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Good Friday
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 04-30-11 10:52
Because Good Friday is a holiday in Germany, Fritz doesn't have go to Frau Hockenheim's today. In fact, he won't see her again until Wednesday, because Monday is a holiday too. Last Wednesday, Fritz did a lot of extra shopping to see Frau Hockenheim through the weekend, since everything is closed until Tuesday. She appreciated his efforts, assured him she would be fine, and sent him on his way with a Lindt chocolate Easter bunny.
Since resuming his community service, Fritz has gotten along splendidly with Frau Hockenheim. She seems much more personable than ever, and even Fritz is doing his part to be more patient about the elderly woman's quirks.
The only thing Fritz dislikes about their new relationship is the fact that she is asking him questions about his life he can't honestly answer. He doesn't like lying to Frau Hockenheim, especially since he genuinely likes her now, but he can't tell her the truth. She's just a Muggle, after all, and has no idea about the wizarding world. She's not supposed to know, either.
Most young men who engage in community service required by the German government do so between graduating "high school" and going to university. Fritz is doing his community service while attending St. Emrys University, but he can't very well tell Frau Hockenheim that. He thought about telling her he went to Trier University for Applied Sciences, or perhaps even the University of Trier itself, but Fritz really doesn't want to outright lie to her. He's also worried he won't be able to keep up with his fabricated life. Fritz doesn't want to betray Frau Hockenheim's trust by being caught in a lie.
As a result, it's been difficult for Fritz to be open with Frau Hockenheim, but he's tried his best to provide her with answers, however vague they might be. Everything he has revealed about himself has had some semblance of truth to it. For example, he talked about his girlfriend Coco who is studying to be a veterinarian, which is definitely a comparable career to veterinary healer.
Fritz revealed his interest in chemistry, which is an absolute fact and has been since before he knew he was a wizard. His absolute dream is to work as one (okay, a potions master).
Fritz still feels guilty about bending the truth a little bit, but he knows he really doesn't have much of a choice. If he wants to be friendly with Frau Hockenheim, and he really does, then he has to be able to say something about himself, even if it's not 100% accurate.
On one of the shopping trips Fritz made on Wednesday, he purchased a lot of chocolate to distribute at Easter. His mum very specifically asked for chocolate-covered marzipan eggs. He also picked up a lot of small Lindt eggs (including the mouthwatering Lindor variety) and an Easter tin with an assortment of goodies for Coco.
The hardest part since purchasing the chocolate is not opening any of it. Just two more days until Easter, Fritz has to remind himself.
Between Classes (Eden, Heather, & Marlow)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 04-30-11 11:09
Eden, Marlow, and Heather converge as Eden and Marlow come from Transfiguration and Heather from Charms, all now going to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Their talk is, of course, on Ophelia's and Drake's wedding next week. Marlow opines, "I wish we were going sooner."
"You're not going tomorrow?" Heather asks.
"No, we're spending Easter with my dad's parents and some of the other MacDougal relatives, like the cousins that go to school at Middleton Magic in Canada. We're leaving for Australia sometime Sunday night, putting it Monday over there."
Eden shrugs, "It's not as though you're missing out on anything, not really."
Marlow makes a face. "Says one of the bridal party members."
"Not my fault Ophelia's my first cousin and not yours," is Eden's grinned response. "Jill and I lucked out on that, huh? Bridesmaids simply because we're Ophelia's first cousins."
"Cara is maid of honor, isn't she?" Heather asks.
"Yeah, and Jill and I are being called junior bridesmaids. Some word Ophelia learned from Natalie Fields. There are some regular bridesmaids who are friends of Ophelia's. You know Drake's good friend Kody? His sister Kordelia is one I think and oh, what's her name? Daria. Daria Matthews is one as well and a couple or so others. Two of little cousins on Ophelia's other side of the family are flower girls if I'm remembering everything Mum wrote."
Heather looks blankly at Eden. "Natalie who?" but even as the words come out of her mouth Marlow and Eden can see it's come to her that Natalie Fields is Aaron Miller's sister and mother of their cousins Cora and Audrey. "Sorry," she says with a laugh at herself. "I don't know why her last name wasn't registering with me."
By this time the three have reached the DADA classroom. Marlow stops at the desk to deposit a baby gift on it for Professor Somerset. She doesn't know if he'll be in class today but if not whomever is substituting for him will surely see that he gets it. Nicely wrapped present delivered, she moves to her seat, hoping class goes by quickly. Even though her family isn't leaving for Australia until Sunday night, Marlow very much wants this day with its tests and term projects and papers due done so that the Easter hols can get started.
(Ariella) Midmorning Break
Author: Beck
Date: 04-30-11 11:29
Ariella stepped through the gates of Hogwarts Castle and made her way up the sloping, green lawn. Although the spring season had officially started, it was off to a gradual start. The days were still short, but that would change this weekend when British Summer Time started.
She had spent the early morning hours––when it was still dark outside––at Briar's Bakery, helping to prepare sweets and other baked goods for not only the day but for Easter. Orders had been put in for Easter bread in the form of wreaths, woven braids and even bunnies. Then there were cookies to make in various Easter shapes. Carrot cake. Fairy cakes with pastel frosting. Chocolate-covered anything.
Ariella had left the bakery with an arsenal of rejected sweets. She planned on stuffing herself silly with them and maybe sharing one or two with her husband.
There was a buzz of excitement in the air when she entered the castle. Today was the official last day of Winter Term. Tomorrow, some students would take the Hogwarts Express home. Others would spend Easter at Hogwarts.
The only plans Ariella had (that she knew of, anyway) was Easter dinner at her grandparents house. Everybody in the immediate family was supposed to be there. She didn't know if there would be an Easter egg hunt. The only children in the extended family were Alex and Wolfie, but as far as Ariella knew, Wolfie was spending Easter in the States. She might be wrong about that too, though.
She reached the quarters she shared with Lawrence and found him reading a book on the couch. He had his feet up on the coffee table, one foot crossed over the other.
He looked up when she entered and eyed the bag she carried.
"More discards?" he asked, closing his book.
"I'll only share if you promise to be nice to me."
"I'm always nice to you. More than nice."
Ariella grinned and sat down next to him. She placed the bag on the table next to his feet.
"I suppose that's true. What have you been doing all morning?"
"I had breakfast in the Great Hall and then I came back here to get a little R&R before my office hours begin."
"Expecting someone to show up?"
"Since there's an exam this afternoon, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody does," Lawrence replied. He put his book on the armrest and wrapped an arm around Ariella, pulling her close.
"The bakery is pretty swamped today. I picked up another shift for this afternoon."
"What are you going to do from now until then?"
"I was thinking that a nap sounds good, and I have a nice pillow right now..." She snuggled into his shoulder and shut her eyes. "Wake me when you have to leave."
Lawrence brushed over her hair with his fingers. "Sure," he said.
(Anthony) Suspicions
Author: Beck
Date: 04-30-11 12:15
Many aurors had taken today off so that they could enjoy a long, Easter weekend away from the office. The Auror Office was by no means empty, however, since crime never took a holiday. Anthony, still being one of the more junior aurors, was at work today.
So was Hudson Hayes.
Ever since spotting the much newer auror leaving Knockturn Alley, Anthony had wondered about him. Had Hudson been there on assignment? Had he gone for some other perfectly legitimate and legal reason? Or was there more to Hudson than Anthony knew?
He knew he shouldn't cast suspicion on Hudson just for emerging from one of the seedier parts of wizarding London, but Anthony couldn't help it. Ever since becoming an auror, he looked at everyone and everything a little more suspiciously.
There was something else, though. Anthony had gotten no further in his investigation of the group responsible for the Summer Solstice Murders. He'd shared much of the information with Hudson, hoping a second pair of eyes might catch something he'd missed or shed some light on something Anthony hadn't thought of himself.
Hudson had gotten no further with the investigation either, which wasn't a problem in and of itself. Sometimes there simply were dead ends.
The problem Anthony had was that he seemed to be getting the facts wrong. Anthony had read all the reports over and over again. He knew what he'd written in his own notes, too. Yet everything Hudson told him and everything that Anthony read nowadays seemed slightly different.
He didn't know whether it was all in his head, that he'd been going over and over it so much that he was at the point of utter confusion, or if there was a very good reason why the reports seem different.
Anthony didn't want to cast suspicion against Hudson, though, and wondered if seeing him in Knockturn Alley had simply forced Anthony into seeing other things that weren't there.
He should have just asked Hudson about Knockturn Alley from the very beginning. Now it just seemed a little pointless and a little too late.
"You look beat," Hudson said, stopping on front of Anthony's desk.
"Frustrated, is more like it. I want to solve this case before the group has another chance to commit mass murder."
Hudson looked sympathetic. "Maybe there will be a breakthrough."
"I sure hope so."
Anthony spotted Desi walking by. She held a gigantic thermos, probably full of the blackest of coffees.
"Excuse me for a sec," Anthony said to Hudson, rising to catch up with Desi. She walked at a rather fast clip to her own desk.
"Desi. Are you going to Manchester on Sunday? We'd be happy to see you there. Bronwyn's coming."
Desi stopped and looked at Anthony. "Sure."
"Really? You're not going to Seattle then?"
Desi opened her mouth to say something but then changed her mind. "I'll see you on Sunday, Anthony."
She turned and continued on until she reached her desk, where she immediately busied herself on some assignment. Anthony watched her for a moment, wondering if anyone would ever find out what was wrong with her. If anyone could, it would be Bronwyn, but even she seemed to be having no luck cracking Desi this time.
Anthony went back to his desk. Hudson had already retreated to his own.
The Thin Red Line
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 04-30-11 13:03
"This might sting a little bit."
Bronwyn said nothing and simply squeezed her eyes shut. She was back at St. Mungo's to see whether or not the neurology healer could attempt to recover the memories she'd lost. As this wasn't her first time having someone poking around her brain, Bronwyn knew what to expect. At the same time, however, she wasn't quite used to how it felt.
"Tell me if you remember anything," the healer instructor. "Just say whatever comes to mind."
Nothing did. All Bronwyn had in that part of her brain was a blank slate. Five whole days of nothing.
Just when Bronwyn thought she wouldn't ever remember anything from that lost time from nearly four years ago, an image formed in her mind. She couldn't quite figure out what it was, at first. A thin line of red, floating in the air.
"I see something!" Bronwyn exclaimed. She tried not to distract herself with her excitement, lest she lose the image altogether.
"What do you see, Bronwyn?"
In her mind, she saw the red line hovering... no, traveling through the air. It was... "Blood," she said, no longer exhilarated.
"Blood?"
Bronwyn didn't answer right away. She was trying to make sense of the image. "It's not dripping. It's not pouring from a wound. It's... like a ribbon, caught in a small wind."
"You can't see where it's coming from or where it's going?" the healer asked.
"No. I just see the blood in the air."
"A splatter? Is there a lot of it?"
"Not a splatter. A ribbon... a thin ribbon. I don't understand."
The healer stopped. He could sense that Bronwyn was getting tired and frustrated, and he didn't want to upset her.
"That's enough for today. We'll try again next week. See the receptionist on your way out and make another appointment."
Bronwyn blinked. She still saw the strange image in her mind, but she couldn't make any sense out of it.
"Here. Drink this."
Bronwyn drank. It was only water.
"Will you be all right?"
Bronwyn finally forced the image from her mind and looked at the healer. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."
She got up and walked out of the exam room. A moment later, she found herself in the waiting room. Kristos Fox had just gotten up for his turn in the exam chair.
"Bronwyn? You look as white as a ghost. What happened?"
Bronwyn felt blood returning to her face and shook her head. "I don't know. I have to go."
She left, not wanting to be in his presence anymore.
Visit From Indigo
Author: Travis
Date: 04-30-11 13:50
Side stepping around a mum with a crying baby in a pram and a toddler begging to be picked up, Indigo opens the door to Botanicals & Beyond, holding it so that the mum with pram and toddler can also go through. She shoots him a grateful smile, moving quickly out of the pathway in and out of the shoppe as she administers a bottle to the baby and tells the toddler, "Give Mummy just one minute then I'll hold you." Temporarily appeased the toddler's begging stops and the baby, now with the bottle, has stopped crying.
Indigo also steps out of the doorway, but then turns to hold the door again for an older woman laden down with packages whose exiting the shoppe. Only then does Indi let his eyes roam through the environs for his older sister. Eyes landing on Travis as she assists someone with the loose, bulk teas, Indigo makes a beeline for her after making sure she's seen him, stands patiently out of the way, perusing a holiday display.
A few minutes later Travis approaches. "Hi, what brings you by? Want to get lunch in a bit?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. I was also wondering what did you say to Mum last night?"
"In a snit is she?"
"She spent the party after you left alternating being her bubbly best hostess self and giving us in the family evil glares."
"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to start anything. I simply wanted to come home and sleep. I was dead tired. Mum started in on me being in trade and your line of work not being much better. She didn't care for my reply."
"What did you say?"
"I said so what if we're in trade as long as we're doing something we love then asked wasn't that better than sitting around gossiping and going from one hobby to the next."
"She took it personally."
"Exactly. Am I uninvited for Easter?"
"Not that I know but don't be surprised if you get a lecture. Strike that. She'll give it to us all. Maybe I'll uninvited you," Indi says with a half smile.
"It will be one of those times we'll be wishing Lisi would listen in on Mum's thoughts so that we get forewarning to change the topic whenever the lecture is about to be launched."
Indi's mouth crooks up into a full, almost impish smile. "We might be albe to persuade her to help. Let's figure out a bribe so great she won't want to pass it up."
"Definitely something to talk about at lunch. Noon at the Crown & Cauldron?"
"Noon's perfect. See you in a bit. Oh, and I'm taking some of this tea. I don't have any money on me so will bring it at lunch."
"Don't worry about it."
"I don't like mooching your merchandise."
"Well, as I am thinking of getting a pet and mooching your veterinary services, we'll figure out some sort of trade agreement."
"Deal!" Indi's smile grows to a grin as he makes his way back out of Botanicals & Beyond to High Street where he makes one other stop, this one at the bakery, before returning to McFusty's Pets.
Yawn (Barontaine)
Author: Phinfilius
Date: 04-30-11 16:03
Barontaine Marchbanks works hard to stifle a huge yawn but the harder he tries to stop it the greater the urge to yawn. He shouldn't have stayed up so late last night. Baron had done some studying and finishing up of papers to be sure but he'd also played game after game of exploding snap with Vinny Xardel in their dorm room.
Baron had been slower roisting himself from bed this morning and more bleary eyed in Transfiguration. Most of Potions has gone okay but as the end of term exam draws to a close and the thought of History of Magic intrudes on his thoughts, Baron's having a harder time keep his eyelids up. With every blink his eyelids feel heavier and heavier.
Just as Professor Weasley calls time Baron gives in to that urge to yawn. Just one more exam to get through he tells himself, for History of Magic is his last class of the day. He'll get through that, have lunch then go pass out for a bit before figuring out what he's got left to pack for the break.
As the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years file out of class to Professor Weasley's bidding them, "Goodbye, have a lovely holiday!" Hunter Green pokes Baron in the arm. "Do you have to keep yawning? Every time you've yawned it's made me want to yawn too."
Just having Hunter mention yawning has Baron yawning more before he says, "Sorry. Can't help it. Didn't get enough sleep."
The boys spend part of the rest of the walk from the dungeons comparing notes on the exam they've just taken. They soon has to split up though as Hunter's on his way outside to one of the greenhouses for Herbology while Baron makes for the lower years History of Magic classroom on the third floor. On the stairs he meets up with Bartholomew Kimple coming from Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"'Lo, Bart. You look excited."
"I am! Got an owl from Mum and Dad this morning. They hadn't said anything till now because they wanted to make sure everything was dead certain first. We're going to holiday in Calfornia! We're even going to visit some famous Muggle places. I'm going to have to ask Hunter what he knows about them."
"Wicked! I'm not doing anything special. Just the usual massively large Hodfuffer family gathering for Easter and we'll visit my Marchbanks grandparents too. I wish I could convince my cousin Phin to let me tag along with him to a wedding in Australia."
"Doesn't mean you can't have a great time."
"I know. Wizards' paint ball and wizards' laser tag are two things I plan on doing and Dad's promised we'll get in a pro Quidditch match, oh and we're doing a Haunted London tour that I won in an Easter egg."
"That sounds fun."
"Hope so."
They enter the History of Magic classroom then, dropping into side by side seats and continuing the conversation until Professor Binns arrives. After that they are both too busy writing their history exams to do more talking, as they often do during Binns's lectures, though Baron does keep yawning right up until he turns his exam in and heads down to the Great Hall for lunch.