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Swimming Instead Of Studying
Author: Maggie Hawthorne
Date: 08-10-12 13:35
This morning had been filled with Twycross' three D's mantra as she'd been at the last apparation lesson of the year and hopefully had enough knowledge to take her licensing exam in a few weeks, she'd also have to thank Lawrence for helping her pay the fees for the couple of classes she could attend now that she was here in England and attending Hogwarts to finish up her schooling.
She had a study day planned tomorrow when she'd be working on NEWT practice exams with William and a couple other students in their class - the group would be meeting in the Common Commons or the Library, that hadn't been finalized yet and probably wouldn't until sometime around breakfast. For now, she was down in the pool in the Fitness room, burning off some excess energy. Her mum's birthday was coming up and she wasn't exactly sure what to do to remember her by. As it was, Maggie would be hitting her next birthday without her mother and that was kind of disheartening.
Shaking off the depressing thoughts she dove back into the water and began swimming laps. Moving quickly through the water she savored the feeling of it cocooning around her and allowing her to float even as she worked her way through the four main swim strokes: backstroke, breast stroke, free, butterfly. After about one hundred and twenty laps she pulled herself out of the pool and dried off on a thick terry cloth towel, wrapping it around her as she pulled off her Hufflepuff colored swim cap and let her dark hair free, goggles draped over one wrist as she padded barefoot toward the changing area only to stop short when a familiar figure stepped out of the boys side.
"Hey Mags. Everything alright?"
"Hey William, yeah, I'd just finished, though I could conceivably swim a bit more tonight though - one hundred and fifty laps tend to be about my max at the moment," she said with an impish grin.
"You could keep me company, I've got a few laps I want to get in or we could lounge in the shallows and just talk?"
"Either works for me. I think I'll go sit in the shallows and relax while you get your laps in, then we can just relax a bit?"
He nodded his head and within minutes was in the water swimming his laps, while Maggie headed over to the shallows and after dropping the towel, goggles and swim cap off to the side settled on the steps watching William swim and letting her thoughts drift to the rest of the school year and ultimately the potentials for after Hogwarts. All of her applications had come back and all of them positive in nature, but she wasn't sure where she wanted to go just yet, she still wanted to talk it over with Lawrence or maybe with Ariella, and ultimately she had to decide if she wanted to leave this place that had now become home.
Big Bad Wolf
Author: Griet
Date: 08-10-12 15:12
"Let's stay in bed all day," Griet murmured. She had one arm draped over her face and found it very difficult to open her eyes, despite the fact that her bedmate looked quite nice without clothing on.
"You are welcome to stay here until we need to lock ourselves up," Tucker said, placing a kiss on the crease where her lower and upper arm met. "Are you sure you don't want to eat anything?"
Griet felt her stomach turn at the thought. "No, thanks."
Tucker climbed out of bed and padded to the doorway. "The smell won't make you sick?"
"What are you going to make?"
"I'm craving bacon."
"You animal, you."
Tucker laughed. "Both the human side of me and the wolf like pig. What can I say? We're carnivores." He left the room then, his footsteps growing quieter and quieter. Soon, Griet heard him put a frying pan on the stove. A short while after that, she heard the tell-tale sound of bacon sizzling in the pan.
She rolled over and pulled the comforter up over her head. Griet always felt terribly sick around the full moon and envied Tucker, who seemed to bear this time of the month remarkably better. He certainly didn't feel at his best, however, since even he wasn't immune to the effects of the full moon.
Sometime later he padded back into the room and climbed onto the bed. He sat cross-legged and nibbled on the bacon he had made.
"Are you sleeping?" he asked between bites.
"No," Griet murmured.
"Any word about your sister?"
Griet took a full minute to answer, as if her mouth found it unbearably difficult responding to the command from her brain. "Aleydis wrote that Cornelia has been released from the Hospital Wing. She had a bad concussion but she's going to be fine. Probably is fine at this point, though I'm sure she's angry that Aleydis beat her to the snitch."
"I guess if it's any consolation, falling off a broom unconscious is as good reason as any not to catch a snitch," Tucker reasoned.
"And no doubt Cornelia is using that excuse to great effect," Griet replied. She peeked the top of her head out from under the comforter and opened her eyes, which took a great deal of effort because they felt like they were glued shut.
Tucker looked cute. He had messy bedhead and wore a pair of blue and white plaid boxer shorts. His plate was laden with strips of bacon.
Griet let out a laugh. "You must be really hungry."
"I'll eat it all, but I'll share with you if you're up to it."
Griet gave a gentle shake of her head. "No. I think I will close my eyes and go back to sleep." Her eyes fell shut then, but she made no move to sink back under the covers.
For a while, she listened to Tucker munching on his bacon, but then she slipped off to sleep and dreamed about a very hungry wolf chasing after pigs.
Study Break (Catriona)
Author: Fionna
Date: 08-10-12 15:35
Catriona rolls onto her back and rubs her eyes. "I'm tired of studying."
Polly Potts gently pokes her in the ribs to tease, "Ravenclaws do not get tired of studying."
Nodding in agreement, between bits of a strawberry oatmeal bar her mum had sent, Bianca seconds Polly's words. "Yes, Ravenclaws LOVE studying. No need to slow down for our sakes just to make us feel better about slacking off."
Sitting up and reaching for one of the fruit bars Cat mocks, "Ha ha. You caught me. I live to study and learn. I'd much rather be studying than anything else in the world, including snogging Christopher."
"Just as we've always suspected," Bianca dryly replies.
"I should admit that I am only friends with you, Cat, because of your brain and I expect you to fully memorize every OWL you take, writing everything down, so I am better prepared for my own OWLs next year."
Cat arches an eyebrow at Polly. "So, you knew from the time we first met that you'd end up a year behind? I had no idea you have the gift of Sight."
Polly purses her lips in serious thought for a moment. "Don't I wish I was a Seer. Think of all the trouble I would have saved so many of us from."
Turning lightly joking again, her mouth quirks up. "No, it was when I got back here and you indicated you wanted to resume our friendship."
Bianca grins at Polly's statement. "Are you sure you aren't Slytherin, Polly?"
Cat laughs aloud. "Sweet, shy Polly Potts a secret Slytherin? Hufflepuff maybe, but Slytherin?"
"After some of the things done to me simply because Gus Van Tassel liked me for all of two seconds, I think I could have out Slytherined even the legendary Bellatrix Lestrange."
Bianca nearly chokes on the strawberry oatmeal bite she'd just taken, her face turning redding from the combination of laughing and keeping crumbs from going down the wrong way. She gratefully accepts her drink from Cat, nodding between coughs that yes, she's fine. When she can find her voice again Bianca says, "Sorry. I was just trying to picture Polly as Bellatrix Lestrange. If Hogwarts does fancy dress at Halloween again, you should consider going as her."
"You don't think Dumbledore and McGonagall would take issue?" Polly asks.
Cat shrugs. "If you really were to want to dress up as her for the Halloween Feast, you could always ask one of them. Professor McGonagall's your head of house so ask her sometime."
"You know, maybe I will. No one would expect me to show up dressed as Bellatrix Lestrange." Polly's eyes flit to the essay she'd been polishing. "For now, I suppose I should hurry and get this done. I do not want to spend an entire Saturday on it."
Cat scrunches up her nose. "I should finish this practice exam or at the very least finish the readings for my Monday classes."
Bianca gives them a lazy grin. "Yes, you two get back to work. I will supervise to make sure you stay on task and in between I shall watch all those lovely lads over there playing whatever that Muggle game of football or soccer, or whatever it's called that I believe it was Professor Miller introduced to them."
Cat looks from her work to the boys playing footie. "You know, I really could use a longer break though too bad Christopher's in the apparition lesson. Watching would be better if he were playing."
Polly, having also decided her essay can wait a little longer, rolls her eyes at such a girlfriend statement, before she too positions herself to better watch the match.
Working Undercover
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 08-10-12 15:44
Orion leaned back in the tiny office he'd been granted as a Teaching Assistant. Of course, he wasn't really a TA, but the Ministry wanted people undercover, and since he was between foreign assignments, he was a natural choice. Though he was actually using his real name this time, just in case he ran into anyone who might've known him during his Hogwarts days.
He looked up at the knock on the door. "Orion? Do you have a few minutes?" the petite blonde asked.
His smile was almost predatory. "Of course. What seems to be the problem?" He hadn't quite mastered everyone's name yet, but he'd asked them all to call him by his first name. It was simpler than hearing Mr. Howell all the time, which made him really uncomfortable.
"Well, it's more that I don't understand what we were talking about in class, and I just have to pass Exams to get into my courses for next term," she explained.
"Alright, get your notes out and have a seat here, we'll go over it and see if we can't make things make sense," he said with a more genuine smile. He might flirt with the students, but he wasn't heartless, and he had been lucky enough to be assigned to a course he actually did understand. If taking some time with a pretty girl helped her pass her tests, then so much the better.
(Alanna) The Next Morning
Author: Beck
Date: 08-10-12 15:48
The office was mercifully quiet when Alanna arrived at work after her night out with coworkers. She'd had a little too much to drink for a "school night", but Alanna wasn't the lightweight her older sister Ariella was. She could hold her liquor arguably better than even Anthony and Toby, not that they would admit to it.
The night had started out innocently enough, but then Reed had shown up and caused trouble. Alanna had no idea whether or not his presence had been a coincidence, or if he'd followed the others to the bar. Either way, it hadn't taken him long for him to make a fool of himself.
Alanna wasn't a mouse. She wasn't afraid of her own shadow or unable to stand up for herself. But when it came to Reed Wycombe, she tended to back down because most of their confrontations occurred in the workplace. It didn't matter to Alanna that she worked as a lowly legal intern and that it had been her grandfather who had helped get her foot in the door at the Ministry of Magic. She wanted to get as much experience as possible, starting at the very bottom, and eventually rise up in the ranks. She didn't want Reed pushing her out the door, voluntarily or otherwise.
Maybe it had been all the liquor in her system that hadn't kept her in check last night. She'd stated her piece and nearly gotten a fist in the face for her efforts. All hell had broken loose after that.
The night had ended with Reed unconscious and a table and glassware damaged. Fortunately, Desi seemed to know the bartender, so she hadn't gotten in trouble for her part in the altercation. Alanna had left before learning the fate of Reed, who was noticeably absent from work today. She knew he avoided working Saturdays when possible but had a feeling he was nursing his wounds today.
She had no complaints. His absence meant she could get a lot of work done, even though she hadn't gotten enough sleep last night and felt somewhat dehydrated. She also wanted to get some job applications in. Alanna was scheduled to graduate from St. Emrys this summer and hoped to land a real position in the coming months.
She busied herself with various tasks around the office and thought to herself that she needed to fill Jared in on what had happened last night at Driver Morgan's bar.
(Aralyn & Kristos) Searching for the Unknown
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 08-10-12 16:35
"I wish we knew what we are looking for," Aralyn complained, throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation. "It would make this treasure hunt infinitely easier."
"Maybe not infinitely easier, but it would certainly help," Kristos agreed.
They were standing in the basement where not too long ago the bodies of Danae Webb and Moses Allenham had been stashed. Now the two impostors were anchored to the bottom of the Bristol Channel. Aralyn and Kristos had started turning their parents' house upside down with the hopes of finding the object Webb and Allenham had long coveted.
Unfortunately, they had come up empty-handed so far, not even finding hidden compartments either in the room or in the odd piece of furniture littering the cramped and overstuffed basement. They tried all manners of searching, from getting their hands on everything to using magic to summon the object to them. If only they knew what to look for.
"I wonder if there is anyone out there who knows what our parents were hiding," Aralyn said.
"I have a feeling not," Kristos answered. "It sounds to me like the Dark Lord gave it to them directly and probably without an audience present."
"Why do you think that?" Aralyn asked.
Kristos stared at her. "Don't you think some of the Death Eaters might have been interested in whatever it was they got, if those two impostors had gone to such trouble to find it? Granted, maybe the DEs would have known better, considering who the gift had come from, but the Dark Lord's been dead for over six years now. Surely someone would have come around to claim it, if it's as bloody fantastic as Danae Webb and Moses Allenham claimed it to be."
"I guess. But we can't really know, can we?" Aralyn said, using reason for once in her life.
"Who do you want to ask, Aralyn? Do seek out Bellatrix Lestrange or Lucius Malfoy and ask them about the highly secretive object Lord Voldemort gave our parents once upon a time. I'm sure they'll be oh-so-pleased to lend their assistance in helping us find our inheritance."
Aralyn stuck out her lip and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have to be cruel."
"I'm being realistic, A. We can't ask anyone because nobody needs to know we're looking." He shrugged. "The only people worth asking are dead." He turned away then and kicked a box full of old embroidered handkerchiefs.
Aralyn also turned away and knelt to open a box at her feet. It seemed to contain knick knacks, like porcelain angels and painted birds that were probably Christmas tree ornaments. She held up a red cardinal and murmured, "I think I remember this."
Kristos looked over. "Yeah, there was a whole set. I think it came from Mum's side of the family."
Aralyn picked up a bluebird and a finch. "Do you want them?"
Kristos shook his head. "No, but that's not why we're here, remember?"
"I know, I know," Aralyn said. She put the birds back into the box and continued sifting through it. "Oh, look," she said, pulling out a large wooden doll.
Kristos looked over his shoulder again and frowned. "Aralyn, get serious."
"I am, I just think these are so cool." She shook it and also frowned. "It's empty." She twisted the doll's middle and pulled it apart to glance inside. "I wonder where the others are."
"Just take the damn box home with you and get to work," Kristos exclaimed impatiently.
"You know," Aralyn replied, tossing the doll halves back into the box and rising to face Kristos. "I think I will just go on and go. You're being a total arse right now."
"Great. Get out of my sight."
Aralyn scowled at her brother and then summoned the box into her arms. A moment later, she and the box were gone.
Kristos kicked the box of handkerchiefs again and then disapparated too, finding himself much too annoyed to be productive at the moment.
PreParty
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 08-10-12 17:12
Standing at a kitchen counter scooping a shrimp and crab dip into a scalloped shell bowl. The dip is a favorite of Drucilla's and his, so much so that at one point in her pregnancy with Zaria, she would sit with a bowl of the stuff and a box of crackers, eating it as a stand alone meal. She'd also pout if Sirius took even one cracker with a smidgeon of the dip on it. She was also craving a chocolate cheesecake Briar's makes to the point that anyone other than the twins trying to get a bite risked bodily harm. She only grudgingly shared with the twins because smart as they are, they didn't really understand Mummy not sharing with them when she's forever on them about that very thing.
A hand patting on his leg draws his attention from filling the bowl with dip. "Yes, James?"
"Mira wants to know if it's time for cake and presents."
"You do know that Mira is quite old enough to come ask for herself?"
"But she has me."
"She only has you because you agree to do her bidding, James. It's fine to tell her no."
"What's bidbing?"
"Bidding. That's when your sister wants you to do something and you do it."
"I don't mind."
"You never mind when she wants you to do something?"
James shrugs though whether that means the answer is no or that he doesn't know, Sirius isn't sure.
"You didn't mind this time because you want to know too, don't you?"
James's head eagerly bobs up and down. "Yes!"
"The party hasn't begun yet so no, it's not time for cake or presents."
"When?"
"Lots of people are coming who will bring more presents than the ones on the kitchen table. When everyone is here and all the presents are on the table in the backyard, we will have cake and then start opening the gifts. Okay?"
"Okay, but when is that, Daddy?"
Sirius cocks his head in the direction of the door knocker being clunked against the front door repeatedly. "I think that may be the first of your guests, James. Why don't you go see while Daddy puts this dip and crackers with the rest of the food?"
James is already through the kitchen door by the time Sirius has finished the suggestion. He hears a, "I've got it, Mummy!" followed quickly by James loudly asking whomever is at the door, "Are you here for my party? It's my birfday!"
Picking up the platter with the bowl of dip and the crackers to go with it, Sirius heads out the backdoor to deposit it on one of the festively decorated tables then heading back in to greet the first of the guests for Mira's and James's sixth birthday party.
Alanna's Gift
Author: Jared
Date: 08-10-12 19:30
Jared accepts a bottle of butterbeer from Sage as his friend asks, "Everything set for the birthday celebration tomorrow?"
"Whose birthday?"
Jared turns to look at Sage's stepsister Savannah as she comes up behind him on the couch. "Alanna's."
Her eyes sparkle with interest. "Got her an excellent gift?"
The question causes Sage to snicker, earning him a slight glower from Jared and an inquisitive, "What did I say?" from Savannah as she moves around the couch to sit.
"Jared stressed for weeks leading up to Alanna's birthday and to Christmas about what to get her. So far, he's done rather well in picking gifts since they've been dating."
"So, Jared, what did you get Alanna for tomorrow?" Savannah shifts to look directly at him as she asks her question.
"The gift I'll give her at lunch with her family is a pair of shoes she'd tried on recently and fell in love with but decided not to get because of the cost."
"Hmmm, a decent present; but, you said the gift you'll give at lunch. That implies there's something more." At another noise from Sage she takes temporarily takes her attention from Jared. "You have something more to say, Sage?"
"You should know that it's not a question of a single gift. He usually has a whole event planned."
Gaze directed at Jared once more Savannah prompts, "Do tell."
"She's getting breakfast in bed and on the breakfast tray will be a certificate to go later that morning for a manicure and pedicure." Not understanding why, Jared feels the need to explain. "The shoes are sandals but I thought it might seem strange to just have her get just a pedicure."
"Does this mean you expect her to wear the sandals at some point after her birthday lunch?"
"Not expect, no. I was just anticipating that she might want to and if not that particular pair, some other comfortable shoe for walking around outdoors."
"Makes sense." Savannah imperiously waves a hand at him. "Continue."
"Lunch is a big gathering with her family. I'll be there, of course, and my parents have been invited. There will be presents, probably a cake. A little later in the afternoon, Alanna and I are visiting some gardens she'd read about and then we are going to a picnic under the stars where a Muggle play is being performed."
"Sounds romantic but why a Muggle play and not a Wizarding one?"
Jared hestitates, not sure why he feels embarrassed. Sage reaches over with a foot to prod him on the leg. "Go on. Tell her. Girls love this sort of story."
Jared offers Sage another brief glower. Brief because Savannah nudges him on the leg as well. "Yes, go on. Tell."
With a small sigh and a roll of his eyes upwards to look at the ceiling he says, "This particular Muggle play is one I once heard Alanna tell some friends she'd love to see sometime."
Sage's foot reaches out again but Jared, seeing it coming this time, pulls his leg away, forcing Sage to stretch as he states, "You're leaving out the part that makes girls go all swoony."
"I like hearing swoony stories," Savannah assures.
Knowing that Savannah will make a pest of herself until he or Sage fills in the blank, Jared decides he might as well just get it over with. "The conversation took place two or so years before Alanna and I were dating."
"You overheard a girl you were not dating tell some friends something and all these years later remembered it?"
"Uhhhh. Yeah."
"That could either be very creepy or extremely sweet. Why would you even notice such a thing much less remember it? Most guys have trouble remembering what their girlfriends said five minutes in the past much less something a girl said years before they were even a couple."
His cheeks feel a little hot. Jared doesn't want to come off sounding creepy but even he has to admit to himself it could be taken that way.
"I noticed everything about Alanna then. No, I was not stalking her."
For once in this conversation Sage offers help. "Jared was in love with Alanna even then but she never seemed to notice him beyond being a classmate."
"How long were you crushing on her?" Savannah asks.
"Oh, you know, only since the first time I saw her."
"You do realize you aren't helping on the creepiness factor?" Savannah laughs.
"Yeah, I know, but I wasn't creepy about it. At least I don't think. Most people didn't even know, including Alanna."
"What would you have done if she had never noticed you in a different light?"
"Made myself move on. I wouldn't have forgotten about her but I would have eventually faced the inevitable and gotten over it."
Both turn to look at Sage who's trying very hard not to burst out laughing. "What this time?" Jared demands to know.
"You are deluded if you think you'd not be locked up along side other demented souls. That, or you would have turned into a stalker and right at this moment you'd be lurking around the halls of the Ministry trying to blend in as you observed Alanna at work, noting everything she did and doing things like rooting her disposable tea cup from the rubbish simply because her lips had touched it."
Jared's response to that is to direct a comment to Savannah. "I'll hold him down. You tickle him."