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Outpatient (Orion's Flat, London)
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 12-03-12 12:15
I had decided to spend one last night in the hospital. To give Orion time to ready his place, since it's not normally in a state to have guests. It also gave me time to tell everyone that I was being discharged. I had to promise that I would visit Driver as soon as I could, since he did have something important to tell me. My parents returned home after I told them. Of course they stayed and visited for a while before they left.
It had taken all of Wednesday morning to actually get me out of St. Mungos. I had paperwork that had to be signed. I also found that I was still very sore and stiff and moved like an old woman, which was not something I enjoyed. Still, I was happy to be out of there. I wasn't entirely sure who Orion had to use his super spy charming on to get me out of there, but I didn't care.
He put me up in his guest room. Bed was comfortable enough, but the room was sterile. Sterile in the 'there's nothing personal in here' sort of way. It was almost as bad as the hospital room. However, I wasn't restricted here. In the hospital I couldn't leave the room. Here I could, even if Orion protested. I wouldn't leave the flat because I had to humor Orion and let him be protective, but he couldn't hold me in that one room.
Last night was uneventful. This morning, however, I couldn't find Orion. I called a couple of times, because his floors are frozen in the morning. Ok, really cold, and I didn't want to walk on them in my bare feet. He didn't show up, so I had to suck it up and go looking for him. He wasn't anywhere, his room, kitchen, nowhere.
So, after searching his flat, I found what I needed to take a nice long hot shower. After that, I'd eat something.
(Mark) Between Classes
Author: Isolde
Date: 12-03-12 12:19
Mark took his time packing up his things at the close of History of Magic class and then leaned against the wall outside the classroom door. He knew that Kate had History of Magic this next hour and hoped to catch her before class for a few minutes.
Since the start of term, both had been busy. As a fifth year, Kate had O.W.L.s at the end of the school year, and in less than a week already felt overloaded with homework and other assignments. While Mark didn't have to take the N.E.W.T.s this summer, his sixth year courses were already preparing him for those very nasty exams. He had so much homework that he didn't know where to find the time to do anything fun.
He checked the wristwatch on his arm and hoped that Kate would soon appear. Mark had Transfiguration next hour and didn't want to be late. Slytherin was already well-ahead with House Points. Mark didn't want to allow the other houses a chance to catch up by losing points for something as simple as being tardy.
Just then, Kate turned the corner with her friend Anita and locked eyes with Mark. A smile spread across her face. Anita didn't notice Mark until she and Kate were at the classroom door.
"I'll be right in," Kate told her.
Anita's expression was a mixture of pleasure at seeing Kate with a boy and curiosity at what her friend had done to trump the pride many Slytherins took in keeping with their own. She slipped into the classroom and took her seat.
Kate, meanwhile, stepped into Mark's arms for a quick hug and hello kiss. The act produced a few whistles and crude commentary from the other students walking by, causing Kate and Mark to laugh. They put a respectable distance between them in case a teacher happened to see them together.
"Hi," Kate murmured. "Won't you be late to class?"
Mark checked his watch again. "I only need to go down one floor, and as long as the staircases don't trip me up, I should be able to make it if I leave in exactly one minute."
"You probably just jinxed yourself. I bet the first staircase you take will take you somewhere you don't want to go."
"Maybe Professor Black will take pity on me, then. Maybe he's not as hard on the rules as Professor McGonagall. She'd take points AND give me detention for being late."
Kate smiled. "Don't press your luck."
"Are you telling me I should go?" Mark asked, reluctant to leave Kate when they've hardly seen each other all week.
"I don't want you to go, but unless you want to give Hufflepuff a fighting chance at overtaking Slytherin––"
"Oh, that's not going to happen."
"No? I think your minute is up already. You're going to be late."
Mark checked his watch again. "Oh, all right." He pulled her towards him for another kiss, this one a bit longer than the quick peck they'd shared moments earlier.
A throat cleared, and they broke apart, to see Professor Douglass standing in the open doorway to the History of Magic classroom. He has his arms crossed over his chest and a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Mr. Farnon, don't you have somewhere else to be?"
"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir," Mark said, shouldering his backpack. He winked at the blushing Kate and then hurried to the staircases. Luckily, the moving staircases didn't play any tricks on him. He made it to Transfiguration class in the nick of time.
(Cornelia) To Catch a Thief
Author: Griet
Date: 12-03-12 13:47
The stall in Knockturn Alley looked innocuous, but Cornelia suspected the items sold there were anything but harmless. She stood a short distance away, pretending to look into a nearby shop window, when in reality she was watching a wizard in a shabby set of robes pick up pieces of jewelry from the table. Everything he picked up, he put back, which seemed completely against his nature, if the bio sheet tucked in Cornelia's pocket was anything by which to judge.
This was her first case as a bounty hunter. The wizard she'd been assigned to bring in had a string of arrests under his belt, all for theft in the form of shoplifting or pickpocketing. He was probably a decade older than she and looked rather dirty. Cornelia wondered if he slept in a hole in the ground.
He suddenly straightened up, as if he sensed he were being watched. His eyes, both dark as coal, drifted towards Cornelia. The wizard assessed her for a moment, as if he wondered why a pretty young girl would be watching someone like him. Cornelia stared back at him intensely. Although he didn't know who she was, it occurred to him then what she was. He tossed the flowery brooch he'd been holding onto the velvet-lined table and fled in the opposite direction.
Cornelia took off, producing her wand as she did so, and tripped him up with a jinx. He fell to the cobblestones, landing in a thin stream of dirty water that ran off into a grate in the ground. Cornelia sprang onto his back, heedless of his filth, and quickly patted his sides for the location of his own wand. She snatched it out of reach, put it with her own wand, and then slapped the wizard on the back of his head.
"Got you, you filthy, disgusting thief!" she shouted.
She had, of course, drawn a crowd, but everybody looked more amused than anything else. Nobody seemed keen on helping out their fellow, shady man.
"Get off of me, you little bitch!" the wizard spluttered, coughing up some of the dirty water in which he'd landed face first.
"What did you call me?" Cornelia questioned, her voice hard and angry. She stowed away both wands and balled her hands into fists. "You're going to pay for that!"
She proceeded to pummel every inch of him with her firsts until her arms grew tired. Finally, Cornelia got off of him and made him get up, being sure to bind his arms behind his back. The wizard didn't look all that much worse for wear, and Cornelia couldn't say she felt any better.
A short while later, she arrived at the offices of Frost Fugitive Recovery Agency, located in a tiny building in Diagon Alley.
Felix Frost, the agency's owner, happened to be in the front office when she arrived with the wanted criminal in tow. He blinked at the sight of the filthy and beaten wizard, and then took him off of Cornelia's hands to take him to a temporary holding cell.
Cornelia sank into a chair and exhaled a deep breath.
"Nice catch," Felix said, when he came back to the front, "but that's all your job entails. Catching criminals, not beating them to a bloody pulp."
Cornelia scowled and waved her hand. "He's fine. Nothing a shower can't cure."
"I'm not sure you understand, Vanderbilt. What we do here is catch petty criminals… the ones that slip through the cracks because the Ministry of Magic is too busy rounding up rapists and murderers. I'm not saying you can't get rough with them, because sometimes you have no choice, but you can't beat them up when they're already down."
Cornelia shrugged. "He deserved it. They all do."
Felix studied her quietly for a moment. "Did something happen to you, Cornelia? Did you take this job as an outlet to vent your anger?"
She looked him square in the face. "No, nothing happened when I took this job. I just thought this is something I would be good at."
Felix wasn't sure he believed her, but he let the topic drop for now and prepared to make her payment for catching the thief. While he busied himself with that and the paperwork that would ensure the thief's transport to the Ministry of Magic for booking, Cornelia let her mind wander. What she said was true. No single incident had inspired her to take on a job that would allow her to rough-house with criminals.
Meeting Clover Blakely for the first time in years had occurred after she'd already been hired. Yes, perhaps she'd taken out her frustration on that dirty thief, but a criminal was still a criminal. And he'd called her a bitch.
She sighed, thinking back to Friday night when Clover had found her and Griet in Hogsmeade. Clover had acted completely nice and had apologized profusely for slitting Cornelia's throat. Cornelia normally wasn't tongue-tied, but she'd barely been able to breathe that night. It had been Griet who had strongly suggested, in a totally polite way, that Clover should let them be.
That night, Cornelia had dreamed of the day Clover had attacked her. She'd spent the night on the couch at Griet's place every night after that. Griet didn't seem to mind, not even if it meant that Tucker had to sleep alone in his own bed all week.
Tonight being the full moon, however, meant that Cornelia had to suck it up and sleep in her room at home. The nightmares hadn't come back since that first night, and maybe wouldn't, but she still had reservations about not being close to Griet. After all, it had been Griet who had saved her.
Felix came back with a sack full of coins and sent Cornelia home early. Cornelia decided to do the responsible thing and deposit most of the money she'd just earned in her vault at Gringotts, but maybe she would also reward herself with a small present of some sort. Determined to think only happy thoughts from this point forward, she left the office for the bank.
Harry Is Still A Grump
Author: Ron Weasley
Date: 12-03-12 14:33
"Must be a really interesting case."
Ron jumps, never having heard Harry enter his cubicle much less plop into an edge of the desk. Harry grins, a rarity for him of late. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. I did knock and say your name a couple of times."
"That explains the question."
"So, is it? An interesting case, I mean."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"That murder over in Withernsea?"
"No, this is an old case from before we were even born. Terrance and Lorraine Vickers. All the bad stuff from back then I'm really familiar with is all tied to Voldemort and the Death Eaters handiwork. This is a nasty case but they weren't Death Eaters or known Voldemort supporters."
"A cold case?"
"Until yesterday."
"New evidence?"
"Not evidence, no. Information. Kingsley had me take the statement."
Harry's face darkens at Kingsley's name, reminding Ron once again that his best friend is still furious with Minister of Magic Shacklebolt. He quickly hurries on, hoping to distract Harry from going off on another tirade.
"You can't say anything of what I'm about to tell you."
"Okay, sure, but why?"
"The information came from a Hogwarts professor. After that Skeeter article lambasting "
"Lambasting, huh? Still using that word of the day calendar Hermione got you."
"Funny."
Harry's smile in return is tight. "What you're getting is that after that article, if Rita Skeeter were to find out about this professor and whatever that information was, it would be more fuel to her fire."
"Yes, exactly."
"You have my word, now spill."
Ron puts a muffling charm in place, something not all that uncommon in this world of Auror cubicles where privileged information is more than norm than not. Ron quickly runs down the details of the case along with the new information. When he's done Harry says, "I know you're mainly just doing what you can to corroborate what Knight's told you, but I wish I'd been around to be put on it instead of you. Have I mentioned how bored I am? This is just the sort of thing I could be doing to keep busy that would keep me out of the way. Not that I want out of the way, mind you. But HE does so he could have had me on this one."
"I think he asked me because I had met Professor Knight through Majandra."
"I should have guessed that you had when you said he is a Hogwarts professor. That begs the question then of why it's not a conflict of interest for you to be on something involving a person you know but it is one for me to work Professor Dumbledore's murder investigation and the search for Adriana."
Harry sounds more than a little hot. Ron's starting to wonder if living with his somewhat short tempered sister has begun to rub off on his brother-in-law. He raises a hand placatingly.
"My having met Dante Knight in passing two, maybe three times is not exactly the same as looking upon Albus Dumbledore as a mentor and grandfatherly figure and having Adriana Fairchild as a first cousin."
Accepting Ron's point but not wanting to admit it, Harry grumps, "Whatever."
Noting the time Ron looks to change the subject. "Come by to see if I wanted lunch?"
"Yeah."
Removing the muffling charm, Ron closes the Vickers file and locks it away. "Great. I'm famished. Eat here or somewhere out?"
"I'm sort of sick of eating in the canteen so let's go out."
"Fine by me." Then, thinking of his wife who is due mid-October, Ron says, "As long as we're out, I want to pick up some chocolate cake from either Briar's in Hogsmeade or The Flour Shoppe in Diagon Alley and take it to Hermione at St. Mungo's. She's been craving chocolate cake for days now."
"I could go for some chocolate cake. Want to eat at the Crown & Cauldron and then amble from there to to Briar's?"
"That would be great, actually. I could get a whole cake, take it to the house then cut a slice to carry to Hermione at work."
Though still grumpy somewhat, but the time the two men have eaten lunch at the Crown & Cauldron and are walking to the bakery, Harry is in a better mood as Ron gets his friend's opinion on how best to run down some leads on another of Ron's active cases.
Two Classes Then Lunch
Author: Declan
Date: 12-03-12 16:09
Not quite a week into term and Declan isn't sure whether he likes the new course schedules or not. The class meetings are for exactly the same amount of time each week as before, simply spread out in a different manner. He does, however, like the breaks between back to back classes. Not only does that give him a little more time to make the mental change from one topic to another as well as get everything in place for the next class, but it does make it easier on the students, making them less likely to garner tardies and, in turn, lost points and, worse, detention.
Today being Thursday marked the first time Declan's meeting with his sixth years this term. Today's class is longer, a double, with tomorrow's second meeting for the 6th years the shorter period.
With it being the first meeting, Declan was ready to begin at 9 sharp, passing out a syllabus to each student. "As of right now there is no assigned seating. I would like to keep it that way so don't be the one person who causes a chart to be made. If I'm the one doing the seating, your classmates may end up next to those they prefer not to sit near and they would not appreciate the role you played in getting them there."
That out of the way and a cursory glance over the roll to make sure everyone was accounted for, Declan drew their attention to the first topic up for discussion this term, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. At first the sixth years had the look of those about to sit through a horribly dull lesson but as Declan got the discussion going and they learned that there were scandals and battles fought at various times because of the statute, they became more interested, eager to get to the more salacious bits.
They did get to a few of the more interesting tidbits today by class's end but there's still more to the statute's history to cover. Also by classes end Errol Anderson of Ravenclaw and Sadie Mickle of Hufflepuff had earned 3 points apiece for their respective houses.
Following the sixth years on Thursday is the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff class. Most students had already arrived when Declan chased sixth year Mark Farnon off to whatever class the boy had next and stepped aside to allow a faintly blushing Kate Dewhurst into the room.
This class had met on Tuesday for the single, with today being the double, so with no syllabus to give out and no introduction to his classroom, as these students had Karma Davyd the year before, Declan had jumped right in.
"Let's see who remembers anything from Tuesday and let's see who read the assigned pages. When was the Medieval Period? Caerwyn?"
"It's usually given as the period from the 5th to the 15th centuries."
"Good, three points. And the Dark Ages? Yes, Cai?"
"The 6th to the 13th centuries."
"Yes, three points to you as well."
Declan went on this way for a few more questions before getting into the meat of the day's lesson. Shortly before class ends he passes out a list of names. "From this list you are to pick two names. One person must be associated with Britain and the other more associated with somewhere else in Europe."
After Declan has finished giving the assignment and its due date he dismisses the fifth years who, like him, are probably all eager to get to lunch. A quick tidying of the classroom then Declan follows the same path most of his Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs probably took to the Great Hall just moments before. He's halfway there when he runs into the one person he's been working hard for weeks to avoid: Zabrynna Ravensdale.
There is absolutely no way to duck back down the hallway or behind that large, rather humped statue of a hag, that now he looks at it, seems to be winking and smiling at him as if it knows his thoughts. Not helping is now all he can think about is kissing Zabrynna and repeating the mental mantra Don't think about kissing is not in the least helpful. He can feel his cheeks starting to burn and he's not even said hello yet.
With great difficulty Declan averts his eyes from staring at Zabrynna's lips. Of course, that more or less means not even being able to look her in the eyes because he can see her lips. The result is what comes off as a distracted, looking over her head. "Hi, Zabrynna. Looking for AJ?"
"Only to tell him I've gotten done what he'd asked and if he's has anything else for today."
Before Declan can reply, AJ's voice reaches them. "I'm on my way to lunch. How about you come along, Zabrynna, and we discuss the to-do list as we eat."
They locate the voice as it gets nearer, coming down from slightly above. Declan both wants Zabrynna to accept AJ's offer and to decline. He doesn't expect her to say no, however, because she was just saying she was seeing if AJ had more for her to do, which would indicate she's got time left today working for him. As he thought, Zabrynna says, "Yes," then asks, "Declan, you're going that way too?"
With office on the third floor, classroom on the second, and residence on the seventh, there's little other reason for Declan to be heading the direction he is at this time of day other than lunch. Lunch or working out in the fitness room. He's too hungry to pretend it's working out and he's got office hours starting at 1:00 so there's no time to go into the village for something and get back before then. Trying to get through lunch in the Great Hall making small talk with Zabrynna and AJ while trying not to stare at her lips it is then.
A Much Needed Discussion (Orion's Flat, London)
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 12-03-12 19:56
Orion apparated directly into his flat, his arms full of the food he'd picked up along with some clothes and other things from Desi's flat in Muggle London. "Desi?" he called out as he headed toward the kitchen to put the food down before taking the other items toward the guest room.
Naturally, he nearly ran over his houseguest. In nothing but a towel, which nearly fell but she caught it in time as he reached out to steady her with one hand. A hint of color rose up the back of his neck as her cheeks flamed. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to startle you, I just got back from getting you some things from your flat, and some groceries."
"How did you know where to go?"
"Bronwyn told me where it was, though the address was in your file," he explained. "We talked quite a bit while you were out, she has a way of finding out whatever she wants to know."
"That sounds like Bronwyn," Desi agreed. "At this point, I'm betting she knows more about what's going on with us than I do."
"Only because we haven't had a chance to talk about things where we couldn't be overheard. Bronwyn got answers out of me in private."
"Maybe we should change that," she said, watching him for a moment.
"Alright, go get dressed and we'll talk. I've brought some clothing and other stuff," he said, handing her the bags. "I'll be in the kitchen, putting the food away."
She took the bags and headed into the guestroom while Orion began putting away the food he'd bought. When she came back out, he handed her a glass of juice and turned the chair, straddling it as she sat at the small table across from him. "So what do you want to know?"
"Why did you insist I stay here?"
"Honesty? My wards are good, anyone who wanted to hurt you would have a hell of a time finding you, let alone anything else. It's a common trait among some families, to instill protectiveness in their menfolk. We are taught to respect women, especially those who are dangerous enough to kick our backsides with or without a wand, but we are also taught to protect them."
"So it's not that you don't think I can handle myself?"
"No, it's a sign of respect in that you can handle yourself, but you shouldn't have to, if that makes any sense."
"A little." She paused and then studied him a moment. "What about..."
"About me snogging you senseless before you went to France?" he finished and she nodded. "Part of it was our cover. It would've looked suspicious if I didn't kiss my girlfriend before she went away for a week. The rest, just happened. It certainly wasn't all an act," he admitted. There was a part of him that hated being so open, but he knew he had to, for Desi to understand who he was really.
"So part of it was cover and part was because you wanted to?"
"That sounds about right. The quaffle's in your hands, Des. I'm not going to push you into anything, but I'll tell you what you want to know, at least as much as I can," Orion promised. It was the best he could do.
On A Limb (Orion's Flat, London)
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 12-04-12 11:35
Orion and I sat in his kitchen. He had just admitted that he wanted to give me what I had come to call his 'parting gift' before I went to France. Not because his cover demanded it, but because he really had wanted to. Now we sat in silence as I thought about what he just said to me. I sipped at the juice instead of saying anything for a long while. Orion shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"So," I finally said, breaking the deafening silence, "You mean," I said slowly as I tried to think of what I was saying, "That your displays of affection for me have not been entirely in character."
"Yes."
I looked down at the juice and thought some. "So, the transfer request, was that professional or personal?"
"Both."
"But it's becoming more personal?" He didn't answer. I could see he was having a hard time. This conversation was way out of his comfort zone. It was out of mine too for that matter. Still, we had been dancing around this since before France. I set the glass down and looked at Orion.
"Orion, I've enjoyed our partnership. You've started to mean a lot to me over the course of our case. I am willing for our cover story to be more than just a cover story; for our… partnership to go beyond just this case, if you are." I had just gone way out on a limb, hopefully it wouldn't break.
A few long moments passed in silence. I don't know what was going on inside Orion's head, but as the seconds passed I started to panic. I couldn't think of a single time that I had ever done anything like this. Let myself be so open to someone I barely knew. After what seemed like eons Orion leaned in slowly, and we kissed.
Top of the World
Author: Nathaniel Ross
Date: 12-04-12 11:45
Nate was in the kitchen, drying the dishes from dinner with a cloth. The radio was tuned to a Muggle station and he hummed the song. There was something relaxing about doing household chores the Muggle way, Nate thought. Somehow while his mind was on the plate he was cleaning, he did not have to think about other things. Such as how things were between him and Phyllida. She was going through a hard time, with her father's arrest, he was aware of that. However, she had seemed to shut herself in a world of her own, a place his goofy jokes and kisses didn't have access to. She would exchange letters with important people and she would walk around the house as if she was under the Imperius Curse, limiting herself to shrugging her shoulders whenever he asked if she was all right or needed anything.
Most of the time, he would be patient with her, but lately they had been arguing a lot. He would accuse her of showing apathy towards him when he wanted nothing but to help her, and she would demand him to leave her alone, because this whole thing with her father was a family matter he didn't have permission to get into. Voices would get loud and she would storm into the garden, still having the delicacy to avoid stepping into Mrs. Ross' carefully nurtured flowers. He would find refuge in his bedroom, ignoring the advice of one of the chasers from his poster of the Wimbourne Wasps, who kept advising Nate that there was no better way to forget a bad moment with a girl than finding another one to go out with.
Around an hour later, she would storm into his room without knocking and apologize for her attitude. She would admit that she was acting cold towards him and she would promise she would change her attitude. But then he would hold her tight, and admit that the fault was his. That he shouldn't lose his patience with her. That he should be more understanding towards her current situation. They would make up with kisses, only to restart their quarrel by lunchtime.
It was a cycle that had lasted since they had gone to visit Snape, and he didn't know if he wanted to keep it that way or break it. Nate was afraid things would never go back to the way they were with Phyllida. He didn't like the current situation, but he liked those stolen kisses during the night, those whispered words that everything would be all right. It was better than nothing, he thought to himself.
"Hey…What are you doing?"
Phyllida entered the kitchen with insecure steps. Her hair was pinned up in the same way she used it many years ago, when she was still at Hogwarts. Back then, she hadn't even known he'd existed. If she did, would it be any different now? Would she be able to trust him with her thoughts and feelings?
"Cleaning these dishes."
"Need some help?" she asking, removing the wand from her pocket.
"No, thank you." He placed the last plate on the cupboard. "All done."
The music changed. Phyllida raised her eyebrow, not recognizing the song.
"Top of the World, by The Carpenters. They are a Muggle band. You don't know them," Nate explained.
"I think I like them…"
He put the cloth on his shoulder and then he moved towards her. The tension was obvious. Were they going to argue or kiss? Nate opted for another option. Gently, he removed the wand from her hand and placed it on the table.
"What are you doing?"
"We don't need wands for this," and then he pulled her to him and started to dance to the rhythm of the song.
For those few minutes he really did feel on the top of the world with her.