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Christmas Plans & Gifts
Author: Jolyon
Date: 02-14-14 18:00
"Will you come for Christmas Eve or Day? And what about New Year's?" asked Arielle. She stood adjacent to her father at the big Victorian birdcage he had gotten for Christmas last year and watched as he topped off the food trays with fine seeds.
"Christmas Eve," Jolyon replied, "and I'm bringing your grandmother." And possibly her boyfriend, he thought to himself, though he hoped not. Unfortunately, Gaius was still a big part of his mother's life.
"Good. I just hope Asher behaves himself."
Jolyon couldn't help the chuckle that emerged from his throat.
"It's true," Arielle said. "He's not been very nice to you, and he really has no reason for it."
"He thinks he has a reason, though," said Jolyon, turning his attention to the water bowls attached to the bars of the cage. "With Asher, it'll take time. I'm not going to push him into liking me or accepting me, because that won't work. He has to make the decision himself."
"Do you really think he will, accept you, I mean?" Arielle asked. She looked highly skeptical at the prospect.
"I don't know," Jolyon admitted. "He might not, but he might. Enough about that, now. Did you put your gift under the tree yet?"
"Yes, ages ago."
"Excuse me!" Jolyon playfully exclaimed. "But you didn't tell me what you got or for whom."
Arielle cracked a smile. "I drew Errol Anderson's name, that kind of brooding seventh year boy in your house."
"I know who he is," Jolyon replied, "and what do you know about brooding boys?"
"I guess I'm related to one, but Asher's not very nice and I suspect deep down that Errol could be. Anyway, I had to do a little bit of investigating, but I didn't really find out much other than he is somewhat nice to look at, but then I realized that I never saw him outside with a cap on his head, and it has been so awfully cold, so I asked Mum if she could knit him a cap and what she knitted was so brilliantly cool." She went on to describe the bearded cap. When she finished talking, she sounded a bit winded, but there was a dreamy smile on her face.
The shock of finding out he had fathered twins was one thing, but learning that his tweenage daughter might be a little boy crazy (and apparently had a thing for older boys) came as an even greater shock to him. He was already imagining himself giving Errol a lecture when Arielle jarred his attention.
"Dad? Daaaad? You're not listening to me."
"Sorry. What did you say?"
"I asked you what gift you gave."
"As it happens, I also chose knitted gifts for my Secret Santa," Jolyon said. He drew Jill Prewitt's name and got her a pair of slippers and a pair of boots, which he'd picked up in a knit shop while searching for a gift for his own mother.
"Now, I think it's getting a bit late for you to be outside the castle," he said to Arielle. "Let's head up together."
He extinguished the lantern in the loft and followed Arielle down to the main part of the stables. Some of the lanterns were turned off, others merely dimmed before the pair threw on their coats and headed out into the cold for the castle.
In Need Of Christmas Cheer
Author: Dante Knight
Date: 02-14-14 19:13
Slouched on the sofa in his quarters Dante debates going down to the Great Hall for dinner, going out, or just having something here. He's got a few things in his kitchen or he could get something brought in from the castle's kitchen. A tree, of decent size but small compared to some of the massive pines decorating the castle, twinkles merrily from the corner and even has a few presents under it. There are a few other Christmas decorations about the flat but at the moment he's isn't feeling the holiday cheer.
Dante is no closer to finding out who talked with Rita Skeeter. He finally concluded it's someone from within the Ministry. Isreal McWilliams and Ron Weasley agree with him but neither have made any inroads as to who might have accessed a file few should have even known about much less read.
He's not had any contact with his family since Rocky let him know that Skeeter's contact was not their father or himself. Nothing from his sister. He's not had so much as even a coded message in the Daily Prophet and the one he placed weeks ago has so far gone ignored. Dante normally hasn't been bothered by lack of contact from any of them but under the circumstances of their last parting and the Rita Skeeter article, he's found himself far more concerned than he ever imagined he might be.
After sitting, brooding for a good fifteen minutes more Dante forces himself off the couch. He'll just eat here at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall. After that he'll go over the two exams he'll be administering in the morning, checking again that no question is vague or worded in such a way as to give more than one correct response. Going over to the tree, he bends to retrieve a package. Silvery white snowflakes float across a deeply purplish blue background, the wrapping paper Dante chose for all the gifts he's giving this Christmas.
Exiting his flat, Dante goes first to the Commons to place the present under a different tree before going on to the Great Hall. The package is Madoc McGonagall's Secret Santa gift. Dante hadn't been sure what to give the teen until browsing Krum's Completely Quidditch. There, he found a just arrived Gryffindor Quidditch tee. Further browsing had Dante adding a bat and bludger, thinking that Madoc might like to have his own, particularly for when school isn't in session.
Arriving to the Great Hall, Dante tries not to look as gloomy as he's feeling, knowing to do so would invite questions.
Extra Office Hours For Exam Week
Author: Declan
Date: 02-15-14 20:25
His Wednesday classes over and no Wednesday office hours, Declan is finished for the day. Or, he would be if it weren't an exam week. Despite not having any office hours today, unless someone has made an appointment, Declan is sitting in his office, making himself available to any of his students who wish to speak with him. He does have one exam from earlier in the term to administer to one student who'd been under Madam Pomfrey's care when the rest of the class wrote it, but unless the young man changes his mind the plan is to do that Friday.
After the fifth year class of Ravenclaws and Slytherins ended at 12:15, Declan had considered going to the Great Hall to eat. With the beginning of a sore, scratchy throat he'd decided against it, going instead to the hospital wing to see if Poppy had a potion that would help him at least get through the next two days without having to get someone to cover his classes as this portion of the school year draws to an end.
Potion from Poppy in hand, Declan had taken a moment to drop of the Secret Santa gift for the person whose name he has for the exchange, Adina Blackwood. As a Hogwarts professor, Declan is aware of Adina's animagus status and her penchant for running in her animal form. He's also noticed she sometimes runs in her human form. Knowing how quickly runners can go through shoes, even top of the line pairs, Declan got the Slytherin fifth year a nice pair of running shoes.
Declan did go to the Great Hall after dropping off the present, but only long enough to get some soup to take back to his office. With this throat, until the first dose of this potion kicks in, he has no desire to eat anything other than something fairly easy to swallow. The creamy soup he select should fit the bill nicely. From there he went to his office where he graded a few papers but has mainly spent the time looking through some Christmas gift catalogs trying to figure out what to get the only two people he has yet to get something for, his eight year old niece Isla and Zabrynna Ravensdale.
After Work
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 02-16-14 16:16
On a good day, the last half hour of Hermione's shift at St. Mungo's consisted of briefing the next shift on the conditions and treatments of various patients, so that the same quality of care could continue even as the staff changed. More often than not, Hermione's shift ended less smoothly than she would have liked, with the sudden arrival of a new patient or an existing one reacting badly to a potion or spell. In those situations, Hermione often found herself staying late at work.
This evening was an exception to the norm. Hermione took care of all business without incident or interruption and left St. Mungo's perfectly on time.
She arrived outside the Burrow moments later and made her way into the house to find Molly in the kitchen and Rose sitting on a footstool, pulling apart the morning's copy of The Daily Prophet. She looked very serious about it, as if she were reading it and not just dismantling it.
"I wasn't expecting you this early!" Molly admitted, wiping her hands on her apron to give Hermione a quick embrace.
"I lucked out," Hermione replied, accepting the hug and then kneeling to kiss her daughter hello.
Rose smiled, revealing four tiny teeth, and went back to 'reading' the newspaper.
Hermione stood upright again and asked, "How was she today?"
"An angel, as always," Molly replied. "She had a nice, long nap and helped me tidy up the house."
"I'm glad to hear it!" Hermione exclaimed, picturing her daughter 'helping' Molly around the house.
"Did you want to stay for supper?" Molly asked, turning back to beef stew simmering on the stove.
"Thanks, but I promised Ron spaghetti. We should be off so that it's ready before he gets home."
"All right, then," Molly said, setting down her stirring spoon and turning to the little girl seated on the stool. "Rose, dear, it's time to get your coat."
Rose got up, setting the remainder of the newspaper on the newly vacated stool, and tottered over to the peg on the wall that held her coat. She couldn't reach it, but Hermione could and helped her pull it on and button it closed.
"Be thinking about what we should have for Christmas dinner," Molly reminded Hermione.
"I will," Hermione said. She picked Rose up and said, "Say goodnight."
"Buh-bye!" Rose exclaimed, blowing Molly a kiss.
"Bye, bye, my little Rose," Molly replied, also blowing her a kiss.
Hermione and Rose arrived home to an empty house a minute later. In the dark, Hermione could see the lamplight glow of two sets of cat eyes. She immediately lit up the house, not just for Rose's sake (who was scared of the dark) but for her own.
Ever since the attack on her at John Radcliffe Hospital, Hermione felt a little on edge. The questioning of Marco Cavendish by law enforcement had revealed he'd had nothing to do with luring her back to Oxford or her accident. That meant that whoever had attacked her was still at large and unidentified.
It made Hermione understandably nervous, especially with a baby in the house. She tended to Rose's needs first, and then those of the two cats. Then it was time to prepare supper.
By the time Ron walked in the door, the spaghetti was ready and two slices of garlic bread were coming out of the oven.
The Christmas Season
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 02-16-14 17:14
Everyone seemed possessed by the spirit of Christmas, even the many students with exams remaining before Fall Term ended on Friday. It wasn't difficult, what with the Great Hall decorated for the holiday. Twelve Christmas trees, cut down and brought in by Hagrid and decorated by Professor Flitwick, marked the season, as did the innumerable snowflakes dangling beneath the enchanted ceiling.
As she usually did, Professor McGonagall planned on spending the break at Hogwarts, though she would visit with her family for brunch on Christmas Day. She both dreaded and looked forward to the visit––dreaded, because she knew Menelaus would be there. After their last meeting, in which he had accused her of causing him grief when he only had himself to blame, Minerva could not imagine their next meeting being civil at all––even at Christmas.
She would do her best not to cause a scene in her nephew's house, but if she felt she could not control herself, then she would politely excuse herself and leave the family gathering. Better to exclude herself from the festivities altogether than to make the situation grievous for everyone present. It wasn't so much her own actions that concerned her, however. Menelaus had always been the one to lose his head first, and she couldn't imagine himself staying his hand while in her presence. Then again, maybe he would try to be on his best behavior too.
"Well, Minerva, what has you so pensive this evening?" Filius asked, pulling her away from her thoughts.
Minerva did not feel it necessary to air her dirty laundry and instead replied, "I was thinking how quiet Rita Skeeter has been as of late. Do you think she has finished her attack on Hogwarts, or is she merely waiting for the right moment to strike?"
Filius shrugged his small shoulders. "I don't think we've heard the last from that woman, but I also don't think we should dwell on her next written assault on the school and its staff. What will be will be."
Minerva didn't immediately reply. A part of her hoped that Skeeter had grown bored with her investigations into the staff at Hogwarts and would turn her attention onto something or someone else entirely. Although it had not been entirely peaceful since term resumed in September, Minerva had fielded far less complaints and concerns from Skeeter's faithful readers, probably because the reporter hadn't written a new article since the summer. Minerva was glad for the relative calm but wondered how long it would last.
She and Filius talked a bit more before parting ways for the evening. Minerva went to the Headmistress's Tower and glanced at the sleeping portrait of Dumbledore on the wall. His half-moon glasses sat precariously at the tip of his nose. He looked so very lifelike. For a long moment, she stared at his portrait, and then she walked behind her desk and sat down in her chair.
This year, she had drawn Liannah MacDougal's name for Secret Santa. After much consideration, Minerva decided on something both nice and practical (and school-related). She found a lovely quill with a smooth block of wood for a stand and then a painted ink well that Liannah could fill with any ink she wanted. Minerva wrapped both items in tissue paper and set them into a tall, slim gift bag decorated with snowmen. Before retiring to her chambers for the night, she would place the gift under the tree in the Commons.
A Day Off That's Off
Author: Arlington J Montgomery
Date: 02-16-14 19:13
"Deep in thought again, Seb?" Arley questioned his partner and handed him a cup of tea.
Sebastian smiled. "I always am, you know that. I have been thinking, though. About the possibility of going back to school."
"What? Why? School's overrated, Seb, and our jobs pay well."
"Maybe, but it would be nice to do more, use our brains, you know?" he took a sip of tea and studied Arley, "Now you sound like the cranky teenager I met at Hogwarts."
Arlington had to protest at that, but it came out as more of a whine, "I'm not cranky!"
"No?" He said with an amused tone. "I know you're not, but I do want to go back to school, at least take part in higher education." He patted the couch beside him, "Come, sit. You look exhausted, and you did keep me up late." Arley grinned and Seb shook his head, "After that…"
"Oh, yeah, I just wasn't tired." The lie lingered on his tongue, Sebastian easily saw through it.
"Do not lie to me, we've talked about this." He moved closer to Arley and frowned, "Its happening again, isn't it?"
"I…I'm fine, Seb. I think, all the stress everyone's going through is getting to me. I mean, Dex is still missing, luckily Bronwyn got home safe, and I know my dad is still locked up."
"Ah hah!" Seb chimed, similar to Bronwyn when she was in investigation mode when they were teenagers. "You have been having the nightmares about him. That is why you did not sleep."
Arlington just looked down at his bare feet and sighed, his non-verbal admission.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure it's nothing. Would you like to talk about it? Maybe you should talk to Desi?"
"Seb, Desi's got a life of her own, I can't worry her with the past all the time."
"The past is still important, when it affects you this way, she knows that too."
"You're right…you always are, love." Arley started to pace the room, he was going to start into another round of nightmares tonight, and he could feel it, as if something dark was slowly creeping in to his subconscious mind.
Seb pulled Arley into his arms to stop the frantic pacing. "I have an idea, we are going to go talk to your sister tomorrow, and you have been avoiding her again, and do not say you've been busy. We will take them out to lunch tomorrow, but for now, we go get some things done around the house." He tugged him out of the room, not noticing the hastily written letter that had seemingly just appeared on their kitchen table, a letter that could very well bring to light someone's wellbeing, hopefully they would see it first thing in the morning.
(Vinewood Castle) The Box
Author: Wisteria Carew
Date: 02-17-14 10:37
All she did was open the box. Wisteria opened it, simply opened it. Regret quickly moved throughout her. I shouldn't have opened it, she scolded herself. And yet she felt a sort of relief at its opening, a sense of accomplishment. Her lineage was full of curious beings, seekers of knowledge, who would risk their own lives for the sake of a discovery. They held danger to be a challenge and monsters to be beautiful, even taking pleasure out of the most frenzied of things. Sometimes they were moved to madness; sometimes they would find chaos and death.
The Roman journal had led Teri to Torhousekie, where she did some slight exploration and discovered the means to translate the runes. Much of the journal, as she originally thought, contained experiments for the dark arts. The last few pages contained gibberish, or so she thought. She quickly realized that they were riddles, the answers directions. The directions led to a cave, and the cave contained the box.
Since she first laid eyes on it, she felt something sinister. Her spine tingled and her hairs stood, warning her. But she didn't listen. Following the instructions had distracted her, setting her off schedule for a few days. She was supposed to go to the Vinewood, to ensure that Dot and Dory had prepared it for the holiday visit. And against every warning her body signaled, she brought the box with her to the castle.
For two days, the box sat on the floor of an empty room. There it taunted her, pressuring her into opening it.
Wisteria was unable to resist.
She knelt down before it and unhooked the latch, slowly opening the lid, a dark and forbidding sound to be heard from within. Then pure blackness came forth, thicker than fog, and grew tall and proud over the box. It sucked out all the air and Wisteria found herself on her back, grasping for a breath. The floor began to rumble and the castle shook as though it would fall down. The magic which had built and guided the Vinewood could only struggle to defend. She could feel Pádruig's Tree begin to scream, berating her for having brought such chaos into the castle.
It was so loud, so dark, so vile. It wanted it's freedom and it's freedom it would get.
She was to die and the land of her ancestors was to shrivel up and cower away.
But she could hear something in the distance. It sounded like magic, but she was uncertain. It sounded like the Potronus Charm, but was it? Or was it some other spell? All she knew was what little she saw. She saw a very bright light before slipping into unconsciousness.
(Aralyn & Kristos) End of the Line
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 02-17-14 13:15
Always the weaker of the twins, Aralyn felt at her breaking point, but she had managed to hold on for longer than even she thought herself capable. After an absolute age of torture, mind games, and sitting in her own filth, Aralyn was ready for it to end one way or another. She had lost the only thing that mattered, after all: her daughter, Charlotte.
In the year or more that they were together, Aralyn knew that she had made very little progress in gaining Charlotte's trust, much less her love. If only Lysander hadn't been so stubborn to require the drastic measures she and Kristos had taken to gain custody of Charlotte. Things could have been much simpler with a little cooperation.
Aralyn wasn't convinced that being more friendly towards Lysander would have saved her from the trouble in which she now found herself. If Adriana Fairchild was to believed, and Aralyn and Kristos both had no reason to think otherwise, than Lysander had nothing to do with the raid on their house and Charlotte's removal from it. He certainly didn't know anything about the sword they were hiding and couldn't possibly have twigged Adriana to its hidden location.
Somehow she'd found out about it, though. That she had gone this long without killing one of the twins to get the other to talk was surprising. Aralyn had figured herself a dead woman weeks ago.
Everything was about to change.
"I've been far more patient than I ought to have been," Adriana said, pacing in front of the chairs to which Aralyn and Kristos were bound, "but no more. This is your final chance. Tell me where that goddamned sword is or one of you dies right now. So, what's it gonna be?"
The look in her eyes was menacing.
Kristos narrowed his eyes and said to Aralyn, "Say nothing."
"No, Kristos, I can't anymore. I don't want to die…"
"Aralyn, if you tell her––"
"It's in the basement!" Aralyn exclaimed.
Adriana signalled to a pair of her henchmen to hoist the two prisoners from their chairs and drag them downstairs. She glided down behind them and twirled around the basement, which had seemed rather stuffed with things before but now looked as if a tornado had blown through it.
"Here we are," Adriana said. She looked first at Kristos, who looked sorely disgusted with his sister, and then to Aralyn, who was trembling quite visibly.
"Where. Is. The. Sword?" Adriana slowly enunciated.
"It's––" Aralyn began, but Kristos cut her off with a shout. "Aralyn, SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
"No!" Adriana exclaimed, throwing back her arm, "YOU shut it!" she shouted, slashing her wand diagonally in front of her. Blood spurted from a cut starting below his ear and traversing his neck to the opposing collar bone.
With his hands still bound behind his neck, he couldn't staunch the flow of blood. Aralyn screamed and bucked in a poor attempt to free herself from the Death Eater holding her upright. The one who'd been holding Kristos let go. Kristos fell to the basement floor, gurgling.
Adriana smirked and turned away from the quivering body. It was then that she noticed a credenza vibrating beneath a pile of debris. She crossed over to it, knelt, and opened the double doors.
St. Oh Bugger! (Jill)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 02-17-14 19:17
Entering the Great Hall after Charms Olive sighs, "Tell me again why I signed up for so many course this year."
Beside her Jill smiles somewhat ruefully. "To keep me company?"
"Ahhhh, right. How could I have forgotten?"
"You aren't doing a very good job. You're not taking Arithmany & Divination with me."
"Only because I needed a very small break in my schedule in case Zuberi ever wanted to pretend to be visiting with Coach Krum while really meeting up with me."
"Excuses, excuses."
They takes seats at the Slytherin table, Olive glaring daggers at a couple of younger students who looked as if they might protest a Gryffindor sullying the table. They wisely skulk off further along the table. Jill, who understands a bit of rivalry between the houses over the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup, doesn't understand why some still hold such animosity towards anyone not of their own house. Casting a glance at the two Olive had wordlessly sent packing has Jill wondering if part of it isn't because some of the worst weren't as affected by Ministry policies of Euphemia Smythe-Jones or are too young to truly remember or grasp what it was like. Those two definitely missed out on Hogwarts under Harriet Snyder and Ryland Yaxley.
Attention back on her friend, Jill states, "I am so ready for this break though once back it does mean the NEWTs are that much closer."
"But you do wish you'd been able to take them with the others. Me too." The others Olive means being their friends Marjani Batuti, Etta Wynbourne, and Alexa Wenlock.
"Just yesterday, Alastor was grumbling about the same thing. There are days I sometimes wish I'd gone on and left Hogwarts but most of the time I'm glad I decided to finish it out. That doesn't mean I'm not envious of the others."
"Envious until one of them starts going on and on about how difficult some of their St. Emrys courses are. I keep wondering if maybe I shouldn't just get a job or do a training program instead of St. Emrys or one of the other schools out there now. I'm fairly sure my parents would have wanted me to go to a university, get a degree."
"I'm almost positive I'll just go on to St. Oh bugger!"
"St. Oh Bugger? Not familiar with that school."
Jill laughs. "Sorry, I just remember I STILL haven't delivered Professor Somerset's Secret Santa gift. I want to be sure to do that today."
Jill had been hoping to get a name for Secret Santa of someone who'd be easy to by for, which means absolutely no professor's name. Drawing Ethan Somerset's name had not at all been the plan. Except, as things turned out, finding a gift was far, far easier than she'd anticipated. Whether Professor Somerset likes what Jill chose she has no idea, but she sincerely hopes he does.
She found some very cute father-daughter type shirts. She'd narrowed the field down to two then decided to do both, mainly because one of the Easter eggs gifts she'd not yet used was to that very shoppe. She got both sets of shirts for a song yet still is giving what she thinks is a very nice gift.