|
|
"Why is it Monday again?"
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 12-25-11 07:22
"Why is it monday again?" Whitney asked from her bed as her alarm clock went off at seven a.m. filling the room with its ear piercing shrill that meant that it was time for the five third years to roll out of bed and begin their morning routines and get ready for classes.
Kida's response was to launch a silver and emerald spider shaped pillow at Whitney's bed, and as usual her blind aim had Whitney grunting as the pillow hit her in the head. Adina, Daisy and Lucy chuckled as Whitney launched the pillow back, fell short and it landed on the floor between her bed and Kida's.
"I swear it is the same every morning, not just on monday." Daisy said pulling the curtains open on her bed and slipping her feet into her fuzzy slippers. "I've got first dibs on the shower." She said with a grin and grabbed her things and headed out before anyone could block her path.
"Damn it." Lucy said with a laugh as she opened the curtains on her own bed. "Third time she's gotten the shower first."
The rest of us slowly started to pile out of bed and grab clothes to wear beneath our robes and make sure our books were packed in her bags for History of Magic for all of us. Lucy and Daisy had Ancient Runes after History of Magic, while Kida, Whitney and I had a break before going to Transfiguration at eleven. We all managed to grab a shower before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast, meeting up with Arthur, Mason, Gaston and Boris on the way. Routines for the win right?
"We have an exam coming up in History of Magic don't we?" Gaston asked shifting through a stack of parchment hunting for the syllabus that listed the dates of exams on it.
"Yup, coming up on Friday. Which means that scrolls are due this week and today and wednesday will be review." Kida said, and was met with a groan in eight way stereo. They continued up from Slytherin House and into the Great Hall for breakfast.
Adina broke off to say good morning to Marlow (a routine she'd kept up for a while now) and then headed over to the Slytherin table once more and took her seat next to Arthur. "Remind me I need to owl mum and have her send me my fancy dress for the Halloween feast. Are you dressing up?" She asked him, already knowing that Kida, Whitney, Lucy and Daisy were going to be dressing up - they had a theme going with their costumes this year and it was going to be fun.
"I think so, am not sure yet, but I know I've still got time to decide before the feast on the thirty-first." He said after finishing off the bite of toast.
As each finished breakfast they broke off in pairs and would ultimately meet up in Professor Davyd's History of Magic classroom for their first class of Monday morning.
Monday Night's End
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 12-26-11 18:30
I picked Meagan up from day care and headed home, wanting to get her fed and changed and settled before Jim got home from work and his last class. We were going to have a late dinner, while we both worked on homework.
At the moment I heard Meagan playing with the house-elf while I finished up my shower and after dressing in my favorite pair of pajama pants and a tank top I headed out to spend some quality time with my daughter. "Jim will be home soon, and if dinner is ready and is being kept warm you are free for the remainder of the night..." I said, dismissing the house-elf for the remainder of the night, though I knew she wouldn't go far and would be there if she was needed.
I lifted Meagan up and she cooed happily as I held her above me and made silly noises that made her smile and coo. "Aren't you just the cutest little angel?" I said, holding her to me as I moved through the house and settled in the living room. I held her in my lap and started bouncing her a bit on my lap while she looked about curiously.
At nearly four months old she was growing up faster than I'd like, but then again that is apparently something all children do despite their parent's wishes. "Mommy misses you so much throughout the day, but I hear you have lots of fun at Miss Blossom's day care..." I said tickling her tummy and making her giggle a bit.
After a few moments, I hold her against my chest as I settle into the comfy cushions of the sofa and flick on the WWN and listen to the final few minutes of the current program and gear up for the next program that will be coming on. Meagan has already shown an affinity for music, she adores it, and I'll have to ask my mother where she'd gotten the teddy bear she'd had charmed to play classical music when Meagan was going to sleep.
Jim came home to find Meagan and I both dozing on the sofa, he turned off the WWN and carefully extracted Meagan from my arms, changed her, gave her a bottle, and then armed with a binkie and blanket settled her down in her crib. Turning on the baby monitor he came out and woke me with a kiss to the cheek. "I brought home take away from the little Indian place you love. Meagan is in bed and may stay down the rest of the night."
I smiled sleepily up at him. "Take away Indian sounds delightful, though am not overly hungry, may just nosh a little bit before calling it a night. I don't have much homework so it can be done tomorrow..." I said pushing myself up off the sofa and following him into the dining room where he quickly plated out some of the food he'd brought home and got us each a glass of wine to go with it.
We talked a bit about our day and after I finished my glass of wine and my dinner I gave Jim a quick kiss and headed to bed leaving him to get some of his major homework assignments done before he would ultimately join me in bed for the night.
Monday Evening
Author: Jolyon
Date: 12-26-11 18:42
Jolyon dismantled the projector and then set it aside, since he wouldn't need it again until Wednesday at the earliest. A short while ago, his sixth year class had ended. They had learned all about re'ems, a type of magical livestock native to North America and the Far East. Jolyon would have liked to get a live specimen for class, but re'ems were extremely rare. Even if he could have found one to show off in class, he might have run into some difficulty with the Ministry of Magic, since re'em blood was a high-galleon item on the black market.
His students had to make-do with images of the golden, oxen-like beasts. For homework, they had to research the uses of re'em blood.
As there was some time before supper, Jolyon decided to mark the research parchments the sixth years had turned in at the start of class. Last week, they'd been assigned an essay on the uses of occamy eggs.
He climbed up to the loft, parchments in hand, and sat down at his desk.
Just as it was beginning to get dark, Jolyon decided to stop reading his students' work. He gathered the stack to take with him to his quarters and climbed back down the ladder. Jolyon spent a few minutes making sure the creatures kept in the barn had enough food and water and then, after securing the barn for the night, he trudged up to the castle.
By the time he reached the front steps, night had fallen.
The first thing he noticed upon entering the castle was the noise from the Great Hall. Jolyon thought about going straight in, but he ultimately decided to go to his quarters first. He headed for the marble staircase and ran into Dumbledore, who was descending it for the Great Hall.
"Good evening, Jolyon. I trust you are well this evening?" Dumbledore asked, stopping halfway down the staircase.
Jolyon stopped on the same step. The staircase was wide enough to allow others to pass on either side of them.
"Yes, I'm very well, thank you. How are you?"
"As well as can be expected at my age." Dumbledore smiled. "Will I see you at supper?"
"You will. I just want to swing by my chambers to drop these off," he held up the parchments, "and to freshen up."
"Excellent. I should like to ask about Mr. Anderson."
Jolyon quirked his eyebrows. "Sure."
"I won't keep you any longer. See you in the Great Hall."
Dumbledore continued on his path to the Great Hall, while Jolyon climbed all the way up to the 7th floor, where he kept his quarters. He spent only a few minutes there, leaving the parchments in the small room he used as a study and using the rest of the time in the bathroom.
A short while later, he entered the Great Hall. There was an empty space next to Dumbledore. Usually Professor McGonagall or somebody else with seniority sat next to the headmaster. Professor Dumbledore, however, waved Jolyon over to the empty chair.
"I think the house-elves outdid themselves with the turkey," he commented.
Jolyon immediately helped himself to some.
Dumbledore waited for him to enjoy the first few bites of his meal and then asked, "How do you find the boy?"
Jolyon understood "the boy" to be Errol. "He does well in my class, but it's unfortunate he can't attend any of the field trips." The week before last, the fifth years had gone to Ayr Aquarium to study hippocampi. Errol had had to stay behind with Hagrid, who, of course, had been more than thrilled to teach him what he knew about the species, and then some.
"I'm afraid his uncle cannot be swayed on the matter," Dumbledore lamented. "Do you feel Errol is fitting in here at Hogwarts?"
Jolyon gave a little shrug. "I don't notice anything to the contrary, though it can't be easy for him, after what happened at his old school, and with all the restrictions placed on him now."
"No doubt," Dumbledore agreed. "I only hope that he feels comfortable enough to come to you, or Professor Jones, or even Minerva and me if he ever needs someone to talk to, which naturally goes for anyone who wants a little advice or simply someone to lend an ear."
Jolyon nodded. "My office door is open, should he or anyone else wish to speak to me."
"I, of course, offer my services not only to students but to staff as well," Dumbledore said next, eyeing Jolyon over his half-moon glasses. "I know you said you were well, but I can't help but wonder if there is something preying on your mind."
Jolyon didn't think he was projecting his internal emotions, and maybe he wasn't, really. Maybe Dumbledore was just very good at seeing through people.
"I'm afraid I have a broken heart," Jolyon finally answered.
He and Sarina had decided to go their separate ways. Their relationship had ended rather amicably, but breakups, even the "good ones", were never any fun.
"I've been told that ice cream is a cure for heartbreak. Perhaps the house-elves can bring you a pint," Dumbledore suggested kindly.
Jolyon chuckled. "Chocolate sounds fantastic."
The conversation quickly turned a bit more light-hearted, ranging from topics like the exhibition Quidditch matches from the weekend to the upcoming Halloween Feast.
Josefine's Birthday
Author: Beck
Date: 12-26-11 19:07
The house in Manchester was crowded. The entire Beck family had come over for a "quiet" dinner with the family matriarch, whose birthday was today. Yesterday, they'd all gone out to dinner at A Little Pizza Heaven, also to celebrate Josefine Beck's birthday. She'd ordered herself a giant calzone, which had provided her with enough leftovers for lunch today and probably tomorrow as well.
Everyone had wanted to come together again, tonight, on her official birthday. They'd turned it into a potluck, with everybody bringing a dish. Anthony and Plum had brought scalloped potatoes. They sat next to each other at the table and held hands. Dinner had already ended but the adults remained at the table, talking about anything and everything.
Alex, who was getting tired, had excused himself as soon as he'd finished eating dessert (chocolate cake). He sat on the living room floor and pushed a toy steam engine around the carpet.
Anthony gave Plum's hand a squeeze. "We should think about heading home."
Plum nodded. "It's already past his bedtime."
Their leaving started a chain reaction. Toby and Bronwyn grabbed their coats and kissed Tobias and Josefine goodbye. Ariella and Lawrence wrapped up a large piece of cake to take back to Hogwarts for Maggie. Alanna and Jared left with leftovers they could eat tomorrow for lunch. Katherine charmed the scrub brushes to wash the dishes in the sink and then also took her leave.
Soon only Tobias and Josefine remained in the big, old house.
"Well, was it a good birthday, love?" Tobias asked his wife of many years.
"It was a very good birthday," she replied with a smile. "I spent it with my family. I couldn't be happier."
They extinguished all the lamps in the house and then went to bed, soon falling into deep, dreamless sleep.
Chance Encounter
Author: Declan
Date: 12-27-11 21:05
"Good morning."
Declan greets his seventh years, something he often does as they enter the classroom but today he was not standing at the door as they came into the room. Roll book in hand his eyes do a cursory sweep of the students. "Where's Henry?" he asks of Henry Appleton.
"He wasn't feeling well and thought he had a fever so he went to see Madam Pomfrey," Geoffrey Ludlow provides.
"Thank you." Declan makes the notation in the roll book as he says, "Who can tell me one fact about Bryan Dunstable? Yes, Ferne?"
"He was a politician who wanted to reveal the wizarding world to Muggles."
"Correct. Five points to Slytherin. And another fact? Deak?"
"In 1827 he tried to get the Ministry to pass a referendum allowing Great Britain the British Ministry to tax all Muggles in the UK."
"Very good. Five points to Ravenclaw as well."
Declan probes for another minute to see how closely the seventh years read their assignment. The rest of the period is spent with Declan going over the events leading up to Bryan Dunnstable's attempted coup of the British Ministry and the seventh years asking and answering questions. It's one of those class periods that's over before Declan knows it. When the students have filed out, the majority of them most likely going straight to the Great Hall for lunch, Declan tidies the room before heading up to his office on the floor above. He doesn't have another class until two so he isn't rushed to get lunch himself so when leaving his office ten minutes later Declan goes to the hospital wing to check on Henry, learning that the Gryffindor has a mild case of flu.
Declan talks with Henry for a few minutes then makes for the Great Hall, stopping short when he runs into Zabrynna Ravensdale when he reaches the ground floor.
"Hello, Professor Douglass."
"Zabrynna. Doing work for AJ today?"
"Just dropping off something I'd worked on at home for him last night. I didn't see him in the Great Hall so thought he might be in his office or the workroom we use."
"I didn't notice if he was in his office or not. Might have been able to save you the trip up."
"That's all right. I don't mind."
"How is school?"
"It's good. I've even got a job for a professor there doing something similar to what I do for AJ."
"I thought you were working in a dress shoppe."
"That didn't work out."
The way Zabrynna says it has Declan asking, "Was there a scheduling conflict with school or something?"
"Or something. When my mother learned I was working at Narcissa's she made it clear to the management that she would no longer shop there if I was an employee."
"Wow."
"I know. She's stooping to new levels. I really like this new position though and it does work better with my course schedule so while I wish Mum hadn't been such a bitch yet again, things worked out well for me. I should go find AJ and let you get to lunch."
They part ways and for the remainder of the walk to the Great Hall, Declan thinks it's a that with a mother like Margretta, it's a wonder that Zabrynna isn't even more psychologically or emotionally damaged than she is.
Takeout
Author: Carys
Date: 12-28-11 18:21
"How are your classes going?"
Carys and Griffin sat cross-legged in front of each other on the floor in the building that would one day house the former's photography studio. Chinese takeout boxes littered the floor around them.
Carys picked up a piece of sweet and sour chicken with her chopsticks and considered Griff's question. "Good, but I'm up to my elbows in homework. I guess I can't complain too much, though. If I were in my last year at Hogwarts, I would be taking all of my N.E.W.T. courses at once and I would have even more homework."
He eyed the pile of books and notebooks across the room. "Still, it looks like you have a fair amount. Don't let me distract you all evening." He grinned at that last part.
"That'll be hard," Carys replied coyly.
Alun had agreed to watch over Tristan tonight, so that Carys and Griffin could have their date and so that Carys could have some time for studying. She didn't want to stay out all night, though, even with Griff for temptation.
Since Michaelmas Term began, Carys had been enrolled in the N.E.W.T review courses that had been introduced to the university fairly recently. She planned on taking the exams in all the classes she'd taken during her last year Hogwarts, which included all the standard ones as well as Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies.
As much as she would have liked to continue taking French and photography classes this year, she'd decided to put those on hold, figuring she'd be swamped with her N.E.W.T. classes. She was only taking three this term: Ancient Runes, Charms, and Herbology. Charms and Herbology had theoretical and practical components.
"I was thinking we should look at paint samples, and maybe fabrics for curtains," Griffin said after a while.
The building they sat in had been cleaned up, but it needed a little interior design work.
"What about this weekend?" Carys asked. She put down her takeout box and picked up a smoothie drink that had tapioca balls in the bottom.
"I'm not scheduled to work, so as long as nothing unscheduled pops up, I think this weekend should work out perfectly."
Carys smiled after taking a long sip through her thick straw. "It's a date then." She set the drink down and then leaned back on her hands.
"We've been going out on a lot of dates lately," Griffin replied with a grin.
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Carys answered, still smiling.
"Yes. Haven't you been enjoying our dates?"
"Very much so," she murmured. "It's nice doing things real couples do. Not that what we did before wasn't something real couples do, but I think you know what I mean. This is a real relationship now."
Griffin finished his food and proceeded to move all the boxes out of the way. Then he slid forward and leaned into Carys, who was still resting back on her hands but stopped to meet his lips. They kissed for several minutes before she gently pushed him away.
"Homework time."
"I admire your self restraint." Griffin grinned.
"I hope that's not the only thing you admire about me."
He chuckled. "Don't get me started. Go on, now. Hit the books."
Carys mocked a groan and then got to her feet, leaving Griffin to discard the empty takeout boxes and to combine the ones with leftovers still inside. She went to her pile of books and immediately got to work.
Visitors & Party Plans
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 12-29-11 18:05
Bronwyn drummed her fingers across her desk. She'd already prepared everything for tomorrow's show and didn't really have anything left to do for her remaining hours at work. She thought about cutting out early, but Arley and Seb were due to visit anytime now. She had promised them a tour of the studio.
They had decided to make their visit an extended stay, probably because of whatever was going on with Fallon. Bronwyn couldn't say she was unhappy by the development, if only because it meant she could spend more time with her old friends.
Desi had lightened up considerably since their return. Bronwyn figured having Arley and Seb around served as a distraction so that Desi didn't have to think about Xavier and Bianca, although Arley and Bianca did have their history too. Desi had already given the boys a tour of the auror office. The entire visit to the Ministry had peaked their interest because of whatever mystery Fallon had gotten herself into.
Bronwyn drummed her fingers over the desk some more. She supposed she could do a little planning for her brother's birthday party on Saturday. Siegfried was turning 23. Bronwyn and Siegfried's boyfried Asa were throwing a party for him at her duplex. Because Halloween was the following Monday, the event would also be a costume party. Bronwyn still hadn't picked out something to wear.
"Working hard?"
She looked up and saw Arley and Seb standing in front of her cubicle. Bronwyn sprang up, all smiles.
"Hi, guys!"
Arley grinned. "Seems like you have a nice gig here."
"I can't complain, mostly," Bronwyn said. "Let me give you the grand tour."
She led the boys around the studio, introducing them to some of her colleagues, even the ones she didn't like. Perhaps they could all have a late lunch later when Bronwyn got off work, or get together later in the day to go shopping for costumes. The boys were invited to Siegfried's party, of course.