|
|
Birthday Boy
Author: Griffin Price
Date: 11-30-12 14:57
"Try and catch me, Daddy!"
Tristan runs full tilt past the bench where Carys and Griff sit. He waits until Tristan is just beyond the bench before leaping up to give chase. Seeing his father as he looks over his shoulder, the newly turned six year old gives a squeal, trying to make his legs pump even faster. He leads Griff through a slightly wooded section of park, weaving in and out amongst trees and bushes, taunting his father every so often. "You can't get me, Dad!" "I'm too fast!" "Mummy, look! Daddy can't catch me!"
Griff plays the part well, making it appear he's working hard to catch his son, even coming close enough to touch Tristan a few times but never actually reaching the boy. Griff finally slows, bending to put hands on knees. "You're too fast for me, Tristan." He points to the bench. "I'm going to sit down with Mummy and get my breath."
"Just a little more, Daddy. Pleeeease?"
"In a minute. Let me rest first."
Griff retakes his spot beside Carys, Tristan trailing behind asking, "How long is a minute again?"
With a wink to Carys, Griff leans forward and snatches Tristan up when his son gets close enough to the bench to hear the answer to his question. "HA! Got you!"
Tristan laughs and squirms all the while protesting, "No fair, Dad."
"Sure it's fair. You said to catch you and I did."
Tristan looks to Carys. "Mummy, tell him."
Carys puts a finger to her chin as if in deep thought. "Hmmmm. Usually, I would say Daddy's right, Tristan. You dared him to you and did say he could try to only when you were running and he was chasing you. But, as it is your birthday today, I think we can make an exception."
"What's an expecton?"
"Exception. It means that for today, you win and Daddy lost."
"YAY!" the boy chortles.
Still holding Tristan, Griff tickles him. "Laugh at my loss, will you?"
Tristan giggles loudly, squirming to get away while not really trying to actually break free. After a minute Griff stops and Tristan sprawls across his lap and Carys, panting while grinning. Carys leans down to kiss his nose before saying, "Ready to go eat pizza?"
"Yes!"
As part of his birthday today both Griff and Carys took the entire day off to spend with the birthday boy. Tristan had chosen several favorites for breakfast then got to have his favorite fast food for lunch. In between breakfast and lunch, and then after lunch, the three had spent time doing things Tristan wanted to do, within reason.
He'd told them days before he wanted pizza for his birthday supper. What he doesn't know is that armed with that information, Carys had invited several to meet at the pizza parlor for a party. In addition to Alun and Ruth, a few of Tristan's friends and their parents will be there. Though Tristan has already opened some gifts today, Carys and Griff had held back so there'd be something from them to open this evening at the birthday party. If not for saving a new broomstick to open this evening, Tristan having now outgrown his first one, Griff has no doubt part of today in the park would have been spent with Tristan trying it out. He has a feeling that if Tristan isn't falling over tired after they get home tonight, he'll be begging to give the broom a whirl before having to go to bed.
Carys has hold of Tristan and Griff has the things they brought to the park. First is apparating home to clean up and then it will be pizza and birthday party time. As Carys disapparates with Tristan and Griff is in the process of doing the same, he wonders where exactly the time has gone that it's been six years since his son was born.
Kitty
Author: Marzipan
Date: 11-30-12 17:41
Marzi slipped out of the greenhouse at the end of her office hours (it being only the second day of school, she'd had no one visit) and began the trek across the Hogwarts grounds to the front of the castle. She liked to take the long way around, especially with the weather still relatively pleasant.
Once inside the castle, she made her way to the nursery Professor Dumbledore had kindly set up for the staff members with young children. The boys looked happy to see their mother, and each embraced one of her legs. Vallon's current favorite toy, the little wooden doll, was in his mouth. Marzi didn't understand his fascination with the old thing, but it obviously made him happy.
She took each boy by the hand and led them from the nursery to the Ravenscroft family's quarters, where they were surprised to find Weston home from work and in the company of his mother, Kitty. Katherine "Kitty" Edgecomb had not been married to Weston's father and had more or less raised her son without the help of Constantius, who Marzi knew had been too busy wooing her own mother to worry about his ex and their child.
Kitty was a few years younger than Marzi's own mother and had maintained a youthful appearance, such that she looked more like Weston's older sister than his biological mother. Her hair was blonde and wavy, and her eyes were a shade of blue that almost looked gray.
She held out her arms to the boys as they came into the living room. Their eyes lit up and they ran to her, Vallon spitting out the doll along the way. It landed in a slobbery heap on the Persian rug Constantius and Georgia had picked up during a business trip to Hamburg a few years ago. The rug had been in Marzi's quarters at Hogwarts since sometime after her wedding to Weston.
"How are my babies?" Kitty asked the boys, kissing first Carter and then Vallon on the head. Carter wasn't her biological grandchild, but she loved him all the same.
Marzi kissed her husband, who had risen to greet her, and asked, "What are you doing home from work? Is everything all right?" She looked from him to Kitty, who was smothering the giggling boys with kisses.
"Everything's fine," Weston assured her. "I decided to leave work early, and by chance bumped into Mum in Diagon Alley. I invited her back here so that we could talk." He looked at Marzi meaningfully, and the implication was not lost on her. Weston was trying to convince Kitty to travel with him to Ayrshire to reconnect with the mother who had disowned her.
"Marzi, sweetheart, it is good to see you," Kitty said, untangling herself from the two boys to give her daughter-in-law a hug.
Marzi smiled. "It's good to see you too."
"How was your day?" Weston asked.
Marzi turned back to him. "It was nice. No problems. The first days of term are always easy. Do you need a refill?" she asked, noticing the empty tea cups on the table.
"I'll get us some more tea," Weston said. "You sit down."
Marzi took his old seat and smiled at Kitty. Vallon and Carter occupied themselves with toys, allowing their mother and grandmother a chance to talk without interruptions.
"Weston wants me to face my mother," Kitty said.
"What do you think about that?" Marzi asked.
Kitty shook her head. "I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I have no interest in ever seeing her again. When I told her I was pregnant, she told me she never wanted to have anything to do with me again. And she meant it. I haven't seen her for longer than Weston has been alive. But on the other hand," she went on with a sigh, "she's the only mother I've got. And Weston so desperately wants to know her. I don't know what put the idea in his head all of a sudden."
"I don't either," Marzi admitted, "but he's definitely committed to it."
"Weston's always been that way. If he wants something, he will do all he can to make sure it happens for him––within reason, of course. Weston always goes about it the right way."
He came back into the room at that moment and asked, "Are you talking about me? My ears are burning."
Marzi laughed. "Maybe we are. Thank you." She accepted a cup and saucer and took a small sip. The tea was still very hot.
"Thank you, dear," Kitty said, taking her own cup and saucer from Weston. After he sat down next to Marzi, Kitty said to him, "I can't promise this will go the way you want it to. My mother isn't exactly a reasonable person."
"I'm willing to take that risk," Weston said.
Kitty sipped her tea for a long moment. "All right. I will go with you, but I do hope you won't be disappointed."
Weston lit up. "Thank you. I know I can't get my hopes up that this will turn out as planned, but I'm glad you're going to take the first step with me."
He beamed at his mother and then turned to his wife, who likened him to a balloon and desperately hoped that he wouldn't get popped.
Past, Present & Future
Author: Carys
Date: 11-30-12 18:17
A Little Pizza Heaven was crowded for a Tuesday night, but luckily Carys and Griff had made reservations early enough to ensure that Tristan's birthday dinner went off without a hitch. Little voices talked animatedly all around the long table. Most belonged to little boys, but a few girls had also been invited to the party. Tristan had pizza sauce smeared all over his face, but he wasn't the only messy eater in the bunch.
Carys watched her son laugh at something the boy next to him said and couldn't imagine life without him, even though he probably shouldn't have ever been born. After all, his mother had been at Hogwarts when he'd been conceived. Carys had also been in the worst place in her life when she'd invited Griff into her bed. Her brother and mother had both just died in two separate, but terrible incidents.
Carys thought back to that time in her life and wondered how she had ever survived it. She'd been so reckless and so stupid.
Griff put a hand on her arm. "Where'd you go?"
She met his eyes and said, "Back in time. Do you remember when we first met?"
"It's hard to forget, considering what day it was." The day Voldemort and some of his followers attacked shoppers in Diagon Alley.
Carys nodded. "I was just thinking about how I acted back then. I was such a––" She stopped in time to censor herself and then finished, "you-know-what. I don't know what you ever saw in me."
"I saw you."
"And here I thought I was doing a good job hiding the real me from the world. I was so angry."
"I know, and you had reason to be."
Carys turned her head to look at her son again. "I'm glad you saw me," she said to Griff, as she watched Tristan tell a silly joke to his friends. "If you hadn't, we wouldn't have him."
Griffin put his arm around Carys. "I know I shouldn't have crossed that line with you, not then, but I'm glad I did. In another six years, he'll be starting at Hogwarts."
"Hard to believe," Carys murmured. "Where does the time go?"
Surprising Desi
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 11-30-12 20:06
As Desi's room got crowded again, Orion discreetly slipped the cards out of the plants and gathered the pots up, taking them outside to ask the healers which patients might most appreciate them. Desi wasn't the type to keep a plant alive. He left the flowers alone, but the actual living things went to patients without anyone to bring them something. It was something he and Desi had actually discussed, he just hadn't wanted to leave her while doing it. But with the crowd, it was easy enough.
He'd also picked up on her discomfort, and it only increased his own. He wasn't fond of hospitals, especially not after spending the entire weekend in one, leaving only to bathe and to eat, or when Bronwyn dragged him out of the room to interrogate him further. He'd found himself telling the witch anything she wanted to know, within reason, and probably somethings he'd regret later, but she'd seemed pleased with what he said. And he knew that gaining Bronwyn's trust would go a long way to keeping Desi's.
Once he was done delivering the plants, he stopped back at the healer's desk to ask about beginning the discharge for Desi, and was surprised to find he could go ahead and take her home, if there were somewhere safe where she wouldn't be on her own. Which was definitely not a problem, since Orion himself had an extra bedroom, and he could stay there with her easily enough. No one at the school would be surprised by it, since most everyone there knew Desi as his girlfriend and they would expect him to be off while she recuperated.
When the crowd had died down to just a few again, he slipped back in. Desi looked up and tilted her head, studying him.
"Where did you go?"
"I took the plants, like you asked me to earlier, and I asked about your discharge."
Driver looked at the pair. "Desi can stay with me, above the bar," he started.
"I've already set it up that she can stay at my flat, I have an extra bedroom and St. Emrys already expects me to be gone while she recuperates," Orion said, nodding at the unspoken questions in Desi's eyes. They had more they needed to talk about, and she knew him well enough to know it wouldn't be happening when just anyone could walk in. He'd explain more at the flat. "And I'll make sure to give Bronwyn the address, as well as set up the wards to allow her in. They're doing the paperwork now, and they said you can either go tonight or in the morning, whichever you'd prefer."
(Anton) Before Astronomy
Author: Roger Bexley
Date: 12-01-12 03:27
A few hours before they were due at the Astronomy Tower for their first instruction on the stars and planets, a small pack of Slytherin first years were seated around the dark fireplace of their common room, bathed in the cool, subterranean light issuing from the lake windows. Anton had a scroll of parchment unravelled on the black-leather couch in front of him, pondering the six inches of finely-printed handwriting on Valeria's Transfiguration homework.
"How did you manage to write all this?" he asked, incredulous.
"I made most of it up. Besides, Professor Flint only wanted to know our opinion on the subject. It's not that hard to write a page on what I think."
"Because you think so much," giggled Petula. "It's not exactly challenging."
The young boy rolled his eyes, smoothing out his blank parchment.
"Avery!" Bruno charged up the steps that led to the boys dormitories, his round face flushed and the tips of his ears an incensed pink. "C-coy told me that Albus Dumbledore is a worthless card! I want my Merwyn the Malicious back!"
"Honestly, Bruno, I naturally thought since Headmaster Dumbledore died, the card's value would go up," he replied nonchalantly, without raising his eyes from the blank parchment. "But if you want to take that risk, and lose out on a good bargain..."
Bruno paused, still quivering a little. "Fine, then." He glanced warily at the two girls who were pretending to be absorbed in their homework. "We were going to start a chess match in the boys dormitories before Astronomy - did you want to play? Or..." His gaze lingered on Petula, suspiciously. "...are you too busy socialising with girls?"
"He's doing his homework," Valeria interjected coolly. "I think you should be, too."
"No way! Have you seen the chess pieces down there, they've got to be hundreds of years old!"
"Have fun," griped Anton. "I've got a paper to write."
Shopping (Starry Prophesier, Knockturn Alley)
Author: Xiomara Sofia Serano
Date: 12-01-12 05:13
The shop spread out before me in a maze of clutter. Trinkets and tomes mingled and cluttered shelves but I had little to no trouble weaving through the expansive clutter to locate the times that I need. My gaze flicked over a few scant others that browsed the shop, stopping before a stack of tomes I let my thoughts drift to Cassandra Catesby, curious if she'd made headway on locating the book that I so desired. I'd have to owl her when I got home, because it would seem that the store front was dark, indicating that she was not within - perhaps she was out hunting for the book or tending to business for someone else.
For now, I needed to replenish or perhaps increase my own divination stores. Also, it was always a good idea to perhaps see if anything new has turned up on the shelves.
"Madame Serano. It is a pleasure to see you this fine day." The words belonged to a wrinkled crone that manned the shop. The witch had not aged well, but then again dealing with the dark arts did have a tendency to come with a price.
"Madame Shiva. Good day to you, have you anything new and unique to share with me today?"
A twinkle in the older woman's eye confirmed just that and within moments I was trailing along behind her toward the back room. Safely ensconced within the private office I waited almost with the anticipation of a child on Christmas morning to see what goody she had for me tucked away, because I would most surely purchase it from her - no matter the cost.
She drew from within a heavily lidded box a velvet wrapped parcel that was perhaps a touch larger than a hand mirror and slowly, carefully withdrew the covering to reveal the silvery surface of a mirror. The edges gleamed in flickering light, golden leaves and petite roses lined the outer edges.
"It is beautiful..." I murmured, reaching to touch the edge. A hiss of pain escaping me as I pricked the pad of my index finger on a golden thorn. Drawing the punctured digit to my lips I suckled gently upon it to ease the pain.
It took mere moments for my eyes to register what was occurring on the mirror before me. A smile spread across my lips as I watched my daughter playing with some older toys tucked away in the attic. I remembered most of those toys, playing with them with my siblings. I could not hear what was being said during her mock tea party with the dolls, but it was obvious she was talking to someone.
Within a few moments the scene before me faded and the mirror's surface was once more deceptively calm and silvery.
"Ah, you've seen a bit of what it can do my dear. It will allow you to scry upon anyone you desire with merely a thought and a droplet of blood to feed the magic drawn within."
I spent moments speaking with the woman, before I exited the shop with the thin, heavily lidded box tucked neatly within a shopping bag. I wouldn't miss the galleons that it cost me to procure the mirror, nor would I miss the galleons that came along with the procurement of the tome Cassandra was locating for me. For now, I opted for a quick lunch and then ultimately headed home.
Breakfast
Author: Celeste Quigley
Date: 12-01-12 08:09
For the past two days, Celeste had given classes to the fifth years. She knew they were probably tired of hearing the same speech about the OWLs over and over, but nevertheless she told them how this year was very important for their future and how vital it was to start studying right from the start because later, they wouldn't have time to study everything at the same time.
Some had paid attention to what she told them, but of course others just looked at her in disbelief. Celeste could already guess those who would be in despair to pass their OWLs by the end of the year.
Today she was going to teach her sixth years class and things would be a little bit different. These were the students who had an Outstanding or an Exceeds Expectations in their Astronomy OWL and if they had made it so far it meant they were actually interested in the subject she was teaching and they didn't attend her classes just because it was obligatory.
It was still odd for Celeste to appear at the school in her new looks, however everyone seemed to get used to it by now and she was sure everyone had more things to think about than her new appearance.
Celeste observed the sky of the enchanting ceiling of the Great Hall, before she started to put some jam in her toast. She noticed Eugene had served himself with a generous dose of bacon and she quickly lectured him about such unhealthy habit.
"But the students are having it as well…" he tried to excuse himself.
She kindly reminded her husband he was not seventeen anymore and Poppy Pomfrey, who had heard his complaints, supported Celeste in her point of view. Joylon then appeared for breakfast and Celeste pointed out his plate as an example of a healthy meal.
Tired of having his eating habits being criticized, Eugene changed the subject:
"You still owe me five galleons, dear."
They had made a little bet about which house Caleb would be sorted. Celeste was convinced he would be an Hufflepuff. Eugene ,who had belonged to Ravenclaw during his time at Hogwarts, had bet on his own house and won.
"I know. But my wallet is upstairs, so I'll pay you later."
"You keep saying that," he complained.
She grinned has her eyes moved towards the Ravenclaw table and she tried to spot her nephew. It seemed that he wasn't around, and Celeste just hoped Caleb wouldn't be still in his dorm sleeping or he would be late for his first morning class.
Celeste still didn't know her nephew very well, but the time spent together during the summer had made her feel quite attached to the boy and she felt it was her duty to keep an eye on him. She thought that maybe she should ask him to visit her someday at his living quarters just so she could see if he was adapting well to his academic life and if he had made any new friends, beyond the girl he had met during the holidays.
She was thinking about that, taking her cup of tea to her lips, when she saw Caleb entering the Great Hall with Sophie at his side. All her hopes died and her face turned into a frown. She knew she could not interfere with his nephew's friendships, however that didn't mean she could not avoid feeling upset about it.
Exposé
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 12-01-12 08:46
Kneeling briefly to pat the head of Victoire as she tottered by him, Bill continued on to the dining room window, where a large, horned owl rapped its beak against the glass. Bill swung the window open, admitting the magnificent creature into the house. It landed on the table, where it set the latest edition of The Daily Prophet and held out its leg for payment. Bill fished a few coins out of the pocket of his trousers and put them into the coin purse tied to the owl's leg. Satisfied, the owl flew out the window.
The bold headline on the front page immediately caught Bill's eye:
DUMBLEDORE'S KILLER IDENTIFIED by Rita Skeeter
complete with an older photograph of Adriana Fairchild, in which she smiled and waved at the camera, looking nothing at all like a killer.
Although Bill had already known the truth, he felt his stomach drop. It was his understanding that the Ministry of Magic had intentionally kept details regarding the investigation into Dumbledore's death quiet, in order to better conduct an examination of the evidence and follow leads without the media broadcasting every step along the way.
He unfolded the newspaper and hastily read Skeeter's article, in which she outed Adriana as Dumbledore's killer and revealed her ties to Voldemort, information that until now had been kept confidentially within the Auror Office and Order of the Phoenix. Skeeter did not go so far as to identify Adriana as Voldemort's "spiritual daughter", and merely implied that she was a loyal supporter hoping to renew interest in the deceased dark wizard's pureblood values.
According to Skeeter, the reason the Ministry of Magic did not publicize the identity of Dumbledore's killer was because it would reflect badly on the administration at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had twice hired the witch who had ultimately killed him. He had also hired other professors of dubious loyalty to the dark arts, such as Christina Sorcha, Ethan Somerset and Severus Snape. A few, such as some of the above mentioned and Sirius Black, had also spent time in prison.
Much of Skeeter's evidence of Dumbledore's knack for hiring questionable staff to teach the impressionable children of the wizarding world was false, or were truths skewed such that they seemed far worse than reality. Bill knew this, even if he didn't know the detailed ins and outs of everyone mentioned in the article, but he also knew that there would be many wizards reading Skeeter's article who would believe every written word.
Fleur stepped into the room with Dominique on her hip. Bill looked up and met her eyes for a long moment. They were still on shaky ground. The topic of Adriana was a big no-no, as neither could stay calm once the name came up in conversation. Bill folded the newspaper and tucked it under his arm, not wishing to start off the morning any worse than it already had.
She looked at the newspaper but said nothing. She knew that Bill checked it every day for word about Adriana and suspected something had finally been written about her.
"Do you want an omelette?" she asked him.
"Yes, thanks," Bill replied. He went to his briefcase, which was on the floor in the entryway, and slipped the newspaper inside it.
"And to drink?" Fleur asked, moving into the kitchen.
"Pumpkin juice would be fine," Bill answered, following her and taking Dominique off her hands.
Dominique reached out her hands to hold onto Bill's chin and then squealed with laughter because he hadn't shaved and was a bit prickly. He smiled at her and kissed her nose.
"Do you zink work will be busy today?" Fleur asked, trying to make friendly conversation.
"It might be. What are your plans?" Bill asked, playing along. He didn't like to fight with Fleur.
"I will take Marguerite to ze vet for a check-up," she replied, whisking various omelette ingredients together in a frying pan. "Maybe, we will spend time in ze park, eef ze weather stays nice."
"Good," Bill lamely replied.
"Yes," Fleur agreed.
A short while later, they sat down to an awkward breakfast. Bill ate his omelette and drank his pumpkin juice, thinking about the implications in Rita Skeeter's article. Maybe it was time to call a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, but without Dumbledore, who should lead it?
(Aralyn) The Shocking Truth
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 12-01-12 10:31
The Ministry of Magic bustled with activity, when Aralyn arrived on Wednesday morning. She had gotten up ungodly early, for no reason other than she couldn't sleep anymore, even though she'd still felt tired. Last night had been a late one at Petals, and once again, Aralyn had been disappointed in having received the least amount of tips out of all the other dancers. She tried not to take it personally, but it wasn't easy considering her job was based on how she looked and moved.
The constant jostling she endured upon arrival at the Ministry quickly caused her to realize that she had made a mistake in arriving during the morning rush. Workers were just arriving and crowded the Atrium as they said their good mornings and hellos and made their way to their respective offices.
Aralyn decided to move out of the way and leaned against a stretch of tiled wall near the snack carriage called Ministry Munchies. It had a long queue, with most workers getting a cup of coffee or tea and a scone or muffin. The aromas made Aralyn's stomach growl, and reminded her of the bland bowl of cereal she'd eaten at home. Kristos, being obsessed with the sword the Fox parents had gotten from Voldemort, barely left the house nowadays and didn't give Aralyn adequate allowance for grocery shopping.
She enviously eyed a cranberry muffin and wondered if she had enough money on her to buy one. The line remained long for quite some time, however, and Aralyn didn't budge from her place against the wall.
At last, the Atrium cleared somewhat, though it never truly became idle. Aralyn approached the information desk and inquired where to find the public records office. The kind witch behind the desk looked a little familiar and had Aralyn wondering if they'd attended Hogwarts together. She felt a little jealous when she thought about how everybody else she knew seemed to be doing better in life than she.
Armed with information on where to go, Aralyn walked to the bank of lifts and entered the first available one. She got off on Level 6 and approached the Public Information Services Office. Aralyn was concerned that she would get turned away, because what she wanted to know might be considered too personal, but she was pleasantly surprised to discover that while she wouldn't get to see the actual birth certificate for Charlotte Stratford, certain details from Charlotte's birth were considered public record.
The witch at the desk directed her to another witch, who produced a large, thick register book. Aralyn gave her the date of Charlotte's birth, and the witch thumbed to the start page for that date before turning the book over to Aralyn.
Aralyn noted that the births were listed alphabetically by last name. She immediately went to the S's, but didn't see Charlotte's name listed anywhere. There was a Scarborough and a Sutton, but not Stratford in between.
Puzzled, Aralyn wondered if Lysander had covered his tracks and eradicated his daughter from the record entirely. What did he have against Charlotte's mother to do such a thing, if he had in fact erased his daughter's records?
As it happened, not many wizarding births were listed for December 31, 1999. Before giving up entirely, Aralyn decided to scan the entire list, just in case Charlotte appeared under a different, but still recognizable name.
She gasped when her finger landed on an entry for FOX, CHARLOTTE MARIE.
Fox wasn't an uncommon name in the wizarding world, and Charlotte and Marie weren't exactly rare separate or in combination either.
But the accompanying information said it all. FATHER: STRATFORD, LYSANDER. MOTHER: FOX, ARALYN.