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Switching Supplies & Grabbing a Gift
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 11-01-09 15:17
After History of Magic lets out, Fritz and Coco head up to Ravenclaw Tower to deposit the books and notes they no longer need. Both only have two more classes that day, Herbology at 2 PM and Astronomy at midnight. Fritz isn't particularly looking forward to two more class periods of exams, but at least tomorrow is the last day of term and thereby the last day of any sort of exam for at least a few weeks.
The couple split up in the Ravenclaw common room to go to their respective dormitory rooms. Fritz carefully puts away the school supplies he no longer needs and takes out what he'll require for Herbology. Even though class isn't for a couple of hours, Fritz wants to use the time from after lunch until then to bone up for Professor Masterson's comprehensive exam.
Besides his Herbology textbook and notes, Fritz reaches for a rectangular-shaped Christmas gift. The paper it is wrapped in is solid green, and the gift has a silver bow on top. A name tag with the image of a Christmas tree reads Professor Masterson.
Fritz intends on bringing the gift––high quality stationary he picked up while in Hogsmeade last weekend––to class. It's a very practical gift, which Fritz is certain Professor Masterson can make use of. Hopefully he'll appreciate the gift, too.
After gathering his things, he heads back to the common room at the exact same time as Coco. She's exchanged her other books for Herbology as well. Together, they leave the Ravenclaw common room for the Great Hall and lunch.
The Vanderbilt Sisters
Author: Griet
Date: 11-01-09 16:09
On Thursdays, Aleydis started off her day with History of Magic. It wasn't easy trying to wake up with Professor Binns for an instructor, but Aleydis tried her best to pay attention and usually succeeded. Despite the information overload she received everyday in the ghostly professor's class, Aleydis felt like she had done as well in the course so far. She was a good student and typically did well in all her classes.
Aleydis had a big gap between History of Magic and her next class, Charms. Today she used the time to wrap a gift she'd gotten for the person who's name she'd drawn for Secret Santa. She'd gotten Charisma Stone, who she knew best through Quidditch. They were both seekers for their respective teams.
Going with something Quidditch related might have been the obvious choice, but Aleydis had gotten Charisma a lovely jewelry box instead. She'd found it in a catalog someone had left laying around the Hufflepuff common room and thought it suiting for any girl.
After wrapping the gift, Aleydis carried it to the Common Common Room and tucked it under the tree, that was already burgeoning with Christmas gifts. She hoped Charisma would like the present!
Meanwhile, Beatrix was just leaving Potions. She'd gotten Christopher Chant's name for the Secret Santa gift exchange. Beatrix didn't know him well because he was older, but because he was in the same Hogwarts house, she saw him in the Ravenclaw common room from time to time.
By chance, she had been perusing a catalog in search for a new watch for herself. She never liked to go without knowing the time because she liked to be punctual to class or any other appointment she might have. Her wristwatch had stopped working for whatever reason, and until she could fix it herself or find someone else to repair it, she wanted to get a replacement.
While scanning the different kinds of watches and clocks the catalog had to offer, she stumbled upon a neat-looking pocket watch. It didn't so much tell time as keep track of the planets and their alignment at any given moment. Beatrix didn't know how Christopher felt about Astronomy class, but she found the watch pretty wicked and hoped that he would too. She'd gone on and ordered it, as well as a regular watch for herself, and then wrapped the gift once it had arrived. It was under the tree in the Common Common Room, waiting for him to find it.
Also leaving class was Cornelia. She entered the Great Hall and sought out Gervaise, where he sat at the Slytherin table. Griet and Oberon were no where in sight but would likely trickle in soon.
Cornelia had been sorry not be Gervaise's Secret Santa, but that didn't mean she couldn't get him a gift. She'd been wracking her brains for the perfect gift for him, other than wrapping herself up in a big bow, but so far she hadn't come up with any grand ideas.
Cornelia was Emerald Green's Secret Santa instead. She found a crocheted bag that was both green, à la Emerald's surname and yellow for Hufflepuff (not that Cornelia particularly cared about the latter). Maybe Emerald could use it for her school books.
Griet entered the Great Hall, looking slightly pink from having just come in from outside. Oberon was by her side and made no effort to hide the fact that he was holding her hand. Griet avoided Cornelia's eyes, still hurt over the fact that Cornelia had made the word slut appear on her forehead at the last Quidditch match.
Thankfully, Griet hadn't drawn her sister's name for Secret Santa. She supposed as Cornelia was family, she would normally get her something anyway, but with them being estranged at the moment, it didn't seem likely that Griet would get Cornelia anything this year.
She'd gotten Jasper Jenkins, who she didn't know at all. He was a first year Hufflepuff and worlds away from Griet as a seventh year Slytherin. Griet soon came to realize that Jasper was related to a lot of people at Hogwarts but no one with whom she really circulated. Rather than seek out someone to ask, Griet took a gamble and purchased a wizarding chess set for Jasper. It was round rather than square and had a compartment built in to house the pieces when they weren't in use. Griet realized that some people didn't care for chess, but hopefully Jasper wasn't one of them!
Working Lunch
Author: Majandra
Date: 11-01-09 16:28
After dismissing her first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students, Majandra stuck her head in the Floo to check on Georgie. He's with Molly this morning at the Burrow with a cough, aches in both ears, and a slight fever. If not for this being the next to last day of term with exams to give, Maj most likely would have gotten someone to substitute for her so she could be with her sick child. Molly assures Maj that Georgie's sleeping, has hardly fussed, and that the potions the pediatric healer gave him are working well.
Maj reluctently bids Molly goodbye, knowing that if she were to go to the Burrow, she'd end up staying longer than she needs and thus not getting all she needs done here at work. Maj goes up to the Great Hall long enough to select a few things for lunch, getting a bowl of hearty chowder and some crusty rolls to eat with it, then takes her meal to her dungeon classroom. She takes a moment to put a sign on her door pointing anyone looking for her to the classroom. This is done because on Thursday Maj does office hours from 12:30 to 1:50.
In between bites of chowder, Maj putters around putting everything in place for part of an examination her second year Gryffindors and Slytherins will take during their 2 pm class. The exam is mainly brewing a potion, with students doing different potions. Once she's got them in class at their work tables, Maj will count them off 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, and so on. There are thirteen students in that particular section, so there will be five 1s, four 2s, and four 3s. Each number will work on a different potion and the three done today will be different from the three the second year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws will do for their exam tomorrow.
What Maj is working on is a five part, short answer portion of the exam. She's setting up five stations with a question at each station. After the students get started on their potions, she'll start sending them to the stations. No station should take above thirty seconds to know the answer so Maj thinks it's very fair to alot them no more than a minute per station.
When class ends, Maj will wish them all a Happy Christmas! and pass out gifts. She's made each of her students a small stocking and suffed the stockings with sweets and joke items from Weasley's and given each tokens for games at Blossom's. Maj knows that's blatent advertising of family businesses but seeing as how most students like what those businesses have to offer and given that she did make each stocking by hand, she's not feeling guilty about the gifts.
There is one student gift that has nothing to do with Weasley's or Blossom's and is for a student that's not even in one of her classes. Maj participated in the Hogwarts Secret Santa, drawing seventh year Gryffindor Ronan Eastwick's name.
Maj did some asking around and learned that Ronan is a fan of the Muggle game of basketball. Having Muggle family herself, Maj is familiar with the sport though she's never followed it. Her paternal grandfather, on the other hand, is a huge devotee to the game, following not only the British Basketball League teams but the English Basketball League, the Scottish Basketball League, American teams, and European teams. If there are other teams from other countries, he probably follows them as well. The only sport he loves more is football, also known in a few places as soccer. Maj went to her grandfather Fine to ask what a teenage boy who likes the sport might want as a Christmas gift.
Maj was pointed to her grandfather's favorite team, the Sheffield Sharks. She got Ronan tickets to a game between the Sharks and the Newcastle Eagles. She also got him a shirt with each team's official logo. Lastly, Maj got Ronan a slot at a basketball camp during summer holiday, enclosing with the information on the camp a note to let Ronan know that should the timing not work for him to let her know as she would compensate with a gift that would better suit. Maj left the gift under the tree in the commons but doesn't know if if Ronan's picked it up yet.
Finishing the chowder, Maj sends the empty dish to the kitchen, then sits and grades papers from the written portion of the exams given earlier in the day to one set of fourth years and to one set of first years.
The Mickle Sisters
Author: Griet
Date: 11-02-09 08:39
Ramona left the Great Hall after lunch and went all the way up to her dorm room to look for the Secret Santa gift she had misplaced earlier in the week. She'd intended on giving it to Professor Batuti during Fitness & Athletics class on Monday but had somehow lost it in her room, or so she thought anyway.
Ramona was very mad at herself for misplacing the gift, which she hoped she could find again in a timely manner. What if she lost it somewhere in the castle? What if someone took it? What if she never got it back? All those questions had gone through her mind since the beginning of the week.
Once in her room, Ramona started emptying out her trunk for the millionth time. She pulled off her bedsheets, cleaned out the bedside table, and even looked under the bed. She couldn't find the gift anywhere!
Just when she was about to give up, since she had to go to Defense Against the Dark Arts soon, she looked behind her bed, where it met with the wall. Hidden behind one of the four-poster's legs was a round, wrapped gift.
Ramona groaned and then squealed. The gift must have fallen off of her bed and somehow fallen behind it, remaining perfectly out of sight until now.
"You know, you probably could have just accio'ed it," Marian Rourke stated, as she walked past with an armful of books she'd checked out from the library.
Ramona thumped herself on the forehead with her palm.
The gift she'd gotten for Professor Batuti was a round wooden box painted with flowers and leaves.
Meanwhile, Sadie entered the Common Common Room and stuck a gift bag under the festively decorated Christmas tree. She'd drawn Wiggy Hodfuffer's name this year and had gotten him a knitted cap to keep his head warm during the winter months.
With Drake Before A Class
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 11-02-09 16:23
Barreling into my first floor castle office, sounding breathless Drake apologizes, "Sorry I'm late!"
"Only be a few minutes. I wasn't worried."
"I'm not making you late though am I?"
"No, and if you had been, I could have left you a note and taken Niccola to Saffron's office."
As soon as Drake came in, Niccola had made a beeline for him, holding her arms in a gesture that in baby body language the world over means pick me up. Drake was happy to oblige pretending to toss her in the air, eliciting happy squeals from Niccola as he tells me, "I would have been on time but as I was walking up from Hogsmeade I came across an elderly woman who'd fallen on the ice. I got her to St. Mungo's then came right back."
"Is she all right? Who is she?"
"I didn't get her name and I think she's got a badly sprained ankle."
As Drake's talking, the little monkey that Niccola is keeps trying to climb across from one shoulder to the other. Drake just keeps plucking her back and repositioning her in his arms. "That's good she wasn't more badly injured that you could tell," I say then comment on my daughter's antics, "If you need, charm her so she can't climb very high. Last night before bed she shimmied up the door facing of her room before either of us knew she was even trying to climb."
"Saffron mention you've had to fix Nic's bed so she can't climb out."
"Doesn't walk well, though she's trying, but she can climb just about anything." I reach for the Secret Santa gift I still need to give to one of my little cousins, Alexa Wenlock. I suppose that now she's fourteen, I really shouldn't refer to her, or any of the teens, as my little cousin. I'd debated waiting to give Alexa her gift until the Wenlock side of the family's big Christmas get together but since we have gifts for everyone separate from this Secret Santa gift, I decided to go on and give it now. Besides, if she goes ahead and opens it and likes it, she might want to wear it between now and Christmas.
After drawing Alexa's name and giving her present a lot of thought, and after conferring with Saffron for her opinion, I got Alexa a coat that I found out she'd seen and expressed an interest in having. It's one I would consider stylish for what I know of teen girl's fashions and it's one of Alexa's favorite colors, purple.
Drake with Niccola preceeds me into the corridor. I check to make sure he's got the bag of Nic essentials - change of clothes, crackers she likes to chew on and sometimes actually eats, diapers or as Saffron calls them, nappies, juice, etc - then pull the office door shut and lock it. Drake pats the bag asking as he does, "Her coat in here? We're meeting Ophelia for some shopping."
"No, but that's easily fixed and you should have Nic's stroller too. Even if you end up carrying her, you'll at least have the stroller to put any bags in."
Summoning Niccola's coat with attached mittens, little hat, and the stroller, or pram as so often it's called here, I help Drake get Nic into her coat, kiss her chubby cheek, and thank Drake for helping out. They go to the nearest stairs leading to ground level and I go to first to the commons to leave Alexa's gift, then to the castle classroom Muggle Studies uses when not meeting at Cloud's Kiss, from there I Floo to Cloud's Kiss to make sure everything's in order for the fifth years coming soon for their 3:30 class.
Jasper, Hunter, Hadrian, Alastor, & Daniel
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 11-02-09 18:35
Jasper Jenkins takes a gulp of cocoa, coughing a little when it's hotter than he thought. He takes another drink but this time sips more slowly, savoring the chocolately sweetness. One of the house elves had put a plate of holiday biscuits on the table and as he uses his tongue to wipe the whipped cream that topped his cocoa from his upper lip, Jasper reaches for a sugar biscuit cut in the shape of a snowman and iced with creamy white frosting and little candy beads.
Hunter Rabnott pulls out one of the table's available chairs, grabbing one of the cookies as he sits. It's one that's been rolled in something, maybe finely ground nuts?, and a depression made in the center that's then been filled with a red jam though Jasper can't tell at a glance if the jam is raspberry, strawberry, cherry, or some other red colored fruit. Jasper decides to see for himself, reaching for the nearest one. Just as he bites in, finding the flavor to be cherry, Hunter asks, "You did Secret Santa?"
Jasper nods at his cousin, hurrying to swallow so he doesn't cookie across the table when he answers. "Yeah, Griet Vanderbilt gave me a chess set. She's the Slytherin Quidditch captain, right?"
"That's Griet, yeah."
Jasper's eyes dart around to see who's near enough to overhear then he drops his voice, "She's the werewolf?"
"Yeah, but don't hold that against her."
Jasper shrugs, "I wasn't. I don't even know her."
"For a Slytherin she's okay I guess. You know she was at Happy Haven?"
"No, but I guessed as much when you said she's," Jasper shrugs, not feeling the need to finish the sentence. He doesn't voice aloud that if not for the fact Camp Lollipop was liberated before he turned 11, he might have found out this tidbit about Griet Vanderbilt on his own as he would have been sent to Happy Haven. Deciding enough has been said about Griet, Jasper asks his cousin, "Did you put your name in for Secret Santa?"
"Yeah, but so far no present's been left for me anywhere. I figure whoever has my name just hasn't gotten around to leaving it yet. I only put the one from me under a tree a few minutes ago."
"Who'd you have?"
"Professor Ravenscroft. Mum's the one actually got her the gift. She made me wrap it though. It's sort of heavy."
"What is it?"
"A pewter platter or something like that. Mum said a young, newly married woman like Professor Ravenscroft would probably like it a lot. Who'd you get?"
"Kate Dewhurst. Like your mum, mine picked out the present. She listens to Kate's cousin Bronwyn on the WWN and says Bronwyn Dewhurst Beck is very fashionable. She reasons that Kate might like that stuff too. Mum got Kate this one pair of shoes then decided that they might be a bit much for a girl Kate's age so got another pair. She called them flats but then decided that since I told her Kate's around 13, that maybe she's at the age to like the first pair afterall." Jasper stops to take another sip of cocoa and debates on which of the sweets to try next.
Hunter asks, "So which did she send?"
Jasper rolls his eyes, "Both."
"Talking about Christmas presents?" Hunter's older brother Hadrian asks before pointing to an empty chair. "That taken?"
"Yes to presents, no to that chair being taken," Jasper replies around another of the snowmen sugar biscuits.
Jasper and Hunter give Hadrian the short version of what they'd been talking about then Hunter asks his brother, "You got a sweater?"
"Yeah, this one I've got on as a matter of fact. Ella Harville in Gryffindor gave it to me. I've got Professor Kent's name."
Hadrian doesn't get a chance to elaborate right then because two more cousins arrive at the table. Alastor Jenkins unceremoniously sits, gesturing for his brother Jasper to hand over the cookie Jasper's just picked up. "I got Blake Holloway's name. You know that game Pente Aaron introduced us to?" Alastor asks, pronouncing the game's name as pen-tay. "I got him one of those."
The other who's arrived, Daniel Gelson, "I got Professor Black. Mum said she found these Christmas ornaments to give him. At first I said no, I didn't want to give him ornaments but she made me look at them first. I changed my mind. It's a set of 12 and they transfigure to look like different types of ornaments."
"Sounds cool. They wrapped yet or can you show us?" Hadrian asks.
"Wrapped but I can still show you and just rewrap them."
Daniel pulls out the wrapped giftbox from his satchel. He carefully peels the paper off in hopes he can just retape it down. The cousins crowd around, at first not impressed but their expressions changing to appreciation as the ornaments go through a transfiguration cycle from glass egg looking ornaments to angels to trees to green balls to snowflake type shapes.
Once they've all had a good look, Daniel works on rewrapping the Transfiguration professor's Secret Santa gift. Jasper looks to Hadrian, "You never said what you got Professor Kent."
"Something Deak showed me inspired me. He had an aquarium that looks like a picture frame. I thought it would be cool to give Professor Kent an aquarium too and wrote Mum and Dad about getting one. Hearing what Professor Kent teaches, Dad went all out on the aquarium, wanting to give a Care of Magical Creatures professor something to really appreciate. I've got a picture of it here somewhere."
A few minutes later, over more cocoa and cookies, the boys are ooohing over the picture, hoping Professor Kent has it set up at school and stocked with fish or other creatures for them to see.
Secret Santa Deliveries
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 11-02-09 21:05
Entering the common common room, often simply referred to as the commons, Emerald looks around for her sister. She'd already checked the Great Hall, the library, and been down asking a young Slytherin to see if Olive was either in the Slytherin common room or her dorm. As she spots Olive with her close knit group of friends, Emerald can't believe she didn't think to check her first. With Olive and Alexa both in Slytherin House and Jill and Etta in Gryffindor, the commons is often their meeting place of choice. Here they don't have to worry about whispering like they do in the library and food and drink are available.
As she approaches Emerald sees that there are a few others there as well. She knows all three because of others, Liannah being related to Alexa and Jill as well as Drake Bennett, who is a close friend and bandmate of her boyfriend Phin. Hydrangea and Glori are Phin's cousins. Liannah is Ravenclaw, Hydrangea a Gryffindor, and Glori is in Hufflepuff. All the more reason to gather in the commons. The Great Hall is fine but it's not as suited to just sitting around with friends or playing games and all with music going in the background.
"Hi all, sorry to interrupt. I need to borrow Olive for a sec."
There are greetings all around and Olive excuses herself to follow Emerald over to the large Christmas tree. "It came?"
"Yes, all wrapped and ready to give. You want it under the tree?"
"No, Daniel's just over there so I might as well give it to him myself."
Olive is Daniel Gelson's secret santa. She'd picked out a fleece jacket for him and some thermal gloves but the style and color she wanted to give him hadn't been available in his size. She's been impatiently waiting for it to arrive and with only one day of school left before the break, she was worried it wouldn't arrive. Olive figures she'll see him at some point during the holiday but she wanted to do secret santa before school let out, not after. As her own secret santa hasn't delivered a gift to her yet, Olive's hoping whomever it is feels the same way about getting the gift given before the students going home leave on Saturday morning.
Accepting the box wrapped in papers with stripes of green, red, and gold, Olive retrieves from her backpack the Christmas card she has for Daniel, sticks it under the present's bow, then approaches the table where he sits with all his male Wenlock cousins.
Emerald watches Olive for a few seconds then turns to the tree. She has her own secret santa yet to give. Like Olive, she'd picked out a gloves and outwear though the gloves Emerald picked are black leather with some decorative stitching and a green jacket that can serve as a raincoat. Emerald likes it so much she came close to keeping it for herself. She hopes that Griet Vanderbilt likes it and the gloves as much as Emerald does.
Double checking that Griet's name is on the card, Emerald finds a good spot for the box wrapped in silver paper with what look like dancing green trees. Emerald though the color scheme of the Christmas paper fitting for Griet who is in Slytherin. The gift under the tree, Emerald exits the commons for the Great Hall. She's got Astronomy tonight at midnight with Potions, DADA, Transfiguration, and Charms tomorrow with the first class at 9. There are exams and assignments due plus the never ending studying for NEWTs. She wants to get something for supper, get in some studying, take a nap, and be back up enough before Astronomy that she's not groggy. Emerald doesn't even want to think about how she doesn't even have half her Christmas shopping done.
At least her secret santa gift is taken care of. She really, really hopes Griet likes the jacket and gloves!