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Getting a Nap and a Present
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 12-03-11 19:53
Meagan currently slept in her crib the monitor going, allowing me to hear her if she woke up. I took the time, not to nap like I originally planned but to go over my course schedule for St. Emry's on the tenth. I'd also set up daycare for Meagan at Blossom's and Jim was getting our books in the morning I had the rest of the afternoon free.
Both grandparents volunteered to watch Meagan alternating weekends to ensure that Jim and I had some alone time between him working and going to school and me just going to school. I was glad that I only had this term and one more before I was done at St. Emrys and I could focus on working full time and ensuring that our family prospered. Jim had another five terms before he did a handful of months in rotations at St. Mungos.
Sliding a hand through my hair, eyes sliding closed as I threatened to fall asleep sitting at the kitchen table. Plucking up the receiver of the baby monitor and headed back to the bedroom after checking the locks. Sliding glass door was closed and I'd given the house elf some time off until afternoon. I figure'd I'd snag a quick nap while Meagan was still sleeping, despite the fact that I knew the moment I laid down she would wake up and be ready for a bottle.
However, I was wrong, I had managed to get about a forty-five minute nap before she started fussing. At three months she had an adequate routine and I was just glad she slept through the night now, especially when she got a bottle with a bit of cereal in it before bed.
I made to get out of bed before I heard Jim's voice over the baby monitor. "Mummy is sleeping, so we are going to let her sleep for a little while longer. You and I are going to go shopping and get something pretty for mummy to open when she wakes up." I couldn't help but smile as I snuggled down beneath the blanket.
I heard him come in felt Jim press a kiss to my cheek, while Megan's chubby little hand grabbed a handful of my hair and tugged lightly as she cooed merrily before she and Daddy tiptoed out of the room.
I was up and showered by the time Jim and Meagan returned from their little Daddy & Daughter shopping trip. "Ah, so the queen of the house has risen. Did you enjoy your nap love?" Jim said as he settled Meagan in her bouncy chair, and settled in the chair next to me.
"I did, and thank you for letting me sleep after you got home, though I've been wondering what surprise you've gotten me..." I said with an impish grin. "Besides, if you are planning to buy me a gift, and conspiring with our three month old daughter, make sure the baby monitor is off..." I laughed and he brushed a kiss to my cheek before pulling out the bag from Gladrags.
"I hope you like it, something for you to wear for your first day at St. Emry's." He said with a grin.
I pulled out the gypsy style skirt in a spectrum of purples, and a matching sweater in a deep, royal purple. "It's perfect Jim. Thank you very much." I said with a smile, and tucked the items back in the bag and set it down at my feet and leaned into him.
"Glad you like it my love. Now, what are we doing for dinner? Take away or shall I cook?" He asked.
"I'm thinking take away, I'm in the mood for some Thai." I said with a light smile.
Sheltered Socialite
Author: Rylee
Date: 12-03-11 21:02
"Seriously, I don't even know why she is here? She'd rather be walking down the run way than studying."
"Some of us are actually here to get an education and learn things...she's here only because she has to be, Mummy and Daddy probably forced her to come when the letter arrived."
I'd heard the whispers as I wandered down the hall heading from Potions to History of Magic earlier this afternoon. Several girls were talking as I walked by and they'd made certain that I'd heard them. That had been several hours ago.
Unfortunately for me one of the girls that had been talking was in my History of Magic class, and I really didn't feel like talking to her or even being around her so I'd finished my exam as quick as I could and left the classroom bidding Professor Davyd a good weekend.
I was done for the day and wandered the halls for a little while, ducking into an alcove as the two girls passed by again, I curled my legs beneath me, and looked out the window, doubting that they would even realize I was there. Sitting there listening to them talk about me, wondering how many more of my classmates and professors thought the way those girls did?
Did I really care? Am I really going to let their comments bother me? Pushing up from the alcove once they'd wandered away and ultimately heading into the Common Commons long enough to snipe one of the biscuits from Briar's I returned to my wandering.
"Oh, there is the little sheltered socialite. Too good for the likes of everyone else right?" Came the sneered words from behind me, and I turned around only to see the retreating back of whoever it was that had said it. My hands clenched at my sides and I stormed toward the Slytherin Common Room, I was irritated and I hated being mad, but a small, small part of me knew that the jibe was right.
At age eleven I had no clue how to make friends and more often than not looked down my nose at everyone else. Gee, this was going to be a banner year for me. Maybe I could get a transfer to Florecido and at least go to school with my older sister Emily and know someone where I was going to school. It would make life easier that was for certain.
I stormed into the Slytherin Common room and dropped down on to one of the chairs and sighed, massaging my temples. I needed a good dose of retail therapy, more importantly I needed to survive this year without writing home to Mummy and Daddy to get me out of this school where I was not making any friends and had already sullied my first impressions with most of, if not all of my professors. I was thankful that the chair I was sitting in was in a secluded part of the commons because at this point I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. The school year was only a month in and already I was a wreck - this was going swimmingly.
Unexpected Arrival
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 12-04-11 05:42
Lawrence had finished his one and only class at three this afternoon and had a meeting with the real estate agent, Genivive Newsome, to go over some paperwork for the flat, before he went in and started getting things together to have moved to the Castle and to see about getting some other things in storage.
"Good afternoon Mister Masterson, how are you and your wife doing?" Genivive said as we headed into her office.
"Doing well, we both start up at St. Emry's in a handful of days and classes at Hogwarts are going well, had a bit of trouble with the sixth and seventh years not being all that thrilled with my lesson plans, so there was a touch of a rewrite done to my lesson plans." I said as we sat down in the chair on the opposite side of her desk.
"Sounds like you have your hands full, and once the flat is ready for sale, it will be one thing that you will not have to worry about." She said with a smile. "Now, do you have all the details ready for the sale, aside from getting things out of the items from the flat you've no intention of having on displayed and ultimately sold with the flat?"
"I have everything here, and everything we discussed as planned. I intended on going to pack the remainder of the things up and with the aid of my house elf get them situated in our quarters at Hogwarts."
"Very good, now I just need your signature here, and just owl me when things are situated and we will start showing and hopefully offers will begin to come in." She said, and he quickly signed the agreement, and after a bit more small talk with the agent, slipped from the office and headed to the flat.
Going up the stairs, he would pause in the hallway, looking down to see the door open to the flat. Glad that the flat was in the wizarding part of London he moved toward the door, slowly, cautiously drawing his wand. Pushing the door open he moved forward, entering the flat he saw a bag and jacket on the sofa.
"Who is here? I know someone is here, make your presence known." He called as he moved deeper into the flat toward the bedroom.
Pushing the door open he stopped in his tracks seeing a young girl standing across the room, wand drawn and before he could fire off an Expelliarmus she'd already called one out and sent his wand skittering across the floor.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my brother's flat?" Her voice quavered with the fear and adrenaline that raced through her system.
"Your brother? This is my flat, my name is Lawrence Masterson and my name is on the deed for this place. Who are you and why are you here in my home?" He said with a shift of frame, watching her for a moment, wishing that he could get his wand back, but didn't want to get hit with another spell.
"You are Lawrence?" Her voice quavered and she lowered her wand, sinking to the floor and curling into a ball beneath the window.
"Yes, I am. Who are you?" He asked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, picking up my wand in the process.
She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks as the adrenaline began to ware off and she was now trembling visibly. "My name is Maggie Masterson-Hawthorne." She said, letting her head fall down once more so that her cheek rested upon her knees once more.
"Wait, Masterson-Hawthorne, and you are my sister?" He said, blinking, almost entirely unable to grasp what she was saying, let alone the acknowledgement of the fact that he had a sister. "How old are you?"
"Yes, I am your sister. My mother's name is Nadine Hawthorne, and your father is my father." She said looking up at him. "My father's name is Adam Masterson, I was born in 1988. I don't remember my father." She said pushing herself up.
"This is not possible...my father was faithful to my mother..." He said disbelieving the evidence that was right there in front of him to the contrary.
"I was born in Brisbane in 1988, I have the birth certificate in my bag..." She said, rushing to her bag in the living room and coming back with the birth certificate and shoved it into his hands.
Lawrence blinked and stared at the physical proof that she had handed into him. "Wow...just wow..." he said sliding a hand through his hair. "So you are seventeen..."
She curled on the bed, pressing herself back into the headboard on the pillows. "My mum passed about three months ago, it took me that long to get here and to track you down considering that I only had a name to go on. I heard you were teaching at Hogwarts, but I didn't think I could just walk onto the grounds and find you..." She said watching him for a few moments.
"I'm sorry to hear about your mum." He said pushing a hand through his shortly cropped hair.
"I'm sorry if I'm going to be an inconvenience." She said, shifting and pushing herself up from the bed and pulling the birth certificate from his hands. "I guess I will just find a way back to Brisbane and figure out how I'm going to survive."
She started to move past him and he moved closed a hand on her wrist. "No. We can get this figured out, you can spend the night with my wife and I, you can't stay here because I'm getting ready to sell the flat."
She nodded her head and hugged him, clinging to him for the time being. "Thank you Lawrence. I...I wasn't sure what to expect when I found you. I didn't expect acceptance truth be told. Considering you at least knew your parents, both of them. I only had my mum and the stories she told me of my father."
Lawrence smiled. "Alright, well, get your things and come with me and I will see about getting you some things and then we can head to the castle and you can meet my wife."
Or, if Lawrence was lucky Ariella would be working a late shift at Briar's and he could perform the introductions there. Either way, things were about to get much, much more complicated for Lawrence.
The Flu = No Hogsmeade Trip
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 12-04-11 07:51
Adina slid a hand through her hair as she moved into the Common room. Eyes sliding closed as she moved toward the dorms, she didn't sleep well last night and only just barely made it through her four classes today, stuffy nose and coughing were only two other things that had prevented her from sleeping well. She'd taken a brief nap during the break between Transfiguration and Potions, and had barely made it to Potions on time, it took Arthur waking her from her curled up spot in one of the chairs in the Common room. She had one more class and then she intended on heading to bed after dinner.
"Adina? Are you alright?" Arthur asked, curling an arm around her waist and pulling her to him. "You look like you haven't slept in a week." He said, brushing a kiss to her cheek.
"I've not slept well in the past couple of days. I am debating on going to see Madam Pomfrey and getting a sleeping draught so I can go on the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. Am looking forward to seeing Mom." She said leaning against him. "Walk with me to Muggle Studies please?"
Arthur smiled. "Yup, and I will be waiting outside for you at five so we can head to dinner." He said with a light smile. "You need to get some sleep and if I didn't think that it would loose us some points I would suggest you go to sleep and skip Muggle Studies all together."
"I know, I'd considered it, but I need to go." She said and soon enough slipped from him after a quick kiss and ducked into the muggle studies classroom.
Once Muggle Studies was done, she and Arthur went to dinner and that proved to be a pointless venture for Adina as she merely picked at the food on her plate, pushing it around with her fork and nearly falling asleep at the table. "Alright, we need to get you to Madam Pomfrey." Arthur said helping her up and shouldering her messenger bag so she wouldn't have to carry it.
When they arrived Madam Pomfrey immediately got Adina situated on a cot and checked her out. "You my dear have the flu." She said rather sternly. "Arthur I would suggest you take this draught to stave off any symptoms you might develop in the next couple of days. Adina, you will be spending the night here, and I am not certain if you will be able to go to the village tomorrow. We will see how you are feeling in the morning alright?"
With that Adina's fate was sealed, and she was stuck in the hospital wing for the night, and would probably going to end up missing the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Arthur remained with her to keep her company until she fell asleep, with promises to bring her back a couple of things from her mom, and promising that he would be back around mid-afternoon to spend some time with her for as long as she is in the hospital wing.
Wanting Everything To Be Perfect (Kordelia & Laura)
Author: Kody
Date: 12-04-11 08:42
After searching for ten minutes Kordelia finds Laura in the room where Anthony's and Plum's rehearsal dinner is being served tonight. "Mum, the bouquets and boutonnières are here. Where do you want them?"
"There's a case in the kitchen with a special refrigeration charm on it just for those. It's got flowers painted on the outside of it and it should be on top of the ice box. Do you think this looks better or this?" Laura asks, showing Kordelia one plate then switching it for another.
"They both look nice. It's rehearsal dinner, Mum. No need to fuss quite so much."
"I know, I just want it to be perfect for them." Laura gives Kordelia a one armed hug. "If I'm this bad for Plum, imagine how I'll be when it's you or Kody getting married."
"Are you trying to induce us to elope?"
"You are allowed to elope so long as afterwards we still have a wedding and reception."
Kordelia laughs, "So in other words, there's no point in eloping."
"If you want to view it that way, then yes. I should go check on how the bandstand is coming along and then make sure everything else for this evening is ready."
"I'm going to get the bouquets and boutonnières stored then coming to find you again. I know you only had some toast at breakfast and that you skipped lunch. You need something to tide you over until dinner."
Laura, her mind on millions of things she wants to see to for rehearsal and dinner tonight and the wedding and reception tomorrow, nods distractedly at her daughter. She has a clipboard with a list but must have set it down somewhere. Before going out to check on the bandstand, Laura retraces the route she'd taken on her way to one of her favorite rooms in the large house for entertaining that she selected, with Plum's approval of course, for tonight's rehearsal dinner. With that clipboard and its list she'll be much more reassured that everything that needs to be done will get done.
(Ariella) New Family Member
Author: Beck
Date: 12-04-11 16:42
"May I come in?"
At Maggie's affirmation, Ariella slipped into the small, spare bedroom in the living quarters she and Lawrence shared at Hogwarts. His half-sister stood before a full-length mirror wearing a dress Ariella had lent her. The poor thing had arrived in London with only one bag and hadn't brought any nice clothes with her.
"You look beautiful," Ariella said with a smile.
Maggie smiled timidly back at her through the mirror's reflection. "Thanks."
She was wearing a simple navy wrap dress. Ariella had only worn it once herself, so it was practically new.
"Try these on and see if they fit," she said to Maggie, handing her a pair of navy, kitten heel, peep-toe sandals.
Maggie accepted the shoes and slipped them onto her feet. They fit perfectly.
"Oh, good! I wasn't sure what we would do if they didn't fit you," Ariella exclaimed. She was wearing a classic little black dress and black pumps.
"Are you sure your brother and his fiancée won't mind if I come?" Maggie asked, chewing her bottom lip.
"I'm positive!" Ariella replied, taking the younger girl's hands into her own. "Tonight is about friends and family, and you're officially part of the extended family as of today." She squeezed Maggie's hands and then let them go. "I'll give you a few more minutes to get ready. Have a few things left to do myself. We'll be off shortly, so don't take too much longer."
"Okay, thanks, Ariella."
Ariella smiled and left the room. She crossed to the other side of the quarters and entered her bedroom. Lawrence was debating between putting on a tie or just a sportscoat. Ariella let him deliberate in silence. She knew that he had very mixed feelings about Maggie's arrival. He was certainly glad to have met her, but it bothered him that his father had had an affair.
Ariella certainly understood. Her father had at least one affair that she knew of, the product being her own half-sister Katherine. The only difference she could see between her circumstance and Lawrence's was the fact that her father had died when she'd been very young. Lawrence had been young upon the deaths of his parents, too, but at least he'd been old enough to remember them quite well.
He settled on the tie and put it on before turning to face his wife. "How is she?"
"Settling in nicely," Ariella replied. She closed the gap between them to give him an embrace. "You okay?"
"In shock, really."
"That's perfectly understandable."
They each stepped out of the hug but stayed close.
"Do you think it's normal for married adults to have extramarital affairs?" Lawrence asked.
Ariella shook her head. "No. I think it's just a conincidence that both of our fathers strayed from their marriages."
"I wonder if my mum knew." Lawrence's brow furrowed as another example came to mind. "Bronwyn's dad had an affair too. He has a love child."
Ariella frowned. "Lawrence, are you going to be all right?"
He sighed. "Yes, and I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in… and I know you understand because you've been there too. Are you ready to go?"
"I'm ready, but are you sure you want to go?"
"Positive."
Ariella took his hand. "All right, then. Let's make sure Maggie is ready and then we can head out for the rehearsal dinner."
A Case of Accidental Magic
Author: Ferne
Date: 12-04-11 17:58
With an inaudible grumble, Ferne scribbled furiously. She tried not to let her irritation possess her, especially since she was in such a public place as the library, but it was a losing battle. No matter how hard Ferne tried concentrating on the assignment, her thoughts always returned to Herbology class. Professor Masterson had been indecisive in his lesson plan and his constant revisions were starting to wear her down. Not one to procrastinate, Ferne had already organized her preparations for the upcoming assignments. She would now have to revise all those preparations because of her professor's mistake.
"Hopefully, I can salvage some of all my relentless work," murmured Ferne, as she stared at the result of countless hours of research.
It was a mistake. Staring at the pile of parchment only caused her irritation to possess her further. Ferne felt her irritation rising with each passing moment. The flicker of a flame appeared in the middle of her research. Shocked, Ferne simply stared at the flame for a short period of time. She glanced around to see if anyone, particularly the librarian Azaelia Bramble, had noticed it. Hearing the sudden crackle of parchment, Ferne noticed that the flame was no longer one, but many.
"FIRE!" someone finally bellowed.
Gaining her senses, Ferne grasped her wand and pointed it toward the fire. A brief torrential spray of water doused the fire. Observing the remains of her research, Ferne realized her mistake. She should have used the extinguishing spell rather than the water charm. With her wand still pointed toward where the fire had wrecked havoc, Ferne used the drying charm.
"Miss Scrivener!" The person in question turned to find not only the librarian, but a group of students, looking at her questioningly.
"Miss Bramble," began Ferne, grasping her wand even tighter. "I'm terribly sorry."
She began to tell, in as less detail as possible, the librarian about how she had been irritated to the point to accidentally start a fire. At the end of Ferne's story, Miss Bramble nodded and appeared to be in thought. She wondered how she found herself in this situation as she waited for the consequences of her emotions. In comparison to Phyllida, Ferne was the levelheaded one. She never used magic irresponsibly.
"Miss Scrivener," aroused Ferne's attention. "After much consideration, I realize that you would never intentionally harm my library. Therefore, I will give you only a warning."
Sighing with relief, she thanked the librarian. Ferne waited for the crowd to dissipate before returning to her mess. While her research was dry, it was illegible. More magic was needed. Ferne cringed at the thought of the turn of unfortunate events.
How did I end up a case of accidental magic? wondered Ferne.
An Excruciating Conversation
Author: Abdul Hazrat AlGunud
Date: 12-04-11 20:30
The seventh floor of the castle was silent and still. The only noise was the gentle slapping of footsteps on the floor. Two figures made their way through the empty corridors.
Abdul followed his strange guide.The house elf Dobby had approached him outside of the Great Hall. Abdul had been lingering, having finished breakfast early. He was unfamiliar with much of the castle, despite having spent the last year at the school. The suits of armor represented an eclectic mix of styles and eras. The paintings of prominent wizards were filled with curious faces who asked him questions. He supposed that they were familiar with most of the staff and students. He probably represented a relatively new and unknown personage. He had not any taken time last year to interact with the various wizards and witches inhabiting the portraits. He answered their questions cautiously, as several of them appeared to be related to current students.
Doby appeared and spoke in a soft tone, asking for Abdul to meet Professor Isuki at the Come and Go Room. The elf appeared incredulous when Abdul confessed that he did not know of the room. As a result, the elf agreed to lead Abdul to the room but warned him that the room would not necessarily be easy to enter.
This somewhat mysterious warning was weighing on his mind as he followed Dobby through the deserted hallways. They came upon a tapestry portraying a man speaking to a group of trolls.
"Concentrate on where you need to go."
"What do you mean?"
"Concentrate on what you need!"
With this ambiguous advice, Abdul turned his thoughts to the meeting with Professor Isuki. The elf lead him past the tapestry, then abruptly stopping and going back past the tapestry in the opposite direction. The elf suddenly reversed course heading toward the tapestry, all the while admonishing Abdul to concentrate. As they came upon the tapestry (Were those ballet shoes that the trolls were wearing?), Abdul suddenly blinked. There was a door on the wall opposite the tapestry. A door that had not been there moments before. Dobby stopped at the door and bowed to Abdul, gesturing him to enter. Abdul, unsure as to the etiquette of addressing house elves, bowed in return and then stepped through the door.
The scene that greeted him was almost anti-climatic. Aside from Professor Isuki, the room held two chairs set in front of lit fire place. To the side was a low wet bar that held a number of beverages. The room itself appeared to be very small, smaller than the professor's own office. His surprise must have registered on his face.
"I gather this is not quite what you were expecting"
"I was anticipating an area for practicing combat."
"This place is called, by those who know of it, the Room of Requirement. It shapes itself to meet the requirement of one who is in need. Your situation demands that you learn how to protect yourself. But before I can teach you anything, I must understand your circumstances. The room appears in this fashion because we need to talk. What happened in the Forbidden Forest?"
Abdul, trying to take in what the professor was saying, was caught off-guard by the question. He flinched and fought down a visceral churning in his stomach.
Professor Isuki took a seat in front of the fire and gestured Abdul toward the other. He sat with some trepidation. He laughed silently at his own jumpiness. After what he had experienced, why should sitting in front of fireplace make him nervous? He began to speak of the death of his mother, the search for the Nakotic Manuscripts and the disastrous visit to Hogsmeade. The story came tumbling out. It sounded disjointed to his own ear, but Professor Isuki listened intently, asking few questions. When it came time to describe his experience in the Forbidden Forest, she became much more active in posing questions.
"When you appeared in the clearing, how many others were there?"
Abdul cast his mind back to that evening, sifting through the gory details, trying to answer the question. "The one who brought us. There were three, perhaps four others already in the clearing. I had been spell bound at that point, so I could not see much." He had seen three other figures in the clearing. Had there been another figure? Because of the Petrificus Totalus charm, he had not been able to turn his head. There had been a babble of voices. Grace had been crying. Someone had loudly demanded to know why they had been brought. Another said something about the time for the ritual being very near. His abductor has snarled a reply to someone about having brought the necessary sacrifice.
"After they placed Grace upon the altar, what happened?"
"I was thrown to the ground, not far from the altar. I could hear them begin to chant. I could not understand most of the words."
"And then?"
"One of them cried out a phrase or perhaps a name. Three times he called out. Then, after the third time, he received an answer."
"What sort of answer did he receive?"
Abdul shivered, despite the warmth of the fire, "It was low, rumbling. The … voice … spoke in a language that sounded almost familiar. It seemed to come from everywhere."
"You were paralyzed, so what could you see?"
"The sky, I could see the sky."
"Abdul, I know this is difficult but you must continue."
"There was a shape in the blackness. At first I thought it a figment of my imagination. Then it begin to grow larger as it came near. It came down from out of the sky."
"What did it look like?"
"It had legs like a scorpion and wings like a bat. The head appeared to be like that of a gorilla. Other parts were like a toad. It was larger than a man. I am sorry but I cannot say more about its appearance."
"It hovered above the altar for a time. Then it landed."
"Please continue."
He squeezed his eyes shut in a futile effort to banish the scene from his mind, "It began to feed. Grace screamed for a short while."
Abdul recited the rest of the tale in a monotone; the flashes of light, the appearance of Professors Dumbledore and Flitwick, the bloody carnage in the clearing, the night and the day spent in the infirmary. As his voice wound down, Abdul starred into the fire. He was so lost in memory and guilt that he barely noticed when Professor Isuki placed a cup in his hand and bade him to drink.