|
|
Making Copies
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 09-21-10 18:04
Charlie puts the finishing touches on a report about catching two teens who'd managed to get past the MacFusty Preserve's layers of security and then attempting to steal a dragon's egg. Luckily for them, and for the preserve, Charlie and one of his co-workers caught them before anything really bad happened, though one of the teens did get some hair singed off. Matters did get a little complicated though when it turned out the teens were from Denmark and had skipped school this morning. They are both seventeen and licensed to apparate and thought it would be fun to not only skiv off from school but to make mischief somewhere. Why they decided a dragon preserve in Great Britain was the best place for that Charlie has yet to find out.
The report finished, Charlie grabs more parchment and pulls his wand out to do the spell for making copies. He'll have to ask Harry sometime how Muggles make copies of documents these days. He doubts they have to hand copy everything what with all that machines and gadgets they have. Charlie's digs deep in his memory for any mention of such a thing and finally dredging up the simplest of names. Copy machine. He was thinking of some sort of fancy name, which is why the simplicity of it escaped him. He should still ask Harry about it, curious now as to the actual mechanics of it.
While the copying is being done, Charlie gets up to freshen his coffee. Getting some tea at the same time is Charlie's direct boss Kellan MacFusty. The other man has a sheef of parchment clutched in one hand and upon seeing Charlie he waves the pages at him. "Want to do the next budget report for me? You'll find it very rewarding."
Charlie chuckles, knowing how much Kellan absolutely hates getting stuck with budget reports. "What sort of reward?"
"The personal satisfaction of knowing you've helped a dear friend."
"Sorry. You'll have to do better than that."
"I'll name my first born after you."
"I'm sure Machara will enjoy having her named changed."
"You never know, she might," Kellan says with a grin. "Though she might enjoy a name change more when she's a teenager and thinks her parents are the two stupidest gits ever born."
"We've our hands full enough with two rambunctious little boys. I really don't want to think of them as teenagers because at the rate they're going they will greatly take after their uncles Fred and George."
"Those two turned out nicely."
"Nice enough, though sometimes I'm not sure if either's truly grown up. They are successful though and I guess with the line of work they are in, still having a juvenile streak is extremely helpful."
"Their two shoppe locations are always busy so I would say successful is an understatement. I wish I had that sort of creativity but since I don't, I'm glad I love the family business."
"Except for budget reports."
"Just had to remind me, didn't you?" Kellan scowls but his tone is still friendly and jesting.
"Speaking of reminding you about something, don't forget that Michaelmas Term starts soon."
"Haven't forgotten. The eleventh, right? And you're sticking to a Tuesday-Thursday teaching schedule."
"Yes, and yes. I probably need to be available a couple of days the week before."
"I may have to drop by during one of your classes one day to find out how you rate as a professor."
"You are welcome any time."
"I'll keep that in mind. Sure I can't interest you in doing the budget report this time? I could order you as your boss, you know."
"Ah, well, in that case, yes, I'll do it. Show me where I would mark down a raise for Charlie Weasley."
"Ha ha. Some help you are."
"I do my best."
Both chuckling again, the two men refill their mugs as they'd originally intended and get back to work. Charlie's report copies are nearly done and he's due back in the field in a half hour. Perfect timing, he thinks as he sips his coffee and waits for the copying to be finished.
Unwelcome Interruption
Author: Ella
Date: 09-21-10 18:20
Ella lugged her heavy backpack to the library and unloaded it in one of the empty study carrells. Term had only been in session for about a month, and already Ella felt bogged down in homework assignments and exams. This year wasn't a major exam year for her, but she was enrolled in NEWT courses, and they weren't exactly easy Os. She had to study to pass, or else she would risk truly failing her year.
She wasn't an overachiever either. Ella was only taking seven courses this term, and one of them was Fitness & Athletics! Nonetheless, she found herself up to her elbows in research essays and reading assignments. She longed for Christmas hols already so that she could have a break from it all.
Ella got busy reading from her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and managed to get nearly through the assigned chapter when a shadow fell over her book. She glanced up with a scowl already on her face, which only grew deeper when she realized Francis was her intruder.
"You're in my light," she protested. She felt caged in the study carrell, because Francis was standing in the doorway and there was no way else out.
Francis stepped inside fully and shut the door behind him. The silent click it made seemed to echo in Ella's head. Francis didn't move from the door.
"You can't avoid me forever," he said.
And Ella hadn't been able to, either. They shared classes and bumped into each other in other parts of the castle as well, like the common room, corridors and the Great Hall. And yet, Ella had made a good effort not to talk to him or even look at him if she could avoid it.
"What do you want, Francis? I'm not going to apologize for what I said about your flying at the Quidditch Trials, if that's what you're after."
"It's not, though a true friend would apologize for saying something like that," Francis said.
"True friends are honest with each other, no matter what, and I was being honest when I said those things to you," Ella countered.
Francis laughed, and it wasn't a pleasant sound either. "You and honest don't even go together. It's a completely foreign concept to you, Ella."
He reached into the pocket of his jeans and produced a folded piece of parchment. He tossed it onto her open book.
"You dropped that in the common room earlier today," he said. "I think he's on to your lies."
Ella had recognized the parchment as a letter she'd received from Zane only that morning. She hadn't realized she'd dropped it, and she looked up sharply at Francis' last words. "You read it? My personal letters are private and no business of yours!"
"I didn't see you drop it and there was nothing to identify it as yours from the outside. I opened it to see who I should return it to and saw only the very beginning."
"But it was obviously enough for you to make your conclusion about what my boyfriend thinks of me."
The truth was, Zane had started to wonder where Ella was and why they couldn't see each other as often as they'd had during the summer. Ella still pretended as if she were off on business, but even that excuse wouldn't last for much longer. She'd already written Zane and asked her to meet him at The Hog's Head on Saturday. Hopefully he wouldn't put two and two together and realize it was a Hogsmeade Saturday for Hogwarts students, and hopefully he wouldn't expect her to leave the village and spend the weekend with him.
Francis looked exasperated. "Ella, the only reason I care one way or the other is because I'm worried about you."
"Don't be."
"I know you think you can take care of yourself..."
"But you think you can do it better? I've got news for you, Francis. You have a girlfriend and it's not me!"
Francis looked taken aback, and Ella immediately felt embarrassed for some reason. She chucked the note into her backpack and started shoving all her books inside too. She got up abruptly and slung the heavy backpack over her shoulder.
"Thanks for your concern, but I can handle Zane. If I want your opinion about my relationship, then I'll ask you for it, but until then, keep it to yourself!"
She still couldn't storm out of the room like she wanted since he was blocking the door. Instead, she glared at him until he scowled and left the room himself. Although she wanted nothing else to do with him that evening, she found herself trudging after him through the library and down the hall. After all, they were both heading in the same direction, to the Gryffindor common room.
(Mark) Breakfast Conversation
Author: Isolde
Date: 09-22-10 07:22
The first thing Mark did upon leaving his dorm room on Wednesday morning was check the bulletin board in the Slytherin common room to see whether or not the Quidditch roster had finally been posted. Still nothing. Mark frowned deeply. He wasn't a very patient and didn't like not knowing whether or not he'd made the school team. Of course he'd made the team––he felt nothing but confidence about his performance during the trials––but he nonetheless wanted confirmation from Coach Batuti. He supposed he could just ask her, but somehow he knew that she wouldn't say anything until she was ready to make the announcement.
From the common room, Mark went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Johanna and Felicia were already there eating pancakes with syrup. Mark sat down across from them and reached for a wedge of toast, on which he put a chocolate hazelnut spread.
"Where's Gus?" Johanna asked.
"Haven't seen him," Mark replied.
A moment later, Gus appeared with his hair slightly damp and disheveled. Somehow the bedhead look worked on him, because Mark swore he saw a few girls around the Great Hall swoon at the sight of him. Gus sat down next to Mark and mumbled his good mornings.
"I almost overslept," he said. "I got cornered in the library last night by some Hufflepuff girl."
"Oh?" the girls asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, she wanted me to help her with her homework, which is kind of crazy since you all know I don't always do my homework!"
"You have tried copying off my papers a lot," Johanna agreed. "So what did she really want?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"What do you mean?" Gus asked, seemingly oblivious to all the attention he was getting from girls.
The girls exchanged looks and giggled.
Mark rolled his eyes.
"It wasn't Kate was it?" Johanna suddenly asked.
"What? Kate?" Gus asked.
"You said 'some Hufflepuff girl' cornered you in the library."
Gus shrugged. "I don't remember her name, but it definitely wasn't Kate."
"That's good then," Felicia said.
"She seems like she can do her own homework anyway," Gus said, not really understanding where the girls were going by mentioning Kate.
Mark quickly finished his toast and started to get up. "I've got class. See you lot later."
He left before they could even say goodbye to him.
After the Roster Went Up
Author: Griet
Date: 09-23-10 18:55
Ever since the Quidditch roster was posted throughout Hogwarts that morning, it seemed all anybody talked about. Griet had been glad to see her name listed with the other chasers and was surprised to learn that she was captain of the whole team. It would be a lot of pressure, because she didn't just have six other teammates, but twenty-seven of them instead. At least she would have Deak as co-captain.
Cornelia wasn't in the least bit surprised that she had been picked as one of the seekers, but she felt that four seekers was just too many since it minimized her chances of playing in every match. She was especially annoyed that Aleydis had one of those spots, even though she knew that Aleydis was an excellent seeker. Cornelia would never admit that to her sister's face, though.
Aleydis had been pleasantly surprised to find out that she would be playing seeker for the school team. She really thought that she would have been passed over for someone else, but then she also thought that there would have been fewer slots available. As it happened, all four seekers for the Hogwarts team had been the seekers for all the four house teams last year.
The only Vanderbilt not to make the team this year was Beatrix. She was a little disappointed to be excluded, but at the same time she wasn't too upset about it. She hadn't yet gotten a taste for Quidditch like the others had, and there was always next year, even if next year would probably be normal Quidditch and not the IQT.
The cousins of the Vanderbilts, Sadie and Ramona Mickle, had also tried out and not been selected for positions on the team. They minded even less than Beatrix and looked forward to attending the matches as spectators.
Oberon and Gervaise also hadn't made the school team. Whereas Oberon hadn't been pleased and had uttered a few choice expletives after first seeing the roster, Gervaise had merely shrugged and kissed Cornelia, congratulating her on earning her position on the team. Griet felt bad for Oberon and would have been glad to have had him as her teammate, but at the same time, she liked the idea of him sitting in the stands and cheering her on to victory. She knew he would at each match, but not making the team during such a landmark event as the IQT would be a sore spot for him for a long time.
Right now he sat in the Slytherin common room and sulked. Griet snuggled next to him on the couch and while he accepted her embrace, he grumbled under his breath. She remained silent and let him complain, aware that he might snap at her if she said something that got under his skin. The pair used to always fight before they got together, but since their relationship had gone public, they hadn't really. Griet wasn't sure she wanted to go back to their old explosive ways.
She sat with him in the common room until it started to clear out as the others eventually went to bed. He gradually stopped sulking and though he might have liked to make use of the deserted common room and the couch on which they both cuddled, he excused himself to go to bed.
Griet went to her own bed and wondered if Oberon would feel any better the next day.
Making The Quidditch Team (Marjani)
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 09-24-10 00:39
Marjani had already left Gryffindor House when the Quidditch roster for the IQT team went up. She was already seated in Charms class, waiting for 9 am and Professor Croghan when she heard the first whispers. Unfortunately, that's when the professor strode in and, as all professors tend to do, expected the students' attention. Once he'd set them to work, students found ways to whisper without being caught while continuing to do their work. Marjani had to wait patiently for the whispers to get around to her only to be disappointed to learn that those in the class who'd seen the list had mainly had time only to see if their own names were on it before dashing out to get to Charms on time.
On the walk from Charms to Transfiguration there was more buzzing but Marjani still couldn't find anyone who knew whether her name was on the list or not. She passed Zuberi, he was coming from Transfiguration going to Charms, but when she asked him if he'd seen the list Zuberi had shaken his head no. There wasn't really much time to stop and chit chat to anyone not going the same direction and having still managed to dawdle talking with those going to Transfiguration like she was, Marjani ended up having to hustle to get to class on time. As that same set of students coming from Charms didn't know anything by the time they reached Transfiguration, the whispering about the roster wasn't as rampant as they worked on the task Professor McGonagall set for them.
The Gryffindor fifth years next went to Defense Against the Dark Arts. At that point, all Marjani knew for certain was that Hadrian Rabnott had made it as a Chaser and Christopher Chant is one of the Seekers. Just after arriving to Professor Isuki's class though she found Basil Wynbourne is one of the Beaters. Marjani thinks that's unfortunate because while Basil is a good Beater, he's obnoxious, arrogent, and not above playing dirty.
Zuberi didn't say anything other than to repeat to a few within Marjani's hearing that he hadn't seen the roster either, sorry. When Defense Against the Dark Arts let out, Marjani wanted to rush to the Great Hall or to the commons to see if the roster was posted either place but she had to return to Gryffindor House to switch out materials from her three morning classes to those for her three afternoon classes of Potions, Herbology, and Arithmancy & Divination. Knowing the team list is posted there, she figured she'd not waste the time going somewhere else first. She'd taken stairs two at a time and run whenever she could, skidding to a halt at the Fat Lady's portrait already saying the password, "Veritas vincit," then nearly tripping over her own feet when trying to leap through the portal.
Racing to the bulletin board, around which others were already crowded, Marjani searched for her name, giving a triumphant, "YES!" after spotting it at the top of the Chasers list. That question settled, Marjani hurried to her dorm room, switched out texts and notebooks, then rushed back to the Gryffindor common room. She wants to read the whole list and there was some additional writing she thought she should read before going down to the Great Hall for lunch.
Marjani didn't notice the omission right away. It wasn't until her third time reading the list that she noticed Zuberi wasn't there at all. She went through it a fourth time, going slowly, running her finger from name to name thinking that maybe Dosie made an error and had Zaburi listed out of alphabetical order or by his first name instead of their last. No matter how many times Marjani checked, her brother's name wasn't there.
On the walk from Gryffindor House to the Great Hall, Marjani didn't know what to make of it. Would Dosie have let Zuberi try out if she was then going to keep him off the team after some of what went on last term? Was he in trouble again and she didn't know it? That could well be since she didn't know until summer holiday that he'd tried to run away from Hogwarts and how he'd planned on doing it or that the volunteer work he'd been doing was arranged by Professor Dumbledore as part of Zuberi's detention. If Zuberi did do something to keep him off the team this time, it must be huge. By the time she's reached the Great Hall, Marjani is thinking back over days since the Quidditch trials and today, trying to figure out if there was some clue as to when specifically Zuberi did whatever it is he did.
Marjani doesn't see either Dosie or Zuberi when she gets to the Great Hall so she sits down with her friends to eat, letting them do the bulk of the talking about the Quidditch team and the tournament. She finally, silently, concludes that the reason Dosie took so long posting the team roster was because she and Professor Dumbledore, and probably Professor Snape as he's head of Zuberi's house, Slytherin, and whatever other professors would be involved were having some big debate on what he'd done and whether to allow him to be on the team. And if it's so major that he'd not be allowed on the team, that probably means he's not allowed to attend the first match at the very least and probably more of them.
About five minutes before Marjani and her fifth year friends need to leave the Great Hall for their 1 pm classes, Theodosia walks in. Seeing her, Marjani excuses herself and leaves her friends chatting away to go talk to her sister.
"Dosie, can I talk to you a second?"
"You may talk to me and for even more than a second."
Marjani hooked her thumb towards a spot near the head table but close to the wall. The Batuti sisters weave around other students, a good many of them having 1 pm classes to get to. Reaching the more out of the way spot she'd indicated Marjani turns to face her older sister and, with Potions to get to, bluntly asked, "What did Zuberi do this time?"
Dosie shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Was he not in class this morning?"
"What did he do to keep him off the Quidditch team?"
"He didn't do anything wrong."
"Then why wouldn't you choose him? He's really good at chaser and beater and even though he hates playing keeper, he's good at it when he puts his mind to it."
"I agree. Zuberi is a very good player and I'm not saying that because I'm his biased big sister. He was going to be on the team."
"Then why isn't he?" Marjani asks, sounding angrier than she means to sound. She didn't even realize she was angry about it until just this second then realizes she is angry he wasn't picked since he was one of the better ones trying out, in Marjani's opinion anyway, and he's been so much better and nicer the last few months.
"Because Zuberi asked not to be."
"What? Why?"
"You should talk with him."
"Don't you know? Didn't you ask and try to talk him out of it?"
"We talked a long time about his decision. Now, if you don't get a move on, you will be late to class."
"Oh crap!" Marjani exclaimed. If she still had Professor Weasley, it wouldn't be as big a deal to be tardy to Potions. It would be rude of course but she'd explain and apologize and Professor Weasley is really nice. Professor Snape won't care though until Marjani showed up with a written excuse from a staff member and even then he'd probably be all sarcastic and snobby about it.
Marjani took off at a run, Dosie chiding loudly, "Slow down, Marjani!"
Getting down to the dungeons to Professor Snape's class was a blur. She's not sure how she did it but Marjani got there just in the nick of time. Of course, that meant no chance at all to speak with Zuberi, who's in the class, about why he'd asked not to be on the team after going to the trouble of trying out. Marjani doesn't sit anywhere near him, which means her work station isn't near enough to whisper to him. Passing a note was out of the question because in Snape's class, Gryffindors who pass notes tend to be caught far more often than Slytherins who do.
When Potion ended, Marjani wanted to talk to Zuberi on the walk out of the dungeons but he was one of the first out of the classroom and she was one of the last. She tried catching up to him but he was already up the stairs and going to History of Magic when Marjani reached the bottom of the stairs. She hurried up, hoping to catch sight of him once through the door from the dungeons but no such luck. She went to Herbology then sprinted back from the greenhouse to the castle for Arithmancy & Divination, a class she has with her brother.
Having come from a class inside the castle, he was already in the Divination tower room so it was just a matter of Marjani going over and sitting at the same table with him. Even before her bottom's hit the chair he said, "I guess you know by now."
"Yeah. Why?"
"Tell you after class."
"Okay," she replied, getting up to sit elsewhere because she knew if she didn't she wouldn't be able to stop herself from asking him about it during class.
At 3:45, Professor Sacheverelle dismisses them. Marjani heads down the stairs then waits for Zuberi who's only a few seconds behind. Marjani promptly says, "Spill."
"I do want to be on the team but decided I shouldn't."
"And?"
"And I went to Dosie and told her if she was thinking about putting me on the team to not do it."
"You're purposely not giving details to annoy me."
Zuberi solemnly replies, "But of course."
Marjani punches him in the arm. "You were just getting likeable again."
"Which is why I told Dosie not to put me on the team."
"Huh?"
"I love Quidditch. I'm a win or don't bother showing up type, right? But I screwed up so much the past few years, Marjani. I was angry at Mum and Dad for dying and leaving us. I was angry at Dosie for having to suddenly go from big sister to parent. We both were pissed when she left us back home to take the job here and even angrier when she moved us here. I hated her for it."
"I know all this. Get to the reason for not wanting to be on the team."
"But I do want it and I was going to get Beater like I wanted. Dosie told me. It's just that after the trials and spending part of that weekend volunteering at Karamoh's school I got to thinking about how I'm already a year behind in school and there are the OWLs, and I want to keep working at Karamoh's school, and I've got 10 classes..., "Zuberi sighs. "I don't want to fuck up again."
Marjani's hand shoots out to cover her brother's mouth. "Shhhh. We're still near enough to Professor Sacheverelle's class she could hear you using bad language."
"Sorry. That was just the best word for what I was trying to say."
"I think I understand. It's very un-Slytherin of you."
"On the contrary. It's extremely Slytherin of me. To get what I most want in the long run, I had to make a painful decision for the here and now. Anyway, it's not like I'm giving up the game or won't be going to the matches."
Marjani shrugs. "Yeah, but still."
"Too late now. If I were to go and tell her I'd changed my mind and want on the team afterall, Dosie would either tell me the decision is made and to live with my choice or she'd change the roster, bumping someone, making herself the target of people who would not at all like her giving such blatant favortism to her brother and making me even more hated than I already am. You know Dosie as well as I do to know which of those options she'd choose."
The two started walking, talking as they went. Marjani found Zuberi to be more like the big brother she used to look up to, which was nice, but he also talked with her, really talked, more like he finally sees her as someone other than a pesky little sister. Later that night, when finally falling into bed well past midnight after she, Etta, Wiggy, and a few others sat up late talking and playing a game in the Gryffindor common room, Marjani realized that today after that talk with Zuberi, for the first time since Dosie made her move here from Africa, she's 100% happy. Marjani had overall been much happier than her brother and found friends and came to like Hogwarts but she'd never fully been happy. With that thought and a glance at her little bedside clock to find out it was well past 2 am by that time, Marjani got under the covers hoping she can get up with no problem in the morning and then within minutes she was sound asleep.
Hospital Sitting
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 09-24-10 23:22
Harry sprawls on a short couch against one wall of Pinky's room. With Pinky being 100% non-human, St. Mungo's hadn't been sure where to put the house elf, or even whether to allow Pinky to stay once he'd been stabilized. Between Harry and the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the hospital wisely chose not to send a critically injured, still unconscious house elf to a veterinary healer or other creature specialist. Not knowing exactly what to do with him, however, Pinky was put in a room on St. Mungo's first floor, Creature Induced Injuries.
Kingsley put Harry on medical leave for a few days, at least until Harry's hearing returns to normal. One eardrum was ruptured by the explosion and the other came near to it. One of the healers was able to fix them but Harry's still got a persistent ringing. It's gradually diminishing but he's been told it might take two or three more days before it's totally gone. Harry's other injuries ranged from a slew of minor cuts and abrasions to lots of splinters and a fractured in the arm that he'd had draped across the back of the couch. With the door not fully open and with Harry having been partway across the room and seated with the back of the couch providing extra shielding, he'd escaped the brunt of the blast. The fractured arm has been easy enough to take care of with Skele Gro. With just one clean break to work on, the Skele Gro had the bone mended in short order. Two days later, Harry can't even tell that it had even been broken so recently.
Pinky, on the other hand, had been partially shielded by the door but as he was the one opening it and the explosion was right there, the house elf didn't fare very well. Between the force of the explosion and being knocked clear across the room into the wall, Pinky had massive internal injuries. At times those first 24 hours the healers weren't sure they were going to be able to do much more good than make Pinky as comfortable as possible. At the end of 48 hours they were slightly more hopeful but even now there's a strong possibility Pinky will never waked up or that if he does, he'll ever been able to function as before. The healers aren't even fully sure of extend of brain damage and probably won't be until - unless - Pinky wakes up. The good news, if there can be any under the circumstances, is that by some miracle what damage there was to Pinky's spine did not severe his spinal cord. But as of an hour ago every spot to which a stimulus was administered, such a pin pricks, got a response that had the healer nodding and actually smiling at one point.
The door to the room opens an inch then slowly, slowly opens further. Janine pokes her head in then seeing Harry on the couch and awake, she comes all the way in. She gives Harry a very small, very serious smile and comes over to join him at the couch. Speaking in a low voice she asks, "How is he today?"
"A tiny bit more improvement but he's still not moved except in response to stimulus tests they periodically do and he's still not woken up even briefly."
"So you've been here the entire time?"
"Yeah, pretty much. When I have left it's never for long and only because someone else is here."
"Rocko really misses him. I tried explaining to him yesterday that Pinky's sick but as I don't speak large dog, he just moped by the door the entire day, watching for Pinky. This morning I ended up getting that girl Coco Nutt to come explain things to Rocko."
"That was nice of her."
"She knows him from Indigo MacFusty's there in Hogsmeade. I use Indigo as a vet and we go there to get Rocko groomed. Pinky's usually the one taking him in. Coco's been working there regularly since graduating Hogwarts in June and she was there last Christmas holiday as well. I did offer to pay her but she wouldn't hear if it. How are you? Hearing still off?"
"Yeah, but as long as someone's near me like you are, I can hear pretty well despite the ringing that's still there. If someone is across the room, as long as we're facing each other I can generally tell what's been said."
"It's not permanent is it?"
"No, not supposed to be anyway. How are you?"
"I'm really good. I love my job and I've been looking at a few flats. It's time I moved out again, though at least this time Mum and Dad and I aren't butting heads."
"I'd offer you your old room at my place but I know your father has heard about the explosion and if he thought I wasn't safe to be around before he's certainly not going to now that a bomb went off on my front step."
"You're an Auror. Isn't your house protected?"
"You know it is but ," Harry shrugs.
Janine suddenly grins. "Does that drive Mad Eye Moody even madder?"
"You can't even imagine."
"He really shouldn't lecture. He did, afterall, spend the better part of a year trapped in a travel trunk."
"True, but since when does he listen to that sort of reasoning?"
Janine turns serious again. "Do you need anything? I can sit here if you need a break."
"Do you mind awfully? I could stand a shower."
"I don't mind at all. Pinky's very important to Rocko and Rocko's very important to me."
Harry stiffly stands then stretches out the kinks. "I won't be long. No more than twenty minutes, if that."
Janine reaches into her purse and pulls out a book. "Take your time. Enjoy the showers. Get something to eat. Real food. Not some quick, junk food snack."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. I'm just sorry I couldn't get here yesterday."
Suddenly feeling awkward and not knowing why, Harry says what to him sounds somewhat lame. "You're here now." He stands shifting from one foot to the other for a second then with a cross between a smile and a grimace, Harry leaves Janine sitting there reading while he hurries to shower, going to the Burrow since Kingsley's still got Harry's house as a crime scene.