson and Ethan were both off to the same university whereas Simon was off to a different one. His heart dropped a little. What happened if those two forgot about him? He bit his lip.

Sometimes he thought that he was best on his own. He had made his own decision to come to Hogwarts to study and learn more about memory; however, he hadn’t expected to ever make friends. Maybe this was how his hero, West Odessa, had felt like right before he graduated. He chuckled, remembering how the older boy saved him from completely embarrassing himself in front of the rest of his house.

Be strong like West.

Closing the yearbook, he decided that it was time to move on. He puffed his chest out and squared his shoulders, making himself seem larger and stronger than he was.

16. Impedimenta
Setting: Leaky Cauldron
Dedicated to hermionesclone's Grayson Whitlock

University in France had been an absolute blur. Four years had passed in a flash and Simon found himself back in Diagon Alley one day to meet with a very old and dear friend.

This took Simon Holden back many, many years to his Hogwarts school years, which in reality weren't too long ago. It brought him back to memories of hanging out here and in Florean's with his Slytherin Squad group. He and Ethan playing a lute whilst Sophie and Grayson flirted too much. Merlin. Those were grand times. Sometimes he wished that it was possible to use the impedimenta jinx on time. However, that would be a fool’s errand as time could never be controlled without greater consequences.

Strolling into this fine yet slightly muggy establishment, he navigated past several excited school aged children and young adults and families to find a very familiar and ever dashing person sitting at a booth. He had received Grayson's letter which warmed every cold cockle of the ex-Slytherin's heart. Hearing from such a good mate was awesome. Merlin. In third year, he had practically wanted to be smooth Grayson Whitlock.

Nevertheless, he had always been adorkable Simon Holden. Pinch-worthy even. Pah.

31. Orchideous
He was running late to a very important date with Miss Caruso in Diagon Alley. However, first he had to stop to pick up some flowers for her. It was the appropriate thing to do. The two were grabbing drinks and had been in somewhat frequent contact over their Hogwarts years and after. After choosing a boquet of magenta coloured roses, he headed down the street of Diagon Alley and halted straight in his tracks when he saw her. It was Agatha. He was sure of it. He turned the corner, following the lady down the street and was about to turn into the shop that she had entered. “Agatha!” He tried to get her attention; however, he ran into someone else, crushing the flowers that he had purchased for Bianca. He glanced up looking for Agatha. She wasn’t there.

Glancing down at his crushed flowers, he sighed. The flowers represented his emotions at this precise moment. He cast the orchideous charm and continued to his destination though his mind was entirely elsewhere.

42. Silencio

“Let’s begin with a story. How many of you are familiar with the legend of Arthur?” posed Simon, leaning against a table in the large lecture hall at Beauxbatons. Silence was his answer. He chuckled. “Goodness. Aren’t you all a talkative bunch? I may have to cast Silencio.” He paused for a longer moment, waiting for anyone to raise their hand. One student did. “Yes, you.”

“King Arthur is a British myth.”

Simon beamed. Yes, progress. Good! “ Indeed! King Arthur is a British myth but the purpose of our lesson is to focus on Morgan Le Fay, Arthur’s half-sister and enemy, as well as Merlin, his trusted advisor and court wizard. ” He flicked his wand, opening all of the student’s textbooks. The pages turned until they reached the page he wanted to focus on. “First, let’s discuss Morgan Le Fay. Her supposed personality, her motives, and her powers. Any volunteers?”

Several hands were raised. Brilliant. He was feeling much better about this teaching thing. Time passed quickly and it was time to end the lesson “Now thank you for attending Ancient Runes. I’m Professor Holden. Should you have any questions, I’ll be in my office. Until next time.”

23. Levicorpus

Ethan and Agatha were fighting again at breakfast. Simon glanced away to exchange a glance with Grayson and found his other friend preoccupied with Sophie Newell. He sighed, turning his attention back to the bickering between Ethan and Agatha. The brunette casually did her signature hair flip and Ethan just shook his head. The bickering was slowly becoming louder and louder. Fortunately West shot both Agatha and Ethan a look. This unfortunately caused a ceasefire for approximately a minute.

Simon Holden knew that intervening between those two was futile. Last time he had tried, only Ethan had barely listened to him. Agatha, too upset, had kept going on and on and on. Sighing, he came to the realization that they were going to lose a few points and just stared blankly ahead.

“Dontchu wish yew could jus’ use levicorpus on those two and hang’em upside down. It’d get them to stop bickerin’ pretty quickly,” said Cutty as he slithered into the seat next to Simon.

He turned to glance at his new companion. For once, Simon agreed with his unpredictable housemate. “You know, Cutty, that’s a brilliant idea.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

Suddenly a plate clattered across the room.

40. Sectumsempra

After staying in the same seat for a while, Simon decided to get up and walk around so he headed towards the front of the train. On his walk, he contemplated the possibilities of what this year would hold for them. More mysteries? More Grayphie? More CB? More of Bianca Caruso and her infuriating deductions? Or more Agatha turning into the Hulk and smashing everything? He nodded thoughtfully. That sounded like a good year. He continued down the corridor until he spotted an oh so familiar tuft of blonde hair.

"ETHAAN! HOW ARE YOU!?" he cried, rushing over to his mate and giving him a side hug and nearly tackling his mate down to the ground. Simon had missed his best mate so much over the summer. Being separated from Holmes was like having a limb cut off- a very unpleasant and excruciatingly painful experience, mind you. He glanced down at the object Ethan was cradling very gently. Huh? Wait. Was that a Prefect's badge? WHY HADN'T ETHAN TOLD HIM!!! Did everyone else know by now? No. No. Sherlock would tell his Watson everything, yes? An uneasy feeling gathered in the bottom of Simon's stomach. Sectumsempra. "MATE. YOU'RE A...."

Prefect.

25. Mobilicorpus

Simon Holden. 25 year old Professor at Beauxbatons was led to the corridor to find an unconscious student. This child was a third year student and well-beloved by his peers for his jokes and all around good nature. Philippe. His friend, Elodie, had run to his office and informed him of the news. He checked the boy’s vitals. Still breathing good. “Get me the Healer. Go now.” AS the girl ran down the hallway, he turned back to his student. What in Merlin’s Beard had happened? This was Beauxbatons not Hogwarts. He touched the boy’s forehead. He pulled his hand away. The boy’s forehead felt as cold as ice. He blinked. This was all so strange. Perhaps the Healer could explain more. He turned the boy’s hand over and saw a mark scribbled on the palm of his hand. Was that a rune? No. At his age? Impossible.

Pulling out his wand, he cast, “Mobilicorpus.” The boy levitated through the air as Simon carefully transported him to the Hospital Wing. He stayed silent, ignoring the worried and confused glances from the students passing, and focused on the matter at hand. This was a case that he could not solve alone.

46. Twitchy Ears Hex


“Oi! Simon. Why don’t you make yourself useful and go do something instead of reading your weird textbooks?” cried Marcus. Simon ignored his older brother as he was too captivated with his book and uninterested in whatever his older brother had to inform him of or make fun of him for. “Hey, freak, I’m talking to you.” All of a sudden, Marcus had grabbed Simon’s textbook out of his hands and was holding it up high in the air so that Simon couldn’t reach it.

Simon knew this trick all too well and folded his arms, waiting for his brother to tire of such shenanigans.

“What? No reaction whatsoever. Why aren’t you jumping for it? What if I drop it into the fireplace instead?” His older brother strolled casually towards the fireplace, holding the book close to the fire.

“Marcus. Stop this.”

“Ooh, a reaction.,” sung his older brother who was getting excited by this.

“Please return my book to me.”

Marcus chuckled. “Please?”

Simon readied the Twitchy Ears Hex in his mind and was prepared to cast it. That would teach his brother a lesson. All of a sudden, Olivia called out from the kitchen. “Marcus, phone for you.”

38. Rictusempra

“Remember the first time we met?” asked Simon as he and Zander sat by the Lake. It had been during their third year at a combined Care of Magical Creatures and Charms class. “I was so glad you took the reins and led the Abraxon towards the finish line.” He replayed the memory in his mind, remembering how nervous and anxious he had been. Back then, Simon had to remind himself to breathe throughout the course of the race. There was absolutely nothing that could have been done apart from trust his Gryffindor partner. Though to be fair they did almost hit a gigantic block of ice which cause Simon’s heart to race. However, Zander had refocused and pulled them to safety. Trust was important.

“Of course! Remember the Research Assistance Meeting?”

Simon burst into laughter at this, fondly remembering how paranoid his friend had been of Professor Romanos. He had been so sure that Romanos was out to destroy all of them. “Of course! You were convinced that Professor Romanos had caused the winter.”

“Yeah, yeah,” shrugged Zander. “We never know what happened but it could have been here still.”

“But why would she do that?”

“C'mon. It’s Romanos.

12. Furnunculus
Location: Divination Lesson 1.

THE ROOM WAS PINK.

HOLY PINK!

Too pink. Way too pink. They needed some blue and green in here. Simon eyed the room suspiciously before he took another step in. Why was it all pink? His eyes widened when he remembered the post about the class on the noticeboard. He narrowed his eyes. Eugh. Valentine's Day. A scary day for the young Snake. He’d rather cast Furnunculus on himself just to get out of participating. If only he knew the incantation….

Taking a deep breath, he entered the room and overheard a Hufflepuff girl telling the Professor that she loved the set-up. Seriously? he thought. He could've been sick because of the over sweet set-up. Anyway, he dismissed the thought and hid behind his cool façade. He glanced about the room and saw Emmylou and the other Hufflepuff girl sitting up at the front. He gave them both a friendly wave and then took a seat at another table. Where were Cutty and Ethan to save him from all this pink? This was Madame Pudifoots all over again minus the snogging.

Simon eyed the cookies out in front. He’d wait until someone ate one before trying one.

36. Reducto


They needed to practice this new spell so they could combat whatever was lurking outside the castle or perhaps inside. He sat in Arithamncy 1, dressed in a toga, reading up on his Defense Against the Dark Arts notes. Someone nudged him with their elbow. He glanced up, finding Ethan giving him a nod. Ah. Right. Class had begun. He carefully hid his other notebook and glanced to look at the professor.

Lolita Domingo was certainly beautiful but crazy. He blinked not sure how to react to her. He was definitely skeptical. And then she offered them kebabs. What? This was all just so bizarre. He blinked again and slowly took a kebab. He’d wait until someone else ate one so that he could verify that it wasn’t poisonous.

With a sophisticated flourish, she began teaching. Simon could keep up for a little while but soon he got very, very confused.

The boys spoke at the same time. “Cutty, want to team up?”

“Holden, want to compare notes?”

“JINX!” called Simon.

“Ju..” stared Cutty. The two both stared at each other with widened eyes. It was awkward for just a moment until Ethan jumped in too.

Together, the three brainstormed.

8. Diffindo


“Now…about your girlfriend over there... I don’t like her. But that’s just my opinion.”

He almost spat out his pumpkin juice and ended up coughing up a storm when Ethan had assumed that Agatha was his GIRLFRIEND. Oh Merlin. “Oh that’s funny, Ethan. Funny.”
Then all of a sudden, he realized that his mate hadn’t been joking. He took another sip of his pumpkin juice, wishing that it was something stronger to calm his never. Alas it was only pumpkin juice.

He shook his head several times and then reached for a goblet filled with water. "No. No. No. No." He tried to catch his breath, continuing to cough underneath his arm. "NEVER EVER EVER." he said all rather quickly before he began to regret it. He liked Agatha but if she wasn't going to be nice to his friends than perhaps he oughtn't have a crush on her after all. CB was nicer. Agatha was beautiful but completely crazy too. “I like a Ravenclaw.”

“We don’t like the same girl..?”

“If her name is Coral Bay, then we do. If her name is Josie, she’s all yours, mate.” Simon wouldn’t go after his best, best mate’s girl. That wasn’t cool.

47. Undetectable Extension Charm


Simon sat on his suitcase, trying to get it to close. At this rate, he was going to be late with taking Olivia to Platform 9 and ¾ for her very first year at Hogwarts. Standing up, he turned around, hoping that his suitcase would remain closed. Unfortunately, it had opened up again. He sighed. This was futile. No matter what he did it wouldn’t work. No amount of force would keep it closed. Muggle methods..

He paused. An idea illuminated in his mind.

Or…..

Or he could use magic. Oh how he loved magic so much.

“Simon? Are you ready?” called his younger sister from down the hallway. “We need to leave soon to get to King’s Cross.”

Simon chuckled. “Ollie, you know we can apparate there right?”

“But I want to take the Tube.” She paused. “You promised.”

He smiled. He could hear her pouting from the other room. “She always gets her way, doesn’t she?” he said, looking at Olivia’s new Crup. The Crup simply tilted his head and then went back to chewing on a bone. Simon pulled out his wand and quickly cast an undetectable extension charm.

Everything could fit now.