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Attempt to Work Replaced with Shopping
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 04-14-11 18:19
Sunday, the office was quiet, the Ministry as a whole was quiet save for the Aurors who were tending to case details, writing reports and other things. It was a skeletal crew at best throughout the departments, and this included Orei, who was trying to catch up on paperwork. At the moment she was elbow deep in translating a deposition concerning an interesting case, in truth it was making her head hurt much like translating pixie always did.
"And why are you not spending this glorious Sunday home with the boyfriend?" Christian asked, peering over the litany of paperwork that was scattered over Orei's desk.
"Because the boyfriend is dealing with work, and I didn't feel like spending the day alone, so I thought I would come in and catch up on things." She said, massaging her temples lightly. "Though I think Pixie translation was a bit too much for a Sunday."
Christian laughed and neatly stacked the parchments. "Come on. What time is Jim off?" He asked, pulling her to her feet and grabbing her handbag.
"Not until about eight. We have plans to meet at my favorite Indian place, I've been craving curry now that the morning sickness has gone away."
Christian nodded. "Right then. I think, we are going to do some shopping. I have yet to get you anything for the baby, and I intend on spoiling this child...no matter what the mother's opinion is."
Orei shot him a glare. "Cute Christian, now, I've been meaning to ask you, do you want to be the baby's godfather? I've already asked Maddie to be the godmother."
"I would be honored. Besides, I was going to ask if you had chosen godparents yet." He said as they had floo'd to Christian's flat in London.
"Good, because I had no intention of letting you say no." She said, plopping down on the sofa and curling her legs beneath her. "I thought you said we were going shopping. This, is not shopping, this is your flat and decidedly not a shopping mall."
"Sorry, just a pit stop really. Needed to change and grab something that I needed to drop in the post." He said, before vanishing into his bedroom. Orei took the time to slip into the kitchen and pour herself a glass of fruit juice from Christian's ice box.
She mixed into it, the prenatal potion that she'd gotten from her doctor at St. Mungo's last month. She'd just finished the final sip of the mixture, as Christian came back.
"That looked tasty." He said, motioning to the now empty glass.
"It's actually quite horrid, however, much needed for the wonderous miracle that is growing within me." She said, sliding a hand over her stomach and leaning against the counter.
"Right, prenatals. Are you ready?" He asked, and soon enough they apparated to Wiziarding SoHo, and headed into the fray of the shopping district on a Sunday afternoon.
They shopped until about six thirty and some of the larger pieces would be delivered in a day or so to Orei's house in the village and they took the rest of the bags and things to the house. They set the baby items in the nursery and Christian shooed Orei off to take a shower and get dressed. "I will talk to you tomorrow gorgeous." Christian called heading out of the house and leaving Orei to finish getting ready to meet Jim for dinner.
Baby
Author: Marzipan
Date: 04-14-11 18:31
"Marzi, he's beautiful. Such a doll, really."
The proud new mother gazed up at Georgia FitzRoy with a smile. "Isn't he?"
Vallon Ravenscroft had been born in the wee hours of the morning. Marzi had gone into labor sometime before midnight and had given birth at St. Mungo's a few hours later.
She had not gone to Canada with the rest of the school, not because she'd expected to go into labor later that evening but because she knew it could happen. Better it happened at Hogwarts then in a foreign country at a very high-energy event.
The baby, wrapped in a soft, blue blanket, slept soundly in his grandmother's arms.
"My second grandchild," she murmured. "Where's Carter?" she suddenly asked, looking up at Marzi.
"We left him in the care of a house-elf last night," Marzi explained. "Weston left right before you came this morning. He should be bringing Carter to meet his new cousin soon."
"Carter's too young to remember this first meeting," Georgia mused. She tilted her head to the side in a thoughtful manner. "I suppose biologically speaking, Carter and Vallon are cousins, but they are brothers as well."
Marzi laughed. "As if our family isn't confusing enough. Weston and I are husband and wife who share siblings."
Her smile quickly faded, and the happy expression that had been all over Georgia's face disappeared too. Today would have been Carolina's twenty-eighth birthday.
Before the moment became too somber, Weston entered the hospital room with Carter in his arms. The not quite six-month-old gurgled at the sight of his aunt and held out his arms to her. Marzi held hers out in response and collected him into her arms.
Only then did Carter notice the baby. His grandmother explained to him who Vallon was, but no one knew what he really understood.
"I suppose it's nice that they are so close in age," Weston said. "They'll go to school together."
"That's right. They'll both get their Hogwarts letters at the same time," Georgia said, "but that won't be for a while yet!" She looked up from the baby nestled in her arms and asked, "Speaking of Hogwarts, how long is your maternity leave?"
"Six weeks, minimum," Marzi said. "Maybe longer. It'll just depend on how I feel and how I can handle juggling a new baby plus my other little one." She snuggled Carter close, causing him to giggle.
"Just take the rest of the year off," Georgia said.
"I'm not going to do that," Marzi replied. "I'm going to take the time I need, but then I'm going to go back to my students."
"Don't abandon your kids for your work."
With the exception of Carter's baby babble, the room grew very quiet. Weston put a hand on Marzi's shoulder and silently urged her not to say what he knew she was thinking, but she couldn't help herself.
She spoke in a low, even tone. "Don't worry, Mum. I won't follow your example and abandon my first born for a better life."
"That's not what I meant, and that's not fair!" Georgia exclaimed. She handed Vallon to Weston and climbed to her feet.
Carter could sense the tension in the air and started to cry.
Marzi wanted to say it wasn't fair that she grew up without a mother but she bit her lip, finally giving in to Weston's silent urging.
"I only meant that there are more important things in life than work. Relish every moment you have with Carter and Vallon, Marzi. You don't know what might happen tomorrow."
Again, the topic seemed to shift to Carolina, even though her name hadn't been said once all morning.
Marzi comforted Carter by rubbing his back and saying soothing words to him. When he settled down, she indicated to the chair her mother had vacated.
"Stay, Mum. Why don't you hold Carter for a while?"
She leaned in toward her mother, and though Carter was somewhat reluctant to leave Marzi's arms, he accepted his grandmother's embrace. He sat patiently on her lap and played with an onyx pendant that hung on a gold chain around her neck.
Weston handed Vallon to Marzi. The baby, born on the same day as the aunt he would never know, slept on without a single care on his brand new mind.
Dumbledore Stops By
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 04-15-11 12:02
Professor McGonagall roved the Great Hall, keeping a watchful eye on the fifth and sixth years who were currently enrolled in the apparition lessons instructed by Wilkie Twycross. Not everyone had mastered apparition yet, but by now, most had accomplished at least something. Splinching became a more regular occurrence, and though it might be disappointing to some of those who experienced it, it was just another step in learning how to apparate properly.
The doors to the Great Hall, usually kept closed during the lesson, opened briefly to admit Professor Dumbledore. The distraction, as small as it was, drew everyone's attention. The students and professors, both, were tired of listening to the mantra repeatedly spilling from Professor Twycross's lips. The apparition instructor himself didn't expect Professor Dumbledore of all wizards to walk in on his lesson. He stuttered for a moment, forgetting which D he'd last stated.
"Good morning, all," Professor Dumbledore greeted, since he'd garnened everyone's attention. "Please do not let my presence disturb your class. I only mean to observe your progress."
"Y-yes. Good, good. Where was I?" Professor Twycross pondered aloud. "Ah, yes: Deliberation."
All heads reluctantly swiveled back around to view the apparition instructor or the empty hoops on the floor.
Professor Dumbledore joined the other professors in their silent observations of the lesson and on one occasion helped reverse a splinching. Sometime later, he stopped next to Professor McGonagall, who had stopped her pacing to lean against the wall.
"Professor Croghan came into my office this morning to express his intention to leave at the end of the school year," Professor Dumbledore quietly told Minerva.
"Did he give a reason why?" Professor McGonagall asked. She hadn't gotten to know the Charms professor very well and couldn't say one way or the other if he seemed happy with his position at Hogwarts.
"He will join the university staff this fall."
Professor Dumbledore pulled a lemon drop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
"I believe he'll be in his element there. At university, he can teach more specialized courses than what is offered here at Hogwarts."
"We'll need to find a replacement for next year, unless Filius is expected to teach all years again," Professor McGonagall said.
"Yes," Professor Dumbledore agreed. "I have a thought on the matter."
"Do you?"
Before Dumbledore could reveal who he had in mind, a shriek sounded throughout the Great Hall. One of the students had completely splinched themselves in half. It was ghastly enough that everyone stopped to gape at the sight. Both Minerva and Albus rushed over to help, and by the time they finished, their previous conversation was forgotten.
(Anthony) Sighting
Author: Beck
Date: 04-15-11 15:47
It was a crisp, cloudy morning when Anthony, Plum and Alex left their London flat for a stroll through Diagon Alley. They had a few errands to run, but with it being Sunday morning, most stores weren't open yet.
Diagon Alley wasn't very busy. A few wizards were out and about, but it wasn't a particularly pleasant day for enjoying the great outdoors. The main reason the trio left their flat so early was because Alex had gotten a bit stir crazy.
He ran ahead a little and peered into shop windows or bent to pick up something that had been discarded on the street. Anthony and Plum left him to his own devices, as long as he didn't stray too far. They walked arm in arm and talked about some of the ideas they had for their wedding.
Alex reached Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor and pressed his nose to the glass. Anthony chuckled, knowing what would soon be asked of him.
"Is it too cold for ice cream?" he asked Plum.
"It's never too cold for ice cream," Plum replied with a smile, "but I'm not sure the parlor is open yet. Alex will be disappointed."
Sure enough, the parlor wasn't open yet, but it would be by noon.
"Tell you what, Alex," Anthony told him, placing a hand on the young boy's head. "By the time we're finished running errands, the parlor will be open and we can all have ice cream. How does that sound?"
Alex frowned, but he knew he had no choice but to wait. "Okay," he said. He took Plum's free hand and asked, "Where are we going?"
Whatever Plum said, Anthony didn't hear. A figure emerging from Knockturn Alley captured his entire attention. The wizard wore jeans and a thick, woolen sweater. The collar of his coat was turned up to shield his neck from the chilly, morning air. It wasn't enough to cover his entire face and thereby allowed Anthony to identify him.
"Anthony?" asked Plum, sensing her fiancé's distraction.
He answered without looking away from the wizard, who had turned in the other direction and walked in the direction of The Flour Shoppe.
"Hmm?" Anthony murmured.
"Who was that?"
The wizard was still visible, but had walked a fair distance from where Anthony, Plum and Alex still stood. Anthony finally looked away and answered Plum.
"That was Hudson Hayes."
"The new auror you mentioned? Why didn't you call out and say hello?"
"I don't know," Anthony honestly replied. "I guess I was surprised to see him coming from Knockturn Alley."
"Maybe he was working on a case," Plum said.
"That's probably what it was," Anthony answered. He looked away from Plum to where he had last seen Hudson, but the wizard was gone.
"Can we go now?" Alex asked, tugging on Plum's hand.
"Yes, we can go," Anthony replied, looking down at Alex. He ruffled the young boy's hair and said, "After all, we do have an ice cream date later."
Alex's face lit up and he tugged on Plum's hand again, eager to get on his way.
At Home with Rosamond
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 04-15-11 17:00
"I could get used to this."
Rosamond lounged on the sofa in the duplex she shared with Ethan. She had pillows piled up behind her back and under her feet and sipped on a cup of fruit tea.
Ethan, meanwhile, had a duster dusting the bookshelves, a broom sweeping the floors, and a squeegee washing the windows. He was in the kitchen cleaning the sink, stove and countertops.
Ethan poked his head out of the kitchen and grinned at Rosamond. "I do enjoy being your personal slave, but I suspect in a few weeks, lounging on the couch will be more of a luxury than anything else."
"You're probably right," Rosamond wistfully said, patting her swelling belly. "It will be worth it, though." Her face lit up all of a sudden, and she leaned forward as far as her stomach would allow. "Can you imagine, a baby in this house with us?"
Ethan abandoned his cleaning to join Rosamond in the living room. He sat down on the coffee table and took her hand.
"I never thought I would have children. I don't know why. Maybe because of my work... and because of my past... but I couldn't be happier that it's happening now."
Rosamond smiled and settled against her cushions again. Ethan got up, leaned over to kiss her, and then went to answer the door after someone rang the doorbell.
It was Callum. He looked hungover and wore rumpled clothing that he'd probably worn last night.
"Callum? What brings you to Greenwich?"
"A girl. Hope you don't mind that I stopped by. I was in the neighborhood."
"Your girl wasn't literally in this neighborhood, was she?"
"No. She's a... what do you call us? A Muggle. Hi, Rosamond." Callum stumbled into a chair adjacent to the couch.
"Hi, Callum. Late night last night?"
"You could say that."
Ethan took his place on the coffee table again and said, "Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you. When you and Meadow were dating, did you ever meet her family?"
"No, not once. She didn't even talk about them. Why?"
Ethan shook his head. "One of my students is her nephew. I think I mentioned that."
Callum nodded but didn't say anything.
"Supposedly, he has a much older brother named Robert. Curiosity got the better of me and I checked student records at Hogwarts to see what I could find out about this Robert. There wasn't a single file on him. There wasn't any mention of his existence at all. I even went so far as to ask Albus Dumbledore––he's the headmaster, and has been at the school for decades––if he remembered Robert. He didn't. No one does."
"What does it matter?" asked Callum.
"The reason I looked into it at all is because there's something off about that family. I think Meadow and Penn are lying to me."
"Why would they?" Callum asked.
"I don't know."
"You'll have to excuse Ethan," Rosamond told Callum. "He has auror brain."
Ethan smiled at Rosamond. "I can't help it."
"I know you can't, and if they are lying to you, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You always do in the end."
Ethan sighed. "I hope so. Maybe it's not important, but I can't shake the feeling that maybe it is. Callum," he said, turning to his brother. "You need a cup of tea." He got up, not even expecting his brother to follow, and went into the kitchen to get another cup and saucer.
Procrastinating
Author: Kissy Isuki
Date: 04-15-11 20:29
"Really, you should go to bed," Kissy states for about the third time.
AJ opens his mouth to speak, ends up coughing before he says, "After this," only because he's all stuffed up it comes out sounding more like, "Abter dis."
Kissy frown at him, shifting the wrapped gift in her lap to the floor then leaning back in her seat to watch the students attempting to apparate. After a minute or so more of the sounds of the apparition attempts and Wylkie Twycross's mantra, AJ hoarsely asks, "Why're you here anyway?"
Without taking her eyes off the students Kissy replies, "I'm supposed to go to my parents' after I take this baby gift to Maripan."
"You already gave her someding at da shower."
"I chipped in for one of the larger gifts, yes, but I found a cute little green summery outfit with matching booties that works for either a boy or a girl. Why are you here? You're sick."
"Already promised Aaron. Dey had a family ding."
"Then you should have asked me. Have you taken anything?"
"Saw Poppy dis morning. Now answer my question."
"I did."
AJ looks pointedly at her as he coughs more.
Kissy slumps down a little in the seat. "I'm procrastinating going to my parents'."
"Why?"
"Because it's still not the most comfortable place to be. Sometimes I can't help but think everything is an act and they are planning someting again."
"But you know dey were victims too. You figured that out."
"I know but I lived for so long unable to trust them and having to second guess their motives," she sighs.
AJ gives her a gentle poke on the arm. "Go."
"I will. As soon as this lesson is over because you are going right now to get some rest."
AJ seems as though he's about to protest but after even more coughing he says, "Fine. I'm going. Dank you."
"Feel better."
With a nod, AJ gets up and shuffles out of the Great Hall. Kissy gives her attention back to the apparition lesson thinking that she's quite glad that Professor McGonagall rarely asks her to represent Gryffindor House at these things. Having to listen to Twycross but not also concentrating on apparating grow tiresome extremely fast.
Wondering
Author: Carys
Date: 04-16-11 11:04
St. Emrys University wasn't completely deserted on Sunday morning, but it wasn't as busy as it usually was during the week. Carys hadn't planned on going in today, but then she'd remembered that she'd forgotten to develop a second roll of film she'd taken last week for a series of articles set to run in Emrys Everyday sometime in the near future.
As she often did upon entering the newspaper office when hardly anyone else was there, Carys uneasily looked around for anyone or anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes she half expected Decimus Clarke to pop out of nowhere and corner her in the dark room again, but she knew it was impossible. He was a prisoner of Azkaban now.
She set her stuff down on a desk she often utilized for that very purpose and then entered the dark room. Thanks to her therapist, she wasn't scared of being alone in that little room anymore, but she was still cautious. She gave it a quick once over and then pulled out the film she'd neglected from last week.
Carys worked quickly. She didn't want to take up too much time in the office because it was the weekend and she wanted to spend time with Tristan. She also didn't want to burden her grandfather too much with babysitting, even though she knew he didn't mind one bit.
After a while, she hung up the new photographs to dry. As she did so, a picture pinned to the wall caught her eye. It was one she'd taken a while back at the international festival. In it, a wizard had his hand clamped around the mouth of a frightened witch. Carys had taken the photograph to campus security and hadn't heard anything else about it since then.
She wondered about the witch in the picture. Was she all right? Had she really been abducted or was the photograph misleading?
A thump outside the dark room door caused Carys to jump. Heart pounding, she debated whether to pretend like she wasn't there or just to open the door and take a peek. The more she thought about it, the more she decided it best to investigate the source of the noise. She didn't want to be trapped in the dark room when there was only one way out.
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and cracked open the door. Then she yanked it open wider and took a full step out.
"Oh, hey, Carys. Sorry if I scared you," said Ava Owen, one of the staff writers who also played Quidditch for the Vipertooths. "I was trying to juggle too much and I dropped my broomstick."
The Cleensweep 13 was still on the floor.
Carys knelt to pick it up. It had been years since she'd played Quidditch herself. The broomstick almost felt like a foreign object in her hand.
"Here," Carys said to Ava. Ava shifted her gym bag and the satchel she used for journalism to the same arm and then accepted her broom.
"Thanks. See you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be here," Carys replied.
Ava managed to wave, even though her hands were full, and then left the office. Carys expelled a breath she'd been holding and then went back into the dark room to finish her work.
Not Nervous At All
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 04-16-11 19:29
Ron comes in through the sliding glass door from the backyard and says without preamble, "You picked up your tux?"
"Hello to you too, Ron. Come on in. No, not yet. It's on hold for me though."
"Too bad the place is closed on Sunday, else we could get it now."
"There's plenty of time to pick up my tux, Ron."
"Ha. You only think there's plenty of time. The wedding is soon. SOON. Can't have you letting it slip up without you having a tux. Hermione'd kill me."
"Starting to panic a little are you?" Harry blandly asks at his friend's tone.
"No, course not. Okay, maybe a little. I'm not scared about getting married, mind you. It's more that I just know I'm going to screw something up."
"You're not going to screw things up, Ron."
"I always do. I'll muck it up. Wrong tux or will lose the ring "
"I've got the ring so there's no way you're going to lose it."
"Or lose my job and have to sell the house to pay bills or "
"You are not going to lose your job and even if you did, you have family who would give you a job and Whizz Hard Books would love to have you back."
"Don't forget Aunt Aggie," Ron mutters.
"Huh? What about Aunt Aggie? I've never heard you mention her. Whose side is she on? What sort of job would she give you?"
Ron's eyes get huge, his head shaking back and forth. "Let's not talk about her. Forget I mentioned the name. What if Hermione comes to her senses? Realizes I'm not good enough?"
Harry's face crinkles with amusement. Finally standing her goes over to where Ron's begun nervously pacing. Harry puts an arm around Ron and guides his friend over to the couch where he gently shoves him down. "Take a deep breath. Everything's going to be fine. Hermione came to her senses long ago when she gave you a second chance. You are more than good enough for Hermione."
Ron takes a very deep breath and slowly exhales. "You know, it would help if you were officially part of the family. Hurry up and marry Ginny."
"Unless Ginny and I elope between now and your wedding, you'd beat us to getting married so I'm not sure how us getting married would help you."
"Elope. Yes, do that. Let's go get Ginny right now and elope. Mum will be so happy you're her son-in-law she'll forget all about being mad over being cheated another wedding."
"We aren't going to elope, Ron. Hell, I don't even know if we're anywhere ready for an engagement much less marriage. We've not been back together long."
Ron just blinks at Harry like he's just said the silliest thing ever. "You're going to end up married. Cut out all that nonsense before then and do it now. You aren't busy today are you?"
"I'm not eloping with your sister today, Ron. If we get married, we'll do it proper, with all your family present and you standing as my best man."
"It's a bunch of fuss you don't need."
"It's a family event and you know how I feel about family events. If it's a bunch of fuss that's not needed, why didn't you and Hermione elope?"
"My wedding's not a bunch of fuss is why. It's what Hermione wants and she had me help with details. I picked the tuxes, remember. You were there."
"It actually is a bunch of fuss. Most weddings are. You didn't elope with Hermione because you knew she wants a regular wedding, with guests, and family."
"Well, yeah. She's like you that way because... you know."
"Has she decided if she's walking down the aisle alone or with an escort?"
"I think she's having an escort. Maybe Dad, maybe Sirius. She was talking about it the other day but there was a Quidditch match on the WWN and she was talking more to Ginny and Mum than to me."
"Speaking of Quidditch, I was thinking about going to a match this afternoon. The Ballycastle Bats are playing a new American team. Houston Hurricanes I think is the name."
"I'm free. Want to see if the girls want to go?"
"Yeah, we could get a bite to eat first and then all four of us go. If they don't want to go to the match, you and I could skip it and the four of us just hang out like we used to."
"And you'll get your tux tomorrow?"
"I promise I will get it picked up tomorrow if it makes you feel better."
Ron's reply is to grab the jar of floo powder off the mantle so they could talk with Hermione and Ginny about either the Quidditch match or doing something else together later in the day.