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Are We Done Yet? (AJ)
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 01-15-09 15:40
Just before the designated start time for the seventh apparition lesson, those students lingering over breakfast are ushered out of the Great Hall. Those late coming to breakfast are turned away with instructions to get their morning meals in the student common room.
Chewing on the last bite of a soft roll on which he'd spread blackberry jam, AJ wishes he had another way to get out of the lesson. He'd come bloody close to asking one of his siblings to pose at him this morning. The Resistance has Polyjuice Potion at the ready and AJ could have easily gotten some. Much as he wanted to do just that, AJ has no real reason not to be in attendance this morning. Having already shirked the duty once, though with good cause, AJ feels he should be here for today's apparition lesson no matter how much he'd rather be elsewhere.
If not at the apparition lesson, AJ would probably be paying a visit to Griffin Price. He needs to let Griff know he's secured the use of the RV. Come to think of it, AJ should probably also find out if Griff wants his named mentioned in connection with gaining the Camp Lollipop information. AJ hadn't ever thought about that before last night. He'd started to mention Griff by name a couple of times then thought better of it.
A little later today AJ's going to speak at a Resistance meeting to get volunteers to help with the Camp Lollipop raid. With Phin and his friends, there's a good group already but with so many little ones to rescue and prison guards who aren't going to simply stand around while AJ's group stroll away with the children, they're going to need even more able bodies.
AJ glances at Kissy. She'd help, he's sure of it but should he risk her position here?
His eyes flick to Theodosia and just as quickly move away. Best not to get her involved. It's no secret that Theodosia believes the nonsense about pureblood superiority. Does she agree with the Ministry's methods is another issue. He'll have to ask sometime.
AJ's eyes go next to Jolyon Kent. Jolyon's a nice enough chap but as yet AJ has no real feel for where the man stands on topics.
Wilkie Twycross cheerfully greets the sixth years, some of whom have expressions on their faces that give every indication they'd rather be back in bed. As Twycross gets the lesson going, AJ quickly mentally cycles through others at Hogwarts who might want to help the Resistance... help rescue small children from the horrifically named Camp Lollipop.
Safrron would want to be could she be unaccounted for that long of a time? Why is she even still so closely watched? AJ bets it has more to do with that father of hers wanting to keep his precious image pristine than it does with Saffron being connected to Aaron Miller. Afterall, plenty of others have family connections to people who are missing or who were arrested for some reason or another because of all the Ministry rules and regulations regarding Nons.
Crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall, AJ tries not to look so bored as to draw Ryland Yaxley's attention - and possibly his ire. It feels like it's already been an hour when it's not even been five minutes. Trying not to sigh, AJ resigns himself to what is surely going to seem like a very long apparition lesson.
Found Out
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 01-15-09 17:40
Bronwyn woke up late and groaned. She'd gone to bed way past her bedtime and had had a little too much sake to drink at dinner last night. As the thought of the previous evening came to mind, Bronwyn bolted to a sitting position and then scrambled out of bed. She threw open the heavy curtains that kept out the sunlight and blinked rapidly as a bright stream hit her face.
Oh. My. God. Bronwyn shook her head and turned away from the window, walking to the bathroom connected to her room, where she picked up a glass from the counter and filled it with water.
She couldn't keep out the memories of last night. Angela had taken Bronwyn and Desi to a sushi bar called Bonzai, which on occasion featured "naked sushi" events. Bronwyn had been shocked to learn that naked sushi involved a woman lying on a table with nothing on except for a string bikini bottom and with various types of sushi set onto green leaves up and down the length of her body.
Angela, naturally, had had no trouble eating off the woman, and used her chopsticks to pluck at the sushi with relish. Even Desi didn't seem too hesitant to partake in the unusual meal. Only Bronwyn felt reluctant to eat the sushi in the manner it was displayed, though her growling stomach forced her into eating a little bit (but only from the most innocent parts of the woman's body).
What was more shocking was some of the things Desi did during the meal. For instance, while talking to Bronwyn about something Angela did, Desi placed her hand onto Angela's in a most delicate manner. Maybe it didn't mean anything, but maybe it did. Desi winked at Angela a lot and just seemed to show her coworker the type of attention that suggested there was something more than friendship between them. Maybe it was just the sake Desi drank that made her loosen up so much. Or maybe it was the sake Bronwyn drank that made her see things that weren't actually there.
Either way, Bronwyn felt weird the entire night. She felt weird eating sushi off of a naked woman. She felt weird watching the exchanges between Desi and Angela. And she felt weird responding to some of Angela's questions and comments ("Have you ever dated a woman?" "Would you?" "I don't care that you're married. Bring him along.")
At least last night was over. Bronwyn knew better than to agree to go eat naked sushi ever again (unless it involved a handsome man, of course).
Suddenly, the door to her bedroom opened and Desi stalked in, fully dressed and looking as if she had had a wonderful night's sleep. There was an odd look in her eye, however, and then Bronwyn saw why. Desi held one of the diaries Bronwyn had read during the week.
"Can you explain this?" Desi asked Bronwyn.
Bronwyn, standing between the bathroom and the bedroom with the glass of water in her hand, started to shake her head but then she changed her mind. She wasn't a liar. Even if this week she'd done things she normally didn't, she had to stop somewhere.
She sighed and entered the bedroom fully. "I'm sorry, Desi. I don't have a good excuse for why I rifled through your things. I just wanted to know more about you. What you think of things you don't talk to me about. What I missed when we didn't see each other these past few years. I was bored and I was nosey."
"That doesn't mean you can go through my personal belongings and read what's meant to be private. I don't have to tell you everything about me."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Desi never yelled at Bronwyn, but she talked to Bronwyn as if she were a teacher scolding Bronwyn the student for not doing her homework.
"If there's something I want you to know, I'll tell you. The rest is my business and my business only."
Bronwyn hung her head.
Desi knew that Bronwyn hadn't meant any harm and that she was feeling really terrible for invading Desi's privacy. It didn't take her divination abilities to foresee that Bronwyn would feel guilty for what she'd done for a long time.
Bronwyn moved over to the bed and set the glass down on the bedside table. She sat down and looked at the floor instead of at Desi.
"I know it won't make up for what I did, but if you want to read my diaries sometime, you can," she said quietly, "if we can ever get to them, that is. Most are at my parents' house, and I don't think summoning them is a good idea since I'm sure my dad's being watched, considering his daughter is a wanted woman and all."
Desi crossed the room and sat down next to Desi. She set the book down next to her, away from Bronwyn, and said, "I wasn't going to ask to read them, but if the occasion ever arises, I might take you up on that. Look," she sighed, "I'm not mad at you. Not really. I know that you live for stuff like what I wrote in my diaries, but it was still wrong for you to read them without my permission."
Bronwyn looked up and met Desi's eye. "I know, and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
Excellent (Indigo)
Author: Travis
Date: 01-15-09 19:23
Indigo looks up from writing a message to find Travis standing there. She's holding a somewhat large box.
"Hi, sorry if I'm interrupting. Canine emergency."
Indigo drops his quill and gets up to have a look inside the box Travis is now depositing gently on the floor. There's a small dog of indeterminent breed, though she looks like she might have some Cocker Spaniel in her. She's thin with matted fur of honey brown. Snuggling around here are five puppies that he judges to be around three weeks old. Two are the same honey brown as the mother, one is black with a couple of honey brown patches, one all black that Indi can see, and the fifth is honey brown with one big black spot on the rump, just above the tail.
As Indi begins inspecting the mother and puppies Travis is explaining, "I kept hearing something just out the backdoor of the shoppe. I finally went and looked. She was moving the puppies from wherever they'd been to some crates stacked back there. I waited to make sure she'd moved all the puppies before gathering them up."
"On cursory examination, they puppies are amazingly healthy given how thin she is. I want to do a full exam on them all and get her started on some proper food."
"I'll come back in a few hours then, how's that?"
"Or I can bring them to you, or even keep them here."
"I'll come get them. How about I treat you to lunch?"
"Works for me," Indi grins. "Oh, on your way back to your shoppe, would you owl this off for me? Both the clinic's owls are already on deliveries."
Travis accepts the message that Indi had been finishing up when she came in. Glancing at the name on the envelope she says more or less to herself, "Jolyon Kent," then asks Indi, "He's a professor at Hogwarts, right?"
"Yeah, the Care of Magical Creatures professor. We've talked a few times and had mentioned wanting to set up a field trip to the dragon preserve. I told him I'd arrange it for him. The message is to let him know it's a go for the day and time he was wanting."
"Are you going along?"
"Probably. I might even act as tour guide."
Travis giggles. "Does Professor Kent know what he's getting himself into by having you as a tour guide?"
"I'm an excellent tour guide," Indi protests.
"Yes, you are. Too excellent. Too enthusiastic. Too willing to get in a bit too close."
"It's not my fault you got a little singed that one time."
Travis rolls her eyes and laughs again. "Whatever you say, little brother. I'll see you in a bit. Have your appetite ready."
Travis leaves, taking the message to be owled with her, leaving Indi to give the six dogs full exams and to get their coats cleaned up and the mother's tangle and mat free.
Blinky's News
Author: Cailyn Spicer
Date: 01-16-09 16:44
The cold damp air seemed to seep its way all the way through Hogwarts down towards the little dorm that Cailyn shared with Gaia. She had the room to herself for once and was thoroughly enjoying it. All of her homework was done and she currently laid on her back reading the latest issue of the Daily Prophet and listening to the WNN. It was a typical boring Saturday for Cailyn. She had already taken her lessons with Moondancer and all her homework was done. She kept thinking about taking Moondancer and heading over to Hogesmeade but decided against it. Instead of doing the million things she had thought of doing, she just laid in her bed being lazy.
In fact, she was so lost in the radio and the daily prophet that she didn’t hear the little pop that sounded from some corner in the room. Nor did she hear feet shuffling across the room. She also didn’t feel a strange hand touch her gently on the shoulder. In fact, she didn’t see or hear anything until her father’s house elf was suddenly standing above her on her bed.
With a hard thud, Cailyn fell out of the bed as she yelped in surprised at seeing Blinky standing above her. She hit her head and groaned. “Ouch!” She cried sitting up and rubbing the now bruised head.
“Oh I didn’t mean to scare you Miss Cailyn!”The little elf cried. “But your father told me that I must see you straight away with a message. “
“Why didn’t he just send his owl?” Cailyn asked still bewildered.
“I don’t know Little Miss. I just did as he told me. Can I tell you his message now?” The house elf asked. Cailyn nodded her head as she crawled back up onto her bed.
“He says that you do not need to worry about attending a wedding any longer. His engagement with Muffy- Texas is off and all the little brats and horrible lady are being sent to America. Is there a message back?”
“Yes ask him why he didn’t send an owl.” Cailyn laughed. So it finally happened. Her father ditched Muffy! She did a little happy dance on her bed. No more Muffy or her little brats yay! “Oh Blinky this is wonderful news. You may go home if you want too now.” She laughed and hugged the elf who made a popping noise and disappeared.
Créteil, France: The House at Hogwarts
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 01-16-09 18:37
Minerva sat in the dining room of the safe house in Créteil, France and listened as Hermione Granger detailed the findings, or lack thereof, she and Jet Obsidian had made in their search for Albus Dumbledore. The pair had used Jet's Blood Hound device many times to locate Albus and had always come up with the same result. Each time they went to the location specified, they found neither hide nor hair of the former Hogwarts headmaster.
Hermione went on to voice her suspicions and theories about the house on the Hogwarts grounds, how in her opinion she believed there was more to it than appearances suggested. Perhaps some sort of shielding enchantment prevented them from seeing him, and perhaps even barred him from seeing them. Possibly there was a trap door or a secret room or some other place hidden away within the house itself. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Of course, Hermione had begun her research. She'd used polyjuice potion a few times to go to the libraries in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, where she'd found a number of references to those theories and more. And yet, she couldn't pinpoint what might be Dumbledore's situation, since the possibilities were so vast and she had nothing solid on which to go.
Minerva, herself, had been surprised to hear about the house. She'd known about it long ago but had completely forgotten about it because it hadn't been in use for at least fifty years and no one ever mentioned it anymore. She well-imagined it being in total disrepair, from all the years of its abandonment.
"What, if anything, do you know about the house?" Hermione asked her former professor, after learning that Minerva knew about its existence.
"If memory serves me correctly, it belonged to one of the professors who taught at Hogwarts before I joined the staff myself. The story is his wife didn't want to raise their children in the castle, and since he wanted to live as close to his classroom as possible without being in the castle itself, the then-headmaster allowed him to construct a small house on the grounds themselves."
"How long did they live there and has anyone else lived in the house since then?"
Minerva shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know anything else about the family, but I don't think anyone else has occupied the house since they left."
"Until now," Hermione said.
Minerva didn't disbelieve the Blood Hound's accuracy, but she wasn't as sure as Hermione sounded about Dumbledore being in that house and not somewhere else entirely.
"Have you considered talking to some of the portraits at Hogwarts to see what they know of the house? You say the home isn't empty. Are there portraits on the walls?"
Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "There's an idea, an excellent one at that. I'll suggest it to Jet if I see him at the meeting later this morning. Are you planning on attending?"
"I am feeling up to it," Minerva replied. Her recovery to full-health had been slow in the beginning, but she really felt like her old self again in that she felt comfortable traveling to places like the safe house in France and even to wherever the Resistance Meeting was taking place today.
Hermione smiled. "Let's travel together, then. Oh! I wonder if there are blueprints to the house."
"You might find some in the Hogwarts library, or perhaps even in Filch's office," Minerva suggested.
"Or maybe the Department of Magical Construction at the Ministry of Magic has something on file!" Hermione added in, getting excited about the new possibilities that had just opened up for her and Jet and, of course, Dumbledore himself.
Minerva brainstormed with her until it was time to leave for the meeting. It would be her very first Resistance Meeting, and she was very much looking forward to it.
Discomfitting
Author: Briar Rose
Date: 01-17-09 11:13
Briar's straightening the dining area after a group that had been having a working brunch meeting there has left. Ariella's adding some owl orders to their daily to do list. From upstairs come the sounds of Grace and Charlotte romping after Dexter in one of the indoor gyms that Aegean's put together. After lunch Grace is going to go over to Blossom's for awhile. Briar needs to check with Lysander on whether Charlotte's going as well. She'll do that when she's done straightening and gotten a batch of chocolate chip walnut cookies from the oven. Briar will take some of the still hot cookies over to Lysander and Julian and ask Lysander then.
Briar stands up straight and surveys the room. Satisfied that everything is in order and clean, Briar goes to give the display cases a quick polish, leaving the glass gleaming. Moving into the kitchen, Briar waves her wand to send trays of the chocolate chip walnut cookies from the oven to the cooling racks. She also checks on the several pies and cakes baking and sends pans full of freshly risen dough into one of the ovens to bake.
Grabbing a box, Briar fills it with some of the cookies then walks back to the front. Ariella asks, "Is it all right if I get in some cake decorating practice?"
"Yes, of course," Briar smiles in return. "I won't be but a few minutes. I'm just going to pop over to Twice Told Tales to take these biscuits to the boys."
Although the temperature is slightly warmer than it's been being, there are still patches of snow mounded along the High Street and the air is damp. Throw a good, stiff March wind into the mix along with the lack of sun and the day is still fairly cold. Briar tightens her coat around her and runs across to the bookshop. With her head slightly down, Briar nearly runs into someone exiting the shop.
Murmuring apologies Briar then thanks the man for holding the door for her. She glances up and gets a start. Briar's about to say something when Julian says with a laugh, "We don't need air conditioning at the moment, Briar."
Realizing she's still standing in such a way that the door is open and her body is partially blocking it, letting a steady blast of fridid air into the shop, Briar quickly moves. "Sorry!"
"I smell cookies," Julian grins, coming from around the counter.
"Yes, chocolate chip walnut, just from the oven."
As Briar talks to Julian she keeps looking through the door and windows, looking to see if she can tell where that man went. She's vaguely aware of Julian taking the biscuit box and calling for Lysander. Briar's almost back to the bakery when she remembers she forgot to ask Lysander about Charlotte. Since that had been the actual intention of going over to the bookshop, Briar guesses seeing that man was even more discomfitting than she realized.
Turning around to go back and ask Lysander about Charlotte, Briar's gaze sweeps up and down the High Street for signs of that man who looks exactly like the one from the dreams she periodically has. The man whose name is Griffin and could be the Griffin McQuillen that Julian's mother Lisette told Briar was one of the playmates Briar had as a child.
Resistance Meeting
Author: Coco Nutt
Date: 01-17-09 15:41
Leslie Burby hasn't liked that Coco's attended a few Resistance meetings but she's never done anything to prevent Coco from going. Not only does Coco know the risks but she's an adult now and one who is not about to sit back and do nothing to help those still in British Ministry prison camps. Also, harboring a fugitive - though granted, they are in Belgium, not Britain - doesn't exactly make Leslie one to say anything about not taking a risk.
After being so instrumental to the Happy Haven escape, Coco cannot imagine doing nothing else to help the cause. Even if all the Resistance wants her to do is fly aerial reconnaisance, then Coco will fly until her wings can't flap any longer.
Fritz wants to do his part as well so like Coco has attended some of the Resistance meetings. Today they're going to one but first simply wanted to get out and enjoy life, enjoy being able to walk down a street and window shop. They even found quite by accident a really cool shop that sells all sort of chemistry and other science equipment. It was right up Fritz's alley and Coco enjoyed poking around each aisle nearly as much as he did.
Catching a glimpse of the time on a clock behind the shop counter, Fritz very reluctantly tells Coco, "We should get going."
Strolling hand in hand they make their way the few blocks to where today's meeting is being held. Although a little early, there are still plenty of people already there. Coco hadn't been sure what to expect of this meeting. She's been to some that had only a few people and she's been to some that were so packed as to make things almost uncomfortable.
One of the first people Fritz and Coco spot is Professor McGonagall. Although Fritz has been staying at the same place as the professor, this is the first time Coco's really seen her. Professor McGonagall looks more aged and definately more thin but then the already petite Coco is nothing but scrawny bones herself.
"Hi, Professor McGonagall!" Coco says, happier than words can express.
Professor McGonagall gingerly gives Coco a quick hug. "I hardly recognized you, Coco."
Coco's hair is longer and it's regular shade of brown, not the blue it normally was at Hogwarts. She's slightly taller and a great deal thinner. But these things the professor doesn't mention. What she rather dryly says is, "I'm not used to seeing you with shoes on."
This has both Fritz and Coco laughing then Fritz offers to help Professor McGonagall to a chair and to get them all something to drink. Just after Fritz has returned, another they spot the face of another professor from their time at Hogwarts. Although neither Fritz nor Coco had ever taken Ancient Runes, they of course knew AJ Hodfuffer and Coco had even been the basis of one of Professor Hodfuffer's Student Sleuths mystery novels.
Professor Hodfuffer gives first Coco and then Fritz bear hugs. They weren't expecting quite so an enthusiastic or heartfelt a greeting but Coco understands his reaction when he tells them, "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to take part in the Happy Haven escape. You don't know how I regret that! It's so good to see you both well, and you, Professor McGonagall. You're recovery is going well?"
"Yes, thank you for asking," Professor McGonagall nods.
Professor Hodfuffer looks as though he'd like to say more but someone else is pulling him away. "I've on the agenda," he explains. "Perhaps we can catch up a bit afterwards."
All three nod, Fritz and Coco settling in the chairs near Professor McGonagall as others around them also start taking seats. Within minutes the meeting is officially called to order.