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Growing Business
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 06-23-12 11:37
Amicia Ivrea stepped into the lobby at Gringotts Bank in Hogsmeade and gave the room a brief survey. Although far less majestic than the main bank in Diagon Alley, the Hogsmeade branch had its own elegance and charm. The marble floor gleamed beneath the candle-lit, golden chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Off to one side of the room were a pair of fine-looking armchairs and a little, mahogany table. A couple of potted plants served as decoration.
The office door adjacent to the spiral staircase that led down to the vaults opened suddenly, revealing just the person Amicia wished to see.
Bill started in surprise and then grinned. "Amicia, hi. What brings you to Hogsmeade?"
"Oh, I thought I would pay you a surprise visit. You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all. Would you like to come into the office?"
"Actually, I'd rather take a look around if that's all right with you."
"Sure. Would you like some company, or do you want to go at it alone?" Bill asked.
"I'd much prefer it if you joined me," Amicia said.
They decided to go upstairs first, where some of the other offices were, as well as the staff lounge. Amicia, who had been imprisoned in one of the community for nons, had never fully regained her strength. She certainly looked much improved from when Bill had first seen her after her liberation, but she did not look the way she'd had before her imprisonment. Back then, she'd been quite fit and her hair had been solid black. Now, she looked gaunt, seemingly unable to gain any weight at all, and her hair had gone completely gray.
Despite the physical change, she still possessed a commanding presence. She had been in charge of Gringotts in Diagon Alley for a long time and had managed to turn things around for the better after the economic downturn that had resulted from Euphemia Smythe-Jones' pureblood movement.
Upon reaching the landing, she exhaled deeply and said, "I do apologize. Climbing stairs isn't as easy for me as it used to be."
"Why don't you have a seat in the lounge and I will get you some water," Bill suggested. He led her to the break room and said, "Maybe we should consider having a lift installed."
Once upon a time, the Hogsmeade branch of the bank had been quite small. It had since seen several expansions, both up and down, and at the rate of the bank's growth would likely require another renovation at some point.
"I think that would be wise," Amicia said. She accepted a glass of water from Bill, who stood leaning against the kitchen counter.
"I remember when it was just me and a couple of goblins working here," Bill said.
"So do I." Amicia smiled. "You've done good work here, Bill. You know that, don't you?"
"Thanks," Bill said. "I try."
"It shows." Amicia drained her glass and then got up to wash it out in the sink. "I should like to talk to everyone working today, if that's all right with you."
"Do you want me to call a meeting?"
"No, I'll be quick with everyone. I just want to say hello and see how things are going."
She dried the glass and then put it back into the cabinet. "All right, show me what else there is to see up here," she told Bill.
He led her to the next room, and then the next, until she had seen everything and everyone in the building.
Perpetually Tired
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 06-23-12 13:34
Reaching for the coffee pot to refill her cup Emerald's eyes go to the clock in the family room just visible from this vantage point. At another spot around the table Aunt Blythe finishes reading the newspaper and folds it back up. "You keep checking the time. Do you need to leave earlier than usual?"
"A little bit earlier. I'm meeting up with those I'm working on a project with to do a practice run through presenting it. I need to remember to grab my watch before I go. I usually put it on after I get dressed but for some reason this morning I didn't."
"I'm going shopping in a few. Is there anything you need me to pick up?"
"Not that I can think of, thanks."
Aunt Blythe takes one last drink of tea then gets up, taking the mug to the sink. Uncle Woody's already left, going off to inspect some of the crops Aunt Blythe and he grow largely for the use of making medicinal potions. Even though Aunt Blythe is still in the house, everything seems suddenly overquiet to Emerald. That means she should be able to concentrate better on reading the last of a chapter for one of her Duke classes but as she sips her coffee, Emerald only wants to think about crawling back in bed for an extended nap.
The term at St. Emrys might be over but Duke's semester still has a few weeks left. Though only part-time at both universities, and though the time difference between here and Duke means not having to get up with the chickens to rush off by portkey or floo there, juggling time between a Muggle university, a Wizarding one, and a boyfriend is still tiring. Final exam week at St. Emrys made things all the more difficult since classes did not meet at the usual times for the tests to be administered. It took working with her St. Emrys professors, the Wizarding liason at Duke, and some creative scheduling of her time to manage it.
All of it's enough to have her periodically reconsidering her decision to do both schools at once. Every time she's done so, Emerald always decides to stick with them both. Afterall, others have done both, some of them carrying more classes or also working around a job or family or all of the above. If they can do it, so can see. It just may mean being perpetually tired.
Yawning at the thought, Emerald drains her coffee cup then begins gathering her things. With the five hour time difference between here and there, she's still got time but the practice presentation is horribly early for over there. In the meantime, Emerald washes what few dirty dishes there are, locates her watch, then grabs her backpack so she can do a few errands of her own before portkeying to the spot the Wizarding liason at Duke has designated. From there, she'll head to a popular 24 hour cafe to join up with the classmates she's meeting. Over early morning coffee and breakfast for those wanting it, they'll block out the presentation before heading onto campus to do an actual practice run in a classroom.
(Anthony) Debriefing
Author: Beck
Date: 06-23-12 14:27
Anthony had barely arrived at his desk in the Auror Office, when news of a hostage situation reached his ears. Jaidan Peters, one of the more senior aurors, had received the alert and raised her voice to give the others a quick debriefing.
"We've received several reports from employees at a translation service that a former employee is holding two people hostage and demanding payment for their release. We need to secure the building, extract the hostages, and capture the suspect."
She then quickly called out the names of a few aurors she wanted on the case. Anthony, meanwhile, made his way forward with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. By the time he reached Jaidan, she was already preparing to leave.
"Jaidan, what's the name of the translation service where the incident is occurring?" he asked her, falling into swift step beside her.
She consulted the scrap of parchment that contained all the details. "Devi Linguistics Services."
"You have to let me come with," he pleaded. "My wife works there."
Jaidan started to say no, but the look on Anthony's face tugged at her heartstrings. "Fine, but if I say you fall back, you fall back, you understand me?"
"Yes, thanks."
(Anthony) Hostage Situation
Author: Beck
Date: 06-23-12 14:27
A short while later the group of aurors stood outside the building. Many of the employees were also standing outside, all of them looking extremely worried.
Jaidan asked a few about the situation inside and learned that everybody had managed to get out except for the two hostages, Clementine Whitehorn and Plum Beck, and Taylor Hirst, who had been charged with contacting the owner of the business.
No one seemed to know if Chandran Devi would arrive via floo directly into his building or if he would apparate somewhere outside and walk in through the front door.
Anthony gripped his wand so hard that it could break in two. Plum was in there, being held captive by a disgruntled madman. He felt a mix of emotions, ranging from worry to blinding rage.
Jaidan directed a pair of aurors to remain outside and had the others, including Anthony to his great relief, to enter the building. Half went through the front, while the others went in through the employee entrance. Anthony was among those in the latter group.
Led by Jaidan herself, they came in through a short hallway that opened up into break room on one side and a staff room filled with cubicles. The room looked abandoned. Steam rose from a coffee cup on the desk closest to where Anthony stood.
Jaidan signalled that the hall ahead of them looked clear. Anthony crept forward, his wand tight in his grasp, and listened intently for sounds other than the beating of his own heart.
The group of aurors turned a corner and stopped short. A man was slouched on the floor, his back against the wall. His wand lay just inches from his hand. Jaidan crept forward and knelt by the man, who was still breathing but had sustained a major wound that stretched diagonally from one shoulder to the other hip.
The man opened his eyes and wheezed, "They're in the conference room."
"What's your name?" Jaidan asked.
"Taylor." He coughed, and Jaidan could see that his teeth were stained red.
"What happened, Taylor?"
He took a moment to reply and then said, "Clementine asked me to contact Chandran, the owner of this business. I told Chandran what was happening. He told me he would stop at the bank and then come straight over. I went to tell Marshall, and then he…" He coughed again.
"Easy," Jaidan said, gently patting Taylor's shoulder. "We'll get you to St. Mungo's."
Jaidan looked at Anthony, who pleaded with his eyes not to make him one of the ones to cart Taylor to safety. She appeared to have her reservations but then looked passed him at the other two aurors in their group.
"Arnold, Connor, get him out of here."
They conjured a stretcher and carefully escorted Taylor out of the building through the employee entrance.
Anthony and Jaiden pressed on, eventually hearing the pleading voices of Clementine and Plum and the angry voice of Marshall Maddock. Anthony tensed. He hadn't even seen Marshall yet and he already wanted to strangle the man with his own two hands. And if he'd hurt Plum in any way…
A flash of green lit up the narrow slit of a window on the conference room door. Anthony felt all the air leave his lungs, and even Jaidan appeared stunned for a moment. It wasn't the Killing Curse, though. It was the flames from the fireplace in the conference room.
A new voice could be heard. "I've brought you what you asked for, Marshall," said Chandran Devi.
"Let me see it," Marshall demanded. "Count it out for me, now!"
Jaidan and Anthony heard the tinkling of coins being poured onto the conference table. They ventured closer to the door, but didn't want to risk being seen by Marshall. As it turned out, he had his back to the door and was busy overseeing Chandran's counting of the two million galleons.
"He's distracted," Jaidan whispered, when she finally peeked through the window to take in the scene inside the conference room. "Plum and Clementine are seated at the table. They looked unharmed. Chandran is counting out the money, and Marshall is paying close attention. I think now is our best opportunity."
"What about the door?"
Jaidan didn't want to try the handle. Even a slow, careful check would likely alert Marshall to the intruders outside the conference room.
"We can blast the lock," she finally whispered. "It will give Marshall a few second's warning that we're coming for him, but I don't think we have a choice in the matter."
Anthony nodded. The sooner he got to Plum, the better.
The pair of aurors stood back and pointed their wands at the door handle. All of a sudden, there was a loud bang and a great deal of smoke. Both of them immediately rushed forward and pushed open the door to find Marshall aiming his wand at Chandran, whose hands were up in the air.
Plum's eyes widened in recognition when she saw Anthony, but she didn't say anything.
"Put your wand down!" Jaidan yelled. "Nice and easy!"
"You put your wands down or I'll kill him!" Marshall snarled. He used his free hand to scoop up coins from the table and stuffed them into his pockets.
"It's over, Marshall. The building is surrounded. You might as well give up now," Jaidan went on. Anthony, meanwhile, eased closer to Plum and Clementine.
"Oh, I'm not giving up," Marshall countered angrily. "I'm getting what I deserve!"
He suddenly sensed Anthony's approached and wheeled around, pointing his wand first at Anthony and then at Plum. He reached for her and yanked her up out of her chair.
"Get your hands off of her," Anthony growled.
Marshall jabbed the tip of his wand into Plum's neck. "I don't think so, auror. I'm going to leave here with the money, and to do that, I'll need to take her with me. So back off unless you want her killed."
He sensed movement behind him and whirled while still holding onto Plum to see Chandran producing his own wand, which Marshall had never confiscated. Unfortunately, Chandran's nerves made it impossible for him to extract the wand from the folds of his robes without difficulty. Marshall slashed his wand in the air, the effect of which caused a gash across Chandran's chest. Chandran fell to the ground.
Before Marshall could pivot back around, Anthony fired a stunning spell at his back. It struck true, forcing Marshall to release Plum as he fell unconscious to the ground. Plum kept her balance, though her legs were shaking. She stepped back against the wall to steady herself, but Anthony had her in his arms in no time.
A second later, the other team of aurors flooded the room.
A Return to Normal
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 06-23-12 18:43
Having had two weeks to digest Bronywn's interrogation, I still wasn't fully sure what to think. I did, however, figure out one very important thing. I hated my new look.
Had Bron seen what happened after she left, she would have either laughed… Ok she may have just laughed. The moment she disappeared trough the fireplace I was off. I hadn't actually thrown any of my clothes or other things out, as she probably thought.
I did the full two-footed power slide down the short hall to the guest bedroom, thanks to fluffy socks and hardwood floors. There, in the room, were the boxes that contained my old clothes. They also had all my boots and makeup. The boxes made a prompt return to my room.
I had dumped the boxes out in the closet, and then filled them with most of the new stuff. I did like a few of the new outfits, and Bron did seem to like the idea of dressing alike. More then I would have thought actually. I had figured that she wouldn't mind if we still could. Two weeks later, the pile still hadn't been fully cleared out.
After the clothes had been dealt with, I took care of the most important part, my hair. By the end of that day it was just as colorful as it had been before the makeover. And not a moment too soon.
Since then, I haven't had to remember that my reflection was actually me and not my sister. I did have fun confusing people when my hair and manner of dress were normal, but I was better off the way I was.
Contrary Body
Author: Declan
Date: 06-23-12 20:57
The only thing Declan has going most Tuesdays are some afternoon office hours. When first seeing what his course schedule would be like and setting offices hours around it, he'd deliberately left the block of Tuesday morning free. Though he does often spend the time in his office or classroom it's nice having the leisure to do something else if wanted or needed.
This morning Declan had slept in a little later than usual then spent a little time writing replies to letters from his mother and sister. After that he'd been in his classroom playing around with changing up some of the decor and how the room is arranged. He stops before the morning gets entirely away from him. There are some things away from school he's needing to take care of. Declan could wait until the weekend or after office hours this afternoon, but he'd reached a good stopping point and going into Hogsmeade, and possibly even to Diagon Alley was already on his mind so that's what he's going to do.
Halfway down the path from the castle to the main gates Declan spots an all too familiar darkly red headed figure also walking towards the gates. Eyes fixed on her he stops, thinking he'll give her a little time to get further ahead but then, as seems to happen more often than he would like around her, his body behaves contrary to his thoughts. Moving on their own volition, Declan's legs resume walking and at a pace sure to overtake her.
When he's nearly within arm's reach, Declan's vocal chords decide to countermand his brain's decision. "Zabrynna! Hello."
Zabrynna slows but doesn't stop entirely. Her braid swishes across her back as she looks over her shoulder, cordial smile on her lips. "Morning, Professor Douglass."
As he becomes level with her, she returns to her regular pace. Declan shortens his naturally longer side to walk beside her, fingers itching uncomfortably to reach over and give her braid a playful tug, his thoughts already in denial that there'd be any flirtiness to it whatsoever.
"I thought we'd decided you'd call me Declan that now you're no longer in school here and as I am a good friend of your sister's and AJ's."
"Yes, we did, but I got to thinking that when on school grounds and you being staff, maybe I shouldn't be so informal."
"You call AJ by his name."
"That's different. He might be my boss by he's practically my brother-in-law."
"I don't mind but if you don't want to, that's fine. You were working for AJ this morning?"
"Yes, more on organizing those archives he's using for research. I was ready for a break so I thought I'd get some lunch in the village."
"I was thinking of doing that myself. I have some business at Gringotts and also need to start looking around for a wedding gift for a school chum getting married in May. If I start looking now, I might actually find something by the day of the wedding."
"Hard to buy for or you're not a good shopper?"
"She's extremely hard to buy for but I think I'm also clueless about these sorts of things."
A thought pops into Declan's head and though his brain immediately retracts while that little voice in his head urges him, "Don't do it!" he hears himself saying, "Do you think you could help? I'd be grateful for your input and would even buy you lunch."
With the history between them Zabrynna's surprised look is not wholly unexpected. He full expects her to politely decline but after several seconds of silence, an unreadable expression on her face, the cordial smiles returns. "Yes, okay."
"Excellent."
The rest of the walk into Hogsmeade is spent with Zabrynna asking questions about Declan's school mate, saying it will help her help him choose a wedding gift.
Portrait, Pupil & Proclamation
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 06-24-12 09:53
Laurel Westwick studied the repairwork done to her little portrait. The conservationist had taken great care in mending the unsightly gash received sometime in the last quarter century. Evidence of the portrait's injury remained in the form of a thin seam a miniscule shade lighter than the backdrop of the painting.
Despite its lack of perfection, Laurel felt pleased with the results. A thin seam was nothing in comparison to the large wound her canvas had carried for years and years.
She looked out and observed Rowan with her elbow on the table and her head in her hand. Rowan took notes while her new tutor, a stern-looking, older witch by the name Karin Clearwater, lectured on the properties of the Wiggentree. Mrs. Clearwater had only begun tutoring Rowan yesterday. She was firm and did not tolerate laziness, but otherwise she seemed partial to her new student.
Rowan found Mrs. Clearwater to be pleasant enough, though a slave driver. She had no memory of working this hard in so few days while at Hogwarts.
"…of course the bowtruckle is attracted to––" Mrs. Clearwater recited, only to be interrupted by Elgiva Finch, who had just come into the room looking a bit pink in the face from excitement.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Elgiva began, "but I've just heard from Mara Croft at the Ministry of Magic."
Rowan shot up from her chair, abandoning her quill on the table. "Were they successful?"
Elgiva's eyes were bright. "I think so. She didn't specify, but she said there's something she wants us to see." She turned to Mrs. Clearwater. "Karin, would you mind if we call it a day today? I'm afraid something important has come to our attention."
"Something more important than learning?" Mrs. Clearwater asked, the doubt heavy in her voice.
"Oh, yes."
Mrs. Clearwater looked affronted but didn't argue.
"We will see you tomorrow, then," Elgiva expressed hurriedly. "See yourself out?"
She didn't wait for Karin's reply and simply held out her hand to Rowan. Rowan glanced at Laurel, who smiled up at her. Rowan smiled back and then seized Elgiva's hand.
(Aralyn & Kristos) Family Rumor
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 06-24-12 11:28
"I say we kill them," Aralyn whispered to her brother. They were standing in the kitchen but had a clear view of the living room, where their two captives sat slouched in identical chairs.
"We've been holding them for twenty days now. I'm sure we've gotten everything we're going to get from them. Besides, they stink."
Kristos followed her gaze. Danae Webb and Moses Allenham had been wearing the same clothes for nearly three weeks now. They hadn't had a bath in just as long.
"Fine, but we'll need to figure out what to do with the bodies."
"I say put them in the basement."
"That's only a temporary solution," Kristos said. "We'll need to come up with something longterm."
"And we will, later," Aralyn responded petulantly, starting to get annoyed. "So, are we going to kill them now or what?"
Saying nothing in reply, Kristos pulled out his wand and stepped into the living room.
Danae and Moses looked up. Danae was a woman in her fifties, who looked surprisingly youthful. She had shoulder-length, light brown hair and no grays, which made Aralyn envious, having found a few silver hairs mixed in with her own dark brown hair. Danae had light green eyes and a small, yet feminine build.
Moses was in his early forties and had darker hair and eyes. In appearance, he looked similar to Kristos and Aralyn. The surname Allenham was the maiden name of Dawn Fox's mother, which made both captors and their prisoner related––they were second cousins. Kristos and Aralyn had never known of his existence, though Moses had certainly known about them.
In the last three weeks, Aralyn and Kristos had learned about an old family rumor that said their parents had had knowledge regarding a valued dark object. Allegedly, Michael and Dawn had been the only ones to know what the object was and where it was located. Rumor had it, only they had the ability to retrieve it. Nobody had any inkling what the object was, other than it had supposedly been given to them by Lord Voldemort himself.
Unfortunately, Michael and Dawn died before anyone could verify the rumor. Moses had learned about it sometime thereafter and mentioned it to his friend Danae, who'd come up with the idea to impersonate Michael and Dawn in an effort to find the mysterious object. Danae was an accomplished obliviator and easily manipulated the minds of everyone Michael and Dawn had come into contact with over time.
Moses, meanwhile, had the bodies of Michael and Dawn exhumed in secret so that he could get the hairs needed for the polyjuice potion he and Danae would need to ingest as long as they kept up their ruse. Moses wasn't an expert at potions but could brew polyjuice potion in his sleep.
By day, they pretended to be Michael and Dawn Fox. Behind closed doors, they searched the house for the rumored dark object. They checked for secret compartments in trunks, secret spaces beneath floorboards, and secret rooms behind bookshelves. They checked the vault at Gringotts. They spent years looking at everything everywhere but had never found anything at all.
When asked why they didn't just give up, they said they had made it their life's mission to find the object. They'd give up when they were both dead.
And now that time had come.
Kristos raised his wand. "Any last words?"
Moses said, "I'm family. Surely you don't want my blood on your hands."
Kristos killed him first. Aralyn had closed all the curtains in the house so that the blinding green light couldn't been seen from the street.
Danae raised her chin, unafraid to die. "You'll never find it," she said to them. "You'll go to your graves––early graves if I have anything to do with it––wondering just what dear dead Mummy and Daddy were hiding from you both."
Kristos killed her too.
Aralyn came forward to help move the bodies into the basement. "Do you believe her?" she asked Kristos, after laying both Danae and Moses side by side on the cold, concrete floor.
"She can't send us to our early graves if she's already dead," Kristos scoffed.
"No, I mean about the treasure."
He looked at his sister. "It would seem to me that they went to an awful lot of trouble to locate whatever it is. I think there must be some truth to the rumor."
Aralyn smiled. "Do you think it will make us rich?"
Kristos shook his head. "I don't know we'll have better luck finding it. Mum and Dad obviously did a good job keeping it secret."
Aralyn looked down at the bodies. "I wish they would have told us."
"Me too," Kristos said. "Me too."