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(Ravenscrofte Rare and Antiquarian Books, Knockturn Alley) A Mysterious Arrival
Author: Callandra Catesby
Date: 05-22-14 07:17
The strong disillusionment charms woven into the very warp and weft of the cloak concealed her from view as she opened the door of Ravenscrofte's Rare and Antiquarian Books in Knockturn Alley. A flick of the wand unravelled the protective enchantments that guarded the shop, another flick reforming them behind her once she had entered.
It was dark and dusty between the towering bookcases were stuffed to the rafters with old books and scrolls. The massive stone fireplace was cold, devoid of the usual green flames that permitted patrons to travel by Floo.
She stepped carefully around a pile of books that had not made it on to the shelves, around the counter at the far end, and unlocked the door in the wall behind. Her footsteps were nearly soundless on the steps beyond as she walked steadily up, wand cautiously extended.
Kirley's ears prickled at the sounds. He'd felt the flicker in the protections on the shop and had sat straight up in the chair where he'd slumped, staring at the fire instead of sleeping. His normally well-groomed hair was messy and there were bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, but his wand was steady as it pointed at the door, waiting.
Like a human chameleon, the charms permitted her to blend in with her surroundings, but the effect was broken as a slim hand rose to push her hood back and reveal midnight-blue eyes set in patrician features, framed by ebony-black hair.
Wand steady, she said coolly, "Hello, Kirley."
"Callandra," he greeted, not lowering his wand. "I take it you received my owl then?"
"I recognised Bathilda," she replied. Her features were the exact duplicate of his wife's, so much so that they had been confused more than once during their time at Hogwarts, but the expression in her eyes and her tone of voice were quite different.
"Then I'll just bring you up to speed," Kirley said, lowering his wand but not putting it away. "Nephele and Pip found a witness, apparently my wife was apparated away and most likely, not willingly. Unfortunately, the shopkeeper doesn't remember much about the man, since he assumed it was me, as he didn't know me. We've managed to rule out irate customers and unless Rita Skeeter's taken to kidnapping sources, I don't think it's connected to my work in the Ministry."
Callandra's head tilted slightly, her expression considering. "There have been no other mysterious disappearances?" she queried. "I read about the Hogsmeade incident in the Prophet." She did not subscribe, for obvious reasons, but there were always old newspapers around. In a bland tone, she observed, "Muggle baiting, attacks and missing people... it sounds almost like the good old days."
"There are a few other disappearances, but this is different. Cass wasn't taken from the scene of an attack, she was nabbed out of Knockturn Alley in the middle of the day. There weren't any of the markings of a Death Eater attack," Kirley said.
"So you came to me," she said. Coolly, she took a seat opposite. "Why?" Her wand was still out... just in case. He was a Ministry of Magic official, after all, and the warrant for her arrest was still extant. He might be her brother-in-law, but that wouldn't stop her hexing him if she had to.
"Because, firstly, you're her twin. If something happened to Nephele, regardless of where I was, I would want to know, and not from the Prophet. Secondly, there's always the chance she could have been mistaken for you," he answered. A part of him really wanted to hex his sister-in-law, but he was keeping a tight rein on his control. He knew his temper was worse because he hadn't slept much since Cassandra's disappearance.
A brow arched. "But I am in Romania, allegedly," she murmured. Her tone was faintly amused. "How could I possibly have anything to do with the situation?"
Kirley snorted. "That won't work on me," he said. "Apparition only takes a few moments, at most. You could realistically be anywhere, given that you are sitting here with me now." He ran his hand through his disheveled hair. "Look, I don't care why the Ministry wants you, I have no intention of taking you in. This is a family matter, not a Ministry one, and I don't even really care what you may have done. I just want to know if my wife may be caught up in it, and if she is, I want her back."
She considered for a second. Cassandra was one of the few people she bore any affection or loyalty for so, as tempting as it was to mess with his mind, she murmured instead, "Perhaps."
"Will you give what information you can? If not to me, then to my sister?" he asked. "Nephele's been worrying herself sick when she should be planning her wedding."
"At this point I know little more than you do," Callie replied. "I may speculate, but I prefer not to do so without facts. If they have been foolish enough to believe she is me... Well, they will discover their mistake soon enough and then they will wish to bargain or negotiate, perhaps issue a ransom demand."
Kirley nodded. "Then I suppose there is little more to say. I will be in touch when there is news," he said quietly. It went unspoken that he would do whatever it took to get his wife back.
"Bathilda will be able to find me," his sister-in-law replied.
Witches
Author: Celeste Quigley
Date: 05-23-14 12:40
"Alison! Good to see you!"
"It's Celeste now…"
"Right, I keep forgetting, sorry."
Archer and Celeste greeted each other, and he pointed out to the park's bench he had been seated at, as he waited for his sister. Celeste sat next to him, feeling quite uncomfortable on her jeans. It has been a while since she had dressed up with Muggle clothes; she preferred the robes of the wizarding fashion. But she could not meet her younger brother at a Muggle public place wearing robes unless she wanted to have all sorts of people staring at her. Or maybe, she thought, they were already doing so by the way her bottom must look in those jeans.
"Long time no see huh?" Her younger brother started, after clearing out his throat.
"What do you want, Archer?" Celeste knew him well enough, to realize that either he was in trouble and needed her help, or he was about to ask her a favor. He was not the type of guy who would arrange meetings in a park just for occasional chit chats.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I think Rosalie is a witch."
Celeste raised her eyebrow, intrigued.
"Your ex-wife?" Archer had been briefly married in the past. The wedding did not last long and Celeste has only been with Rosalie once or twice. She didn't need a crystal ball to see that things with Rosalie were not going to last because they had nothing to do with each other. But the woman didn't look like a witch to Celeste and she shared those thoughts with her brother.
"I know. But lately I've been starting to think otherwise, because of Maud."
Maud Montgomery was Archer and Rosalie's child. Archer only found out Rosalie was pregnant after the divorce. He never played a very much active part in Maud's life, with the exception of a couple of weekends per month, and summer vacations. He also paid the alimony that Rosalie demanded. However, Archer was a good father and Celeste had no doubt he cared for his daughters. She only saw her niece occasionally, and with everything going on in her life, she had put the girl at a corner. But Archer didn't seem to mind and Celeste also thought Maud didn't need the influence of a witch in her life. The Muggle girl would probably think she had a crazy aunt.
"You see," Archer continued, "She's been acting oddly around me. The other day we were watching football on the television and she seemed quite bored with it. When I asked what was the matter, she just shrugged and said the match was quite dull. That it needed more action. More speed, maybe more balls…"
Celeste blinked. "And that proves your ex-wife, and your daughter, are possibly witches because…?"
"Because of that sport of yours. What is it called? Quid something? The one you tried to tell me about when we were younger. I remember more than one ball was used, and speed was involved..."
"Archer, please! Maud is what, 9, 10? Girls that age don't like football. It's more than natural that she gets bored with it. She's gaining other interests. Maybe instead of watching the games on the television with your daughter you should take her out for an ice-cream or watch a movie with her."
"Is there a way to know if she's a witch? You would recognize someone of your kind, wouldn't you? Maybe you can spend a few hours with Maud…"
"I am not going to do that, Archer."
"But she's your niece, Alison. I mean Celeste."
"And I would not mind to be with her, if your intentions were good. But you just want me to check her out, see if she's a witch or not. And does it matter?"
"Of course it does! Rosalie tricked me!"
Celeste rolled her eyes and stood up.
"I need to go; I have a class to prepare. If Maud is a witch when she turns eleven she will receive a letter from Hogwarts, just like I did, remember? But witch or not, that will not change who she is. So just keep treating her like you always do; but with less football matches, all right Archer?"
She kissed her brother's cheek and walked away. Once she felt it was safe she disapparated, leaving the Muggle locale, back to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Celeste hoped that in a few days Archer would quit this obsession of his that his ex- wife and child were witches.
Invitations
Author: Griet
Date: 05-23-14 16:47
Griet hummed to herself in the kitchen while preparing spaghetti for dinner. Tucker was helping out one of his tenants but planned on stopping by afterwards. Technically, he and Griet still lived in separate flats, but they spent more time together than not. Sometimes Griet wondered if they should just move in together once and for all, but then there were times when she liked to be alone.
She turned away from the sauce and meatballs to slice up some bread, when she heard a knock at the door. Griet turned back to the stove to lower the heat in case whoever was at the door kept here there for longer than a few minutes, wiped her hands on a kitchen towel, and then went to answer the door.
She found Clover standing on the landing. Her former best friend had changed up her look. Gone was the dark hair with its blond streaks. Now she was simply blond, just like Griet herself. For a brief moment, Griet wondered if Clover was emulating her, but then she decided she probably wasn't. They hardly saw each other, after all. The change in looks was probably just another step in turning over a new leaf.
"Clover…" Griet began. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you busy?" Clover asked. "I wanted to ask you something."
Griet hesitated and then gestured for Clover to come inside. She shut the door behind her and walked back to the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "Do you want anything to drink?"
Clover followed but shook her head. "No, thanks." She sniffed appreciatively. "It smells good in here."
Griet wondered if Clover was angling for a dinner invitation, but she didn't ask. Instead she picked up the spoon she was using to stir the sauce and asked, "What did you want to ask me?"
"Well, Oberon and I have decided to tie the knot on Easter Sunday."
"Have you?" Griet asked. She reminded herself that she was trying to be nice, but it was hard to sound interested when the witch who nearly killed her sister was about to marry Griet's own ex-boyfriend.
"Yes. I know it's a bit fast, since we've only been engaged since Christmas, but it just feels right and our families both approve."
Griet couldn't help but wonder how the Smiths truly felt about their son marrying Clover, who had spent time behind bars for attempted murder.
"I wanted to know if you would go to my bachelorette party Friday night," Clover said. "Well," she amended, "it would just be you and me since I haven't made many girl friends since leaving Azkaban, but I think it could be fun, and it would make me happy…" She trailed off and looked at Griet with hope etched all over her face.
Griet had never found her lycanthropy of any benefit, until now. She turned to Clover with a frown and said, "Friday's the full moon. I can't go out because I'll be locked up."
Clover also frowned. "I forgot. I'm sorry. I know I should remember, but I guess I don't keep track of the full moon the way you do. Does that mean you won't be able to attend the wedding either?"
"I might be sick, but let me know when and where and perhaps I will make it."
Clover brightened at the prospect and reached into her purse for an invitation she already had ready for Griet. "It's all there. I really hope you can make it!"
Griet managed a small smile. "No promises."
Clover eyed the simmering sauce wistfully for a moment and then said, "Well, I'm supposed to meet Oberon at the pub. I hope to see you next weekend."
"I'll walk you out," Griet said. She did just that and then returned to the kitchen, not at all certain she would attend Clover's wedding to Oberon if she felt well-enough.
Interrogation
Author: Cassandra Catesby
Date: 05-24-14 05:37
The black hood that had been dropped over her head before she had even left the dungeon blocked her sight and partially muffled her hearing, everything sounded as if she had her ears stuffed with cotton wool. Without her wand, she'd been unable to defend against the binding spell which pinned her arms and wrists tightly to her sides; she was able to wiggle her fingers, but under the circumstances there wasn't a lot of point to doing so. Then she'd been marched along to who knew where.
"Sit." A heavy hand grasped her shoulder and shoved downwards. She half-sat, half-fell onto something hard and wooden.
"Where am I?" she demanded. "Who are you?"
"We will ask the questions," the voice said. It had a thick accent. Similar to the one of the man who had abducted her, she thought. She tried to place it, but struggled. Something Eastern European perhaps?
"Where is the box?" someone demanded. They had a similar accent, but the pitch and tone were different. A different person. How many of them were there?
"What box?" she replied. "I don't know what..."
"Do not lie to us, Miss Catesby," the first man interrupted. "We know you stole it. You were seen."
"But I really do not know what you're talking about," Cassandra protested.
"Crucio!"
She bit back a scream as pain wracked every part of her body. It lasted for mere seconds, but left her gasping for breath, her fingers twitching.
"Do not make it necessary for me to do that again, Miss Catesby," the first voice said. "It is no more pleasant for me than it is for you."
"What... What is it you want from me?" she managed to get out.
"We told you. The box. You stole it. We wish to have it returned," came the reply.
"I haven't stolen anything from you," she insisted.
"Crucio!"
This time she did scream. It felt as if red-hot pokers were being jammed into every possible orifice.
"I don't have it... I don't have it!"
The pain ceased once more.
"Miss Catesby, do you take us for fools? You were seen. You were caught apparating out with it," the voice said with the first hint of real annoyance. "You returned to Catesby Castle with it."
"It wasn't me," she gasped, still trying to relearn how to breathe. The first inkling of the cause of her problem began to niggle at her. Damn you, Callandra, she thought. What have you gotten us both into this time?
"Miss Catesby..."
"It. Wasn't. Me."
There was a sigh. "Return her to her cell," the voice instructed. "Let us give her time to consider her fate." The heavy hand grasped her shoulder again and jerked her to her feet. "I urge you to consider your stance carefully, Miss Catesby. This is just the merest taste of what we are prepared to do to regain our property. You have been warned.
"Take her away."
Just Friends
Author: Coco Nutt
Date: 05-24-14 18:32
The paperwork is nearly ready that will satisfy the woman overseeing the veterinary care at Furry Friends that Coco has the necessary qualifications to assist on medical matters. Dr. Agnes Browning still owns the successful veterinary facility she opened many years before but it's now run by one of her sons and one of her daughters. She then turned her attention to the Furry Friends rescue when it began, wanting to both fill hours she wasn't used to having free and to help the friends that the rescue. Coco likes Dr. Browning though she does, at times, find the older woman on the daunting side.
Until the paperwork is completed and processed, Coco is just another volunteer who does whatever work is needed on a given shift. At the moment that means being one of several giving baths to dogs, readying them for another open house. The adoption event starts later in the day, the timing planned for when people are getting off work. There are several other adoption events planned over the next few weeks, at varying times and locations though anyone wanting to adopt one of the Furry Friends residents is welcome anytime during operating hours.
"Coco?"
She looks up from where she's drying a sweet Beagle called Hadley. "Yes?"
Rex laughs, coming to stand near her. "I don't know how I didn't see you with your blue hair. When you're done with Hadley, would you minding helping with the cats?"
"Don't mind at all."
He thanks her but remains standing there. Tilting her head up from her hunched position as she starts checking Hadley's claws to see if any of them need clipping or filing Coco asks, "Something else you need, Rex?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to grab some dinner after the open house."
Surprised as in the past such a request was also phrased in terms of a group of the volunteers were going together somewhere, Coco nearly drops her more careful diction for that which comes so naturally for her. She catches herself so rather than asking, "Yer haskin' me hout on uh date?" she says, "Are you asking me as in a date or just as friends?"
"I was sort of hoping date."
"I'm sorry, but I thought you knew, Rex. I'm in a relationship."
"I'd settle for just friends then and if it makes you feel more comfortable, I can spread the word and see who else wants to go."
"I'd be happy to get dinner as just friends. It's up to you if you want to see who else wants to go."
Trying not to look glum, Rex nods and says they can decide after the open house where they want to eat. He walks off, stopping to talk to another of the dog washers though Coco can't hear if he's making mention of getting dinner this evening or not. With a shrug, both mental and physical, she returns her full attention to Hadley. A few minutes later, Coco's gone to another part of Furry Friends to help get the cats looking presentable for this afternoon.
No More Blind Dates
Author: Maggie Hawthorne
Date: 05-25-14 19:13
"By Merlin if I get one more arrogant, self-centered jack-ass or another idiot from Magical Match, I'm going to lose my bloody mind."
I said as I dropped down on Elesmira's couch and ran a hand through my hair. I'd popped in after my most recent date with a wizard named Carter Jacobs, and I honestly had to resist the urge to hex the man if he talked about his workout routine, his hair, or anything else remotely related to himself.
"Was he that bad Mags?"
"Horrible. Hideous even. This one was one of the arrogant asses." I said, sipping my glass of wine and sinking into the plush cushions all the more.
"Why don't you give it a rest? I mean, are you really that desperate for a relationship?"
I shrugged my shoulders, sighing lightly. "I mean I would like to actually have a relationship, but I honestly don't think that I'll find anyone that meets the standards that I have."
"Honey, you'll find him eventually, for now just relax and enjoy life."
I grinned and sipped my wine, shifting so that I could rest my head against her lap, she was by far one of my closest friends and we were due to be done at St. Emry's after next term.
"Oh, I didn't tell you! I'm going to be an aunt, and I've officially been offered employment at the WWN, and I'm still picking up shifts at the station for St. Emry's. I am learning some planning for Emry's fest."
"Awesome. I'm not sure where I'm going to end up yet, but I will be glad to be done with school."
"Mind if I crash her tonight?"
"Not at all. You know you are more than welcome here."
"Thanks Ele." I said with a light yawn, resting against her a bit more.
"Oh, just for the record don't be surprised if Nigel is here when you wake up. We have plans tomorrow to hang out, you are welcome to come along, and chances are he will be cooking breakfast."
I grinned. "Nigel's breakfasts are some of my favorites. I think I might just linger long enough for one of them before I head home."
Ele laughed and we spent the rest of the night listening to music and talking before I ultimately crashed in her guest room.
Meeting With Kingsley
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 05-25-14 20:20
The office leading into the Minister of Magic's is vacant, the assistant having gone home a few hours ago. Having had a rough day, one of the personnel wading through yet another house filled with dangerous dark arts objects, a number of them cursed, hexed, or booby trapped, Harry would have liked to be home right now as well. Grove's End, dinner, and snuggling on the couch with Ginny after getting both the boys off to sleep is unfortunately not on tonight's agenda. He's been needing to meet with Kingsley Shacklebolt and this is the best time without the many interruptions that might occur during the Minister of Magic's normal day.
Shifting an attaché case from one hand to the other in preparation of knocking on door leading into Kingsley's inner sanctum He jumps when a familiar voice booms from behind, "Go on in, Harry." Kingsley's deep chuckle accompanies his, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Harry offers Kingsley a somewhat sheepish grin. "I think my overreaction is because of what's in here." He jiggles the attaché case.
Kingsley nods in response then follows Harry into the office. He sets a large bag on the corner of his desk before moving around to take his seat. "I brought sandwiches and butterbeer. Let's eat while you start filling me in."
Pulling a sheef of parchment from the attaché even though he doesn't really need his notes, between bites of a club sandwich Harry brings Kingsley up to speed on what his Geheimzinnige Zilver research. The book, bound by a protective spell, he leaves in the case for now.
"One of the spells could be the one Voldemort used to restore his body back at the end of my fourth year. We know where he learned of creating horcruxes but there's a spell in the book that might have helped him splinter his soul as many times as he did... "
Kingsley stops Harry from time to time to ask questions. When Harry's finished with the list, he removes the book from the case when asked, turning to the first tag of the many pages he's marked. Kingsley being satisfied with Harry's recitation would have been nice but Harry had known coming into the meeting the older wizard would want to go over the various spells he'd mentioned. It's going to make for a much longer evening but at least now he's had something to eat.