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How About A Muggle Vacation?
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 03-03-07 16:01
The aroma of a grill heating up floats around the backyard. Harry opens one eye to check the flames then closes the eye again, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun. The morning had been the typical chill of early April but as the day wore on the temperature rose. Still on the balmy side it has nonetheless been a very enjoyable spring day, one that beckoned them all outside.
Janine is on one of the lounge chairs, sometimes reading, sometimes doing what Harry's doing at the moment, just soaking up the sun. Rocko and Pinky have alternately been gamboling around the yard playing and lazing on a sunny patch of grass. Hedwig sits on a perch, occassionally spreading her wings as if she too is soaking up sun on her feathers.
In a little while Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Ron will be here for a gathering of friends to enjoy the last of the sun before it goes down and to grill steaks and chicken. Harry's really looking forward to it. They don't get together often enough these days. Maybe he'll suggest they make it a monthly or every two week occurrence. They can switch out who hosts or Harry's happy to have them all here each time.
Harry cracks an eye open again to see where Pinky is at the moment. Seeing the House Elf on Rocko's back clear on the other side of the year, riding the huge dog like a pony, Harry gets up from his lawn chair and goes to sit on the edge of Janine's lounger.
"You don't have anything to do for Lupin next week do you?"
"No, not that he's mentioned," Janine says peering over her book.
"Want to take a three or four, even a five day holiday? We could go totally Muggle so that a certain household member can't tag along."
Janine moves her book down revealing a huge grin. "Anywhere in particular in mind?"
"Doesn't matter to me. Heck, we could take off for the whole week if you want. Pick. Paris. South of France. Madrid. Barcelona. Amsterdam. Somewhere in the States. Rome. Capri. Athens. One of the Greek Isles. Someplace in the Caribbean. You name it. Let me know by sometime tomorrow so I can go book the trip. Good thing we got Muggle passports already, huh?"
"You know who is going to be sorely disappointed."
"Then I'll promise him we'll all go someplace after next term where even Rocko can go and in the meantime."
Janine laughs. "Works for me. Let me think hard on this. So many places to choose from, you know."
Harry grins back at Janine, "Why do you think I'm letting you make the decision on where?"
Janine hits him with her book. Hearing the doorbell ringing, Harry jumps up, barely avoiding being hit a second time. "The first of our guests are here," he says with a laugh, scurrying off to answer the door, laughing harder when Janine's book thumps him square on the back.
(Caden) A Different Life
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 03-03-07 19:01
Caden sat at a table in the lair beneath the Hanged Man. He had his elbows propped on the sturdy armrests of his chair and had his fingers steepled, both index fingers touching his lips. An unfolded sheet of parchment rested on the table, scrawled in Ronan's hand. In the letter, Ronan had expressed his desire to come home for spring break. On the one hand, Caden longed to see his little brother. On the other hand, he wanted to shield Ronan from the new aspects of his life. If Urania, who hadn't known Caden as long as Ronan did, could notice how Caden's personality had done a complete 180, then Ronan would definitely see the change in his older brother. Caden wasn't ready for that and would rather keep Ronan at a distance.
"Hamm," Caden called, addressing one of the other men in the room. "Bring me a clean sheet of parchment and a quill."
While Henry Hamm went in search of the writing materials, Caden's mind drifted to what Enid, the woman he'd always believed to be his stepmother but who was, in fact, his birth mother, had said when she'd recently revealed herself to him for the first time in many years.
"The man you've always believed to have been your father, Bertram, had a relationship with a woman considerably younger than he. She was hardly out of Hogwarts when he took her to his bed. She bore him a son named Caden. Within days of this Caden's birth, I had you. Your father was Drustan Bisbee, an auror at the Ministry of Magic who earned much praise during his time there and would have gone on to become someone great––perhaps even head of the entire Auror Office––had I not taken his life."
"Why would you––?" Caden had tried to interrupt, but Enid had cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Allow me to finish. I saw what would become of you, my son, even before I ever started my relationship with Drustan. It's why I set things into motion. Drustan was only ever a tool for me, a piece of the puzzle necessary in bringing you into existence so that I could make sure you would be exactly where I needed you to be when the time was right. I knew that Bertram could provide you with a steady home. After I killed Drustan, I murdered Bertram's lover and the baby Caden. I put you in the baby's place, to be raised as Bertram's own."
"Have you no remorse? You slayed innocent people... and a baby!" Caden had exclaimed.
"I have no remorse because I did what I had to do to ensure your future. Over the next ten years, I became involved with Bertram. The poor soul had no idea what I'd done and fell desperately and hopelessly in love with me. When he offered me his hand in marriage, I accepted most willingly, for it allowed me to remain close to you, my son. You know the rest of the story. You were raised to think you were the product of Bertram and a meaningless fling and eventually Ronan came into our world."
Enid had fallen silent, allowing Caden to mull over her words. Finally, he'd said, "I don't know the entire story. For example, how did my father––how did Bertram really die? Ronan and I were led to believe that he'd been killed by a mugger outside a pub in Knockturn Alley. Now I'm led to believe that you had a hand in it, especially since you disappeared a few years later, never to return until today."
"That's where you're wrong. Bertram did die at the hand of a mugger. He died right outside this pub by a member of the very group you now lead."
Caden hadn't wanted to believe Enid but somehow knew it was true.
"Don't worry," Enid had carried on, "the man behind his death is no longer living. In fact, I believe it was the last leader––the one you killed to assume your position––who'd killed him himself."
"And why did you leave? Ronan needed you. He cried for weeks because both you and Bertram had left us."
"I had to take my distance from you so that you could grow into your own. I wasn't to influence you in any way."
"And why are you here now?"
"To tell you the truth and to lend you my support."
Enid had informed Caden that she would continue to move around, as she'd done for the last few years, but that if he ever needed to contact her, he could send an owl, for one could always find her. He hadn't seen her since that day, but knew that she would probably show up in his life again eventually.
But what to tell Ronan?
Hamm brought a package of parchment sheets, a quill and a bottle of ink. He set them on the table before Caden and then backed away to resume doing whatever it was he'd been doing before.
Caden took out a clean sheet of parchment from the package and unscrewed the cap of the bottle of ink. He dipped the quill into the well, tapped it lightly against the mouth of the glass, and then pressed the tip of the quill to the parchment.
Dear Ronan, he began, I think it would be best if you stayed at Hogwarts over the holiday...
Letter
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 03-04-07 07:31
Ronan was at breakfast in the Great Hall when the mail arrived. A dozen or so owls came into the dining chamber together but separated to reach their recipients, who were scattered across the five tables in the room. An owl Ronan didn't recognize landed mere inches from his buttered toast and dropped a thin envelope on the table. Ronan recognized his brother's handwriting on the front of the envelope. He picked up the envelope and opened it, while the owl helped itself to Ronan's breakfast.
Dear Ronan, the letter began, I think it would be best if you stayed at Hogwarts over the holiday. This year is a very important one for you, after all, since the OWL exams are a mere two months away. I think it would be good for you to take advantage of the empty castle to put some extra hard work into your studies. You should do at least as well as I did on my exams, if not better. We'll see each other this summer, okay?
Love,
Caden
Ronan threw down the letter and waved his hand at he owl, shooing it away from his plate. In all honesty, Ronan hadn't expected Caden to turn down his request to come home for Easter. In fact, it wasn't so much a request as information, since Ronan had already informed Professor McGonagall at the beginning of the week that he would be going home.
Despite what Caden wrote, Ronan still intended on going home for spring break. Ronan decided not to write Caden again. He would simply show up at home tomorrow evening and see what Caden said. Surely, Caden wouldn't be too upset to see his baby brother.
Visit from Molly
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 03-04-07 07:46
Molly peeked her head into Bill's office. By now, the whole family had heard about what had happened to Fleur at the beginning of the week. They were saddened to hear that once again she'd miscarried. Fleur had spent the past few days mourning at home but had decided to return to work today. It was the first full day that Bill was back at work too, for as long as Fleur was home, he constantly left Gringotts to check up on her.
Bill looked up from his paperwork and said, "Hi, Mum. Come in." He rose from his seat and walked around the desk to give his mother a hug.
"Oh, Bill. How are you doing, dear?" Molly patted his face and looked him over as if he hadn't been getting enough to eat.
"I'm all right. Fleur... well, she'll be all right. She returned to work today."
"The poor dear," Molly sighed. She eased into the chair in front of Bill's desk.
Bill shut his office door and then moved behind his desk, sinking into his own chair.
"Is she taking this one better or worse than the last one?" Molly asked.
Bill, who looked and felt very tired, replied, "Both. On the one hand, she's been through this before and knows how long it will take for her to recover. On the other hand, having this happen again is a severe blow to her confidence that she'll ever have a successful pregnancy."
"Does she want to try again?"
"I think so," Bill said, "but we haven't really discussed it since the miscarriage. She needs time. I need time."
"You're both young," Molly reasoned. "There's plenty of time."
Bill nodded and changed the subject. "So, how's Dad doing? Is he taking his "forced retirement" well?"
"He's still understandably upset of the whole thing but has found other uses for his abundant spare time. He helps out at the twins' shoppes. He's helping Blossom, too."
"That's good," Bill said, "and I'm sure you two have more time together now too."
"Yes," Molly agreed. "It is nice, after all these years of him working long hours."
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation between mother and son.
"Yes?" Bill called.
One of the goblins poked his head inside and announced that Bill had a visitor, a client wishing to speak with him. Molly decided to go check on the progress at Blossom's daycare, leaving Bill after giving him a kiss on the cheek. Bill walked his mother to the door of his office and then greeted his guest, offering the wizard the chair his mother had just vacated.
Algiers, Algeria: New Mission
Author: Nymphadora Tonks
Date: 03-04-07 08:30
Abu Ababwa was a man of average height who was probably hardly older than Tonks herself. He had thick, wavy black hair and large, brown eyes. He was very handsome. He'd been born in London by an English woman and Algerian man and had been raised in Algeria, where he attended school and eventually went on to join the Resistance, an anti-government organization that sought to play by its own rules in any given situation. The Resistance had offices all over the world, but just how many was unknown. Through both Donal Douglas and Abu Ababwa, who quite unwillingly gave out information about the office in Algiers, Tonks managed to get herself sent on a mission to Algeria to meet with the Algerian Ministry of Magic in order to identify the main players in that branch of the organiziation and shut it down.
She was the lone representative from the British Ministry of Magic on the quest. Her partner in Algeria, one Mila Oran, had been assigned to work with her to uncover the Resistance. Mila was tall and willowy, with long, straight black hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back. She had big, black eyes and sun-kissed skin. She looked more like a super-model than an auror and made Tonks feel like a twelve-year-old boy rather than the young woman she was.
The Algerian Ministry of Magic happened to be located in Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was tucked away in the woods not far from the coast, on which hotels and beach houses were sprawled over white sand. The water was crystal blue and looked so inviting. Tonks had almost wanted to go for a swim before stopping by the Ministry building, but had wisely decided to put it off until later.
She currently sat in Mila's office (all the aurors had their own offices instead of cubicles like at the British Auror Office) and explained to Mila what she'd learned about the supposed Resistance office in the city.
"According to Ababwa, the office is located inside the W&W Bank. Unfortunately, that's all I could get from him."
"It's helpful all the same," Mila replied. "We can make a field trip to the bank later this morning and do a quick survey of the place. Maybe we will be lucky and find what we're looking for right away. We will go under the guise of new clients who need financial advice. This will allow us to make multiple trips in quick succession if it is required."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
They discussed their plan a little more thoroughly before embarking on their first reconnaissance trip to W&W Bank.
Changing The Shift Schedule
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 03-04-07 09:15
The restaurant is always quiet in the time before opening despite the bustle of making sure all is in readiness. Furnella walks out of the kitchen after doing her usual checking to see that everything's on track for opening for the day. After a circuit around the entire ground floor dining area inside and out, Furnie goes down the stairs to the office to work on rescheduling around a waitress who's been put on bedrest for a difficult pregnancy. For the length of time she'll be gone, they might need to hire someone new so Furnie is going to write out a brief ad for the position.
Tapping her wand on a copy of the shift schedule for the next two weeks, Furnie starts by taking Kaylee's name off. Then she starts fiddling with moving names around, spreading around the time to be filled so that no one or two members of the wait staff bear the brunt of Kaylee's absence. Furnie hates to do it but until she can get the position filled, she'll pay time and a half to those covering Kaylee's shifts.
Furnie suddenly remembers that Phin will be off for ten days give or take. She can fit him in here and there to cover some of the shifts this next week. She's sure that Phin would much rather be wait staff than busboy if given a choice. Not that she's giving him one.
Thinking of Phin reminds Furnie to owl Kody Reese-Emerson to verify Dynamic Duo playing on Tuesday when a visit from Hogwarts students staying on at the school is scheduled. This is the trip that included the first and second years that's become a staple of the spring holiday for Hogwarts. Furnie gets up right then to go owl the letter to Kody. As long as she's owling something off, Furnie thinks that going ahead and sending in the ad for a waiter or waitress wouldn't hurt.
Staring once more at the schedule Furnie thinks it definately doesn't help that Lars will be gone from mid-week to the following Monday. Bambi and he are getting away for their first anniversary. Maybe AJ can help some. Of the other Hodfuffer siblings, he's the one Furnie would most want. Nothing against the others but they are last resorts if she can help it.
Finally satisfied that she's done the best she can do with the schedule, Furnie pulls out the master schedule and with a flick of her wand has changed it. Making quick copies of the revamped schedule, Furnie takes them upstairs to post in the kitchen and staff break room. With any lucky, Kaylee's absence will be the only problamatic thing she'll have to deal with for awhile.
Office Hours And Other Work (AJ)
Author: Furnella Hodfuffer
Date: 03-04-07 10:03
AJ looks across his desk at Ryan Surman. "You've still got two more hours of detention duty. Will you be staying here or going home tomorrow?"
"Home."
"All right then. The week you're back your Head of House, Mr. Filch, or I will find two hours worth of work to do. Now, about your exam yesterday."
"I didn't cheat again," Ryan tersely says.
"I wasn't going to say you had. It's obvious you didn't even cheat by looking over at someone else's exam. You made a D. Dreadful."
"That's because I didn't cheat." Ryan is being snarkily sarcastic.
"Not only do your grades need improving but so does your attitude. I'm scheduling a conference with your parents and shall inform your other professors in case any wish to sit in."
Looking and sounding extremely grumpy, Ryan asks with arms folded and brow wrinkled in a scowl, "Anything else?"
"No, you may go. Off to DADA with you."
Ryan huffs out of AJ's office, leaving AJ shaking his head at the boy's back. Putting Ryan's file to the side, AJ works on outlining some key points for his next book. This being office hours still, if a student comes by to, he'll put his novel work aside. Ryan's visit was scheduled but other students have been coming by regularly to find out how they did on their Ancient Runes exams, not wanting to wait until after the Easter break to get their results.
The sound of a quill scribbling across parchment is the only sound in AJ's office for a short time. This next novel will be a mystery set in a school much like Hogwarts and it will involve boxes like those AJ had found in the room off the library and that Pyrrhus Fine had been given containing clues to information about his biological father.
Not all that long ago Bambi had come across a book that is old scrolls bound together. In doing repair work on it, Bambi found diagrams and instructions for making just such boxes. AJ won't be giving away all the information to make them in his book but he's going to have one such box play a key role in the mystery.
A rap at his open door has AJ putting his quill down. "Leonora, Mindy, come right in. I've both your exams here. Or do you prefer to see me individually?"
Check-Up
Author: Ron Weasley
Date: 03-04-07 12:52
Ron waits to be called to be seen by the same healer he saw on Wednesday. It's probably a good thing he had this appointment to check on the healing of the bones in his hand because just before leaving Diagon Alley to come to St. Mungo's, two of the stitches on Ron's wrist pulled out.
On Wednesday when trying to make Molly understand that the accident really was an accident and then later when trying to get George not to blame himself for it, Ron hadn't let on how very disappointed he is. Because of the damage done, even with quick healing potions like Skele-Gro, Ron's got to sit out one, probably two Quidditch matches. With so few Quidditch matches left before he graduates, Ron hates the thought of not being able to play in any of them.
There is still the chance of going pro but Ron's finally faced reality. He might make the cut on a professional team but then again he might not. It's one of the reasons Ron's so fully embraced working for Whizzhard Books. With no interest in coaching, Ron can still maintain relatively close ties to the Quidditch world by working for a publishing company that deals mainly with Quidditch related books. That and being friends with Viktor Krum, Yuri Gregorovitch, and Australia Kingston Gregorovitch will keep Ron involved in the sports world even if only vicariously.
Last night at Harry's and Janine's, Harry was sympathetic to Ron's plight of having to sit out a game or more. He even joked about using some of his money to buy stake in a pro team to make sure Ron could go on playing for as long as Ron wants. Ron had laughed along with Harry at the thought but Ron did have the little niggling thought that if he really really wanted and expressed it enough, Harry's the sort of friend who'd do that. Ron would love that but he also doesn't want to be the sort of friend to expect such things of Harry.
His name called, Ron goes in to see the healer, glad to have to interact with the man so he'll stop thinking about how easy it would be to "let" Harry buy stock in a pro Quidditch team just to make Ron happy.
In a Rage!
Author: Shane Reimann
Date: 03-04-07 14:43
Shane just glared at the woman sitting across from him but didn't answer her. He really didn't care if she had, should, wanted or needed to go. He wasn't done with her and so as far as he was concerned she wasn't going anywhere.
When they were done eating and drinking Shane felt more alive and he was ready for more of whatever Eleanor was going to give him. Moving quickly he shoved her against the wall, a small moan escaped her lips and Shane grinned to himself...
Hours passed and Shane drifted off to sleep, he was exhausted, and needed rest. Little did he know that Eleanor had other plans, she saw her chance to escape him. She quickly dressed and moved around the room ever so silently trying desperately not to wake Shane.
x~x~x
Shane woke and rolled over, his hand searched for the woman that had been at his side when he drifted off, but found nothing. His eyes opened slowly and he scanned the room hoping that she had just gotten up and was doing something in the room but, he didn't not find her.
His anger gripped him and he flew into a rage. Grabbing his wand he shattered the bottle of firewhiskey that was sitting on the table. Shards of glass flew in every direction and one found it's way into Shane's bare arm. For a long minute he stared down at the glass and the blood oozing from around it. Slowly and methodically he pulled the glass from his flesh, again he looked at it and watched the blood drip from it's edge.
Shane's anger still was holding him tightly and he drew the glass down across his arm. He sneered at the blood as it poured forth from his arm, seeing the blood and feeling the pain only made him feel marginally better, he wanted to inflict real pain on someone -- but not just anyone.
Slowly he stood he was going to go into the Muggle world and do a little research -- he was going to find out who this Eleanor BlackThorn was and if she had any family...
Home again
Author: Eleanor BlackThorn
Date: 03-05-07 10:55
I sat in the bedroom looking up at Nicolas while brushing my hair out. He hadn’t spoken a word to me since I had come home during the morning. Neither for that matter had my children spoken to me. I just brushed it off as they where pissed off at me for leaving for a few days. Okay, so I had gone a little too far. Had an affair which I prayed Nicolas didn’t know about and left without telling anyone I was going. Actually, that wasn’t true. I did tell some one. I told Thessily.
“ Why, couldn’t you have just told me that you needed a vacation Eleanor? I would have sent you to a nice little Greek Island.” Nicolas said in a cold voice. I sighed and stopped brushing my hair.
“ How do you suppose that I tell my husband I don’t want to be around him for a few days?” I asked turning to face him glaring at him.
“ Just like that.” Nicolas said and took hold of my wrist. He squeezed them so hard, it hurt. I winced and wiggled free of his grip. “You didn’t even tell anyone where you where. What if something happened to you?”
“ I told Thessily where I was.”
“ Because you knew she wouldn’t tell any of us where you where. She hates us as much as her mother did.”
“ I suppose that is our fault Nicolas.” I said softly standing up. Nicolas pushed me back into the chair and blew softly on my neck.
“ Eleanor. Next time tell me where you are going.” He said softly as he kissed me and then stalked out of the room, shutting the door.
I sighed and leaned back into my chair. I wondered what Shane was doing at this moment. And prayed I hadn’t ticked him off too badly. But he wasn’t going to let me leave. I knew that much. There was something frightening about that man. And I knew scary. I thought. I shook my head. I had things to do. And brooding wasn’t one of them. What was done was done. I needed to get Thessily’s room ready for her when she came home for spring break. I thought standing up and walking out of the room myself.
Audrey and Hagrid
Author: Eithne ni Domhnaill
Date: 03-05-07 14:08
Francis Yao and Eithne walked side by side down from the Castle towards Hogwarts hut.
"So the old man finally relented, eh?" Francis grinned.
"I knew he would if Audrey won. Me da is very competititive. Winning and being best at things really matter to him. I knew he would give in and say 'yes' if she won. That's why it was so important that she did." Eithne was very matter-of-fact in her recital of the conditions. So, the fact that Francis burst into laughter caused her to stop and scowl at him.
Arms akimbo, she berated him, "Francis Yao, whatever do you find so amusing."
"Oh come on Eithne! You know that bird would have made it home no matter what the results. I know the type - you have your dad wrapped around your little finger."
Eithne wrinkled her chin in an attempt to look stern, "I don't know what you mean." she tossed her hair and turned to continue on the path.
"You're your father's little princess, you know you are. Come on, admit it."
Eithne broke into a grin despite herself, "Well..."
"Uh huh. I thought so."
"Well, you may be right" she begrudingly admitted, "but it was easier to convince him after the win."
The two second years rounded the last bend and waved to Hagrid as he spied them coming.
"Come to see Audrey, 'ave ya," he asked cheerily.
"Yes, Hagrid" Eithne responded, "and to make sure we have everything ready for her move."
Hagrid looked a bit sad for a moment, "Oi'll miss 'er when she goes. She's a good bird, that one." He winked at Eithne, "bit fat for a augury."
"Yeah" Eithne beamed. "I think the judges were a bit surprised at that. But, then they don't know the Hagrid special touch and seed recipes." Hagrid beamed his pride. He took Audrey's win as much to heart as Eithne did. He had painted her cote as a special surprise for her return from the Congo.
"Now tell me 'ow she's goin' live in Ireland." Hagrid brought the bird out for its walk while Eithne described the barn behind their house and the loft where she could roost. Hagrid nodded, made suggestions here and now, while Francis amused himself with poking a stick into the mud to stir up beetles for Audrey to eat.