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At St. Emrys On A Saturday
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 02-20-16 20:14
Charlie hadn't planned to be in his office at St. Emrys on a Saturday morning but a departmental meeting had been called last minute for a time that best suited the department head. Annoyingly, the meeting lasted all of ten minutes and covered something that could have been done in a memo or saved until a regularly scheduled meeting.
On his way out of the conference room Charlie ran into one of his students on her way to leave a note on his door. She has to miss both class meetings next week and wanted to let him know in advance she isn't skipping just to be skipping. Charlie invited her to the office to get copies of the handouts for both of this coming week's classes.
After she'd gone, Charlie decided as long as he's in his office and Hen and the kids aren't expecting him for a bit, not until time for the Quidditch match at Hogwarts, he'll rework an exam he gave last term. He'd originally planned to give the exam this term as is but decided a few of the questions could be better worded and a couple tossed altogether, which means writing new ones to replace them.
Charlie has just finished with the exam and placed the original and the new version in the exam file for that particular course when there's a knock at the door. To his shock the person there is Raymond Washington, the dragon keeper secretly under investigation as the wizard behind the experimentation on dragons.
As he's been doing since Pierce Ford gave over Raymond's name as the perpetrator of the dragon deaths and attempts at DNA manipulation, Charlie does his best to act natural around the other man. "Raymond, what a surprise! Come in."
"Sorry for the intrusion, Charlie, but I need a favor."
"My mother has taken ill. She's allergic to dogs so could you take Opal for a few days?" Raymond holds up a dog carrier in which a ball of fluff named for the Antipodean Opaleye can be seen.
"Yeah, sure. Hope your mother's going to be fine." Charlie has gotten up to move around his desk, reaching for the dog carrier. As the handoff is made he thinks to ask, "How did you know to find me here?"
"I briefly fire talked with Hendrika. I know I could have asked her but I needed to talk to you anyway to ask you to pass along to work that I'll be gone for a few days."
"Be happy to. Anything else you need?"
"No, that's it. Thanks, Charlie."
Raymond bends to talk to the small dog, his voice rising a few octaves as he tells Opal, "Daddy loves you. Be good for Charlie and Hendrika."
Raymond soon leaves with Charlie reassuring him that Opal will be well taken care of. As the two men bid each other goodbye, Charlie has no clue this is the last he'll ever see of Raymond Washington for a very long time.
(Ariella) Secret Errand
Author: Beck
Date: 02-21-16 11:05
Ariella hesitated on the precipice of the entrance to Knockturn Alley. Never in her entire life had she had reason to visit the shady shopping locale; at least not until now. Alanna had asked her for an enormous favor, and Ariella wanted to help no matter the cost.
She was glad her grandparents were home and willing to look after Karina while she ran her errands. They didn't know what she was really up to, of course. Lawrence didn't know either. When she left him at Hogwarts just a short while ago, she told him the same thing she told her grandparents: that she wanted to do a little shopping in Diagon Alley, and that she wanted to do it quickly and without the distraction of a husband or daughter so that she could be back at Hogwarts in time for the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
Lawrence had his own work to do prior to the match, so her desire to run errands alone suited him just fine.
Ariella forced herself to enter the place she had never before visited and found it just as frightening as she'd always imagined. Knockturn Alley was dark, and there were strange wizards lingering everywhere. They stared at her as if she were someone easily intimidated, and in that moment, she felt like she was.
The objects in the storefront windows were also alarming. There were displays of shrunken heads, human bones of varying types, and potion bottles labeled with the symbol for poison. Ariella knew that she would have to enter one of the shoppes for what Alanna needed, but none of them looked safe or inviting.
She finally came upon a store she recognized, because there was a version of it in Diagon Alley. Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary looked more or less the same as the location she already knew, but she somehow suspected it wasn't exactly identical. She steeled herself for any unexpected surprises and pulled open the door. An inviting bell tinkled overhead.
As she guessed, there were strange potions and herbs inside this branch of the familiar apothecary, but there were ordinary medicinal tonics and plants too. The wizard behind the counter wore an apron over his robes and had on thick, round spectacles that almost seemed stuck in the creases of his eye sockets. Ariella had no idea how old he was, but he seemed positively ancient.
"How may I be of service to you?" the wizard asked in a wheezy voice.
Ariella glanced around quickly to make sure they were alone and then stepped toward the counter. In the softest possible voice she asked, "I'm looking for birth control."
The wizard studied her for a long moment and then turned away to gather up a few items from various drawers and cabinets. When he turned back to her, he said, "You are not the first witch of your sort to brave Knockturn Alley to hide a secret."
Ariella didn't reply. She didn't want to say that the herbs and potions were for someone else, because the point was to keep Alanna's part in it completely quiet. Reed couldn't know that Alanna was doing everything possible to avoid having his children.
He didn't expect a reply and instead relayed instructions on how to use the birth control. The doorbell chimed as he talked, and Ariella briefly turned her head to look at the visitor. She did a double take when the new arrival was none other than Lawrence. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked between her and the wizard behind the counter, who finished his explanation and then demanded payment.
Ariella turned back to the apothecary and gave him the coins Alanna had given her to spend on the birth control. Then she grabbed the sack off the counter and walked toward Lawrence, who was looking at her as if he didn't recognize her. He walked with her outside, abandoning whatever he'd gone there to buy, and didn't say a thing until they were both back in Diagon Alley.
"Birth control?" he demanded to know.
Ariella held up a hand to silence him. She did not want him to accidentally ruin things for Alanna.
"This is something we should talk about," Lawrence went on. "I thought you wanted to have more children. And what were you doing in Knockturn Alley of all places? It's not safe! What if something had happened to you there? You should have told me your plans."
"I'm an adult," Ariella snapped, "and I can go to Knockturn Alley if I damn well please."
"Seriously, Ariella!" Lawrence exclaimed. "What were you thinking?"
"I can't talk to you about this here," Ariella said. She disapparated on the spot without so much as a 'see ya' and appeared in Hogsmeade a second later. Lawrence was there in the next moment and started walking with her towards the castle grounds.
"Where can you talk about this?" he asked, picking up the conversation from Diagon Alley. "Were you ever going to tell me you were going on birth control?"
Ariella stopped, whirled around, and waved the sack in the air. "These aren't for me!" she stated. She felt irrationally angry. She wanted to protect Alanna's needs so much, that she didn't even want to share the truth with Lawrence.
He stared at her dumbfounded. The answer wasn't what he expected, and neither was what she next revealed.
"And by the way, I'm pregnant."
(Titus) Future
Author: Tiberius Nott
Date: 02-21-16 14:20
Titus looked at his watch. He didn't even bother to be discrete. Judith Foxcastle lowered her eyebrows and she inquired if he was in a rush. They were inside one of the empty classrooms of the castle, in one of their sessions.
"Yes. I want to get down to the pitch. There's a match today," Titus said.
"I thought you were not interested in Quidditch. You told me so, not too long ago."
Titus didn't know how Judith had such good memory. It seemed like she remembered everything he had said during their past encounters. Every little thing he mentioned she would store in her mind, to then later use it against him.
"I am not interested in playing. But I like watching the matches," he told her, speaking in an impatient tone.
"Even watching your housemates playing? I thought that upset you."
Titus' hand formed a fist under the table. He tried to control his rage. Judith seemed to always know about his feelings. Watching Malden and Asher playing made him feel really jealous. In a way, he wanted to be like them. But he wanted to use the Quidditch match as an excuse to escape Judith's session. He was even ready to go to the stands and watch the match if necessary, just to get rid of her. Maybe he would find Susan there. She had mentioned she was going to watch the match. He remained in silence, feeling trapped. Judith continued:
"You were talking about Career Day. Tell me more about it," she invited. Sometimes she had the habit of changing subject, as if their previous conversation had never happened. She waited, patiently, taking a sip from her cup of tea, which she had summoned from the kitchens.
"I told you already. I checked it out, and then walked away. I don't need to think about my future right now."
"The future is important, Titus. Having ambitions and goals for the future is a good thing. "
"Well my goal is to be done with these sessions. And then to be under my brother's guardianship once again. Or the Hobdays. Doesn't matter, as long as this is over," he replied with honesty.
She didn't get upset with him. Instead she told him the speech he had heard many times before, that if he listened to her words, adopted certain behaviors and followed her guidance, then indeed he wouldn't need more sessions with her. Titus notice she didn't say a word about Tiberius or their uncle and aunt.
"Was there any career you were interested at? Something that you would see yourself doing?"
"Well…" Titus was about to say something, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to share it with her. Judith looked at him and she smiled, encouraging him. "There was this man, handing over these model kits of the Humbatas Stadium. I just went there for the free model, you know? But then he started telling me about architecture…it was pretty cool."
Judith asked him a few more questions. She wanted to know what Mr. Dewhurst had told Titus about architecture and she listened to him talking. She noticed how he had relaxed his hands and he was now talking in a more natural way, which was rare on him, always so defensive. A few minutes later she decided to dismiss him. Titus said goodbye to her and he almost ran out of the classroom, glad the session was over and he wouldn't have to see Judith again so soon.
No Luck Yet (Hunter)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 02-21-16 19:05
Hunter covers his mouth, yawning broadly. The yawn is as much from being up late playing in an impromptu wizarding chess tournament in the Gryffindor common room as it is from slight boredom already with hearing the three Ds repeated on what seems like an endless loop. He's checked a few times to make sure Professor Plaskitt truly is speaking and there isn't some recording of her voice playing, "Destination, Determination, Deliberation," over and over and over... and over.
He'd heard stories from others, such as his sisters Olive and Emerald, about Wilkie Twycross. Bethula Plaskitt doesn't seem to be as snooze inducing as the stories of Twycross make him sound but even though the woman is cheerful and enthusiastic, and she has a nice voice, hearing the same words endlessly repeated has made Hunter wish he knew a silent temporary deafness charm. Or something else along those lines.
He looks at the hoop across the floor, the hoop to where he's supposed to magically move his body, keeping his body intact in the process. So far all he's managed is for the hoop to move around a bit on the floor. Once it jumped up a couple of inches.
Hunter takes a sidelong glance at his twin. He's not sure if he's glad Jade hasn't managed even a splinch yet or disappointed for her. At times he feels highly competitive with her. At other times he worries, like when he was named a prefect and she was not. Jade told him she wasn't concerned with that, and he believes her on that particular issue, but there are times when he thinks she tells him one thing but thinks or feels another.
Making a face when all that happens this time with his hoop is not a darn thing, Hunter looks again at Jade. Maybe she's not managed even a splinch this first lesson because her mind is on the Quidditch match that takes place a little after this lesson ends. Ravenclaw Jade is playing against Slytherin.
Then again, even without something else to occupy her mind right now, it's possible Jade wouldn't be having any better luck with this apparating thing than he is. What if by the last lesson all he can can do is make the hoop hop? What if he can't even splinch? Not that Hunter wants to splinch himself. Some splinches are painful in the extreme from what he's been told. But splinching would mean he's capable of at least a little apparition.
Hunter has no idea why he's questioning his ability. It is, afterall, only the first lesson and not even quite halfway through with it at that. He's usually not this lacking in confidence. He's not one of those full of himself people either but he's rarely has such a low estimation of whether he's able to get a grasp on how to do something or not when it comes to something dealing with magic. Hunter isn't the best out there by any stretch but he's capable and competent and though his grades aren't as excellent as Jade's, he does well enough to have never had Aunt Blythe or Uncle Woody speak to him about his marks.
The hoop jumps again, forcing Hunter to put it back in the starting position. Maybe his problem is that he keeps thinking waaaaay too much and not concentrating enough on destination, determination, and deliberation.
Family Outing
Author: Carys
Date: 02-22-16 12:37
It had been a while since Carys had gone to France to visit her father in prison. Between work and family obligations, she'd completely lost track of time. Other than a card at Christmas, she hadn't written to him either. Carys felt a little guilty about her lack of contact, but only just. Their relationship now might be better than ever before, but they'd never been especially close.
It was at breakfast this morning, while the family sat around the table and ate waffles with syrup, fresh fruit and a little bit of whipped cream, and while they discussed possible plans for their Saturday that the thought to pay her dad a visit came to mind. Griffin and Tristan agreed to the idea, and eventually the family found itself in France.
Le Trou, the prison where Jean Beauvais remained incarcerated, looked ever the same. Carys held onto Tristan's hand protectively as they walked to the visitor's area, despite his protestations that he was way too old to have to hold a parent's hand. After all, he was more than nine years old.
When Jean finally arrived, he looked visibly changed from the last time Carys saw him. She felt almost shocked. His hair, which had always been flecked with gray as far as memory served, was completely gray now. His face was thinner and showed more creases, and his skin was pale from lack of sufficient sunlight. He had been in prison for almost as long as Tristan had been alive.
"Dad," Carys said. She pressed her hand to the invisible barrier that divided their table.
He mirrored her movement and smiled. "Carys, what a surprise." He greeted Griffin and then Tristan, who immediately launched into animated conversation with the grandfather he barely knew. Tristan was good at making friends.
Jean and Tristan talked for a good while until the conversation turned back to Carys, who asked her father how he was faring and if he needed anything that she could lawfully bring him. After catching up, she told him the big news: that she was expecting her second child. Jean seemed delighted, although he was also sorry that his future grandchild would be another one he would never know well.
All too soon, the visitation period ended. Carys promised to visit and write more frequently, and then the family said goodbye.
Rather than go home, they decided to stop by the house in the south of France, where the family had lived after Griffin had rescued Carys from Goen Bren. It was a vacation home now and just so happened to not have a tenant this weekend.