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Intruders
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 12-22-08 07:32
Jet and Hermione crept to the statue of the gargoyle that blocked the entrance to Dumbledore's office. They stood before it, each one suddenly concerned with the fact that they did not know what password Snider used to enter the chamber that lay beyond it. It appearead as if their efforts to recover something of Dumbledore's had been impeded already.
"We'll have to guess," Jet whispered, "unless Snider or somebody shows up again so that we can sneak in behind them."
Hermione bit her lip, racking her brain for a possible password.
"Lemon drop," Jet tried, wondering if Snider had never bothered to change Dumbledore's old password. Unfortunately, the gargoyle didn't budge.
"Magic carpet," Hermione suggested, thinking of Snider's toy, which she was pretty sure was illegal in Britain.
"Flying carpet," Jet offered, as a variation to what Hermione had said.
They tried word after word and phrase after phrase, seemingly never getting any closer to the correct password. "Shebert lemon." "Cockroach cluster." "Acid pops." "Fizzing Whizbee." "Alohamora" "Open Sesame" "Pure." "Pureblood."
With the last word, the gargoyle leapt aside. Hermione and Jet exchanged shocked and relieved looks, and then carefully stepped onto the spiral staircase that carried them to Dumbledore's door.
"I suppose it's not all that surprising she'd use that for her password," Hermione murmured as she and Jet walked up to the door.
"No, though it took us long enough to come up with the obvious choice."
Jet reached out his hand to touch the door knob. He hesitated for half a beat, then turned the knob and pushed open the door. Breathless, he led Hermione over the threshold and into the office that Snider had commandeered for her own when she took over as Headmistress at Hogwarts.
In many ways, the office looked just as Jet and Hermione remembered. It was a spacious, circular room with large windows that offered a view of the Quidditch pitch in the distance. Portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses lined the walls, and as usual, their occupants were sound asleep. Both Hermione and Jet noted that there wasn't one of Dumbledore, which likely meant he was still alive.
Dumbledore's massive desk stood where it had always been, though it was covered with files on the students, photographs of Snider and her family and important friends, and a floral-patterned tea set that Hermione felt certain hadn't belonged to Dumbledore.
Hermione pulled the invisibility cloak off of her and Jet and slung it over her arm. "Let's see what we can find. I don't know how much time we'll have."
Nodding his head, Jet went off in one direction, and Hermione went off in another, in search of something of Dumbledore's they could bring back with them so that they could solve the mystery of where he was and bring him back where he rightfully belonged.
South American (Jill & Alastor)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 12-22-08 15:20
Jill opens her eyes, blinking against the bright light shining through the window. Given that the curtains were closed when she went to bed last night, someone must have come in this morning and opened them. Maybe it's a hint she should be getting up soon.
Lazily stretching, Jill hates to get out of bed. After the awful, thin, lumpy scratchy mattress her second year at Hogwarts and the even more awful, thinner, lumpier, scratchier mattress at Happy Haven, Jill had forgotten just how wonderful a real bed can be.
The door suddenly swings open and Alastor, still clad in pajamas, comes in bearing a tray. "You awake yet?"
"If I hadn't been, with that entrance, I would be now," Jill says, sitting up.
"We're still restricted on how much we can have, but doesn't it all look good?" Alastor asks, setting the tray down over Jill's lap then climbs up on the bed next to her. "Linette said it's a great day for the beach. Interested?"
"Of course! Sitting in the sun with hot sand and warm water sounds heavenly! I don't think any bathing suits here would fit me though. Pilar's closest to my size but with the weight I lost at Happy Haven...," Jill shrugs.
"So we get you a new suit. Unless something of Mateo's fits, and it might since I lost weight too, I'll need a new set of trunks too," Alastor replies, snagging a toast triangle smeared with strawberry jam from the tray.
Jill eats some banana slices then out of the blue asks, "Do you think Olive's all right?"
"Dunno. She seemed pretty messed up."
"As much as I hate Carrow, it's still hard to believe that Olive was really going to kill her."
"I know! Can't say I blame her though."
Jill says around a bite of the other toast triangle, "Me either. Just hard to believe she actually was going through with it."
"You think our family members are safe?"
Jill knows Alastor mainly means the family members who also were taken away, probably to places similar to Happy Haven. She shakes her head, "I don't know but I hope so."
Alastor slides off the bed, snagging one of the small glasses of juice as he goes. "Enough depressing talk. For a little while I want to think of nothing but being at the beach and enjoying doing nothing but being warm."
Nodding in agreement, Jill raises her own juice glass, "I'll drink to that."
Vigo, Spain: Peaceful
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 12-23-08 07:27
Fritz walks out onto the terrace of the relatively small safe house in Vigo, Spain. It's locatd in the hills overlooking the blue-watered marina, where a few boats are moored. From his vantage point, Fritz has a perfect view of the nicest parts of the city. He's glad to look at the ocean, and the yachts, and the sandy beach, and the red-roofed buildings that dotted the landscape. He didn't think he'd get to see anything other than snow and fog ever again.
It certainly wasn't terribly warm today, since it was winter time in Spain just as it was in Great Britain, but it wasn't half as cold as it had been for months on end at Happy Haven. Fritz attributes his warmth to not only the more milder temperature but also to the fact that he's wearing a new pair of jeans he hadn't worn out yet and a woolen, slate gray turtleneck sweater. He's got a clean, thick pair of socks on, and has his hands stuffed into his pockets.
The sliding door behind him opens with a whoosh and Professor McGonagall hobbles onto the terrace. She's using a cane to get around in her efforts to rebuild the strength in her legs and to relearn how to walk without all of her toes. Despite the cane in her hand, McGonagall looks more like her old self again. She has color in her cheeks again, and her hair is up in a bun just like it always was when she was teaching at Hogwarts.
Fritz offers to help her to one of the patio chair but she waves him off.
"I'm exercising," she explains, as she slowly strides to the edge of the terrace.
"You look like you are improving," Fritz comments honestly. Her walking is still a bit stilted, but her motions are much more fluid now than when he first saw her hobbling around the place.
"I feel like it too," she replied with the tinest hint of a smile. She gazed out at the harbor below for a long moment before asking, "What are your plans for today?"
"I thought I might see if Coco wants to meet me somewhere."
"That sounds like a fine idea."
Fritz nods, even though McGonagall has her back turned towards him and can't see the movement. He has seen Coco since arriving in Vigo, but being apart from her isn't easy even now that he knows she's in a safe place. The safe house in Vigo is too small to accommodate more than a few people, and more refugees aren't necessarily wanted on account of the two captives locked up in one of the rooms. Fritz hasn't seen either of the men, whom he has learned worked as guards at one of the other communities, the one where McGonagall had been until her rescue.
He doesn't think they are being interrogated too much these days, since he just observes a few people like Alastor Moody and Bill Weasley going in occasionally with food and water and leaving moments later with empty dishes. Fritz is kind of curious to see the men but Moody explicitly told him not to pay them a visit of any kind. Fritz has never been a rule-breaker, barring the most recent events at Happy Haven of course, and will do as Moody asks.
He crosses the rest of the terrace to stand beside McGonagall. They stand in silence for a long time, peaceful and content.
Unexpected Help
Author: Jet
Date: 12-23-08 08:46
Jet moves somewhat slowly, searching thoroughly for something with Dumbledore's essence they can take and use in the Blood Hound. He rebukes himself for taking so much time. Picking up the pace while trying to be just as thorough, Jet's still only covered about a quarter of his side of the office when they hear someone coming up the stairs. Thankfully, they'd made sure the entrance had closed again before starting their search.
Jet rushes over to Hermione, getting concealed under the invisibility cloak. They spend the next few minutes in tense silence as Harriet Snider stands at her desk, shuffling objects around, talking to herself, including saying, "Now where did I leave it? I thought it was right here."
Jet hadn't touched the desk yet and he doesn't think Hermione has. That means if Snider left something on her desk but can't find it now, it's not something either of them did. They each been trying to leave anything visually disturbed if Snider looks elsewhere in the office, hopefully Hermione and Jet succeeded in not doing anything that will reveal someone's been there.
Snider makes a sound like a frustrated, impatient snort, stepping back from the desk. "I can't imagine where I've put it. Did I leave it on the table at breakfast? Yes, that must be it."
Snider leaves, her heavy tread carrying to them the entire way down the stairs. Hermione and Jet come out from under the invisibility cloak. "Stating the obvious, that was close," Jet comments.
"We'd better hurry in case she comes back soon," Hermione suggests.
Jet goes back to the spot he'd been searching, picking back up where he'd left off. Hermione does the same. They've barely started when there's a popping sound and a voice asks, "What are Hermione Granger and Jet Obsidian doing in Albus Dumbledore's office?"
Each slowly turns to face a House Elf studiously examining them. Hermione's initial surprise fades then her face lights up in recognition. "Lundy!"
Jet's entire body relaxes again. Professor Dumbledore's House Elf. Hermione tells her, "We're searching for something that has Professor Dumbledore's essence."
Jet further explains, "I've invented a device that might help us find him."
Lundy's large eyes get even larger as she takes in this information. Jet notices she's holding something in her hands. "What's that," he asks.
With an impish grin, Lundy moves to the desk. "This is something Lundy borrowed."
Hermione and Jet laugh at about the same time with Hermione saying, "That's what Snider was just looking for, wasn't it?"
Lundy slyly replies, "Lundy is sorry if anyone has been inconvenienced."
Jet asks, "Why are you really here?"
"Lundy wants to protect Albus Dumbledore's belongings from that woman."
Hermione and Jet look at each other then grin. Hermione asks Lundy, "Would you help us?"
Lundy snorts, "Does Hermione Granger even need to ask that?"
The House Elf beckons them to her, taking each by the hand. There's an odd, pulling sensation and then they are in another room. Blinking, Jet looks around, the sensation of the House Elf apparition still tingling.
Lundy grandly gestures with her hands, "Albus Dumbledore's private quarters. Hermione Granger and Jet Obsidian will find something of use here, yes?"
Working On An Obsession (AJ)
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 12-23-08 18:45
With the apparition lesson over, AJ has the rest of Saturday free to continue pursuing what's become somewhat of an obsession. AJ is determined to figure out the location of Camp Lollipop. After borrowing a pensieve from a friend, AJ had gone to America to his ex brother-in-law's. Jade and Hunter Green are staying at Virgil's and it was their memories AJ needed to see.
Jade and Hunter had been hesitant at first so AJ shared one of his own memories with them. They'd been entrances with how he used his wand to extract the memory then placed it in the pensieve. They then had a blast seeing the memory as AJ had taken one from a thrill ride at the fall festival Hogwarts had had.
After that, the twins had been eager to let AJ view their memories of Camp Lollipop and their escape. Since then AJ has studied Muggle maps of London to pinpoint Hester Rackharrow's house. He's got an excellent idea of its location though there is the concern that it's charmed so even someone Wizarding can't see it unless knowing where it exactly is.
Leaving Hogwarts, AJ apparates somewhere near to where he thinks the exact location of Rackharrow's is then walks the rest of the way, doing his best to ignore the biting cold and the fresh snow mixed with sleet that's started falling just after breakfast.
AJ reaches the two Muggle houses between which he believes Hester Rackharrow's house resides. At first AJ sees nothing. He stares at the small yard space between the two houses but can't discern anything. Thinking perhaps it's between the next two houses, AJ walks on. He goes down that side of the block, checking the gaps between the houses. Frustrated at finding nothing, AJ turns and starts back down the block to check the houses the other direction.
It's when AJ has reached the two houses where he thought Rackharrow's is located and is walking by to start the search going the other way when out of the corner of his eye AJ sees something. He turns to look and there, taking shape between the two Muggle homes is a tall, narrow house that definately was not there before.
AJ grins at his success. Now that he knows where the house is, he can find it again when the time comes. AJ returns to the place he'd apparated to and from there disapparates to another London location.