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Suppression
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 01-23-10 21:59
Isolde pokes her head into the kitchen. "I'm heading to the pitch."
The kitchen door is one that swings open and Pyrrhus had heard it making a sort of unsticking noise as Isolde pushed on it. Simultaneously he reminds himself to fix that and he tightens his grip the dish he's manually washing, tensing at the words he knows is coming. Moving with slow deliberation, Py sets the dish on a towel on the counter then turns to ask, "You're feeling all right this morning?"
Isolde steps fully into the kitchen, a gentle smile on her lips. Her tone is lightly teasing "You've asked that no less than five times. Care to make it an even six?"
"I don't mean to be overbearing."
"You aren't. You're concerned and you love me. I'm fine today and want to be on hand for my team. Now, kiss me goodbye and tell me you'll see me in an hour for the match."
As she speaks Isolde walks the short way to where Py stands with his back to the sink. Py does as requested, kissing Isolde then saying, "I'll see you in an hour for the start of the Pollywogs's match."
"Don't forget that afterwards Lia wants us to come to the match at Hogwarts," she reminds of her cousin who currently works as the Hogwarts head librarian.
"I haven't forgotten," Py says, making an effort to keep his tone light and normal.
Isolde kisses Py again then leaves for her Plymouth Pollywogs match. The team had had a match just last weekend but they play more games per season and because they are little league, their matches aren't very long, each having a set time limit. Py wishes that he'd been able to play as often when he was a kid. Hell, he plays for a living now and some days it still doesn't seem to be enough.
Five minutes pass with Py still standing in the same spot, looking at the door so recently used by Isolde. After what happened last week he wishes Isolde would take things easier. She had, afterall, been coughing up blood! It was only after they'd been at St. Mungo's for awhile that he learned that it was not the first time she'd had such an experience. Even after a week, the thought of that still clouds Py's vision with anger.
How could she have kept that from him?
Why had she?
Py had wanted to ask Isolde those two questions for a week but he's held back. Trying to make her feel guilty to appease the blow to his ego isn't going to help Isolde. Anyone else Py would have been all over, but not Isolde.
Py had held his tongue that day other than to ask questions, along with Isolde, of the healer overseeing the tests to determine what's wrong. Back when Isolde was first seriously injured during a professional Quidditch match, she'd taken some experimental treatments. One of those potions, is now showing a side-effect.
Beyond those questions to the healer, Py has said little this past week. He has, however, entertained many thoughts. Some involve figuring out a creative way to torment Frieda Fenford, somehow still in Azkaban even so many released during Smythe-Jones's tenure at Minister of Magic. Spending boring, quiet days in an Azkaban cell hardly seems fitting punishment for the person responsible for Isolde's accident and who is, therefore, directly responsible for what's affecting Isolde now.
Every time Py has started to spout off at Isolde for keeping things from him, he's channeled that energy into something else. Such as manually scrubbing dishes.
Py reaches for the dish he'd been washing when Isolde came in. He turns away from the sink, weighing the dish in one hand before hurling it as hard as he can to the opposite wall.
Py stands for several more minutes, slightly bent over, hands on thighs, wanting nothing more than to scream himself hoarse. Instead, he straightens, walks over to the shatter dish, brings out his wand, utters, "Repairo," then walks back to the sink with the fixed dish to finish cleaning up before leaving for Isolde's Pollywogs match.
Getting Some Work Done
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 01-24-10 07:45
Lawrence had once more promised his wife that he would not step foot in the great hall until lunchtime, because his presence was not required at the apparation lesson being held. She was getting better at learning to curtail his hard headedness when it came to helping his students - he couldn't help but chuckle as he headed to his office in the greenhouse. He had been swamped during his office hours yesterday afternoon with students having questions about the homework assignment that they had about two weeks to work on. So he hadn't had time to begin grading the pop quizzes that the classes had taken on Thursday and Friday.
He'd start with Friday's pile of quizzes, because Friday he only had the one class, and that was his fifth year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. He pulled the pile to him and plucked up his quill, dipping it in a pot of green ink, he would begin marking questions on the paper. Once he'd gone through the stack of nine papers, he would add the grades to the top of the page, and then transfer them into his grade book. The grades weren't as good as he had expected, but they weren't as poor as they could have been, given that the quiz was on the new material they were going to be covering.
Next would be his other fifth year class which was his first on Thursday mornings, it was comprised of Ravenclaw and Slytherin students. The second stack of nine papers was gathered and the same green ink would be used to mark the incorrect questions and place the grade at the top of the page.
He massaged his temples after a few moments, and he still had two more stacks of quizzes to grade to complete his Thursday course load. He checked his watch, before shifting, and debating on if he wanted to go to the Great Hall for lunch, or if he wanted to head in to Hogsmeade and grab something real quick like - perhaps at Burger Wizard, and then come back and finish grading papers before the Quidditch match later this afternoon.
Ariella's shift would be over before the Quidditch match, and they intended on going together, and then Lawrence had made reservations at a quiet Muggle restaraunt in London to spend the evening with his wife once the quidditch match was over.
He decided to go to the Great Hall, because it was quicker and the food was just as good, if not better than the fair that he would have gotten at Burger Wizard. He was still munching on half a tuna sandwich when he settled back at his desk in the greenhouse and started going over the quizzes from his sixth year N.E.W.T class.
Practice Because It's Paid For
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 01-24-10 13:17
Emerald's hoop has moved just enough that it's no longer centered directly in front of her, not that it actually matters. Once licensed to apparate and away from Hogwarts, the destination she'd be going to will hardly be in full view directly in front of her. No, the hoops just serve as a visual cue while learning how to apparate to being with.
Emerald's gotten to where she's successful every time, just as she had been when those last, horribly God awful lesson had ended. Looking back on it now, she's sure that Gertie Crouch must have been flabbergasted that so many filthy Nons completed the course being able to apparate well enough to pass the licensing exam. Of course, none of them had then gone on to pass. Their being allowed to even take the lessons in the first place at a jacked up fee and then to take the licensing test for another very high fee were just added ways for the then Ministry regime to cheat more money out of those they had deemed unacceptable.
Stepping from her hoop after apparating into it again, even though it's position relative to her doesn't actually matter, Emerald nonetheless resets the hoop to where it had been the first time she'd apparated this morning. She doesn't want to cause someone else who's still not got the knack to mess up simply because her hoop being in the wrong place caused a distraction. As she walks back to her place from which she will disapparate to appear once again inside her hoop, Emerald knows she doesn't have to even be here. She's gotten back into the swing of apparating again and relatively quickly so she knows that even with the time that will elapse between being able to get her apparating license and actually being out of Hogwarts and able to apparate whenever she wants, she'll be able to so without a problem. She chooses to stay with the rest of the classes because they are paid for - there wasn't a breakdown of fees for those only wanting x number of lessons - and extra practice at something like apparating can never hurt.
Emerald's also glad for the distraction from other thoughts, and from N.E.W.T. preparation, that the apparition lesson offers. Last week in Hogsmeade when face to face with Phin, he'd indicated that he wants to plan for a future together. He'd said they wouldn't have to set a date yet or even officially get engaged but does want to makes plans as a couple who will be together for years to come.
The thought of making such a commitment right now makes her tense. Emerald loves Phin and is sure he's the one but with everything that's happened, going all the way back to her parents dying, she's not quite ready to think about long term plans as even an unofficially engaged couple. She's not even ready to talk about living together after she graduates Hogwarts. Part of what makes her tense and makes breathing hard about Phin's wanted to take that next step committed couple-wise is that she's concerned he'll think Emerald doesn't love him as he loves her if she wants to put things off for awhile.
At least Emerald has more time to think before seeing Phin in person again. He's gone to the States for the weekend to visit his father, step-mother, and sisters. At the same time, Emerald feels a pang that she won't be seeing Phin at today's Quidditch match as he would surely have attended if he could have. The polar opposite feelings about wanting to see Phin and spend time with him war with those of wanting this time apart to think and to just be a regular dating couple for awhile. It's all so confusing! It's enough to give a person a headache.
Or to cause a person to splinch. Emerald doesn't, but only just barely. As she appears inside the hoop again, she's not at all in the spot inside the hoop she'd pictured herself being. She's almost right on top of the wooden edge of the hoop and for a brief second she thought part of her top was still back where she'd just been standing. She blinks and what looks like a piece of her blouse is gone. Patting herself down, Emerald sighs with relief that the top seems to be fine and just as it should be. That was close though. She's not sure if one of the professors would rush to help her fix a splinched blouse if no body part was involved.
Bending to put her hoop back to its starting position after again knocking it off kilter, Emerald walks back to her spot to start the process all over again and telling herself that if she's going to think about something distracting then to at least mentally write the ending to the paper due early next week.
Recovering
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 01-25-10 08:20
From his hospital bed, Bill answered questions a couple of aurors posed to him. He had been rescued a week ago, when a whole team of them had stormed the small house where the Wardles had kept him locked in a closet for weeks on end. Bill had later learned that the house sat on land where the Wardle family actually lived in another house. Among those arrested during the raid were Ezikial and Burrell, as well as another associate who'd been in the main house and who had sometimes taken Bill to and from the small bathroom in the smaller house.
Bill had answered a lot of questions that first night after his rescue, but throughout the week as the aurors thought of more to ask, they came to him to see what he could tell them. He remembered seeing at least 5 different people during his captivity, including the Wardle cousins. Although Ezikial and Burrell and their friend Kurt Coddington remained tight-lipped about the others, they were soon identified through auror investigation as being another cousin of the Burrells and another good friend of the family. All of the wizards were currently in Ministry of Magic holding cells and would soon stand trial for their crimes.
The aurors wrapped up their latest round of questioning and left Bill, just as Fleur entered with little Victoire in her arms. It had been Fleur's wise thinking that had kickstarted the auror investigation into Bill's disappearance.
He smiled at her through chapped lips. "What would I do without you?"
Fleur eased herself next to him at the edge of the bed. She smiled, overjoyed that her husband was safe and sound again.
"'Ow are you feeling?"
"Much improved." Bill had been severely injured from the beating he'd endured two weeks ago, but thanks to the healers' magical touch, he felt a lot better. It probably wouldn't be long before he'd feel like his old self again.
"I guess I need to stop making enemies," Bill joked.
Fleur wasn't laughing. The truth was, Bill had found himself in a bad situation because someone wanted to get even with him on more than one occasion. She knew he was a good person overall and didn't set out to make enemies, but somehow he attracted bad people who did very bad things.
She stroked his arm and then leaned over to kiss him on the brow. Between them, Victoire squirmed and babbled incomprehensively.
Fleur sighed. "Promise me you will be careful from now on."
"I promise."
Called To St. Mungo's
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 01-25-10 20:28
Stepping from the Floo, Kissy gets her bearings then goes to the right. She'd been at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall for the apparition lesson when an owl flew through one of the high up windows often left open for just such purposes. Most of the students were so intent on making their ways fully intact from starting positions to somewhere inside the perimeter of their hoops to notice the owl. Professor Twycross is paying close attention to the students' progress so also doesn't see the owl. Of the others in the Great Hall, some do see the bird, tracking it to see who its target is. Kissy was one of those who noticed movement and looked up to see the dusky brown bird. She was rather surprised then the owl came straight to her, dropping the envelope it carried before arcing around to fly right back out again.
Kissy had stepped off to the side to open the envelope. Even though the enclosed note was only two short sentences, Kissy read it no less the four times before looking up from the parchment. She hadn't known what to think. Was it just another ploy or legitimately an emergency? If real, should she drop everything to go running?
When she'd looked up from the note AJ made eye contact with her and started over. Kissy shook her head no, mouthed, "I'll tell you later," then walked over to where Professor McGonagall was watching the students nearest her. After a quick word with the deputy headmistress Kissy quietly exited the Great Hall and went to her castle flat to her coat and purse before Flooing to St. Mungo's.
Turning a corner Kissy catches sight of her sister-in-law Akina. Akina is jostling a baby whose face is fussily scrunched up. As she reaches Akina Kissy starts to ask who the baby is then with eyes widening she realizes it's her nephew Kazuki. In the time since his birth, Kissy has only seen her nephew twice. He has grown so much since that last time!
Akina turns as she shifts Kazuki in her arms and sees Kissy approaching. "Kissy! You came! I wasn't sure you would."
"When I first read your note, I wasn't sure either."
Akina's note had read Adamu unconscious, unresponsive. Come to St. Mungo's. Referring now to the note's contents Kissy asks, "You didn't give details. What happened?"
"We're not sure. Zen and I had gone over for a visit. Your mother had gotten Kazuki a few outfits and she and I were trying them on him. Zen and Adamu were sitting at the kitchen table with a Quidditch program on. Zen came in where your mother and I were for just a moment to say that Adamu and he thought going out for lunch would be nice and for we two to decide where we'd like them to take us. When Zen got back to the kitchen he found your father on the floor. His chair was at an odd angle but the way he was on the floor, we can't tell if he was in the chair and passed out, falling on the floor in the process or if he'd been in the process of getting up and tripped or slipped then fell and hit his head or "
Kissy holds up a hand for Akina to stop. "Thank you. I'm getting the picture." Kissy looks around then back to Akina, "Where are Mother and Zen?"
"Speaking with one of the healers. Kazuki chose right then to show his temper so I've been walking him up and down the hall here. You're father is through there if you want to go sit with him."
"He's still unconscious?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
"In that case, okay, I'll go sit with him. Unless you want me to take Kazuki for a bit to give you a break."
"He's about asleep now so I'm fine but maybe in a little bit."
Nodding to Akina, Kissy leaves her to go sit with Adamu, feeling awful for thinking that if she has to deal with her father that he's much easier to take when he's unconscious.