|
|
(Mark) Saturday Morning
Author: Isolde
Date: 02-18-10 17:25
After being ejected from the Great Hall so that yet another apparition lesson could take place, Mark wandered to the common common room for a little rest and relaxation. He had a ton of homework to do, from ordinary reading assignments to more complex research essays. It seemed that all of his professors were keen on burdening their students with extra work, since the end of winter term was nearly upon them and soon everyone would get a week off for Easter break. With it being Saturday, however, homework assignments were the last thing on Mark's mind.
He found Gus seated at the bar in the common common room, nursing a steaming mug of hot chocolate. Gus looked half-asleep. He also nibbled on a croissant on which he'd generously spread chocolate-hazelnut butter.
Mark sat down next to his friend-of-sorts and mumbled, "Morning."
"Morning," Gus tiredly answered. "Hungry?"
Mark shook his head. "I ate in the Great Hall."
"I overslept," Gus said, "which why I'm eating here."
Mark nodded in understanding and fell silent. Ever since Gus had been deemed a non and spent a year away from Hogwarts, Mark felt like they hardly had anything in common anymore. It was hard thinking of things to say to him.
A moment later, Johanna and Felicia entered the room. They spotted Gus and headed towards him, but they slowed down when they saw Mark sitting by their friend.
A house elf had just given Mark a glass of pumpkin juice, which he picked up as he got up from his stool.
"See you around," Mark said to Gus. He nodded his head in acknowledgment to the ladies and then moved in the direction of one of the armchairs scattered throughout the room. He got only so far when he noticed that Kate was sitting in the corner, her long hair obscuring part of her face.
Mark paused, debating whether to continue where he'd intended or if he should just go sit somewhere else. He was sorely reminded of the conversation he'd unwillingly had during Parents Weekend, when his mother had accused him of having an interest in Kate. As if. What was likable about her anyway? They definitely had nothing in common, even less so than Mark had with Gus.
As if sensing that she was on somebody's mind, Kate looked up and pushed back her hair. Her eyes met Mark's, and then she looked away and then back down to the book in her lap.
Mark scowled, still unable to decide where to go. In the end, he forced himself to walk away, seeking out the corner farthest away from Kate.
The Truth
Author: Jolyon
Date: 02-19-10 13:38
Because he wasn't needed at Hogwarts for the apparition lesson, Jolyon decided to spend Saturday morning talking to his mother about Charles Abbott. He hadn't broached the subject with her at all since first learning about the wizard's existence. It had been his secret to dwell on, with any questions he had being only answered by Charles Abbott himself. Now Jolyon wanted to hear the truth from his mother's own lips. He just hoped his father wasn't home to hear the conversation.
He delayed for a long moment outside his parents' front door and then braced himself for what he intended on doing. He had no idea how his mother might react to his questions. Would she be open with him, or would she clam up and keep her thoughts to herself? Could Jolyon even bear to ask any questions, if his father were home to hear them?
Finally, Jolyon put his key in the lock and entered the house. He found his mother in the kitchen baking bread.
"Jolyon! What brings you here?" she cried out, abandoning the rolling pin and putting flour-coated arms around her son's neck.
Jolyon embraced his mother and then held her at arm's length. "Is Dad home?" he asked.
"No, he's running a few errands. Did you need to talk to him?"
She knew the answer to her own question. Father and son hardly ever spoke to each other about anything. Their relationshp had never been particularly good.
"Actually, I wanted to speak to you about something," Jolyon replied.
He guided his mother to one of the chairback stools at the kitchen counter. She sat down, and Jolyon sat down next to her.
"Is something the matter?" she asked him, looking a bit worried. Jolyon seemed very serious.
He found that he couldn't figure out how to start. He opened and closed his mouth several times.
Bridget Kent placed a hand over her son's. "You can tell me anything. You know that, Jolyon."
He looked at her, hoping she wouldn't react badly to what he was about to say. "I met Charles Abbott."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "What did he tell you?"
"He told me I'm his son. Is it true, Mum?"
Jolyon's mother released a soft sigh. "I suppose I should start from the beginning."
She began speaking of a time before Jolyon's birth, with him hanging on to her every word.
Testimony
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 02-19-10 14:39
"Mr. Stratford, we really appreciate that you could come down and speak to us on a Saturday. I know it's probably not convenient, but we've been rather overwhelmed ourselves and today seemed like the best possible day to fit you in for questioning."
"It's no real inconvenience," Lysander replied, from where he sat in an office at the Ministry of Magic. Julian was handling the store operations that morning, and Charlotte was at Blossom's with Grace.
Lysander had been called in to give testimony regarding the mental well-being of Varus Ingram, who had threatened and very nearly cursed him during their most recent meeting. Julian's intervention had prevented anything from going awry, though it made deciding on a definite charge against Varus more difficult. It was unclear what sort of curse he'd intended on using against Lysander, as it could have been anything from just a jinx to the most serious of curses. Not once had he specifically threatened Lysander's life; he'd just wanted Lysander to pay for taking Astrid away from him. How one should interpret his meaning of "pay for" was up for debate.
Lysander was certainly of the mind that Varus definitely wanted him out of the picture, even if that meant Lysander dying to make it happen, but he also thought that the wizard had been completely off of his rocker and that there were obviously some underlying psychologically issues involved as well. Did Varus Ingram deserve to go to Azkaban or did he belong in a mental institution? That was what those working on his case wanted to determine and was just one reason why Lysander had been called in to give another statement on what had happened on that day at Twice Told Tales, as well as what had led up to that defining moment.
"Well, let's get straight to it, then," one of the two interviewers said. They were both men and sifted through pages and pages of parchment to get all of their facts straight. "How long have you known Mr. Ingram?"
Lysander had met the man sometime after he took over the stationary shop in Hogwarts. He had only really gotten to know (and dislike) him after Lysander had first met and developed an interest in Astrid.
"A few years," Lysander answered.
"Did you know him well?" asked the other wizard.
"Not extremely well, but in more recent times I got to know him a bit better than when he'd first come to Hogsmeade."
"And why is that?"
Lysander tried to sound completely nonchalant. "I befriended his girlfriend."
The first interviewer looked up over his half-moon glasses and said, "Who is now your girlfriend, is that correct?"
"That is correct."
"Mr. Stratford, did you steal his girlfriend away from him?"
Lysander tried not to get angry. Maybe that was what he'd done. In fact, he knew it was, but he didn't want anyone else insinuating that he'd done it quite that way. "I wouldn't call it that. Our friendship progressed to something more, while their relationship gradually fell apart. Such things happen."
"Indeed. Did you ever feel that Mr. Ingram had mental issues prior to the incident on the 8th, or would you say that his relationship failing and yours beginning with his ex-girlfriend directly contributed to his mental breakdown?"
Lysander didn't answer right away, debating whether to be completely truthful or to lie outright. If he insinuated that the incident at Twice Told Tales hadn't been an isolated event, that Varus could have snapped at any time for a reason having nothing to do with Lysander and Astrid, then maybe they would most definitely send him to a mental institution and keep him there for all eternity. They definitely wouldn't keep him in Azkaban forever since he hadn't done enough to keep him there for life.
"He did seem awfully paranoid at times," Lysander finally stated, lying through his teeth. "Sometimes I saw him talking to himself. I never witnessed anything to the intensity of the incident in the shoppe, but there were other instances where he just didn't seem normal, you know?"
Both men nodded and jotted what Lysander said onto pieces of parchment.
"You received a threatening note from Mr. Ingram, is that right?" asked the second wizard after he stopped writing.
"That's right." Lysander had only come clean about the last anonymous note he'd been sent, since he'd concluded that it had come from Varus, unlike the others, which had been written in a different handwriting and with a slightly different tone. For some reason Lysander thought it best to keep the other notes to himself, since he had no idea what they alluded to and with his own checkered past, he preferred to keep them quiet in case they were to expose something about him he'd rather not make public.
"Do you think Mr. Ingram set out to kill you that day?"
"I can't say that's what he intended on doing, but I can definitely say he wasn't in his right mind and that he could have done anything, whether he meant to or just couldn't help himself. Maybe he would have killed me, or tried to anyway."
The questioning continued for quite some time, mostly focusing on Varus but sometimes dealing with Lysander and/or Astrid. Lysander mostly gave honest opinions, but sometimes he embellished a little bit here and there to make Varus look worse. Of course, he didn't say anything that could be disproved. Getting caught in a lie wouldn't help his cause one bit and would only serve to make Varus look better, not worse.
Boreas & Kalandra
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 02-19-10 19:54
Julian counts out the knuts and sickles change telling Orchid as he does, "As you know, Twice Told Tales occassionally has new publications. AJ Hundle will be here for a booksigning tomorrow for his latest thriller."
Orchid mouth quirks up into that smile that gives men pause. Even though she's a regular customer, Julian still feels that smile's effect whenever Orchid flashes it. "I'll definitely be by! I've a shift tomorrow and will swing by before going to work. You know, I have yet to see you there. I'm starting to think you're shy."
Julian grins, deep dimples showing. "Hardly," he chuckles before turning more serious. "If Petals were located somewhere else, I'd have been there long ago."
Orchid pouts slightly. "It's not as though we're performing sex acts on the tables. We're a very classy establishment."
"Having met you and a number of your coworkers, I have no doubt about that."
Orchid continues giving Julian that pouty look until the bell above the door jingles, signaling someone else coming into the shoppe. She picks up the bag with her purchases and says in a low voice, "Then I suppose you'll just have to ask me out sometime so I can give you a private show."
With another flash of that smiles of hers, Orchid gives a little wave and sashays out. Following her movement with his eyes, it's not until Orchid is past the person who's just come in and has exited the shopped that it sinks in that the person is none other than his mother.
Lisette looks at Julian then turns and watches Orchid's figure through the shoppe's door and windows. "That woman has had extensive magical enhancement."
Lisette turns away from the door saying as much to herself as to Julian, "I should find out what cosmetic healer she uses."
Julian quirks an eyebrow. "You look fine, Mother."
Lisette pats her neck just under her chin. "I know I look fine but a little tighening up through here wouldn't hurt."
Julian has come around the counter by then to give his mother the proper greeting, complete with peck on the cheek, that she expects. Only then does he ask, "What brings you to the shoppe today?"
"I thought I would see if Grace and Charlotte would like to go to a dress up tea party. The Highgate is doing a special tea party for little girls. I only just learned of it or would have asked before now."
"They're both at Blossom's if you want to go ask them. I'm fine with it and I'm sure Lysander will be as well. He's not here or you could ask him yourself."
Lisette moves towards the door. "We'll be back in a tick to get the girls changed."
Julian grins at his mother, so sure the girls will say yes. They most likely will and Julian has no doubt they will want to wear their brand new fancy dress outfits. One night when Majandra Weasley and Julian were going over costume details for the Hogwarts Drama Club's upcoming play, Grace got nosy about the drawings and after question upon question ended up begging Julian for dress robes in the old fashioned style of the girls' costumes for the play. Julian had ended up agreeing to it and then to one for Charlotte as well when Grace asked. Majandra had laughed saying that her daughter Miranda and niece Larkin both want costumes too. She'd then offered to whip up ones for Grace and Charlotte. Julian had declined initially as Majandra had all the costumes for the play to oversee and has Potions classes to teach and other duties as well as being a mum of two small children. She'd insisted though so Julian had agreed only if she'd allow him to pay for all the materials and for her time. Julian had picked them up just last night while up at Hogwarts for rehearsal.
Sure enough, only a few minutes later Lisette is re-entering the shoppe with two very eager little girls. Instead of heading upstairs Grace and Charlotte run in the direction of the office. Lisette, clearly puzzled, starts to tell them to go up and change when Julian shakes his head. "The fancy dress they want to wear to that sort of tea party is in the office where I put them after I got in last night."
Julian then explains about the play and the costumes. As he's talking to his mother he's crossed the distance to the office to help the girls get into their outfits. Coming to help, Lisette asks, "What is the play?"
"Boreas & Kalandra."
When first announcing to the drama club after the second big production - the first having been before the Christmas holidays - would be, as with other things the club has done, the reaction was mixed. Most of those from a Wizarding family knew the story well. Those from a Muggle family and some with a foot in both worlds weren't at all familiar with the old Wizarding tale. Julian had tried to find a way to explain the story and compare it to something those students would know. Between Majandra, with her partially Muggle world background, and Julian, with more exposure to the Muggle world than many, they explained Boreas and Kalandra as a mix of Romeo & Juliet, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Lisette says, "That's quite an undertaking. Why did you select Boreas & Kalandra when there are so many simpler plays?"
"Because it has enough parts that those who aren't stars still feel like they are more than just background scenery; because there's romance; because there are duels; because there are fantastic creatures; because the magic used in it to simulate the magic of the actual story is both challenging and fun."
"Yeah!" Grace says with enthusiasm.
"Yeah!" Charlotte mimics.
Lisette laughs lightly and pats the girls on their heads. "You are both silly poppets. Now, are we ready for a grand tea party?"
"YES!" the girls chorus.
Lisette, taking each by the hand, says to Julian, "If it were just one or the other, I'd do a side along, but with the two of them, I'd best take them by Floo."
Julian tells the girls, "Be good, have fun," then after giving Lisette a parting kiss on the cheek sees them off through the Floo. With the shoppe momentarily to himself, save for Dexter who's in the window chasing something only he can see, Julian returns to the counter to proofread the sample program for next's Saturday's production of the play so he can make any corrections and owl it back to the printer.
Weeding Party
Author: Marzipan
Date: 02-20-10 09:28
Marzi sat on her knees in one of the gardens spread out across the Hogwarts grounds and pulled up weeds that grew in between the bushes, flowers and trees. Around her, various members of the Herbology club did the same. They were involved in what Marzi liked to call a "weeding party", in which they beautified the gardens in time for the start of the spring season, which officially began tomorrow on March 21st.
It was an absolutely lovely day. The sun shone, warming up the morning, though there was still a bit of a winter chill in the wind. Marzi wore jeans and a thick sweater and had gardening gloves over her hands. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
She planned on working in the various gardens throughout the day and invited members of the Herbology club to come and go as they pleased. She knew that some of the students were currently in the apparition lesson and wouldn't be able to help until later. Marzi certainly didn't expect anyone to stay for more than a couple of hours, but it was such a lovely day for gardening that she couldn't imagining doing anything indoors today.
Even Weston had come out to help. He tackled some of the more persistent weeds, yanking at them with all his might.
"You know," he began, after successfully pulling up a clump of weeds that had given him a hard time, "this would be a lot easier if we used magic."
Marzi laughed. "The job would be over and done with in a flash if we did that. Where's the fun in that? Don't you like getting your hands dirty?"
"Yes, there is something satisfying about doing all the work yourself, especially if the outcome is pleasing to the eye. Were you planning on planting anything today or are you just getting rid of the eye-sores?"
"Weeding first, and then maybe some planting. I think Lawrence had some suggestions for what to plant where, so if he comes along, we can ask him what he thinks," Marzi replied.
She pulled up a clump of weeds and tossed them into a nearby pail.
"Professor Ravenscroft, is this a weed?" asked Anita Tuck.
Marzi got up to inspect the plant in question.
"It's a pretty weed," Marzi concluded. "Some of them bloom quite nicely."
"Do I have to pull it?"
"If you like it so much, leave it," she said, "or you can pull it and place it in a vase in your room."
"Oh, I like that idea." Anita plucked the weed up and said, "Can I run up to my room really quickly?"
"Be my guest," Marzi replied with a smile.
"Thanks!"
Anita raced off to put her weed in water, and Marzi returned to pulling up some of the uglier weeds in the garden.
It is a nightmare
Author: Linnea Rose
Date: 02-20-10 10:47
Everything was a real nightmare. Linnea had some homework that was need to be finished till Monday. Mostly Linnea always made her homework when she got them but everything has been weird and hard since Thursday, when she got the letter for Maria about the problem at home. The letter had been lying in her bag since then. She also got response from her parents confirming that their grandpa really was ill, but that didn’t have to be worried.
So Linnea thought she should take care of her homework, but when she was to begin Maria came in to dormitory.
- I thought I should found you her, are you busy or can we talk? She said.
- Indeed we can talk if you want, I said putting the book down on the table.
- You know that grandpa is at St. Mungo's Hospital, but we could visit him if we want. But if we want to we should send an owl to Mama and Papa and they will come and get us so we can visited together, she said.
- That would be lovely I will think of it and we could go their maybe some time, I said.
Maria and decide that we should visited sometime and Maria went out to be with her friends and I started with the pile of books I thought I should read until Monday. I continued to do that until dinner when I went to the Great Hall and had supper. After that I thought that I should go to bed and read a little in my A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, which I thought is a very nice piece of literature to read. But I came only up the stairs to the bedroom and in to the bed, where I fell asleep. But the night was filled with strange dreams about all kinds of things.