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Keeping Secrets
Author: Travis
Date: 02-21-09 21:03
Travis starts with the back of Botanicals and Beyond and works her way to the front of the shoppe, straightening as she goes and returning moved items to their proper places. With a few minutes left to go before official closing time, she makes a a to do list for Thursday morning before opening. Writing the list takes up the remainder of the working day so once done Travis locks the front door and turns the sign to CLOSED.
She's standing at the register, counting the drawer when the front door rattles and someone knocks loudly several times in rapid succession. Travis calls out to the woman visible through the glass, "We're closed. Sorry!"
"Department of Magical Law Enforcement," the woman replies back, her voice carrying well despite the muffling effect the glass has.
Travis moves around the counter and approaches the door. She could easily have the door open with a wave of her wand but she really doesn't want the woman coming in if it's something easily and quickly handled. She goes to the door and without opening it asks, "Yes?"
The woman presses an ID against the glass of the door. "Clara Smarts, Auror. I'm looking for Neville Longbottom."
"Neville isn't here."
"Do you know where Mr. Longbottom is?"
"No."
"When was ? Look, it's a bit chilly out here."
With reluctance Travis opens the door and stands aside for Ms. Smarts to enter. The woman is shorter than Travis and thinner but in a wiry, ropey sort of way. She asks in her no nonsense tone, "Are you sure Mr. Longbottom isn't here?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"You seemed awfully hesitant to let me come in. I'm going to search the shoppe and ask that you hand over your wand while I do so."
Travis stares at the woman, incredulous. As she gives over her wand Ms. Smarts asks, "Not going to be a problem are you?"
"No."
"I'm sensing an attitude."
"Of course you are. You lot lost my sister when she was under so called protective custody. Lost her and then acted like it was somehow my doing or that of another family member when we didn't even know where she was."
"I don't know anything about that." Ms. Smarts jerks a thumb towards one of the doors visible from where they stand. "One of those lead to a stockroom or storage area?"
"The near door is to the office. The second door is to the ground level stockroom. There's a stairway there down to the cellar. That last door, back there, is the inside staircase leading up."
"There a back door?"
"In the cellar."
Ms. Smarts starts for the stockroom, Travis following. The Auror turns, "Prefer you to stay here."
"Fine," Travis curtly replies, returning to the counter to finish closing out the register for the evening.
Ms. Smarts is meticulous and thorough, making for a slow search of the entire building. When she's finally done, she finds Travis in the office doing paperwork and drinking tea. Travis does not offer her a cup but Ms. Smarts pours herself some and sits down, taking out a notepad.
"To verify, Neville Longbottom is in your employ."
"He was."
"Was? Fired or quit?"
"Quit."
"When was this?"
"Weeks ago."
"Did he give a reason?"
"He never spoke to me about it."
"To one of your other employees then?"
"No, to none of us. Neville simply didn't show up to work one day. Later that same morning an owl arrived at the greenhouses which he oversaw carrying the message, 'I quit. Sorry for the lack of notice.' I had thought he'd collect his last pay but he hasn't."
"Was he the flighty sort?"
"Neville? No, not at all."
"Why would he quit like that then?"
"I can only speculate."
"So speculate."
"Neville had been questioned a number of times by someone from your department and from the Department of Half-blood, Muggleborn and Half-breed Registration and Regulation. He was asked countless questions about some of his friends. I think Neville had had enough."
"If I were to have you come to the Ministry to answer these same questions and others about Mr. Longbottom, could I expect the same answers and could I expect your full cooperation, Ms.... You know, I have here only the name Travis. That's your first name though. Wait, no, it's Fifi?"
"Ravenclaw and I go by Travis."
"Ravenclaw? As in "
Travis cuts in, "Yes, as in."
"But you don't go by either of your given names?"
"Travis is a given name. Just not my first name nor my last."
"All right. Back to my question, Travis, could I expect the same answers and your full cooperation?"
"Yes, on both counts."
"I think that will do for now," Clara Smarts brusquely nods, flipping her notebook shut. "Your wand," she says, holding it out to Travis. "I'll see myself out."
Travis stands in the office doorway, watching as the Auror leaves. She glances at the paperwork still to finish, decides she needs to get out for a bit so after checking that the shoppe door is locked again, Travis goes upstairs. There she changes and freshens up then using the outer stairs, heads down High Street to see if Indigo is at his clinic, very glad for spells that allow for secret keeping.
A Loss
Author: Ariella Beck
Date: 02-22-09 17:36
Ariella pushed open the door that separated the kitchen from the front of the shop and carried a tray of freshly baked bread to the counter. She started unloading the bread into a rightful spot underneath the glass when the doorbell tinkled, signaling the arrival of a new customer. While she continued to put away the new bread, she shot a smile at her guest and offered a friendly greeting.
"Good morning! Is there something I can help you with?"
The visitor, a stern-looking man with glasses and a briefcase, approached the counter and asked, "Are you Ariella Beck?"
Ariella felt the smile rapidly fade from her face. She'd sometimes imagined representatives from the Ministry of Magic arriving at her home or workplace and arresting her on the spot for being related to a known blood traitor like Katherine Spinnet. She also didn't doubt in her mind that Hogwarts Headmistress Harriet Snider had enough pull at the Ministry to get her arrested if she wanted.
She wanted to lie but knew she probably couldn't get away with it and that it would more than likely get her into more trouble than if she simply told the truth. She gave a very reluctant, "Yes, I'm Ariella. Why do you ask?"
The man put his briefcase onto the counter top and popped it open. He pulled out some paperwork, which he handed across the counter to Ariella.
"My name is Archibald Durbin and I'm with the Department of Magical Research's Patent and Trademark Office. I'm here to inform you that changes have been made to the LinguoCube's patent."
"Oh?" Ariella relaxed, but only a little. She'd had hopes for her language translation device to go into mass production and be on the market by now, but no such luck. Being blacklisted probably didn't help matters, but Ariella also knew that manufacturing anything these days was difficult since the workforce was so much smaller than it had ever been.
"Due to very serious matters, it has been decided that you are no longer eligible to hold the patent. Ownership will transfer to someone else immediately."
Ariella's jaw dropped. In a voice less argumentative and on the brink of tears, Ariella asked, "How can that be? It's my invention. Why should someone else get to own the patent?"
"I think you know why," Durbin said tersely. "We would have acted sooner, but we were inevitably delayed by other matters. Now, if there is nothing else..." He closed the briefcase, snapping each latch shut, and then pulled it to his side again.
"But... what about my rights?"
"Rights? You have no rights, Miss Beck. Consider it a blessing that you haven't been arrested, or worse." Durbin looked into the glass. "Now, if you please, I'd like one of those cranberry-orange scones."
The paperwork Ariella held shook in her hand, and her lower lip trembled. She tried to keep herself together, though, and do her job. She managed to serve Archibald Durbin the scone he wanted, ring up his order, and watch him leave before she burst into tears.
Conversation with Urania
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 02-22-09 19:11
"When will you go?"
Ronan sat across from Urania on the balcony on the third floor of the Youngham's waterfront house over a game of wizard's chess. It had been so long since either had played chess, and while neither had been enormous fans beforehand, they found themselves truly grateful to have the opportunity to play it now.
"A part of me wants to leave immediately, but I think I will go first thing tomorrow morning." She moved one of her pawns a square and looked across the board at the younger wizard. "I can't believe I found my family so quickly."
"India's not too far away either," Ronan said, "I mean, compared to a lot of other places." He chewed on his bottom lip a moment, simultaneously contemplating his next move and debating whether to ask that for which he most wanted the answer.
"You won't be seeing Illyria?" he finally, gently questioned.
Urania frowned. "Or Olympia. Neither have been accounted for, and based on what you and I both know about where people like us have been all this time, they're either at one of the communities or dead."
Ronan was surprised by Urania's bluntness. He didn't want to believe that Illyria, who for a very short amount of time had been his legal guardian, wasn't among the living anymore. He moved a pawn of his own and looked at Urania.
"Surely it's possible that if they aren't locked up like we were, that they could be on the run somewhere and just haven't found their way to the rest of the family yet?"
Urania sighed. "Yes, I suppose it is possible."
Sensing Urania's dampening mood, Ronan decided to change the subject. "My mum is talking about moving us somewhere until things blow over, if they ever do that is. She doesn't want to impose on the Younghams, though I don't think they mind keeping us both here. They're used to a houseful of people, being so many themselves."
"How are things going with your mum?" Urania asked, moving a rook and taking out one of Ronan's pawns in the process.
Ronan didn't answer right away, because he wasn't sure what to say. He had very mixed emotions about his mother. On the one hand, he was glad they were reunited because she was the only family he had left. He also knew that no matter how twisted she was on the inside, she cared for him deeply. He still had his doubts about her, after all the horrible things she'd done, but things weren't exactly normal and it was a bit easier for him to forget her tragic and terrible past.
"Well," he finally answered, and it was true. He and Enid hadn't dredged up any of the problems they'd had in the past, and they acted towards one another almost how they had before Enid mysteriously disappeared so many years ago.
"I'm glad to hear that," Urania said, and she meant it. She didn't know all the details, but knew a little, such as how Enid had been in Azkaban for a while which was how Illyria came to assume Ronan's guardianship.
"Yeah," Ronan said, with a small smile. He moved his knight and said, "Your move."
Visiting In America
Author: Blossom
Date: 02-23-09 18:50
Blossom nervously sits on the edge of the chair in the office of Janice Lively, an American healer. She had a feeling she knows what Janice is going to tell her and Blossom's not yet sure what to think of it.
After leaving Hogwarts on Saturday where she'd posed as AJ Hodfuffer to that AJ could take part in the rescue of Camp Lollipop, which he'd orchestrated, Blossom had remained tired. She was tired and sleepy all day Sunday as well. Monday was worse because Blossom escorted two of the Camp Lollipop children to relatives in the US state of Montana. As long as she was going to be in America, Blossom had decided she'd take the triplets to visit her grandfather Dexter.
Yesterday, while watching the triplets playing a game with Dexter in the garden, Blossom remembered something that got her mind to racing. Making a mental list, Blossom arrived at a conclusion but would need to have it verified. She immediately sent an owl off to Janice, who is the older sister of one of Blossom's classmates from Watling's. Janice owled by later in the day that she could squeeze Blossom in late on Thursday.
Blossom is now anxiously awaiting the results of the examination. Janice walks in with a big smile, confirming without speaking what Blossom had thought. Blossom still wants to hear it aloud from a professional for it to seem truly real. Janice sits down at her desk, her grin growing bigger at the sight of Blossom so eager to hear verbal confirmation.
"I seem to recall Nell mentioning you have children. I meant to ask earlier how many."
"Three but only one pregnancy."
"So either you've adopted or you have triplets."
"Triplets," Blossom says when she really wants to say, "Tell me the results already!"
"How old are they?"
"In August they'll be four."
"I've got a four year old. I can hardly keep up with her. I don't know how you do it with three. I really don't know how you'll do with another."
"So I am?"
"Yes, you are. I've a couple of questions and then we can calculate your due date."
When Blossom leaves a short time later, she's already trying to think of how to tell Fred that come December, he'll be getting one Christmas present a little early.
Potion Problem
Author: Ella
Date: 02-24-09 17:27
A thick, bubbling liquid the color of sludge boiled in the pewter cauldron at Ella's work table. She and the other fourth year Potions students busied themselves with the assignment Professor Carrow had scrawled onto the blackboard behind his desk. They brewed Calming Fluids, which Ella thought Carrow could benefit from since his mood had gone from bad to worse in recent months. She didn't know what had brought on the sharp decline in his temperament (not that he had ever been particularly pleasant) but had certainly noticed the change.
She looked between the blackboard, her open textbook and the bubbling cauldron, hoping she had done everything correctly so far but fearing that she had already done something, if not more than one something wrong. The potion was supposed to be a shimmering silver color, and not the murky gray it currently was. It also needed to become silky smooth and not thick and chunky like it appeared. Perhaps the concoction just needed a little more time to take on the required color and consistency.
Ella looked up to see where Carrow was and inwardly cursed. He was one cauldron over, making nasty remarks to Timothy Gabble about his potion, which smelled like rotten eggs. Ella knew it was too much to hope for that her potion would change its appearance for the better before Carrow arrived, and she was not wrong to think so. He looked into her cauldron and turned up his lips in a sneer.
"Obviously you failed to follow the instructions on the board and in your textbook."
"I'm not sure what I did wrong," Ella admitted, careful to keep her tone neutral even though she felt really defensive about her work.
"Then you weren't paying attention to each step you made in the process," Carrow stated coolly. His gaze flickered to the work table, and then his sneer turned into a bonafide smirk. Ella almost likened the expression to the one Professor Snape had perpetually worn on his face when he'd been her teacher during her first year at Hogwarts.
"You used red valerian instead of white. The directions clearly state that you must use white valerian for this particular potion."
Ella doubted Carrow for the briefest of moments, but then she looked around and noticed that everyone else had remnants of the white bloom on their table. She became very angry with herself, but also with Carrow for being such an ass. How she wanted to tell him to get over whatever was bothering him but she knew she'd be a fool to open her mouth and say anything at all. So, she kept her mouth shut and stared at her bubbling potion, wondering how, if at all, she could remedy the mistake she had made.
Enjoy The Scenery
Author: Plum
Date: 02-24-09 18:59
Plum enters Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron. Having just come from visiting her father at St. Mungo's, Plum is already down and passing one shop after another that's closed or clearly having troubles isn't helping her mood. In awhile she's meeting Anthony but in the meantime Plum is going to get a few things done that she's not been able to the last few times she was in Diagon Alley because she had Alex with her. "Or," Plum mentally amends, "I could have gotten them done but they would have taken longer with Alex's version of helping."
Making her way down Diagon Alley, Plum misses the usual bustle. It might be a Friday morning but in years past, even a rainy day such as this could find Diagon Alley busy with shoppers. As she passes by Gringott's, Plum wonders how it is that the Goblins allow the name to be used. Maybe they aren't allowing it but the Ministry is using it anyway. She's heard that some improvements have been made recently in the way the Ministry is running the bank but Plum still refuses to use its services.
Arriving at the junk shop, Plum can't help but wish the second hand robe shop were still open. Evan needs a few things that surely could have been found in that shop for a decent price. The junk shop might carry a few things he needs but if not, there are at least other shops here and in Hogsmeade she can hopefully find bargains in, not to mention other Wizarding shops scattered around Britain. Plum supposes she could always go to France or somewhere else to shop. It just doesn't seem as convenient though she supposes that compared to how Muggles must do things, being able to POP in or Floo to somewhere in another country is far more easy and accessible.
Emerging a short time later from the junk shop with a bag containing two used but in good shape shirts, Plum heads to her next destination. Evan gets ill to his stomach easily so Plum is not about to buy the man brand new clothes. Besides that, it's her hard earned money she's spending and as long as he's in hospital or is refusing to help with the family finances, Plum isn't going to feel guilty for getting him second hand clothing.
Plum gets her other errands completed then goes to meet Anthony. He's still working out at the Health Nut and doesn't see her so Plum sits down to enjoy watching Anthony's lean, hard, muscular body as he lifts weights. Sometimes it's nice to sit back and do nothing but enjoy the scenery.
(Rivalen) The Astonishing Onion
Author: Isolde
Date: 02-25-09 17:42
"Excuse me Professor, but what do onions have to do with herbology?" Cornelia Vanderbilt asked, after lowering the hand she'd been waving in the air for the past five minutes or so. Professor Farnon hadn't noticed it, because he'd been too busy looking at the cheat sheet he'd scrawled onto the length of his arm right before class started.
"What do you mean?" Rivalen asked, utterly baffled by the question.
Cornelia sighed. "I mean, I know an onion is a plant and that the point of this class is to study them, but is there anything magical about onions? Isn't that what herbology is really about? The study of magical plants?"
Rivalen flashed Cornelia a smile and said, "Cornelia, Cornelia. Of course onions are magical! That is to say, they have uses in magical things like potions! Did you know that onions have medicinal properties? They can be used to cure blisters and boils. If a sea urchin stings you, you can use onions to remove the spines! Onions are a vital ingredient in a paste that minimizes scarring. Really, there's so much you can do with onions!"
Cornelia blinked. "Sea urchins?"
"Now you know what to do the next time you get stung, which I know happens all the time," put in Ella Harville. Professor Farnon hardly noted her sarcasm.
Cornelia snickered quietly.
"Anyway," Professor Farnon said, carrying on with his lecture. "there are so many varieties of onions, but today we're only focusing on white onions."
Each student had a white onion before them, and a basket full of more served as the centerpiece to the table. Rivalen had one too, as well as a large carving knife.
"White onions are so called for the pure white skin that serves as their outer layer. Peel that away and you get white flesh. If you bite into it, which you are encouraged to do, you'll taste a sweet and mild flavor."
Rivalen didn't bite into his onion, because he was too busy looking at the notes on his arm, and neither did any of the students, but they just weren't interested in eating a raw onion that had been sitting on the soil encrusted work table.
"Now, if we cut the onion into slices, we will see what it looks like on the inside. Note how it curves around and around like a snail shell."
His students were less than impressed by the lecture on onions and already knew what they looked like on both the inside and the outside. At first they were quite bored with Rivalen's meticulous slicing of the onion, but they started to smile when he began sniffling. Soon, tears rolled down his cheeks.
"It's all right, Professor. You can stop your lecture if it's really that unbearable for you," Cornelia said gently, or at least that was how it sounded to Rivalen.
"Oh, no! I'm not upset, Cornelia, but thank you for your concern! It's just a side-effect from the onions. They are eye-irritants! Interesting fact, isn't it?"
Cornelia smiled beatifically and replied in a sing-song voice, "And how!"