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Urania's News
Author: Illyria
Date: 02-04-12 08:07
Illyria glanced out the window in the Astronomy Tower and frowned at the gentle snowfall. It was a beautiful sight, to be sure, but it would force her to cancel her plans for one of her Astronomy classes this evening. There was an easy solution, however. She would just have to use the enchanted ceiling in the classroom instead.
She busied herself making sure she had everything prepared for tonight. Her first years were discussing the history of Solar System discovery, focusing on the 17th and 18th centuries. Her third years, on the other hand, were still studying constellations. A live observation of Fornax would be impossible due to the snow and cloud cover, but class would nonetheless carry on as usual.
At 12:30, she ceased in her preparations to meet Urania in Hogsmeade for lunch. She found her youngest sister a short while later at a small corner table at The Imperial Crown & Cauldron. Urania already had a drink and was perusing the lunch menu.
"Hey," Illyria greeted, pecking Urania on the check before sitting down opposite her.
"Hey!" Urania gushed. "I'm so glad you could meet me."
Illyria had a feeling that Urania had some big news to share, and she also had a feeling she wasn't going to like what she was going to hear.
"I guess that's the advantage of having classes only at night. I'm usually free during the day. So, what's up?"
"Well," Urania started, all smiles, "I have some big news."
Illyria raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything.
"I haven't told anybody else yet. I wanted to tell you first, since I feel the closest to you, Illyria."
"You're getting married," Illyria said.
"No, well, yes, eventually, I suppose, but that's not really my big news."
Illyria looked puzzled. What else would Urania want to share with her, if not an engagement?
"I'm pregnant."
Illyria gaped at Urania. "What?"
"Yeah," Urania said, blushing. "We were careful, but I guess not that careful. I'd have liked to have gotten married first and then gotten pregnant, but oh well. I guess you could say Nathan and I are a modern couple."
Illyria felt a sudden loss of appetite.
"You're upset," Urania said, frowning.
"No, I…" But Illyria didn't know what to say.
Urania offered her a small smile and leaned over the table, placing one of her hands on top of Illyria's. "I get it. The others have all gotten married and started families. You feel left out. Lonely, perhaps. I think you should start going out on dates. You haven't dated anybody seriously since Roland, and that was years ago. Why don't you try out that Magical Match service? Or date one of your hot coworkers?" Urania winked knowingly.
Illyria wasn't that amused but she forced a smile onto her face. "I'll think about it. And congratulations. I know you will make a wonderful mother."
"Thanks," Urania happily replied.
(Kate) Monday Afternoon
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 02-04-12 09:04
The conversation in the Great Hall covered a variety of topics, from Saturday night's Drama Club presentation of The Wizard of Oz to this Saturday's Hogsmeade trip and the following Saturday's Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Kate very much looked forward to cheering on her own house and hoped that her Slytherin friends would be on board to support the badgers over the eagles too.
She and Mark sat side-by-side at the table and held hands. When they were together at school and surrounded by their friends, they felt very happy and hardly ever thought about how the Farnons didn't approve of the relationship. But those thoughts couldn't be avoided forever. Mark worried that his parents would show up in Hogsmeade again.
Kate kind of hoped that her father would show up. She still hadn't told him about Mark and really wanted to do it in person, rather than via owl post. She hoped that her dad would be more understanding than Mark's parents. Will Dewhurst wouldn't look down on Mark for who he was, but Kate could see him getting protective over his only daughter. Kate had never had a boyfriend before, after all.
Soon enough, the lunch hour ended and it was time to part ways. The fourth years all went to Charms class together, while Mark, the lone fifth year, went to the dungeons for Potions class with Professor Snape.
Kate filled into Professor Fairchild's classroom behind Gus, Felicia and Johanna, and took her usual place close to the front of the room. Professor Fairchild seemed a bit distracted and clutched a large thermos in her hand.
"Welcome, class. We're going to continue with the Four-Point spell. Remember to enunciate the incantation very clearly, like so:"
Professor Fairchild lowered her thermos to her desk, gripped her wand in her hand and said, "Point Me."
Her wand twitched in her hand and then turned to face due North.
"Now you try," she said, exchanging her wand for the thermos again.
Kate picked up her wand and gave the spell a try.
Swedish Lunch with the Boys
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 02-04-12 09:20
Bronwyn left the WWN office early, as she often did when she completed all of her work or when she knew she would be doing work from home, like listening to a Quidditch match or scouring The Evening Prophet for sports news. She went straight home to see if Arley and Seb were around and hungry for lunch.
They were in the small backyard, standing under the snow that gently drifted down from the white sky.
Bronwyn stepped outside to join them. "You two are acting like you've never seen snow before. Doesn't it snow in New York?"
"Of course it does," Seb replied, grinning, "but fresh snowfall is my favorite."
Arley's teeth chattered. "We've been standing out here for hours."
Bronwyn laughed. "You're such a trooper. Are you hungry for lunch?"
"Yes!" Arley exclaimed. "Something hot."
"Want to eat in or out? Want to do home-cooked or delivery?"
"In," Seb decided, "and I'll make us some soup."
Sometime later, Seb had prepared a veritable banquet consisting of Swedish-inspired yellow pea soup, thin pancakes that oddly complimented the soup, and sausage.
"So, how is the job hunting going?" Bronwyn asked them, between bites.
Now that the boys had decided to stay in England, they needed jobs, especially if they were planning on moving out of the duplex at some point. Bronwyn and Toby didn't have any plans to kick them out, though. Arley and Seb were welcome to stay for as long as it took for them to stand on their own two feet.
Just Before Fifth Year History
Author: Declan
Date: 02-04-12 13:45
Slowly walking from his office on the third floor to his classroom on the second floor while reading a newspaper article and munching on one of the cinnamon oatmeal biscuits he'd snagged leaving the Great Hall from lunch, Declan isn't immediately aware of someone walking up the stairs as he's coming down them. As he is smack in the middle of the steps as he descends and clearly oblivious to her presence, the other person clears her throat so that she won't get bowled over by Declan and so she can get past him to continue on her own way.
Startled, Dexter pauses mid-stride, cinnamon oatmeal biscuits inches from his lips as he was preparing to take another bite.
Zabrynna makes a little move over motion with her hand. "Excuse me, but you're blocking the way, Professor Douglass."
"Hi, Zabrynna. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."
"So I gathered."
"Working for AJ today?"
"Only for a little bit. I have a couple of classes this afternoon."
"How are things going for you?"
"Very well, thank you. Classes and helping AJ keep me fairly busy. I also work a few hours twice a week for a St. Emrys professor. How have you been, Professor Douglass?"
"You know, Zabrynna, I think it's all right to call me Declan now. You aren't a student any longer, you see me at AJ's on a regular basis, and after everything else ," Declan leaves the rest unspoken.
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay then. I get going and get to work." Zabrynna points up the stairs.
"Me too. I've got fifth years soon. Have a good day."
"You too, Declan."
He stands a second longer, half turned on the stairs to watch Zabrynna go up a few steps, on the verge of mentioning that Mariposa and AJ mentioned she's gone out with Indigo McFusty a couple of times. Facing forward again and continuing the short rest of the way to the second floor landing, Declan cannot imagine why he'd nearly asked her something that's none of his business or why he would even care.
A short time late, at two o'clock, Declan greets the fifth year Ravenclaw and Slytherin students. He ticks their names off his roll as they come through the door then starts class with, "Ten point pop quiz. Pick one of the questions on the board," he waves his wand to reveal the five choices, "and write what you are able. You have two minutes to be quick at getting out your materials and in picking a question. Go!"
Missing Persons
Author: Carys
Date: 02-05-12 16:41
"So, it would seem that there are three cases of missing persons who are either faculty or students here," Ava Owen said to the collected Emrys Everyday staff. "The first is Professor Maidstone, of course, who was last seen at the end of Trinity Term. We did get in touch with her family, who reported her missing when she didn't return home from an apparent extended holiday in Mexico."
"When was she supposed to get back?" Carys asked. "In time for Michaelmas?"
Ava shook her head. "She wasn't scheduled to teach anything this term, but she was supposed to get back in September. Her family says she's always done her own thing and checks in whenever she feels like it, so they didn't wonder anything was wrong until she didn't wish her mum happy birthday. Apparently Professor Maidstone never misses her mum's birthday."
"What about the other two disappearances?" Wade Freeman asked. He usually covered sports but often took on special assignments for the newspaper when the need arose.
"Both students," Ava said. "The first has been missing the longest, since last February or so."
Looks of surprise flashed across those congregated at the table in the conference room. Carys frowned deeply.
"Her name is Dacia Osterberg. She was enrolled in Merlin College and was reading Muggle Studies. She lived off campus in a flat here in Stratford-upon-Avon."
"Alone, or did she have roommates?" Wade asked.
"Alone, but she did have friends and she kept in touch with her family regularly. She was last seen at last year's International Festival. She'd been there with some friends and left them briefly to use the loo. She never came back, and nobody's seen her since."
"No body," Carys said. She couldn't help but wonder if Dacia was the girl she'd inadvertently photographed at the International Festival.
"No body," Ava confirmed.
"And the other missing person?" Obedience Riggs asked. She was another of the reporters on staff.
"A first time student at St. Emrys," Ava replied. "Her name is Ekaterina Larin, and she's from Russia. According to her roommate, she enrolled in St. Emrys so that she could improve her English."
"When did she disappear?" Carys asked.
"A week after term started."
"How come this is the first we're hearing of it?" Obedience asked.
Ava shrugged. "I don't know. Apparently Ekaterina's roommate thought she'd moved back to Russia. She had complained of being homesick."
"But her parents haven't seen her?"
"Apparently not."
The table fell silent as everybody processed the information.
Wade was the first to speak. "I'll talk to my brother and see what he knows about the investigations into all these cases." His much older brother was an auror at the Ministry of Magic.
Ava nodded. "Good idea."
"Are there any pictures of the missing girls?" Carys asked.
Ava nodded again. "Yes." She produced two photographs, one of a girl by herself, laughing at something off camera. The other was of two girls sitting together in Orange.
"This is Dacia Osterberg," Ava said, indicating to the girl by herself. "And this is Ekaterina and her roommate, taken the first week of term."
Carys studied Dacia's appearance. The photograph she'd taken last year hadn't been clear, but the girl in that picture could be Dacia. If it was, then there stood a good possibility that Carys had also photographed the person behind her disappearance.
She stood up and said, "I've got something to show you…"
Tuesday Classes
Author: Marzipan
Date: 02-05-12 17:19
The scent of lemon grass was thick in the air in Greenhouse Four, where Professor Ravenscroft's Gryffindor and Hufflepuff fourth year students worked on powdering the dry stalks of the plant. They had spent the beginning of the double class period discussing lemon grass, what it was, what it looked like, and what it was used for, before delving into the practical portion of the lesson.
The powdered lemon grass would eventually be divided and sent to three locations: Madam Pomfrey's Hospital Wing, as lemon grass could be used against coughs and colds; Professor Snape's storeroom, because lemon grass could also be used in pesticide potions and preservative potions; and to the kitchens, because lemon grass was also excellent for cooking and for teas.
"Very nicely done, all of you," Professor Ravenscroft said, as she went around the work table and observed everyone's handiwork. Add your powdered lemon grass to the spice jars and label your work so that you can get credit for it. You have five minutes left, and then it will be time for your third quiz of the school year."
Groans followed that statement, though her students shouldn't have been surprised by the upcoming quiz. It had been on the syllabus since the start of term, and Professor Ravenscroft had mentioned it last Thursday during class.
Her first class of the morning, Ravenclaw and Slytherin third years, had also ended with a quiz. Not surprisingly, those students had also been less than eager to be quizzed on everything they had learned since their last quiz at the end of October.
Prior to the quiz, they had discussed hornbeam, a small hardwood tree often used for making wands. They studied a small specimen planted in an ornate, ceramic pot. Professor Ravenscroft planned on planting it out with the Herbology Club sometime next spring.
She didn't want to go into too much detail about the characteristics of hornbeam wands because that would be covered in the third years' homework assignment, but she did talk a little about hornbeam's properties.
She had everybody put their spice jars aside and handed out the quiz parchments, which covered everything from crab apple to dragon fruit and fairy-ring mushrooms to lemon grass.
(Ariella) Freddy Fiske
Author: Beck
Date: 02-05-12 18:34
It had just stopped snowing when Ariella and Gillian arrived in Diagon Alley, via The Leaky Cauldron. They'd stopped there for a quick bite to eat before going to the publishing house Obscuras Books. Fredegar Fiske, Gillian's birth father, worked as a typesetter there.
The two witches, who looked so alike that anybody looking at them would think they were sisters, stopped outside Obscuras Books and looked up at the building. It, like many of the buildings in Diagon Alley, was narrow and tall.
"Are you ready?" Ariella asked Gillian.
Gillian, still looking up at the building, answered without dropping her gaze to Ariella. "As ready as I'll ever be."
They went to the front door and stepped inside the building, where it was warm and cozy compared to the wintry weather outdoors. A receptionist wearing robes in very bright, lime green, looked up from her desk and shot them a dazzling, white smile.
"How may I help you?"
When Gillian didn't answer right away, Ariella said, "We're looking for Fredegar Fiske. Is he working today?"
"Sure, Freddy's here just about everyday. He lives to work. May I ask who wants to see him?"
Ariella shot a sideways glance at Gillian, but Gillian still remained silent.
"My name is Ariella Masterson and this is Gillian Colley. He doesn't know us, but we think he knew Gillian's mum. We just wanted to ask him a quick question."
The receptionist quirked a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "I'll let him know you wish to speak with him. Have a seat."
Ariella thanked the receptionist and then steered Gillian to a pair of chairs against the front window.
"Are you okay?" she asked Gillian. "You froze up on me."
"I'm just nervous," Gillian said. "What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he's not who I want him to be?"
Ariella patted Gillian's hand. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we get there."
It didn't take long for the receptionist to return, though she came without Mr. Fiske. She indicated for the girls to get up and then pointed them to the back. "Mind the machinery," she said. "Freddy's in the back corner."
"Thanks," Ariella said. She and Gillian navigated the printing presses, many of which were engaged in fast-paced activity. There was only one wizard in the room. He had his shirt-sleeves rolled up to his elbows and busied himself loading a press with movable type. His back was turned to the girls, but he knew they were there, even above the noise of the printers.
He turned once they'd neared them and asked, "You wished to see me?"
Again, Gillian didn't speak. She seemed at a total loss for words.
Ariella took the initiative and said, "I'm Ariella Masterson, and this is Gillian Colley, daughter of…" She'd forgotten the name of Gillian's mother and looked to her for assistance.
"Violetta Colley," Gillian managed to get out.
Freddy Fiske blinked at Gillian in surprise. "Violetta," he murmured. "How is she?"
"Dead," Gillian said abruptly.
Freddy looked shocked. "I'm sorry to hear that. She was a good friend, once upon a time."
"She told me you're my father," Gillian blurted out.
Freddy didn't look the least bit surprised by the outburst, but he shook his head. "She told a lot of people that, and I allowed it, but it's not true, Gillian. I'm sorry."
Gillian's face fell. "If it's not you, then who is it?"
Freddy shook his head. "I don't honestly know. Your mother never would tell. I only agreed to pretend I was your father to help her out."
"Help her out?" Gillian asked, confused.
"Her parents were very strict and were upset that she'd had a child out of wedlock. They forbade her from ever seeing me again. Things were bad enough for Violetta, but they would have been worse if her parents had known the truth."
"What truth?"
"That your mother had conceived a child with a married man."