The Rock of Ages, A Dream-Inspired Story Options

[ClosetHPF]

Hi, all. I am re-posting my fan fic again, as it was "erased". I finally decided where I wanted the family to be from. At the moment it is still uncomplete.

Thanks for reading.


UPDATE: I'm extending all the chapters of my fics, both fan fics & original.


Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The Special Boys - Post #12
Chapter 2 - The Flying Bus - Post #16
Chapter 3 - Ripper Bunyip - Post #20
Chapter 4 - The Flautist Horn - Post #22
Chapter 5 - Quints' Lesson - Post #23

THE ROCK OF AGES
=============

Chapter 1 - The Special Boys
----------------------------------



[More to come]

This post has been edited by ClosetHPF: May 28 2007, 01:24 PM

[Baron Von Krogg]

From Baron Von Krogg

Good Morning or Afternoon to everyone on the Wonderful Read entitled
"THE SNITCH.

Well now on to the important matter at hand, A Review of the first parts
of the Fic"Rock of Ages".A Very enjoyable read so far and it is nice to see
a very small ammount in the Fic about Harry,Ron and Hermione. But it
almost reads like the Marcus boys are real troulbemakers themselves.
The fic so far is very likable and it seems that the visit to Australia will
be most enjoyable. Just remember to send everyone to see the Croc
Hunter and his croc displays while they are on vacation. And hopefully
none of them will get into any large ammounts of trouble,but make sure
that they get a chance to visit everything that Australia can offer. Very
good. And G day to everyone.

" A Proud and True Gryffindor,And a Supporter of the Carlisle United
Football Club and a CONTRIBUTER AND LOYAL MEMBER OF THE NEW
SNITCH FAMILY...

[harrysbabe]

Hi i'm glad you are still posting this fic,just caught up reading it .The Mason boys are good fun and i love the way they are all mischevious and don't abide by rules much lol!!.I like the conversation and friendly humour between them,you write that really well.Markus seems desperate to have an adventure like Harry(He must be his hero!).Please update soon!
xHarrysbabex

[ClosetHPF]

All the current chapters are being extended and updated.

Chapter 7 - Dreamtime's Lost
-----------------------------------


Chapter 8 - Children of the Shire
---------------------------------------


[More to come]

This post has been edited by ClosetHPF: Apr 18 2005, 03:07 AM

[harrysbabe]

Interesting chapter and i'm amazed that the boys are in different houses ,and one is in Slytherin ,he must be well naughty lol!!.The muggle kids were kind to take them back to their home,but their uncle seems to be curious about the boys perhaps he suspects they are wizards?.Hope you update soon!!
xHarrysbabex

[ClosetHPF]

Chapters 9 & 10 are currently being extended and updated.

Chapter 9 - Pride of Mulga
-------------------------------



[More to come]

This post has been edited by ClosetHPF: Apr 18 2005, 03:03 AM

[harrysbabe]

Great update ,those eggs from the hotel sounded scrummy!!Max is a little devil he seems to encourage the others on all the time(no wonder he's in Slytherin!!).I wonder what will be in that cave when they find it?.Hope you update soon
xHarrysbabex

[Scarlett]

Interesting story ClosetHPF! I am wondering what will be in the cave too harrysbabe!

[ClosetHPF]

Chapter 11 - Children of the Lost
----------------------------------------


Chapter 12 - Of Boys And Dingoes
-----------------------------------------



[More to come]


--------------------------------------
I'm extending and making minor changes to all my chapters and reposting them, one at a time. So, there's not going to be a chap. 13 until I'm done with my current ones.

This post has been edited by ClosetHPF: Apr 18 2005, 03:05 AM

[Baron Von Krogg]

From Baron Von Krogg

My goodness, Closet HPF has a very nice set of updates to the Story,
"Rock Of Ages. Very enjoyable and something totally different. I really
like the taking of the Hard boiled Eggs and splitting them between
everyone, But so far the Best actually is looking for the Rock of Ages
itself. With all of Australia around them for a backdrop what more could
you ask for . A Very nice and well thought out fic. Please continue and
I'm sure that I'll continue to read. Good Work.

[harrysbabe]

Hi Closet that was a good two chapters.Max lost for words eh?....hehe!!.I wonder what made the dingoes scarper?.......spooky!!.Hope you update soon
xHarrysbabex

[ClosetHPF]

The Rock of Ages


Chapter 1 - The Special Boys

Unlike the other families on their street, the Mason family was unusual. They were magical but then, so were most of the other families living in Otterburn Downs, a small wizarding community near Otterburn. What set them apart from the rest was that they had 5 special boys. If anyone were to look at all five, they would assume that they were quintuplets.

Each boy had the same light brown hair, bright blue eyes and a mischievous grin. They were quite tall for their age and acted as if they owned the world. They were only 13, after all. Their next birthday was months away and it was still March.

The quints were stuck at home after returning from Hogwarts, their school for magical learning, for the holidays. They were bored at having nothing to do, so they decided to taunt each other, instead. It was an old game, which they played ever since they could talk.

"I'm the original," smirked Markus, one of the quints.

"No you're not. I am!" shouted his brother, Martin.

"You're both wrong. I'm the original.", the other three retorted at the same time.

"You're all daft! Everybody knows I'm the One and Only." Martin shouted back.

"No, we're not. You're just.....", shouted the other four, before being interrupted by their father.

"Hold on now, boys. You're all original." Their father assured them and continued speaking.

"I have a surprise for you boys. We're taking a trip to Australia."

At the end of his announcement, he quickly departed. The boys just sat wide-eyed for a few moments before their minds cleared.

"Woo hoo!", yelled all five in unison.

Over the next couple of days, all they could talk about was their upcoming holiday. At least, they stopped quarrelling. In their excitement, they had totally forgotten about their homework. Who would even think of homework during the holidays, maybe except for Hermione. Hermione Granger was a former student of Hogwarts, and along with her best friends, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, helped put an end to Voldemort's dark plans.

They were sick of all the talk about Harry. The whole school seemed to be a hotbed for Harry Potter's ever-growing fan club. Oh, for pity's sake, those 3 heroes were long gone from Hogwarts and a plaque honouring them hung prominently in the trophy room.

Rather than the usual complaints about Harry, the boys' minds were stuck on Australia and it was all they talked about, never mind that their father had not told them how they were going to get there. They were having a discussion on what they intended to do when they heard a voice calling them from outside the window.

The quints looked out their window and saw their friend, Otis Longbottom, waving to them. He lived a few houses from them and was one year above them at Hogwarts. The Longbottoms had lost many of their own in the two wars with Voldemort. Otis's family had not wished to fight and had moved to Otterburn Downs, away from the main action. But they were still proud of them, nonetheless.

"Markus!" Otis shouted. "Come downstairs and bring Martin, Max, Morris and Moray as well."

The quints ran downstairs and out the door. They were glad to see Otis and could not wait to tell him of their upcoming Australian trip.

"Otis, we're going away, " revealed Markus.

"Where to, Markus?" Otis asked.

"We'll be going to Australia for a holiday," replied Markus with excitement.

"That's lucky. Dad's making me study all this week," lamented Otis, a slight jealous tone in his words. "He's mad about me getting top marks for my OWLs and I still have a year."

The quints never worried about such things. They were exceptionally bright third years and had no trouble getting top marks in all their subjects. And having photographic memory did not hurt, either. All five of them were fortunate to share this gift. One of many, or too many according to their mother.

"Never mind the studying for now, Otis," Max told Otis. "Let's go over to Mrs. Wickham's house. I want to show you a new hex I learned."

All six boys dashed towards a house a few streets down, on the muggle side of Otterburn Downs. Although, Otterburn Downs was a wizarding town, some muggles from Otterburn had decided to settle here. Not everyone in this small wizarding community welcomed them when they first moved here. But the muggles lived on the other side of town, away from the main wizarding population.

They reached the rusty gates of Mrs. Wickham's house and the boys peeked in through an open window. Mrs. Wickham was sitting on her couch having a spot of tea with a couple of her friends, who were also muggles. They were engrossed in some light banter on the latest cross-stitch patterns that they did not even notice the six heads peeking through the window.

"Gallinavocis!" Max spoke in a low voice as he pointed his finger at Mrs. Wickham.

The boys watched as Mrs. Wickham's voice changed and she started cackling and clucking. Her friends dropped their teacups and looked at her in surprise. They thought that she was being impudent and started to rise from their seats.

"Gallinavocis," repeated Max, this time pointing at each of the other women.

Just had Mrs. Wickham's voice had been changed, the other women started to cackle and cluck. The boys laughed as the women were moving about in confusion, waving their arms. When they did that, they looked like real hens. The boys rolled on the garden, laughing so hard that the women must have heard them.

The boys jumped up and ran from Mrs. Wickham's garden, crushing some of her daisies along the way. Max turned back and whispered the counter-hex to stop the spell. He actually wanted to put the hex on Mrs. Wickham permanently but he knew that his father would be terribly displeased. His father absolutely forbade them to play jokes on muggles, especially those involving magic.

On the night before they were to make the journey, Mr. Mason sat them down and spoke to them.

"Boys, you all know I have to do this. So, here are the rules," said Mr. Mason, looking sternly at his five boys.

"First....there will be no pranks, especially on muggles. That's absolute. Second....magic is not to be used while we're on holiday," he continued.

The quints were unhappy at this. It was in their nature to joke about. If they could not even do this, it would turn out to a very dull holiday indeed. It was a good thing that they had gone for supplies at the Joke Shop in Hogsmeade on their last trip.

"You're not taking these to Australia," Mrs. Mason told the boys, suddenly appearing at the door.

Then, she disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. The quints grumpily removed all their jokes from their baggage. Oh well, their great plans just got blown away. It would be so boring in Australia. And they groaned at the thought.

"What do we do now, Marko?" The other four lamented. "Dad with all his rules and mum not allowing us to bring all the magical jokes from Zonko's."

"I'm sure we'll be able to think of something while we're there, " assured Markus, smiling. "Dad didn't say anything about not bringing our wands, did he?"

Markus looked at his brothers and a broad grin started to appear on their faces. Their mischievous grins meant only one thing, they certainly would find ways around what they were not allowed to do. Hogwarts had rules, too. But that never stopped them from having fun. So, why should this be any different.

It did not really matter to them whether they were allowed to bring their wands or not. They were clever enough and eventually would discover ways to go around rules and restrictions. Wands were just tools as the magical jokes from Zonko's.

The boys got ready for bed and retired to their rooms. The boys slept in two separate bedrooms. Apparently, their bedroom had terrible nightmares of all five boys sleeping in the same room and protested. Mr. Mason finally gave in and decided to separate the boys when they were old enough.

[harrysbabe]

Great re-write Closet ,loved the bit about the hex on Mrs Wickham they are soo mischevious!!.Hope you update soon!!
xHarrysbabex

[Baron Von Krogg]

From Baron Von Krogg

Good evening to everyone, Now on to a Very important Item, A review of the
first chapters of"The Rock Of Ages".A very enjoyable read,So Far and
whats even better, We now know that the Boys are practicical Jokers, and
that they do enjoy doing things like that, However lets see just how they
all behave on their holiday to the Country of Australia. It sounds very
enjoyable, But lets hope that both Mom and Dad remove all of the novelty
items before the Trip. A very enjoyable fic so Far, So Please keep
the fic moving and we'll all await the continuing story of
"THE ROCK OF AGES".




" A Very Proud and True Gryffindor,And a Supporter of the Carlisle
United Football Club and also a CONTRIBUTER and LOYAL MEMBER
OF THE NEW SNITCH FAMILY.

[reed44]

argh. i finally got around to having time to read this fic and now its not on here. blah. closet, when the heck are you gonna repost it?

[ClosetHPF]

Chapter 2 - The Flying Bus

When the day of their journey arrived, the quints were much too excited to eat breakfast. Mrs. Mason, looking at their full plates of fried eggs and bangers, wasn't pleased though.

"Boys, I want you to finish everything on your plates," said Mrs. Mason, in an unusually stern voice. "You are not to leave the table until you do."

The boys started wolfing down the food on their plates, which was unusual for them as well. They rarely listened to anyone, even their father had trouble getting them to listen and obey him. Mr. Mason smiled at the quints and nodded. When they had eaten everything on their plates, Mr. Mason finally revealed how they were traveling to Australia.

"A what bus?" Asked the boys.

"A flying bus", their father repeated, "we're going by flying bus".

"What's a flying bus?" Martin inquired.

"You'll see." Their father answered quickly, with a glint in his eye.

The quints promptly left the kitchen table after his announcement and dashed outside to where Otis was waiting for them. He was holding a book about Australia and Markus could just make out the words, Australia and the Outback.

"I found this book in my dad's library," said Otis. "I searched through his bookcases and finally found this on the top shelf. Dad will probably go over the roof if he finds out. "

"I shouldn't be worrying about it, Ort," reassured Max. "Your dad won't go hard on you even if he finds out. You should see ours. He goes mental at any of our pranks."

"Which is all the time," Martin interrupted. Max looked at Martin, brows raised in slight annoyance.

The other three quints and Otis laughed. It must have been contagious because Max eventually joined in. Otis showed the book to the quints and they had a look at it.

"It looks really dull, " said Max in a disappointed tone. "Miles of nothing. What could be worse?"

"Boys, come back in at once!"

The boys turned and saw Mrs. Mason standing by the front door. She had both her arms crossed.

"Are you seeing us off, Ort?" Markus asked and Otis nodded.

The quints waved to Otis as he walked down the path towards his house. Then, they turned towards the front door and walked back inside. Their father was reading the Daily Prophet and their mother was cleaning the top of the kitchen table while the dishes were in the sink, being brushed clean by invisible hands.

"You have to tidy up your rooms before we leave, " said Mrs. Mason. "And no magic."

The rest of the day was spent straightening their sheets and putting their things away. They were still unhappy that they were unable to bring along their jokes and tidying up without the use of magic. They were not muggles, so why were they treated that way?

Their mood only turned when they heard their father calling them.

"Boys, it's time to leave," came Mr. Mason's voice.

The quints ran downstairs with their baggage and muggle knapsacks, which they had slipped their wands in.

"Have you tidied up your rooms?" Mrs. Mason asked them.

"Yes, mom." The quints answered in mockingly sweet voices.

At the Otterburn Downs bus station, Otis was waiting for them and the boys ran towards him, dropping their baggage. The Otterburn Downs bus station was mainly for wizards and the local muggles didn't even know of its existence.

"Boys, stop running. And pick up your baggage, " shouted Mr. Mason from across the main hall.

The quints stopped in their tracks and turned back to where their parents were standing, Otis following behind. They swiftly picked up their baggage and walked towards the counter where the Masons checked in their baggage.

They found empty seats near the counter and sat down. To ease the long wait for their bus, their father explained to them what a flying bus was.

"You all know what the Knight Bus is," Mr. Mason started to explain to the six nodding boys.

"A flying bus is like the Knight Bus, except that it not for stranded wizards and it flies to almost any destination in the world. It's a recent development and approved by the Ministry." He continued as the boys stared in growing comprehension.

Of course, he would say that. Mr. Mason worked in the Department of Magical Transportation. But the boys never knew what their mother did. She never told them. Mr. Mason told the boys to wait while he and Mrs. Mason left their seats and walked away.

"Now, Harry...." started Max.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about Harry." Markus interrupted.

"Shut up, Marko!" Max snapped at Markus, who went immediately red.

"Harry would never let anyone stop him from doing what he wants, " continued Max.

Max was still visibly sore at not being allowed to bring the magical jokes. He had made plans for them and now, he had to find other ways to have fun. His mother had to spoil their fun. He felt that it was a waste.

"Are you still sore at mom?" Markus asked Max, sarcasm in his voice.

"Not really, " answered Max. "I never let mom spoil my fun."

"Are we still going to talk about Harry?" Otis asked with a hope that they were not.

Otis really did not want to hear about Harry. He kept hearing about Harry from his relatives, especially from his grandmother. It did not help that his cousin was a close friend of the famous Harry Potter when they were at school together.

At this point, Mr. Mason returned alone and told the quints to wait for their mother. A little while later, Mrs. Mason approached them and beckoned her family to follow her.

"Bon voyage," said Otis, waving to the quints as they walked with their parents.

As the quints followed behind their mother, Otis made his way out of the station. They walked pass a few corridors and finally stopped at the end, where there was a waiting bus. The flying bus looked like the Knight Bus, except that it was green instead of purple. They lined up just behind a velvet rope separating the end of the corridor and the bus.

"Bus FB-009 to Brisbane, Australia is now ready for boarding!" Bellowed an unseen loud-speaker.

Just then, a great number of people started moving quickly and the line behind the Masons got longer as more people started to join them in the queue. Markus whistled when he turned and looked at the growing crowd.

"Mom must have used Legilimency." Whispered their father to the boys, a slight smile crept on his face.

The velvet rope vanished and everyone started boarding the bus. The lavish interior was a stark contrast to its ordinary-looking exterior. It was divided into compartments and each had the number of beds exactly for each group of passengers.

The Masons hurried to their compartment and looked at the beds. There were exactly seven beds, one for each member of the Mason family. They were too excited to sleep so Mr. Mason pulled out his wand and gave each bed a light tap. At the last tap, the beds transformed into train seats.

They sat down and looked at the darkening sky, shrouded by clouds. It looked so beautiful, crimson and purple blended to form a lovely Spring evening, as if painted by an artist. The air was so fresh, as it always was in a small town like Otterburn Downs.

"Take a deep breath, boys. " Mr. Mason told them. "The next time you smell the air, it won't be in England."

The boys looked down at the empty corridor and then settled in their seats. As they were getting comfortable, the bus started to ascend, slowly at first. Then, without warning, it accelerated sharply and lurched forward.

[harrysbabe]

Great re-write Closet .I like how the boys had to tidy their rooms without magic lol!! and the Flying Bus sounds cool!!.Hope you update again soon...
xHarrysbabex

[Unforgiven]

Wow, this is really good. A long bit but good. I enjoyed it and hope for more

Sirius

[Stephanie]

It's really good.

It's the first time I read a fanfic, and I really enjoyed it.

[ClosetHPF]

Chapter 3 - Ripper Bunyip

The feeble rays of the early morning sun tried to rouse the sleeping Masons and Markus was the first to wake. Peeking through the window, he watched the ever-shifting clouds floating pass above a mountain range. They seemed to be gliding like swans.

"Hey, Martin.....Max......" said Markus, as he tried to wake his sleeping brothers nearest to him.

"Wassup?" asked Martin, who was nearest to him, half-open eyes peeking at Markus.

"Look at the clouds," breathed Markus. "They remind me of swans, gliding gracefully."

"Have you gone nutty, Marko?" Asked Martin in a loud voice. "Who cares about some clouds?"

Markus would have given his answer but his other three brothers stirred and slowly rose from the beds at the other side of the compartment. They gave a yawn and looked at Markus and Martin.

"What's with all the fuss?" Max demanded.

"Nothing that should concern you!" Martin shouted back.

"Where's mom and dad?" Moray asked, still yawning.

Markus looked for his parents but Mr. and Mrs. Mason were not in the compartment. A few minutes later, the elder Masons opened the compartment door and told them to get ready for landing. The boys jumped off their beds as Mr. Mason tapped on the beds and the seats reappeared.

"Ready for landing in Brisbane. Welcome to Australia!" a loud voice boomed, as the bus slowly made its descend.

Soon, the bus landed on a paved ground next to a nondescript building with double glass doors. It was absolutely different from the open pathways of Otterburn Downs bus station. As they was alighting from the bus, Markus wondered why the station was in the middle of an empty paddock.

Then, he heard the roaring engines of a muggle airplane flying close to the station. He looked where the airplane was landing and saw an airport in the distance.

"Boys, let's collect our baggage and follow the crowd," Mr. Mason told them.

They entered what looked like a small bus station with the ticket counters near the glass doors. The sales witches were smiling at them as they passed. How odd!

"Look, I found our baggage." Mr. Mason said, pointing to a pile of baggage waiting on the ground.

When they had collected their baggage, they followed the crowd to a waiting bus. It was an ordinary bus and the sign above it read "Brisbane Airport". Why were they going to the airport? Some of the passengers looked confused. Still, they boarded the bus.

The bus dropped them off near a line of waiting cabs. They got into a cab and Mr. Mason told the driver that they wanted to go to the Parliament House. The Mason boys looked questioningly at their father but he just shot back with a "hush-up!" look.

The old Parliament House looked worn with age and as they looked at the entrance, they could see it had the grandeur of a castle, with ornate fittings and a central staitcase leading to opposite sides.

"We're not going in." Mr. Mason said, as he read the faces of his sons, "follow me."

Mr. Mason led his family around the back to a beautiful garden with stone finials at its end. When they had reached the stone finials, Mr. Mason quickly pulled out his wand and pointed at one of the finials. A shimmering light shone at the wall behind.

"Loco," Mr. Mason whispered as he pointed at his baggage and Mrs. Mason did the same with her baggage.

Their baggage rose a few inches above the ground, waiting to be commanded.

"Hurry up now, boys! " Mr. Mason said with some urgency, "perform the charm on your own baggage."

"Unless you want to carry them, muggle-style." added Mr. Mason, a smile spreading across his face.

The Mason boys each took their wands from their knapsacks and muttered "Loco", quickly. For a moment they quite forgot about the Ministry's law about underaged magic outside of Hogwarts. But they were not in Britain and miles away from the Ministry.

As their own baggage rose, the elder Masons started to move towards the light, their baggage following them. The Mason boys looked at each other and were trying to figure out what that light was when they heard their father's voice from beyond the wall.

"What's keeping you boys?" Mr. Mason's voice echoed. "Hurry, before any muggle sees you."

The Mason boys looked at each other, nodded and then ran through the light. As they passed through the wall, the Mason brothers found themselves in the huge foyer of a lavish hotel setting. There was sign that read "Welcome to the Ripper Bunyip! Your Home Away From Home!". The sparkling lights resembled stars at night and the decorations were as beautiful as the ones at Hogwarts.

The boys looked across the hall and hung on the wall was a large shield. It had two strange animals holding wands that touched each other at the tip.

"Look at that," said Morris, pointing at one of the creatures. "I wonder what it is?"

"I think that's called a kangaroo." answered Moray, "I saw a picture of it in that book Otis borrowed from his dad."

Max suddenly sneezed, making it sound remarkably like "Ha-grid". His other brothers caught on and laughed, leaving Moray despondent and red-faced. He stood silent for some time while the conversation continued between his brothers. Hagrid was the Care of Magical Creatures professor and known to be an avid animal lover, especially large and dangerous ones. He was the butt of many jokes at Hogwarts.

"Did anyone understand those two words on the giant sign?" Markus asked, obviously referring to "Ripper Bunyip".

"No," replied Martin. "Let's ask the witch at the desk."

The boys walked across to the desk and asked the witch about the two words. She looked at them in an irritable manner that seemed to say "go play somewhere else". Instead, she ignored them and served a waiting customer.

"She was so helpful." remarked Max, in a sarcastic tone and stretching the "o".

"Never mind her, Max." Markus tried to calm Max. "Let's sit down first."

They sat on one of the comfortable couches spread across the foyer where Mr. and Mrs. Mason were already sitting down. Mr. Mason looked at his boys and shook his head.

"Wait here with mom, boys." Mr. Mason told his sons. "I don't want you boys go anywhere."

The Mason boys sat in silence while Mr. Mason checked them in at the counter where a few witches in colourful sequined robes looked harassed and kept repeating "G'Day!" in a tired voice, over and over.

They looked across the other side of the foyer and saw shops lining next to each other. There were shops inside the hotel. How odd!

"Look, there's a magical shop." Max said, pointing to a shop with glass walls and a strange looking creature next to its name, The Mystical Bunyip.

The more they looked at the magic shop, the more they were compelled to visit it. There were many fascinating things inside the shop. The boys looked at each other and then looked at their father, who was still at the counter.

"That looks like a great shop," said Morris, albeit unnecessarily.

"You do know that you don't have to say that, Mor'." Martin chided, glaring at him.

Morris looked defeated and turned away from Martin's gaze. He did not like to be spoken in that manner. None of the quints liked it, although sometimes they did it among themselves. So it was not unusual. They wriggled uneasily in their seats, their eyes never shifting from the magic shop.

"I wish we could get away from mum." Max thought to himself. "This is such a waste of time."

Their mother who was looking at her husband suddenly turned to look at her sons. It was apparent that she was using Legilimency. The way she looked at them, the intense concentration as if trying to force out whatever plans the boys had. She preferred to do this whenever her boys' behaviour were suspect. Her husband never really understood her.

[harrysbabe]

Hey Closet...great re-write!!...hope you post more soon.It's great that Mrs Mason uses Leglimency on her boys to find out what they are up to lol!!
xHarrysbabex

[ClosetHPF]

Chapter 4 - The Flautist Horn

When they could not contain themselves any longer, the boys shot upright and started walking in the direction of the magical shop, The Mystical Bunyip. Mrs. Mason turned to look at them once more and with one stern look, nodded.

"Just be back before your father returns." Mrs. Mason told them.

The Mason brothers took off without any more prompting. They practically raced each other to the shop and Markus was the first to reach it.

"Ha! I got here first," said Markus laughing, "aren't you the flubberworms."

"Just because you're in Hagrid's class doesn't mean you have to be a right smarty-pants." Max retorted.

"But so are Mart and 'Ray," Markus shot back, sticking his tongue out for Max.

The boys entered The Mystical Bunyip and inside the shop were rows of strange magical items, a few were large enough to be on a table all their own. Soon, the Mason brothers were all over the magical shop, picking up items and making cheeky remarks about what each one does.

"I bet this was spit out by Snape," remarked Martin, who was holding a wooden carving of a small rodent-like creature.

The Mason boys started laughing so loud that it brought the attention of the other people in the shop, who looked at them disapprovingly. One of them muttered something to another and both of them both walked out of the shop.

"I wonder what this is?" Moray wondered as the laughter died down.

"That's a bilby, my dear. " A friendly woman, who was close by, answered him.

"What's a bilby?" Asked Moray, while his brothers looked attentive for a change.

"It's one of the many marsupials of Australia, dears." She answered still smiling.

Before they could ask her what a "marsupial" was, she walked away and headed out of the shop with her purchase. The boys turned to each other as she walked out of sight.

"What's marsupial?" Moray asked, becoming excited as the rest went back to their examination of the shop items.

Markus was looking closely at a stuffed kangaroo paw when a distinguished witch in a red and white striped robe interrupted his observations. He looked up and she asked him how she could be of help. This alerted the other four immediately and they looked at his direction.

"No, thanks." Answered Markus, even though his eyes were looking across the shop.

Across the other side and hanging just above Morris was a white horn with strange grooves and small pedals. It looked like it was made from ceramic but a tag attached said "The Flautist Horn" and assured that it was made from wood.

"'I'd like to take a look at that," whispered Markus, so that his brothers would not overhear.

The Sales Witch smiled and walked over to the table beneath the horn. She removed the horn from its clasp and brought it to Markus. He looked at the horn as she walked back with it. He turned to look at his brothers, who put down what they were holding and crowded around him.

As they did, Markus muttered something in her ear and she quickly went behind the sales counter. When they returned to the foyer, Mr. Mason was with Mrs. Mason, who looked furious.

"Where have you boys been?" Mr. Mason inquired, with authority. "Your mother was getting so worried about you."

The Mason boys went red in the face, not answering for fear of what he might do if they did. Feeling sheepish, they walked silently towards their parents. Then, Max spotted a small striped bag behind Markus and confronted him.

"Hey, Marko. What have you got?" Max teasingly asked.

"Nothing of yours, Stup!" Markus snapped back, with some urgency.

Too late. His other 3 brothers had also noticed the bag and they jumped on him, leaving with no choice but to reveal what he had been hiding behind his back. His brothers' excitement were soon extinguished upon seeing the horn from the magic shop.

"What? A stupid horn. Are you mental, Marko?" Max taunted mercilessly.

Before Markus could make a retort, Mr. Mason beckoned them to follow him. In front of Mr. Mason was a scraffy looking bellboy with long messy brown hair.

"Hiya's. Me name's Bob." The young bellboy introduced himself.

"What's it short for, Bob?" asked Max, as innocently as he could.

"Bob's short for Bob, o' cause." came Bob's reply, an unbelieving look in his eyes,.

The Mason boys sniggered while Mr. and Mrs. Mason tried to hide their amusement. Amid the disquieting whispers of the Mason boys, Bob led the Mason family to a narrow corridor with five metal double doors and luminous arrow buttons. After a few minutes of waiting, one of the metal double doors slid open and the Mason boys opened their eyes in awe. They have never seen one of these and the only place that has similar devices were at the Ministry and the boys had never been to the Ministry.

When they returned to the foyer after they had freshened up, the crowd was gone and it looked quite empty. The witch at the desk was still there. Max looked at her, a sly glint appearing in his eye. He had not forgotten the impudence she had shown them.

"Rictusempra," whispered Max, pointing his wand at her.

She started to laugh so uncontrollably that everyone in the foyer turned to look at her, their eyes opened wide in bewilderment. However hard she tried, she could not stop laughing and the quints laughed softly.

"Boys, you should be ashamed of yourselves!"

They turned around and saw the angry face of their father looking at them and their mother had her arms crossed. She did not look too happy, either. The boys hung their heads low as Mr. Mason continued speaking.

"You know that you boys should be punished. But if we don't make a move now, we'd be late for the Australian Woolshed."

Mr. Mason ushered his boys out so quickly that they had no time to ponder about their destination. Outside the main hall of Parliament House stood a number of wizards. They were waiting for something that puzzled the boys but that was soon solved when a bus arruved. The driver stepped out and ushered them up the bus. He was dressed in a uniform shirt and shorts. Max noticed that was perculiar to Australian transport as he remembered the taxi driver.

"I wonder where we're going?" whispered Martin to Max, the brother closest to him.

"As your father had told you, boys." Mrs. Mason replied suddenly, "the Australian Woolshed."

The bus ride to the Woolshed was uneventful, mainly due to the unusual silence of the Mason boys. As they alighted from the bus, Moray's eyes lit up instantly. There were a few kangaroos hopping about near the entrance and the smell of animals was too strong to ignore.

A couple of burly Australian men ushered the group to a hall with a stage in the front. On the stage were box stands of different heights with words on them. As Moray read the words "merino....tukidale....", he realised these were types of sheep.

"This is so dull," said Max, forcing out a yawn as each sheep was led to the stands that told them what kind they were.

Moray ignored his brother's remarks and continued staring at the sheep with great interest. An announcer introduced the sheep as they entered the hall, one at a time. When all the stands were filled, the announcer continued speaking for a while before the sheep were herded out.

"Now you will see how sheep are sheared," said the announcer as a burly man who was wearing a hat led in one of the sheep.

He was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and a large leather belt surrounding his dirt-ridden and worn jeans. He brought out a shear and the other Mason boys suddenly looked interested. He held the sheep tightly and started shearing off the woolly bits until it looked clean-shaven.

Then, the show continued with how the wool was spun and made into clothes. A woman held up a wool sweater that had a price tag on. The boys laughed when they noticed it. After the ram show, they explored the rest of the woolshed and looked at the animals. Of the boys, Moray was the most excitable, which was strange as he was usually the quietest.

[ClosetHPF]

Chapter 5 - Quints' Lesson


A couple of days had passed since they arrived in Australia and the Masons had just returned to the Ripper Bunyip after a visit to a muggle entertainment park. The Mason boys were disappointed that it was not what they expected. And they were discussing it in their room.

"That place's cack!" Max lamented, as they plonked down on their beds.

"You'd think they'd have something better than muggles in strange costumes and a bunch of rolly-coasties." Martin agreed, "pff! I've seen better action on our brooms.".

"But the animals were great, weren't they?" Moray started to protest.

"You would think so, wouldn't you? Anorak!" teased Max, as the other three brothers silently mouthed the word, 'naff'.

Moray hung his head low and looked at the floor, mumbling to himself. He hated the way Max always teased him about his love of animals. As if being the only Mason quint in Hufflepuff was not enough. Still, Professor Sprout had always told him to hold up his head high in adversity. He imagined a large

While all these thoughts were going through his mind, his brothers continued their discussion of their day at the park.

"What did you expect from muggles? Hey, at least we had some fun. Didn't we?" answered Markus, and he grinned.

"Sure, but you shouldn't have vanished that muggle woman's hat. You should have seen the look on her face." Martin said.

"I did." Max interjected. "Better than your transfiguring her bracelet into a teething ring."

"How about the one where you made that stuffed kangaroo talk to that nice old lady who was so shocked that she dropped it onto the floor and quickly disappeared?" Martin posed, though everyone had seen it.

The Mason boys laughed so hard that they had almost forgotten about their bad day. When the laughter finally died, the boys got ready for bed. When they slipped under the covers, their minds were still on the pranks they had played.

After breakfast the next morning, Mr. Mason rounded up his boys and looked at them with a serious expression on his face.

"Alright then, what have you lot been up to?" Mr. Mason asked, purple veins almost popping from his forehead.

The Mason boys went ashen-faced and stared at the floor, not daring to look up at their father. They knew that their father had found out about their magical exploits at the theme park.

"I heard what happened at the muggle park!" He continued, "Have you lot forgotten your promise not to pull any of your pranks?"

The Mason boys looked at their mother, whose face had formed a frown. It was no fun having a pure-blood mother who was a Legilimens. Unlike the mothers of their classmates, she preferred to keep a silent watch on her sons and let her husband handle situations like this. And with her sons, they came more often than normal.

"You boys are not to leave the hotel until we return from Mt. Coot-tha." He concluded.

Going up a mountain to look at miles of nothing? How boring that was and the boys were glad their punishment was light. Unfortunately for them, the boys did not know about the planetarium and botanical gardens on the way up the mountain. And the Masons had planned to visit them as well.

Not being able to leave their room was a great strain on their patience, especially when there was nothing else to do. Max, being the boldest, tried leaving the room. Unfortunately, their father had arranged with the hotel staff for the door to be magically locked.

"Alohamora, " Max shouted at the door, but it was no use. The door just did not want to open for them.

After many unsuccessful tries, Max finally put away his wand and stared blankly at the still locked door.

"Just forget about leaving the room, won't you?" Markus said to an unhappy Max. "Why don't we play a game, instead?"

Max looked at Markus and smiled. The others also looked at Markus and smiled. They all knew they were going have a great time, despite being locked in the room.

Max brought out his bag from the cupboard and reached in with his arm. It took a little while before he brought out a deck of cards.

"Is that what we're going to play? Cards?" Martin groaned.

"It's not just a deck of cards, " smiled Max. "It's a deck of Magical Animals dueling cards".

The others grinned and looked with appreciation at Max's cards.

"At least it's not Wizard's Chess", said Martin.

"It is like Wizard's Chess," Markus interjected.

"It's better."

As if in response to the querying looks from his brothers, Max answered their unspoken question."

"Got it from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, of course," the tone of excitement rose as he spoke of his favourite shop at Diagon Alley.

Knowing that there is always a chance that things are not exactly as they seemed, especially for items coming out from that shop, Markus started to object to playing with those cards.

"Don't be a big baby, Marko", laughed Max.

The others laughed and Markus went red. Shrugging his shoulders, he said nothing. Taking that as an approval, Max laid the cards on the floor, faces down. He picked a card and each brother did the same until there were two left.

Max put those aside and held up his cards. He looked at them with glee and his expression seemed to show him having really good cards. Markus, however, was not fooled.

He picked out a card and pointed at Markus. Markus looked at his cards and picked one depicting a large manticore with rows of huge teeth. They both held their cards for a few moments and turned them around.

A loud rasp came from the cards and a foul smell started spreading across the room. The Mason boys dropped their cards and put their hands to their faces.

The smile from Max's face disappeared completely and he looked disgusted. It took a while before the smell dissipated completely. By this time, the boys decided not to play with the cards and Max quickly put them back in his bag.

"A quality product by Mr. & Mr. Weasley," whispered a despondent Max, whose face went beet red.

The boys spent the rest of the day in complete silence, which was unusual for them.

It was nearly half-past five in the evening when their parents returned from their outing. They looked at the door and this time, it opened to the voices of the older Masons.

"Get dressed, boys, or we'll be late for tea." Their father suddenly spoke.

At the restaurant, Mr. Mason started telling his boys about the fun time they had missed. The faces on the boys betrayed their disappointment at having missed the planetarium and the other fun places their father had deemed necessary to discuss.

The boys ate very little and by the time they were in their beds, they were glad that the horrible day was coming to an end.