alt_fen | January 1 - April 30, Year Three

Previously On Alternity: Year Three, Spring Term
January 1 - April 30, Year Three (2011, realtime)

Other Previously on Alternity Recaps:
September 1 - December 31, Year One
January 1 - April 30, Year One
May 1 - August 31, Year One
September 1 - December 31, Year Two
January 1 - April 30, Year Two
May 1 - August 31, Year Two
September 1 - December 31, Year Three
January 1 - April 30, Year Three

As always, this summary does not include all the subplots, etc., and it's not in precise date order, but it should provide a starting point!

Also as always, we generally choose not to warn readers about possible triggers in Alternity due to the nature of play (unfolding in real time, often improvised) and the nature of the fictional universe (extremely unpleasant in every way). However, please be forewarned that Year Three, Spring Term includes a plot which may trigger those who have suffered from eating disorders.

All loyal members of the Protectorate are required to view the traitor Sirius Black's body, but not everybody wants to. (For instance, Padma, Lavender & Parvati try their best to get out of it - especially Parvati, who is still haunted by Sanji's death. Neville went, but Evelyn didn't. Nymphadora went.)
Other bits and pieces during the hols: The Weasleys went to the Stornoway Dragon Preserve to visit Charlie over the winter hols. Harry got a Firebolt for Christmas, but nobody knew who it was from (so it was taken away for testing). Sirius had tea with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. Daphne and Ron both threw (separate) parties for (very separate) groups of friends.
Back at the castle, the Dementors seem to be affecting the students.
The Londinarium, a magazine, ran an article about the Campbell-Parkinson wedding which did not please everyone: Neville's parents' involvement in Pansy's father's death was particularly emphasized.
The play "The Liberation of the Ministry" held auditions, which led to Daphne and Ginny striking up a tentative friendship. (Sally-Anne had a funny exchange about her audition and the Protectorate's anthem, 'One Nation Strong and Pure.') The casting was partially as expected, but not entirely. The students prepared for weeks to put on the play, researching their characters and building sets. (The older generation, meanwhile, was alternately bemused and horrified to see themselves portrayed.)
Six new Muggle-born babies appeared in the Book, causing a minor crisis. They located all of the children, though it was not always easy.
Barty Crouch Jr. began to seriously court a new lady friend, Maebh Drumgoole. His mother did not handle it entirely gracefully.
It seems that Professor Carrow has been doing some unsavory experiments on rats. What's more, he's been getting more and more unstable, even hexing Hermione while on a bender. The next morning he was in no fit state to teach, and Neville discovered that perhaps he isn't bad at Transfiguration - he's just bad at dealing with Professor Carrow. The situation came to a head in a duel between Alecto Carrow and Lucius Malfoy. McGonagall saw it as an opportunity to get the Carrows out of Hogwarts, but to no avail.
Macnair was seen in a place called Catterack Village. The MLE and the Order suspect he's trying to learn about the Sleepers.
Someone using a woman named Charlotte Smythe's journal began posting Grim Truths, not approved by Sirius. It turns out to be a tea-trolley witch, Meg Wynn, with ties to a larger resistance group -- that keeps posting after she is captured. Nymphadora is seriously affected by Meg's plight, creating tension between her and Remus - she went to stay with the Malfoys for a few days... which turned out to be a trick: she was trying to get hair to be used for Polyjuice, so that the Order could rescue Meg, without Remus' consent!
In retaliation for the fight with Lucius, Alecto Carrow created a classroom "mishap" which broke Sally-Anne's arm.
Barty & Maebh became more serious, and although the Death Eaters approved, they needed the Lord Protector's blessing to be married. It was not forthcoming, and as a result, Barty terminated their relationship.
The Muggleborn baby rescues continued with a set of mixed-up twins and their parents, a set of brainwashed parents who named their daughter 'Bellatrix,' and a large and doting family.
In another disturbing turn, Amycus Carrow nearly Cruciated Parvati Patil (in place of Harry).
The users of the Charlotte Smythe journal, a group known as 'DogStar,' kept it up. The MLE caught the author, again, but not the journal. It served to fire up Sirius' contact, Terrie, though.
To a backdrop of rumblings about 'reducing spas' and some kind of food supplement called 'brassicrose,' Madam Pomfrey treated an underweight patient, Vicky Frobisher. She was admitted to a clinic outside of Hogwarts -- and it seemed to be using disturbing methods.
Another (non-authorized) Grim Truth showed up, this time in Gregory Goyle's journal. (Caused quite a row.) People began to suspect the author was Severus Snape. (And some Muggles began to follow his advice.)
Barty Crouch was injured, trying to chase down a Dogstar suspect with Lana.
The students put on "The Liberation of the Ministry," and there's drama both on and off stage. The adults find the play pretty amusing, if only for its hilarious inaccuracies! Even the Weasleys came. (Though Crouch did not take it well.)
Draco and Lucius conspired to take the Weasleys down a peg, via Ginny and her ambition.
The I Solemnly Swear lock, practicing magic from Neville's parents' Auror textbooks, had a spell mishap. It tipped the Order off to the fact that there's a young people's resistance group out there (and vice versa).
Hermione found a note from Snape in Harry's textbooks (and told Harry about it over the Order's disapproval).
Snape posted another Grim Truth in Goyle's journal, and his recommendations were adopted by some. It made Harry think about what Snape had left for him.