|
|
(Brisbane, Australia) Worried
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 03-07-08 07:20
Bronwyn stepped out onto the patio of Toby's flat in Brisbane, where he lounged on a swinging bench in just a T-shirt and pair of board shorts. Shadow, Bronwyn's black two-year-old cat, sat on his chest and and flicked its tail lazily.
Brownyn glanced over the relaxed pair but didn't join them on the bench. She walked to the bannister that made up three sides of the patio and leaned on it, staring out in the distance where the Brisbane River cut a path through the city and its suburbs. Not for the first time since arriving in Brisbane did Bronwyn begin to cry. She felt the familiar sting in her eyes and couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Unable to see anything anymore, she lowered her head onto her arms.
A moment later, Toby had his arms around her. He didn't say anything, knowing exactly why she shed the tears and knowing nothing he said or did could make her feel better. Bronwyn worried over her family and wondered if she would ever see them again. Siegfried was still in Azkaban as far as she knew, serving a six month term. She feared his sentence would be expanded or that he'd not wind up a free wizard come August, but a prisoner of a different sort, like their mother, and like Bronwyn would be, had she not fled to freedom in Australia.
And what about their father? Was he in prison now? Bronwyn wished she knew. She hadn't received any letters and hadn't dared send any either. She knew she couldn't step foot in her home country anymore and begged Toby not to go either. Toby, so far, had obliged her.
He guided her to the swinging bench and sat down next to her. She leaned into his shoulder and began stroking Shadow when the cat jumped into her lap. After a while, she stopped crying and pulled herself together again. She wiped the tear stains from her cheeks and sighed quietly. Hers was a cycle that probably wouldn't end until she had no reason to worry anymore.
(Marseilles, France) Visitor with News
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 03-07-08 12:04
Bill stood in the small kitchen at Coquille Cabanon and stirred the chicken and rice soup that boiled in a pot on the stove. These days, he spent much of his time in Marseilles than in Hogsmeade, having found it too risky to show up to work everyday. Fleur was much happier for it, though Bill realized the both of them may need to find new jobs in the meantime in order to continue living in their usual custom. Occasionally, Bill went to his home country for Order meetings and to learn of any updates on his missing brother Ron. He never flooed or sent owls, knowing both were easily traceable. The last thing Bill wanted was to leave a paper trial behind for the authorities to follow.
"Soup's on!" Bill called out, after the soup had finished cooking.
To his surprise, Fleur entered the room with a familiar face in tow, one Bill hadn't seen in several months, at least.
"Tonks!"
"Hi, Bill," Tonks replied, smiling. Her hair had grown past her shoulders and was lilac in color. Somehow, she seemed to glow.
"What are you doing here? And where's Remus?"
"Remus is sick in bed. The full moon was last night. I didn't want to leave him, but he insisted I be social. It's been ages since I've seen any of my old friends."
"I invited Tonks for a veesit," Fleur explained. "I don't zink we 'af to wor-rie about being tracked between our 'ouses."
"But to be on the safe side, I didn't use the floo," Tonks explained. "Nice place you have here," she went on, looking around the house.
"Thanks," Bill said, grinning. "Glad you could make it, and sorry Remus couldn't. Hungry?"
"Starved!" Tonks said, rubbing her belly.
Maybe Bill was imagining things, but it looked like Tonks had put on a little bit of weight. Perhaps the stress of being abroad and separate from family was getting to her. Rumor had it, her father Ted had gone missing.
"Have a seat, then," Bill said. Fleur and Tonks sat down at the kitchen table, while Bill filled up three bowls of soup. He poured three goblets of water, grabbed three spoons, and sat down at the table with the women.
"How is Santorini?" Bill asked, dipping his spoon into the soup.
"Oh, it's beautiful!" Tonks gushed. "I should have moved there sooner. You will have to come for a visit, especially when traveling becomes a bit harder for me."
Bill didn't quite understand that statement until Fleur exclaimed, "You're pregnant!"
Tonks blushed and nodded. "Yeah."
"Congratulations!" Bill exclaimed.
He truly was happy, though nowadays it wasn't legal for nons to reproduce. Of course, as long as Remus and Tonks stayed abroad and didn't get caught by British authorities, they were probably safe.
Bill looked to Fleur, who didn't at all look jealous that yet another person was having a baby while she, who had tried several times, hadn't yet been successful. By law, they weren't allowed to have children together either, but if they stayed in Marseilles forever, then they probably could have the family they always wanted. Also, the British government might not consider their marriage valid, but since they'd been married in France and were living there now, they were, by French law, still considered husband and wife. It was some compensation for all their troubles.
The three friends enjoyed lunch and good conversation together before Tonks decided to return home to Santorini and her ailing husband.
Safe House
Author: Ron Weasley
Date: 03-07-08 14:59
Ron climbs out of the bed of the lorry, waving at the driver who was kind enough to give him a ride these last five or so miles. Ron stays standing on the corner for a moment, summoning the energy needed to go down the street to the right to the address that he hopes has not been compromised. Even if no one else is there, he'd be able to get clean, sleep, and possibly find something in the cupboards to eat.
It feels like a few lifetimes ago that he sat on a park bench in St. Ives, studying the library book he borrowed without checking out. Ron doesn't know how he's even upright at this point. He's so tired, and hungry, that he can only apparate short distances. He couldn't chance taking the Knight Bus and it's to the point he can only apparate a couple, maybe three times in a row without having to stop for a long rest. The last thing Ron needs now is to splinch.
Ron has ended up doing far more walking than he ever imagined was possible and some Muggles are really nice to give him lifts, though in his grimy state, it's only been lorry drivers and he's always ended up in the back end. Cold and windy rides but sure as bloody hell beats walking even more.
Ron reaches his destination, double checking the address and glad that it's dusk. There are Muggles arriving home, most likely from work, but with the dim light Ron's bedraggled, dirty state isn't readily apparent.
Circling around to the yard area that provides cover for apparating and disapparating, making that part of the yard a selling point when the Order decided to purchase it, Ron peers in through the pane of glass in the door. No one is within view but he can see a light coming from the kitchen. Testing the knob, Ron finds it locked but there's a loose brick on the patio under which a key is hidden.
Ron unlocks the door, replaces the key, then enters quietly. He's nearly to the kitchen when he hears, "Ron does well with this. Quite tasty."
"Ron does well with what?" he asks, taking the last steps to the kitchen.
Ron doesn't get an immediately reply as he is attacked by three people who then attempt to squeeze him to death with smothering as a backup plan.
He tells them, "Can't breath!"
His voice is so muffled they don't hear him so Ron pushes enough to get some space and repeats, "Can't breath."
Hermione, Harry, and Janine let go of the massive hugs and do move back a little. Then a lot as Ron's stench fully sinks in. This prompts the first grin from Ron in days.
"I'm a bit of a mess."
"Understatement," Harry snorts though he's smiling broadly.
Hermione moves in to hug Ron again quickly then says, "If you're not too tired, you can get cleaned up. Or bed first? Or food?"
"Yes to all three but since I can't do them all at the same time, how about a shower and then something to eat? I have to warn you though I might fall asleep doing either."
Hermione turns Ron in the direction of one of the baths while saying, "Harry, get some clothes for Ron. Janine, didn't you say you picked up some new toohbrushes at the market this morning?"
Within minutes Ron's standing under a hot jet of water, fighting off sleep so he can at least enjoy being good and truly clean for the first time in what? two weeks? three? Hearing whispers Ron peers around the shower curtain. "I'm not going to vanish so if it's all the same to you, I don't need an audience."
The three, looking sheepish, shuffle into the hallway as Ron tiredly winks and attempts a wolfish grins, "Though if you want to stay and scrub my back, Hermione, I wouldn't complain."
A short time later, Ron emerges from the bath, walking barefoot down the hall back to the kitchen. Now that he's clean he goes right up to Hermione to embrace her and give her a proper kiss. Harry and Janine give them a moment then interrupt with Harry saying, "We've got a plate ready for you, Ron," and Janine adding, "Just need to pour up drinks for everyone."
Ron hadn't realized just how ready he was to sit down until he's seated at the table, unsure of whether he'll have the energy to get back up to go crawl into a bed. After a spoonful of soup and a bite of sandwich washed down with one of those sodas Muggles love, Ron asks, "Have you all been here this whole time or did you leave for a bit? Where are all the others? My family?"
Between the three of them, Hermione, Janine, and Harry make short work of bringing Ron up to speed. With them doing most of the talking, Ron's able to get a good portion of his food eaten before their own questions start. The shower and the food have given him enough energy to stay awake long enough to tell his story. Ron fills them in on fleeing Diagon Alley and how he couldn't shake the Ministry.
When Ron gets to the part about acquiring the books Hermione exclaims with shock, "You stole books and then just left them wherever you happened to be?"
"I borrowed the books and I couldn't very well keep carrying them all with me, now could I?"
Hermione pats Ron's hand. "I suppose under the circumstances... "
"That's the Hermione I love," Ron chuckles.
"You were in St. Ives," Janine prompts for Ron to finish his story.
"I was in St. Ives, at a park I'd seen on a map Hermione has, and figured out how I was being followed. When I disapparated from Diagon Alley, that one chap who grabbed me must have made contact with skin and not just my clothes. The book is with my dirty clothes."
Harry shakes his head, "It's right here. Your clothes are in the wash though I'm not sure even that will help them."
Harry gets the book off one of the counters, handing it to Hermione who's holding out her hands for it. Ron gives her the page number then completes his tale.
"There's a potion, Spoor op, not sure what language that is but the notation is that it literally translates to locate; anyway, they must have had this stuff on their hands or at least the one who grabbed me did. It got on me but it's invisible and doesn't leave any sort of sensation, not even of wetness."
"I've never heard of anything like this," Hermione states, head bent over the text, then immediately says, "No wonder."
"What?" Janine and Harry ask at the same time.
"It takes a full six months to brew," Ron informs them.
"And the first day of brewing must be on the full moon, within two hours of the moon making an appearance."
"And it takes dragon blood, unicorn blood, and cave troll blood."
"And a bunch of other really obscure, hard to find ingredients."
Ron takes the last bite of his third sandwich and nods, "It's a bloody pain in the arse to make. Number of steps that have to be done just so at specific times over the course of the six months."
Harry asks, "It wears off? Is that why it was taking them longer and longer to find you?"
"Yeah, exactly, only it takes months to fully wear off. That's why I needed to negate it entirely."
"There's a counter potion here," Hermione says.
"A potion that's equally long and drawn out to make," Ron says for the benefit of Harry and Janine.
"Even if it weren't, you didn't have access to everything you'd need to make it but you wouldn't have come here if you hadn't countered it, right?" Janine says.
"Right. There's another counter agent. The counter potion is complicated and takes ages but the other counter agent is easy to find in some Muggle shoppes. Something called hydrocortisone cream."
"You borrowed some from a chemist's, didn't you?" Harry laughs.
"I didn't have any Muggle money," Ron shrugs then stifles a huge yawn.
Hermione stands, pulling Ron out of the chair. "Come on. We can all talk more after you've had some sleep."
Yawning even more, Ron stumbles down the hall after Hermione, falls on the bed she shows him, asleep before he even hits the mattress.
Birthday Dinner A Day Late
Author: Pyrrhus
Date: 03-07-08 17:04
Iseult Farnon hands the Bamboo Forest waiter her menu. "The hot and spicy soup and the orange chicken."
Isolde orders next, "I'd like the sweet and sour pork."
Isolde's father Gorman, "Won ton soup and the moo goo gai pan for me."
Py goes last, ordering, "Kung pao chicken for me. Any appetizers, anyone?"
"Egg rolls," Isolde replies.
"You have pork buns" Gorman asks.
"Yes, sir, and if you order another appetizer you can have them as a platter for less than the individual costs of two."
"Dumplings then," Iseult smiles.
"I shall return with your drinks and your appetizers should not be long at all," the waiter tells them then leaves.
The Farnons, Isolde, and Py had arrived at the restaurant at the same time and been immediately seated and handed menus. They'd been so busy deciding on what to order that they'd hardly even said hello. They make up for it now by all talking at once.
Laughing, Gorman waves one hand, bringing quiet to the table. "Maybe we should have a lottery to see who speaks first."
Iseult flashes a big smile at her husband. "No need, dear. As mother of the birthday girl, that honor belongs to me."
"Shouldn't that honor go to the birthday woman?" Isolde laughs.
"Only if it were still your actual birthday," Iseult teases in reply.
Py shakes his head and says to Gorman, "We're out of luck no matter how you slice it."
Laughing again, Isolde says to both her parents, "I'm glad you were free tonight to join us."
Py nods in agreement. "It's my fault we couldn't do this last night. Humbatas business."
Iseult assures, "Tonight was better for us anyway."
"What's going on with the team?" Gorman asks.
"Everything's a mess for most of the British teams. We're all down players, some have so few they are either going to have to join up with another team or disband altogether. Scouts are seeking plays from outside of Great Britain but not that many are eager to play here."
"What about the Humbatas?" Gorman next asks.
"We've got enough to field a team as long as there are no injuries that go long-term. Viktor and Connor have invited one of the severely affected teams to join with us, at least for the time being."
"What about your Polliwogs, Isolde," Iseult asks her daughter, turning the conversation to the little league team Isolde coaches.
The topics that aren't part of the conversation are how Pyrrhus's father and sister are doing, hiding out in the Muggle world. The conversation is somber enough at times for a birthday dinner without talking about the two fugitives from the Snatchers.
End of Term and Not So Good News
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 03-07-08 17:49
Isma sighed as she, Blake, Eric and Della stepped out of DADA at three. They'd managed -not- to get cursed by the Carrow siblings today during their classes, and Professor Isuki's DADA classes have always been Charisma's favorite, well aside from the classes that she had with McGonagall and Flitwick and even at this point Professor Snape.
"At least we didn't get cursed today." Della said as they walked along the hallway toward the stairs, debating on if they wanted to go to to the Common Commons, the Gryffindor Commons, the Great Hall or go sit outside since it was finally starting to warm up and be more Spring like. Now, if only the spring came with the return of the world instead of it being the twisted, messed up thing it was currently.
"The day's not over yet Della, and besides who knows what will happen at dinner." Blake said, and shifted his bag to his other shoulder and closed his eyes walking with the other three. "I've not heard from mom or dad lately, and that is starting to worry me. I mean, they usually write every week or so, and now, nothing. There's been nothing for a couple of months now."
"I know, I haven't heard from Mum either. Dad, I've heard from briefly, but the letter was nothing out of the norm for Dad. Short and to the point." Della said, leaning lightly against Blake as they continued to walk. Eventually they settled upon a sunny spot in one of the out of the way hallways. "What about you Eric? Heard from your parents?"
"No. My owls haven't been answered and I don't know what is going on." Eric said, slumping against the wall and settling on the floor watching as the other three settled around him and sighed.
Isma had just opened her mouth to speak when an owl landed on her bag and dropped a letter in her lap. She gave the owl a treat and he flew off not bothering to wait for a reply. Eyes slipped closed, and she was dreading opening the letter even though it had her Mother's handwriting across the front.
"I don't want to open it. I really don't." She said and looked at the three people who had literally become her family in this nightmare that wasn't supposed to be a nightmare. "It's from at least my mom."
Eventually she opened the letter, after staring at the envelope for about ten minutes. "Gone. They were taken from the house. The letter is actually written by my neighbor, Charlie's Mum. There was some stuff she didn't understand, but she said that the people that took Mum and Dad were helping them relocate to a better place. Whatever that means."
"The Snatchers." Della said, and then explained the rumors she'd heard about what's been going on with other people in Wizarding Britain who have simply gone missing with no explanation. A somber cloud soon fell over the foursome and seemed to stick there.
"We should probably get some dinner. Though, I'm not all that hungry right now." Blake said, pushing up off the floor. "I am just waiting for this term to be over...though where we will go when the school year is done I have no idea."
The four of them headed to the great hall and the somber cloud seemed to show no signs of lifting even though Easter was just around the corner.