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Opportunity Knocks
Author: Finley
Date: 08-05-13 12:12
Finley smoothed out the rose-colored, cotton blanket on her bed and then placed her pillow in front of the white iron headboard. She normally made her bed before breakfast because Mrs. Gill demanded it, but for reasons unknown the proprietress of Winchcombe Children's Home had overlooked the cleanliness of the girl's room that morning.
When everything was as neat as Mrs. Gill would expect things to be, Finley set out to go outside, where the other children were probably playing kickball again. She got as far as the corner of her bed, when Charla rammed into her shoulder and hissed, "Freak!", under her breath.
Finley stopped and massaged her shoulder with her hand. She and Charla had never gotten along, but then Charla didn't get along with anyone.
When the throbbing subsided in her shoulder, Finley made her way again and emerged into the courtyard to find Leroy sitting on the pavement, holding the bottom of his shirt up to his nose to staunch the blood that was flowing freely.
"What happened?" Finley asked, kneeling beside him. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and held it out for him. "Don't worry, it's clean."
"Danks," Leroy said, taking the tissue. He dropped the bloody shirt over his exposed belly and put the tissue to his nose. "Dey kicked de ball at me. Got me right in da nose."
"Come on, let's get you inside," Finley said, tugging on his arm.
They went into the nearest bathroom, where Finley lowered the toilet seat and had Leroy sit down. She grabbed a towel and wetted it in the sink, and then she tried to get the blood off his face, neck and hands.
"Looks like the bleeding has mostly stopped," Finley said. "You should stuff some tissue up there until it's totally done."
"K," Leroy said.
The rubbish bin filled with evidence of the accident. Having done what she could for her friend, Finley washed her hands in the sink. Leroy sat with two tissues up his nose.
"Finley, are you going to tell me about dat lady's visit? You promised you would."
Finley dried her hands on a clean towel and turned to lean against the sink.
"Charla says dat lady didn't adopt you because you did someding freaky."
Finley turned her head to look at Leroy. "She wasn't here to adopt me," she said. "She came to tell me I've been accepted at her school. It's a boarding school, and you know I don't have any money, but she said she will find a way to let me attend in the fall."
There was more to the story, of course, but Leroy wasn't allowed to know about that. Finley wasn't sure she even believed it, but then it did explain some things about herself.
"Why you, and not me?" Leroy wondered aloud.
"I don't know."
They fell silent for a long moment. Then Leroy said, "You're finally gedding out."
"Yeah," Finley said. "Maybe, I mean. If it all works out." She pushed off from the sink and jerked her head in the direction of the door. "Come on, Leroy. We better find Mrs. Gill and tell her what happened. You'll want to change, too."
Leroy got up and followed Finley out of the bathroom.
Replaced
Author: Nathaniel Ross
Date: 08-05-13 13:54
Nate was grateful he didn't have to work on a Saturday. He was even more grateful that his mother had invited him over for lunch and so he didn't have to deal with the mess in his apartment. He used to keep his things tidy but last week he had been working hard at the Ministry.
There has been a small crisis about a Diricawl that appeared in Hyde Park at London for a few seconds and it was enough for a Muggle tourist to swear that he had seen a Dodo in London. He was not the only one to have spotted the bird.
It seemed that this particularly Diricawl enjoyed to be fed alongside the other park pigeons by an old lady, whose sight was not what it used to be, and she never noticed one of the birds she fed was different from the others. Rumors were spread about a Dodo at Hyde Park and before the situation became chaotic, the Ministry of Magic decided to act.
Memories of those who had declared to see the bird were altered, and the department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had to send someone to capture the Diricawl and transfer it to somewhere else. In the report it was said the bird was very heavy due to all the food ingested during its stay at the park.
With all this Nate barely had time to keep his apartment in order, although he had to admit he did procrastinate a bit. At Hogwarts he was used to have the house elves taking care of everything, while at home there was always his mother. Tim had come to visit him on Friday and he said what Nate needed was a girlfriend to boss him around and order him to clean.
He then thought about Maggie and how she was having dinner in his apartment on Sunday, so he would better do some cleaning once he returned home from his parents' house and try to give his place some living conditions once again. It was just too easy to delay the cleaning chores and the trips to the grocery store when he was on his own.
There haven't been more kisses since that one shared on his birthday when Maggie was saying goodbye to him. They haven't discussed the topic the next time they had seen each other and Nate started to wonder if he had too much wine that night and of the kiss had only happened in his head, since Maggie acted pretty normally. He knew the two of them had been seeing each other more often but they were friends and that was normal. He also saw Tim a lot and he even had an occasional lunch with Adelaide at the Ministry. She had finally decided to forgive that episode at the hospital and although he couldn't really call her a friend, he knew things were going in that direction.
It was a sunny day. Nate crossed the front lawn and used his keys to enter his parent's house. His father was in the living room reading The Daily Prophet on his armchair.
"Hard week at work, huh? I heard about the Diricawl…" Archibald Ross also worked at the Ministry of Magic but on another department. There have been bets all over the Ministry about how long it would take to capture the bird and how much it would weight.
"Don't even get me started," Nate replied, taking off his jacket and placing it on a hang. "Where is Mom?"
"In the kitchen," he replied.
Rosie Ross was already busy with lunch. Pots were in the stove while a knife at the counter was chopping vegetables on its own. There was also something that smelled incredibly well inside the oven. Perhaps a cake, he thought, his eyes taking a glance full of gluttony at it.
"That's for later!" his mother replied, kissing his cheek. "I don't know what you eat outside this house, but by the way you are looking at my food it seems like you have been starving. You're getting skinnier by the day, Nathaniel. Are they making you work too hard at the Ministry? Your father told me about the Diriscawl…poor little bird, he must have been so frightened…"
"They don't make me work too hard, Mom. I'm fine, really," he assured her. "Do you need some help?"
"No, thank you. Your father also offered but I don't want any of you to mess with the lunch. I turn my back for one second and I know you'll dip your fingers into the sauce, trying to taste it. So shoo! You can wash the dishes later."
Expelled from his mother's kitchen, Nate decided to go upstairs to fetch some items he left on his old bedroom that he still hadn't the chance to take to his apartment. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was a boy lying on his bed, his feet up in the air as he read a comic book. He raised his eyes and looked at Nate but when he was about to speak, Nate closed the door in his face and went back to the living room.
"Something wrong?" his father asked from behind the newspaper.
"There's a boy in my bedroom."
"That's Bowen. Didn't your mother tell you?"
"No…"
And he returned to the kitchen in search for an explanation.
"It's quite a sad story, really," Rosie said, using her wand to make the vegetables enter into a pan. "He is a Muggleborn and he got his letter from Hogwarts a few weeks ago. A worker from the Ministry came to his house to explain the situation and his father started to yell at her, saying his son was not going to some fancy boarding school and he was not going to spend a single penny on school supplies. This happened after he realized she was serious about the matter. At first he assumed she worked for a Muggle TV show and it was all a prank."
"And what does this have to do with you? With us?"
"Well, he lives nearby and the Ministry worker thought it would be a good idea to show to Mr. Goodnight that there are other wizards out there and we live a normal family life just like any Muggle. I paid a visit to him and he showed himself to be very stubborn. He kept saying the boy was not going to Hogwarts, that he didn't need to learn magic, he could live quite well without it. "
"And what did his mother say about it?"
"She just stood there at a corner very quiet. It's clear the husband has the final word in the matter."
"And what did you do? I know you, mom. You had to get in the middle, didn't you? You couldn't let the Ministry people to solve the issue by themselves."
"Well…" Rosie Ross cleaned her hands to the flowery apron she was using, and Nate noticed the embarrassment in her gestures.
"Don't tell me you changed his parents' memories!"
"Of course not, Nathaniel. But I did notice the old car they had. Or the worn out clothes they used, as well as the poor furniture. I have offered myself to pay all of Bowen's expenses but they refused. They said they didn't want any charity. Then I mentioned I had a son who studied at Hogwarts. Bowen could use your old robes and school supplies. I told them I would also borrow him a wand, because they don't know a thing about it. Eventually I will take him to Ollivander's. It will be our secret."
"But you don't even know him. He is not family."
"I never thought you to be so shallow. He is just a little boy who needs our help. His house is not really what I would call a home."
"And what is he doing here now?"
"I invited him for lunch today; I thought you two could meet. He is a single child too. He likes to hang out in your bedroom, for some reason. I think it will be a matter of time until he becomes a fan of the Wimbourne Wasps like yourself. I caught him talking to the players of your posters on the wall once…"
Rosie smiled with pure delight, while Nate just sat in a chair without saying a word. He was starting to have this silly sensation that he was being replaced.
(Beatrix) Whoa
Author: Griet
Date: 08-05-13 18:16
Even though the Spring Social event at Hogwarts hadn't officially started yet, there was quite a bit of activity on the grounds. Most of it consisted of setup, but already clusters of students stood around in anticipation of visits from their families and friends.
Beatrix was due to meet up with her entire family. Today just happened to be her cousin Sadie's birthday, so everyone had planned on gathering at Hogwarts to celebrate her big day. Beatrix even had a present for Sadie, a small box of mint-flavored chocolates.
For now, Beatrix accompanied Rowan to the school gates. Rowan could barely contain the excitement she felt at seeing her brother again. They had already had their reunion, but the fact that they might never have seen each other again remained in her thoughts.
"I know I should have waited for Willow," Rowan said, as they neared the gates, "but I really didn't want to."
"Maybe she couldn't wait for you either and is already at the gates," Beatrix suggested.
Beatrix's hunch, although meant in jest, was correct. When they got within view of the gates, they spotted Willow against the fence, peering through the bars for the first glimpse of her brother.
A line of visitors snaked beyond the gates. Everyone had to go through a security check before they could enter the grounds.
Beatrix and Rowan fell into place beside Willow and peered through the fence at the guests queued up in the village.
"Any sign of him yet?" Rowan asked.
"No," Willow began, but she quickly exclaimed, "Yes! There he is!"
Beatrix looked and saw a young couple fall into place at the back of the line. They were with a wizard who might be 16 years old, at least in appearance. Beatrix's jaw dropped. Ash Westwick was HOT!
"Uhh… you didn't tell me your brother was incredibly, breathtakingly attractive!" she said to Rowan.
Both Rowan and Willow turned their heads to fix Beatrix with baffled stares.
"Well, since he's my brother, I don't think of him that way," Rowan said. She turned back to the fence and put her arm through the gap to wave at the Finches and Ash, who all waved back.
Beatrix pressed her face to the cool iron bars of the fence and sighed dreamily. What a view!
(Nichole Fisher) Logical Complaints
Author: Araxie Loren
Date: 08-05-13 18:16
"Mom, seriously? It isn't like I'm going to be lazing about next year, and do we really have to buy all this stuff now? I mean, who knows if the robes will actually still fit me by the time the start of term rolls around?"
I dropped down onto one of the benches and sighed, looking up at my mother who was less than pleased with my current string of logical complaints.
"Nichole, you still need new robes, no matter if they fit come September or not, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, get up, so we can finish this if you want to go to the Spring Social at Hogwarts and see Araxie."
Heaving a sigh I pushed myself up and grabbed the bags that already had some school supplies in them - nevermind my official letter hadn't shown up yet, but my mom had already talked to Araxie's aunt and found out some of the basic stuff that I'd need.
At least I'd managed to get a decent breakfast out with Mom before the nagging and the demanding shopping trip had begun. I'd at least gotten to pick out my wand, which was awesome and I really liked going into Ollivander's to find my wand.
Finally, we'd finished shopping and I'd hated being poked and prodded at the robe shop - before we ultimately could leave and take things home and I could finally get ready to go to Hogwarts to see my best friend.
One Of The Last (Hunter & Daniel)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 08-05-13 18:41
Hunter Rabnott still awaits his turn for the apparition licensing exam. If not for his cousin Daniel Gelson sitting with him he'd probably be a mass of nerves about now. Hunter is nervous about something but for a different reason. Daniel has just chosen to bring up the fact that today is Sadie Mickle's birthday followed by the question, "Did you get her a gift?"
"How did you know it's Sadie's birthday?"
"Ramona, mentioned it." That would be Ramona as in Ramona Mickle, Sadie's sister.
"You like her," Hunter states.
"Sadie?" Daniel says with surprise.
"Yes, I think you like my girlfriend." Hunter's sarcasm is obvious but that doesn't stop him from saying, "Duh. Don't be daft. Ramona."
Even in the dim lighting Hunter can see Daniel blush. "We're friends if that's what you mean."
"You know it isn't."
Daniel shrugs and gives a vague, "Maybe. Stop avoiding my question."
"What question?"
"Gift for Sadie."
"Oh, that. Yeah. I got her something."
"And?"
"And it's wrapped and in my pocket."
Daniel elbows him hard enough to cause Hunter to grunt.
"A birthstone pendant. Happy now?"
"As your sister would say, sounds quite lovely."
"If you're going to make fun why did you ask?"
"So I could make fun."
"How about I tell Sadie you like Ramona."
"Done with the making fun."
"So that's a no?"
"That would be a no."
"Hunter Rabnott."
At the sound of his name Hunter jumps to his feet. "Here!" To Daniel he says, "See you later. Thanks for keeping me company."
"I remember how nervous I was. Just trying to help."
Hunter nods at Daniel then hurries to enter the Great Hall, eager to get this exam over with and, if all goes well, come out unscathed and with a license to apparate.