Every time an owl arrived bearing mail, Bronwyn jumped up to be the first to read the missive. Most letters came from her father Wotan or from various members of the Beck family. Sometimes friends like Kody or Drake wrote, and even Annabelle Diamond had written a few times since Bronwyn's return to Brisbane. Only Desi hadn't sent a letter yet.
Bronwyn had hoped that by now her best friend would have responded to the letter she'd left in Desi's room the day she journeyed back to Australia. She knew that Desi could be very stubborn and that she probably still hadn't figured out how to handle the bombshell Annabelle had dropped a month and a half ago. Sometimes Bronwyn still didn't know what to make of the situation, but she also knew that nothing could be done to change what had happened and that it would be best for everyone to take everything in stride, especially since they would all be in it for the long-haul.
Sometimes Bronwyn wanted to drop everything and go back to Seattle to shake some sense into Desi, but at the same time she wanted to give her friend some space. It appeared that being left alone was what Desi had wanted from the get-go, and perhaps it was a necessary means for coping with what had happened and with what was to come. Bronwyn did hope that by the time the baby came along, Desi would get over it and adapt to the situation, but she almost had her doubts.
The barn owl that had just arrived bore a message for Katherine from Anthony. Bronwyn handed it over and plopped down on the sofa, once again disappointed not to have heard from Desi.
Katherine quickly read the note, which basically let her know that everyone back home was doing well, and which also hinted at something major in the works that might have a lasting effect on the current administration and its policies. Reading such news, even in its vaguest terms, had Katherine itching to join in.
She cast a look over at Bronwyn and said, "Sometimes I hate being so far away from everyone else, even if I'm safer here than over there." She leaned forward in her armchair and offered the letter to Bronwyn to read.
Bronwyn took it and scanned it. Then she met Katherine's gaze and sighed. "I know what you mean. I feel out of the loop here, since we always have to wait on letters to find out what's going on."
"I wish I could help," Katherine murmured, turning her gaze out the window.
"Well, you're an adult. You can, if you want. For that matter, so could I. Beats waiting around, and there are places to hide over there."
Toby came in just then, causing the women to fall silent. He stopped, studied them both, and then saw the letter in Bronwyn's hand. "Bad news?"
"Oh, no. It's from your brother." Bronwyn passed the letter to Toby. He sat down next to her on the couch. He read it and said, "I'm glad everyone's okay." His eyes slanted up at Katherine. He knew how much she longed to help with matters back home, but so far he'd urged her to stay where it was safe.
"So... you're going back?"
Katherine blinked. "I'm giving it some thought." She tilted her head in Bronwyn's direction without looking away from Toby. "So is your wife."
Bronwyn suddenly felt like she was in trouble and felt herself try to shrink into the cushions around her. To her surprise, Toby looked from Katherine to Bronwyn without anger or concern. "In that case, I'm going too," he said.
Bronwyn looked shocked. "You want to go back?"
"I want to help, too. And it definitely seems like things are on the verge of improving. Perhaps with extra support, things definitely will improve. I'm willing to give it a try, and I'd much rather be at your side than have you go off without me."
Bronwyn smiled.
"Besides," Toby went on, shrugging his shoulders. "The Bandicoots are having a bad season this year. Our last match is Saturday and then we're done. I won't have any obligations to keep me from leaving for a while. So," he glanced from Bronwyn to the more determined Katherine, "are we really going to do this? Are we going to lend a hand to the cause?"
Katherine and Bronwyn exchanged looks. It was Bronwyn who spoke for the both of them. "Yes. We're ready to go back home."
In Charge For Once Author: Ron Weasley Date: 04-03-09 17:08
Ron looks at those assembled, expecting one of them to speak up, to volunteer. Finally, his hope fading away, Ron blows air loudly across his iips then asks, "No one wants to do it?"
Ginny snorts. "Would you?" Before Ron can reply she says, "You are asking one of us so the answer to that is no."
Lee Jordon starts to snicker but quickly bites it off at the scathing look Ron gives him. Giving them all a glare, Ron says with extreme exasperation, "As the one put in charge of this, I would have thought delegating a key task would be appreciated."
Phin Hoddfuffer-Flefferfore says aloud what the others are thinking. "The guy's job is latrine waste disposal and he really loves his job."
"Where did we get this intel?" Neville asks.
Hermione tells him, "Mundungus Fletcher."
There's tittering and snickering from the small group. Ron knows better but he can't help asking anyway, "What?"
"Intel on a latrine waste disposer came from Dung," George nearly falls over howling.
Ron crosses his arms, face turning red. He looks over at Harry and says, "They wouldn't give you this hard a time if you were in charge of this."
"In this instance, I think they would," Harry disagrees.
When the laughter dies down Ginny magnanimously waves a hand at Ron, "Go on."
"All whoever is Clem," Ron says referring to the waste disposal man, "is get in, hide two packets of wands, then get out."
"What about the waste disposal spell? Isn't that what he'd be there for? To clear the latrines or whatever it is he does?" Kody Reese-Emerson asks.
Hermione explains, "The spell packs it all down, dries it out, making the time betwen having to cover over one latrine and dig a new one longer."
"But would it have to be done?" Ginny rephrases what Kody had asked.
"Only if it looked like it was needed," Ron shrugs.
"Couldn't we first get someone in there to sprinkle U-No-Poo in all the food?"
This from Fred.
When the laughs die down again Ron says, "I'll do it. Go in. Hide the two packs of wands. Get out. Wait with the rest of you lot for the wands to have time to be retrieved and passed around."
"Is there some sort of signal we should be looking for?" Harry asks.
"If possible, someone from the inside will send up a flare from one of the retrieved wands. If not, we go in after three hours."
George, finally turning serious, sits back in his seat with arms folded. "What do we know of the layout and what's the geography like around the prison?"
Ron turns to a large drawing spellotaped up behind him. "Like many of the prison communities that we know of, there are woods all around but with a broad clearing from the woodline to the walls... ."
Searching The Lists Author: Furnella Hodfuffer Date: 04-03-09 19:40
Slipping into the office I do what I do every day since the lists starting coming out. I skim the classifieds of various publications looking for certain names. I know I don't need to look myself or listen to the outlawed WWN broadcasts because Phin is so involved in all that he generally knows the new editions to the lists before anything's published or broadcast.
Still, I look on my own and catch the broadcasts when I'm able.
Not only are family members among the missing but Phin's not going to slow down until he's located Emerald and gotten her to safety. AJ had concern for his ex-wife Stella. He'd been the driving force behind the rescue at Camp Lollipop where among the prisoners were family and Stella's children. Stella is safe now and reunited with her children and husband. Like Phin and the rest of us though, AJ scours the lists as well, hoping to spot more names of family and friends.
I don't just search for the names of family or friends. Like Phin I'm looking for the name of someone special. We'd started out as just friends and to save ourselves from yet one more blind date arranged by those with good intentions we told everyone we were dating. Before long, we really were.
Turning the last page of the last publication in the stack I bury my face in my hands. After several minutes I push away from the desk and leave the office. The restaurant is quiet at the moment but the main hours for dinner service are about to begin. In a few days I'll check in again with the Woods family. I want so badly to be able to tell them Forest is safe, that his name showed up on one of the lists. I want it so badly my chest hurts from the ache of it.
Plastering on a smile, I turn to greet a two couples who enter the Imperial Crown & Cauldron. Time to fake my way through another evening of pretending to be fine, happy, and bubbly for the customers.
Theo Thruston pushes hair that's getting longer than he normally wears it back off his forehead, body slightly bent as he studies several owl orders that recently came in. Hearing the bell over the door, Theo says without looking up, "Be with you in just a tick."
"Just me, Theo," Indigo says, stepping up to the counter. "Travis here?"
A hand waves vaguely towards the back of the shoppe, "Office. Storeroom. Maybe upstairs."
"You all right?" Indigo asks the normally overtly friendly man.
"Pardon? Right. Yes, I'm fine, just distracted this morning. Thank you for asking."
Indi lingers for a few seconds then with another studied look at Theo, walks further into Botanicals & Beyond to find his sister. He locates her in the cellar, standing with a clipboard in hand as she goes through a crate.
"Hi, doing an inventory?"
"Hallo. It's an inventory of sorts, just of certain stock. Don't you have class?"
"Done for the day. I came to offer to buy you lunch. Theo too if he wants."
"I doubt Theo will. He's not quite himself today. I've told him to go home but we won't hear of it."
"What's going on with him?"
"Don't know. He won't say but I can't shake the feeling that it's got something to do with Ministry policy."
"I'm going to a," Indi's voice drops even though there's no apparent need of talking carefully down here, "meeting. Want me to see about having a check done?"
"Yes... no... yes. I don't know. It's sort of an invasion of privacy, especially if whatever it is isn't related."
"But if it is related then maybe we can help him."
Travis sets the clipboard down and scrubs at her face. Heaving her shoulders she finally says, "Yes, do it if it's possible."
"Consider it done. Now, you want lunch or what? I'm famished."
Leaving the clipboard where it is, Travis rolls her eyes and takes Indi by the arm. "You and your stomach. Let's go then before you faint away from hunger."
(Erigone) Whole Again Author: Illyria Date: 04-04-09 11:07
Not long after finding Olympia's name in the newspaper and reuniting her with the family in Mumbai, Erigone found Aidan's name listed. Now he, too, lived in the seaside house, which had become more and more cramped with each new addition but no one seemed to mind. In fact, the more the merrier because it meant they were ever closer to becoming whole again.
The plans that had been so abruptly interrupted well over a year ago resumed with more exhuberance and haste than ever before. Erigone and Aidan wanted to get married as soon as possible, since they had been apart for far too long and because they learned during that time that life could be short and that unexpected detours could happen along the way. So, it was decided that as soon as they found Illyria––and Erigone was certain that they would––the wedding would take place.
Illyria's name appeared on a list three days ago. Erigone quickly contacted the appropriate party and made immediate plans to rendevous in the given location. Urania volunteered to accompany her sister, and together they set off for Texas the following morning. The journey took them from India to Turkey, from Turkey to France, and from France to eastern Canada where they rested overnight. Then they set off for Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and finally Texas. They arrived at Mount Bonnell, a look out point in the city of Austin, and looked down over the mansions that sat along the banks of Lake Austin.
Because they weren't scheduled to meet anybody until the very next morning, the sisters watched the sunset cast oranges and purples across the sky and over the lake and then fell asleep on one of the benches, weary from the time change and the long-distance apparitions they'd made. When they awoke the next morning, they found three individuals staring down at them. Two they didn't know, but they knew one quite well.
"Illyria!" Urania exclaimed, sitting up so suddenly she almost fell off the bench. She threw herself into her sister's arms.
Illyria started to cry. "Urania! Erigone!" Erigone had thrown herself into the embrace, too. They all cried until they'd had enough of it and then wiped the leftover tears from their eyes and cheeks.
Illyria presented Marzipan and Weston to her sisters, who invited everybody to the house in Hyde Park.
Illyria was pleased to have finally been found and made immediate plans to join Erigone and Urania in Mumbai, where the rest of the Jones family current resided. Since coming to Austin she'd searched for work but had found nothing, so she didn't have any ties to break with anyone in the city. She would be sad to part with Marzi, but she knew that they would see each other again.
L'université Violette d'Étoile was located within walking distance of the home Griffin had purchased for himself, Carys, Tristan and Alun. It was very small and brand new, having only just opened for winter term. The classes were primarily taught in French, but there were a handful of English-language classes Carys hoped to enroll in come summer or fall. In the meantime, she hoped to learn French so that she could take more classes in the future.
The university buildings, of which there were few, were all aboveground and within plain view of the Mediterranean Sea. Charms shielded them from Muggle eyes and caused them to see only barren landscape. The charms also made it so that the Muggles had no interest whatsoever in crossing over the seemingly untouched land.
Over the main entryway was the school's emblem, a purple star that twinkled brightly under both sun- and moonlight. On the inside, the plaques next to each door were also purple stars and had room numbers or names stenciled on them in silver. Carys, with a pocket French-English dictionary in hand, looked for the plaque that read Bureau des Admissions. She found it easily enough, since it was close to the main entryway, and stepped inside.
She was immediately greeted in French, but when the receptionist recognized her, since Carys had only recently stopped in to collect a course catalog, she switched over to English.
"Nice to see you again," the receptionist greeted in near perfect English.
"Thanks," Carys replied. "Can I talk to a counselor?"
"Allow me to check if someone has time to take you," the receptionist, whose name was Annette, replied. She smiled and got up to check with a couple of the counselors who had smaller offices within the Admissions Office itself.
Carys, meanwhile, sat down in a chair and helped herself to a pamphlet stacked on a nearby table. It was in French, of course, so Carys mainly looked at the pictures. After a while, she put the pamphlet down and leaned her head back against the wall behind her.
For some reason she couldn't help but think of Hogwarts, being there in the Admissions Office. She could almost picture herself sitting in Professor McGonagall's office, waiting for the older witch to come back from some other appointment or whatever. The thought made Carys feel nostalgia for Hogwarts. She knew that she probably could never go back, but if it were possible, she would want to. St. Emrys and this new university were wonderful in their own ways but Carys felt like she'd really missed out in not being able to finish her education at Hogwarts.
But even if she could go back, what would she do about Tristan? She'd been separated from him once for far too long and she wasn't sure she wanted to do it again. Hogwarts didn't have a daycare, though, and why would it? Most students managed to get through seven years without getting knocked up, so there really wasn't a need for one. Then again, surely there'd been some professors who'd had small children and had probably required babysitters of some sort.
She let her mind wander from one tangent to another until Annette returned, calling her name. Carys snapped out of it and rose to her feet.
"Matthieu will see you. Please follow me."
Carys followed Annette to Matthieu's office, all thoughts of Hogwarts and everything else that had just come to mind temporarily forgotten.
At An Auction Author: Julian Valentine Date: 04-04-09 14:25
Fastidiously picking lint off his robe, Tiberius Valentine inquires, "Tell me again why you're here, Julian."
"There are three lots of books we want for the bookshop," Julian says, careful to keep his tone as neutral as possible. They've not been here five minutes and already his father is giving him the urge to use an Unforgivable Curse.
"I never understood your fascination with those moldy old books," Tiberius sniffs.
"Some of those moldy old books are valuable enough to buy a few more islands with," Julian counters.
"Yes, but after your ordeal with that one particular book. For Merlin's sake, you still wear glasses sometimes because of what happened."
"With some of the things you were involved in, you're one to talk, Dad."
"Those were things far in the past."
"None of which you regret."
"Why should I? I was doing something I believed in."
"And so am I. The difference is that these moldy old books as you like to call them are my livelihood."
"Talking about work is déclassé," Tiberius says in that bored, snotty tone he uses when he's indicating he won't talk further on a particular subject.
"You know, considering that most Wizarding communities that I'm aware of do not have royalty or nobles or anything like that, there are some who certainly act like there are."
Ignoring the sarcasm, Tiberius very seriously replies, "If Britain did recognize royalty and nobles,"
"Britian does," Julian cuts in.
"Muggle Britain, yes," Tiberius says with obvious distaste. "If the Britain that counts were overseen by nobility, you can be assured that the Valentines would be high ranking royals. We'd be, er, well, we'd be whatever is high ranking. Maybe even princes."
"It's a little strange I always thought that we don't have ranks. Oh, I know that way back people such as knights were called Sir and some women were addressed as Lady, but I would have thought as power hungry and as status concious as so many are, that there'd be titles and ranks."
"Next I dine with the Minister, I shall ask her about that. I firmly believe those of us supporting her should be well rewarded."
Julian thinks but doesn't say aloud, "I'm sure you do."
Instead, Julian allows himself an eye roll out of Tiberius's line of view then says, "Why are you at this auction, Dad?"
"Hiram Bedlow's sword," Tiberius says, Bedlow being one of those knights Julian just referenced.
"The Hiram Bedlow on your mother's side of the family?"
"The very one. Also, I want to get a look at the snake motif dinnerware that is said to have been Salazar Slytherin's."
"Do you really think it's his?"
"Five different experts have authinticated it but some are saying they were paid to do so to drive up the price. My man is meeting me here to give me his thoughts. If he agrees that it's authentic, then I may bid."
"A complete set of dinner plates belonging to Slytherin is going to be pricey."
"Yes, but since when do I worry about cost?"
The doors open to the rooms where the auction lot items are on display for viewing before the auction. Determining that the lots are arranged numberically, Tiberius consults his auction catalog so he can go straight to where the dinnerware is displayed before it gets too crowded around the display to have a good look.
"Coming?" he asks without looking back.
"In a few minutes. First I want to see the three lots of those moldy old books."
"Whatever suits your fancy, Julian, though I am sure you get that from your mother's side, not mine."
Julian rolls his eyes after his father then turns left where Tiberius had gone right, heading to the first of the book lots he wants to peruse before the auction itself beings.
