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(Mockridge Townhouse) Letting It Go
Author: Cassandra Catesby
Date: 06-24-14 08:01
Cowritten with Kirley Mockridge
Cassandra sat propped up in bed by a small mountain of pillows. She still looked a little pale, but she was conscious and rational, both a vast improvement on her recent condition. Midnight-blue eyes watched her husband with concern as he prowled around the bedroom.
"Kirley..." she began softly.
He turned to her, his eyes shadowed and haunted. It would take some time for the fear to fade, as well as the other emotions that had gone with it. "Yes, Cass?" he asked, his voice rough but quiet.
"You need to let it go," she said. She held out her hand to him. "Please..." She hated to see him like this. Hated even more to know that, albeit unintentionally, she was the cause.
He took her hand and sat down on the bed beside her. "I am trying," he said quietly. "But there is a large part of me screaming that I should go back to that castle and bring it down around their heads for them daring to hurt you."
"There's something you need to understand," she said. Their eyes met. "This I will recover from. Losing you, I wouldn't."
He nodded. It was the same way he felt for her. "I thought I had lost you," he murmured. He blinked rapidly, his eyes burning with tears he did not want to shed.
A suspicious shimmer appeared in her own gaze. She caressed his cheek with her free hand. "I'm still here," she whispered, and leaned in to kiss him.
"Which is the only reason your sister and I didn't strike them all down," Kirley admitted. He slid a careful arm around her, needing to feel her close.
"I know," she said. She was under no illusions about the scale of his or Callandra's wrath if fully unleashed, yet she loved them regardless. "I'm glad you found me. I'm even glad in a way that you found Callie too. It was hard not know what had happened to her. Now at least I know she's still alive."
"It was your owl that found Callie," he said quietly. "I just asked her to. And of course, found out that Mother knew where she was perfectly well. But I suppose Mother had a valid argument, she is family and we look out for our own."
"Callandra always did get on well with Cloris, even before..." Cass said, "but if she showed you where she was staying, then she won't be there now." She spoke with quiet certainty. She and her twin had always been very different and yet very similar at one and the same time. She understood Callie in a way that went down to the level of blood and bone.
He nodded. "I suspected as much. And it's really far too much bother to go through all of the properties Mother has access to, especially when there is no guarantee of finding her again." He leaned his head against hers. "Besides, she's your twin."
"She is, and whilst I don't agree with her on every point, I cannot hand her over to the Ministry," she replied.
"And I cannot turn in someone when I really have no idea where they might be," he said with a shrug. "Besides, I'm an assistant to the Minister, not an auror."
"Very true," she said, and she was grateful for that fact. It made things simpler in many ways.
Another Letter - Unopened
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 06-24-14 12:08
As the chime sounded to release his fifth year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students, Lawrence called out over the shuffling din of students gathering their things eager to flee the confines of the Greenhouse. "Remember we will be doing practice testing for your upcoming O.W.Ls over the next few weeks as well as regular lectures."
There was a collective groan from the students, but his seventh years would be making the same collective groan when he made the announcement tomorrow morning at the end of that class. It was quarter past twelve, and he didn't have to be back in the greenhouse until two for his Wednesday office hours, which ran until four. He thought about the small box that was safely tucked in one of the drawers in his quarters, it was a gift for both his wife and their first child and he had not yet determined the perfect time to give it to her. Though they had enjoyed a fantastic vacation in Athens over the break, which had given Ariella time to see a bit more of the ancient city, and he knew that there would not be many more trips for them as just the two of them so this one, he had ensured was special and they'd taken their time enjoying it.
For now, he debated on lunch in the Great Hall or venturing down to the village and grabbing something from Burger Wizard, Brews & Stews or the Crown & Cauldron, or going making something simple in his quarters for lunch. He had a few assignments that he needed to go over, and was debating on working on those through lunch or simply waiting until his office hours to work on them – it wasn't quite the time of year when nearly every moment of the two hour office period would be taken up by students stressing about their O.W.Ls or N.E.W.Ts.
No sooner had he stepped foot in his quarters, did an owl fly in through the window and drop a letter upon the kitchen table. Lawrence couldn't keep the tension from filling his form, and he desperately hoped that the sliver of fear that entered his heart was misplaced as he crossed to inspect the letter that rested flat upon the table. As soon as he got close enough, his heart skipped a beat, fear quickened his pulse as the familiar script from previous correspondence appeared upon the flawless surface of the envelope. There was a strong impulse to simply set the blasted thing on fire and not bother opening it, but there was also a twisted curiosity as to what things would be said about his deceased parents and their supposed ties to Dark Wizards and their use of dark magic.
Simply staring at the envelope his appetite vanished, and while it rested upon the table, he simply turned and left his living quarters and headed back down to the greenhouse. Maybe if he threw himself into tending the plants, grading papers and dealing with students who were soon going to be highly stressed out, he would forget about the envelope and its vile contents. Perhaps he would open it later this evening with his wife by his side, or maybe he'd open it with Maggie..or maybe he wouldn't even open it at all and simply act upon that earlier impulse to throw it into the flames of the fireplace.
Lunch
Author: Cai Pembroke Carter
Date: 06-24-14 12:23
"You've got one more class right?" Broderick asked as he dropped down next to Cai at the Gryffindor table.
"Yeah, but not until midnight, why?"
"Because I was going to ask your advice on a few things, because I can't make up my mind," he said as he loaded his plate with a couple of sandwiches, filled a bowl of soup, and added some crisps to the plate to go with the sandwiches. This would be his first round of lunch – there would at least be two more platefuls before he had to get up and go to Potions at quarter past one.
"Okay, want to meet up after you get out of Potions? I will probably be in the library for a while working on some homework if you want to meet me there?"
"Sure, works for me."
Cai was curious as to what sort of advice her brother could want from her, but she knew well enough that he wasn't ready to share with her the topic that weighed heavily upon his mind just yet so she wouldn't push and wouldn't pry. For herself she got a bowl of the baked potato soup and added a dollop of sour cream, bit of green onion, cheese, and some bacon bits to it. A glass of pumpkin juice rounded out her lunch while she let her brother attempt to gather his thoughts.
"Oh, I never told you…you did good last week in the match against Ravenclaw."
"Good, but not good enough. Bran ended up with the snitch giving Ravenclaw the win. However, I will say it was a good match despite the fact that we spent most of it trailing Ravenclaw by two goals at any given point."
Broderick nodded, as he had a mouthful of sandwich, and once he swallowed that bite, he turned to his sister.
"You still did very good, I know Seeker isn't exactly the easiest position to play and trying to find that bloody snitch has got to be maddening in any weather condition."
"Sometimes clear, sunny days are easier because the light glints off the snitch quite nicely which tends to give away its position. Also, since the incident with the candy wrappers a year or two ago and that ruling put in place by McGonagall, things are a lot easier in the sunlight when it comes to finding the snitch."
"Still, I think if I'd actually tried out I would have gone for Keeper or maybe a Chaser. Anything but seeker."
Cai grinned at her brother. "You are built more for a Keeper than a Seeker…too heavy to be light and quick to catch the snitch."
The siblings finished their lunch and soon parted ways with Broderick heading to the dungeons and Potions class and Cai to Gryffindor tower to gather a few things before heading to the library to work on some assignments.
Considering Dropping Out
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 06-25-14 19:03
Poking my fork around in a salad I tell Edith, "I'm thinking of dropping out."
"Dropping out?"
"Of university."
"As in St. Emrys?"
"No, as in that Muggle one Oxford."
"Why would you leave this far into your program?"
"I don't know if it's what I want. Besides, I'll probably forever be helping out Mum with sales for Davies & Llewellyn."
"You don't know that. If you complete your program or do another, you could very well get a job in that field."
"What does Sage say?"
"I have no idea. Miles says I should do what makes me happy."
"Miles?"
"Miles Mortimer."
"Magical Match Miles?"
"The very one."
"I thought you had gone back to seeing Sage?"
"I go with Libby on her dates with him."
"Libby is dating Sage?"
"She thinks she is."
"She's nine."
"So I have pointed out to her."
"Is Sage aware he's dating someone with a 9 o'clock bedtime?"
"I've hinted around that Libby is taking these outings seriously. He finds it amusing."
"Libby could get her feelings hurt."
"More like she'll break Sage's heart, but only after she's managed to get him to the alter where she'll leave him standing."
"Be serious."
"I am. Libby's been researching countries where girls can get married at a young age. She's now trying to figure out how to convince Sage to take her on holiday to Yemen."
Edith laughs to the point of choking herself only to then turn deadly serious. "That does sound like your devious little sister. Now, back to you thinking of leaving school. Why not change programs before taking that step?"
"What would be the point of I'm only going to end up an estate agent?"
"The point would be for you to see if you like something else to pursue instead of settling for an occupation you intensely dislike. Listen to Miles. Talk to Sage. Have you mentioned this to Isabella or Catherine?"
"Not yet."
"We'll do it tonight. If we have any say, you're staying."
If this is like when my friends pressured me into that blind date through Magical Match where I met Miles I might as well just give up now and agree to stay. Then again, if I wait a bit I might get a free meal out of it this evening. "Fine. Tonight then," I agree with Edith.
That settled as far as Edith is concerned she starts quizzing me on how many dates I've had with Miles that she's not heard about.
Fishing
Author: Jane Linton
Date: 06-26-14 13:51
Homework, homework and even more homework! Her right hand was numb from holding the quill for so long. Jane opened and closed it several times, stimulating the blood's circulation.
"I could use a break. What about you, Nala?"
Her friend agreed and the two witches left the Hufflepuff common room and went upstairs, for a walk around the grounds. It was a sunny afternoon and they were not the only ones outside, for Jane's relief (she felt a bit guilty with her laziness). A loud group of students were gathered under a tree, talking. A Slytherin boy and a Ravenclaw girl traded Chocolate Frog Cards between them. A lonely Hufflepuff read a book by the lake. Two Gryffindors were also by the lake, with bare feet, the trousers of their uniforms pulled up as well as their sleeves. Jane recognized Bowen Goodnight and Pelinore Turner. She and Nala approached them, keeping their distance from the lake's bank. None of them was feeling like getting wet.
"What are you doing?" Jane inquired.
"Fishing with our hands," Pelinore replied. "No wands or fishing poles."
"That makes no sense…" Nala told.
Bowen's arm dove swiftly into the water. When it reappeared, dripping fat drops of water, his hand held nothing but air. Nala laughed out loud, but Jane hid her smile with her hand, not wanting to hurt the boys' feelings. Pelinore tried to catch a fish too, but the only thing he managed to grab was a seaweed strip. After a few more failed attempts the boys left the lake, partially wet.
"Maybe there are no fishes in the lake. The giant squid ate them all," Bowen said, trying to justify their failure at fishing.
"Does anyone know a spell that dries clothes?"
Nala shrugged her shoulders, but Jane grasped her wand, pointing it at Pelinore. She said the right words loud and clear, and the Gryffindor boy became dry from tip to toe. He thanked Jane and then Bowen asked her to do the same to him. She did so, gladly.
Jane and Nala then went back to their house's common room. There was still a lot of homework to do and Jane wanted to get it done before Saturday. Hufflepuff was going to play against Slytherin that day and she didn't want to go to the game with her mind on homework. Jane was a feverous Quidditch adept. Most of the times she was a quiet girl but she was very passionate when it came to that sport. She would even feel nervous before the matches and her mother had warned her to be cautious about that. Mrs. Linton didn't want her daughter to suffer in anticipation because of a Quidditch game and she advised her to not become too much involved with the sport. Maybe she should put that passion into her studies, instead. So Jane wanted to get all her homework done while her head was still cold and she was feeling rational. Only Merlin knew what could happen on Saturday. If Hufflepuff lost she would lose all her mood to do her homework. Better safe than sorry.
Friday Plans
Author: Oreileah McCoi
Date: 06-27-14 11:39
"Christian, I've got the contract for the Marchbanks v. Mortimer dispute translated. I left it on your desk about ten minutes ago." I said, stepping out of the kitchen in the building with a steaming cup of tea.
"Got it, and Mel's got it, combing through it and pulling up the points that will be most disputed. Though knowing Mortimer there will be the very smallest, most unimportant detail complained about in the contract."
Christian said as he paused in the hallway so we could talk.
"Did you really offer to pay to put Mel through school?" I asked, not having had a few minutes to talk to him about anything other than work in the past few weeks as we'd been dealing with quite a bit of documents coming in and out of the office.
Christian sighed, and I knew well enough the answer to my question. "And you seriously didn't think that it would come back to bite you or her in the ass?" I said, shaking my head lightly.
"I didn't mean it to come off weird or anything, and honestly she turned me down, like I thought she was going to."
"She was right to turn you down. I know it also cost her the relationship she was in, but I don't know if that's a good thing or not in that regard. However, if you want to do something with the money then look into what it takes to set up a scholarship program, and we can begin offering it next school year when we go to Hogwarts for Career Day."
Christian thought for a moment before nodding. "That, sounds like a much, much better idea. Thank you Orei. There is a reason you are the level headed one in this business."
I grinned at Christian. "Of course, now will you be coming to dinner tonight? We will be cooking out if the weather holds and I know Meagan will be looking forward to seeing her two favorite Uncles."
Christian grinned and nodded. "Of course, we'll be bringing David's famous potato salad and I think he said something about making something sweet for dessert."
"Alright. Now, I've got about six more translations to finish up before I head home and start prepping for dinner tonight. I'll see you guys around six-thirty."
"Sounds like a plan."
Christian headed into the kitchen, and I headed back upstairs to my office, using my wand to reheat my cup of tea, and turn my attention to the stack of parchments that needed translation.
(Dungeon) Introspection and Devil's Advocate
Author: Cloris Mockridge
Date: 06-27-14 12:51
Cloris sank into her armchair after waving her wand to close and lock the door to her living quarters. Her two fourth year classes were done for the week, and she was slightly relieved. Today had been a revision day, and she knew she'd been harsher than she probably should have been, but it was imperative that the students grasp the basics. Maybe changing a beetle into a button or a teacup into a tortoise wouldn't save their lives, but by understanding the principles, they could use the knowledge to do just that.
The time she'd spent at the Mockridge Townhouse, which had pretty much been every hour outside of her classroom and office hours, had brought back a great deal of memories for Cloris. From healing her husband before Voldemort's fall in Godric's Hollow to healing her son and daughter-in-law before their deaths at the Dark Lord's side, Cruciatus exposure was something she had treated far more than she would like to admit. Add to that the need to restrain her son, and it had been quite challenging. She was just lucky that Kirley had eventually agreed that the risks in bringing down those who had dared touch his wife were just too great. And that he was well aware that loyalty to their family came before anything else, hence his lack of report to the Aurors that she had been aiding and abetting Callandra Catesby.
Graying blonde hair, as unusual in the Parkinson line as it had been in the Blacks prior to Narcissa's marriage to Lucius Malfoy, fell around her face as she let it down, the long locks normally perfectly coiffed in the elegant chignon she'd favored from the early days of her marriage. She'd laugh if she realized that it made her look much younger than her actual age, but then, she had been chosen by her husband for her beauty as well as her bloodline.
A knock caught her attention and when she saw that it was Severus, she flicked her wand, allowing him through.
"Are you quite alright, Cloris?" he asked, his voice silky and quiet as it tended to be when he wasn't dealing with dunderheads and students far too fond of melting cauldrons.
"It has been a very long week, my old friend," she admitted.
"Cassandra is well again, then?" Her eyes barely betrayed her surprise, and he chuckled quietly. "It's no secret that she was missing and that Kirley recently reported that she'd been found. I assumed she needed specialized care, hence your limited time in the castle," he explained.
"Sometimes, Severus, you are too astute for your own good. Yes, Cassandra will recover. Kirley is suffering no ill effects from his sister's restraining spells, and all should be well. It just..."
"Brings back memories?" the Potions Master asked.
"Exactly," Cloris said. "I find myself tiring of these wars. I do not disagree with the ideals they espouse, but I find myself thinking we may be going about things the wrong way. Children can be taught, why are we not teaching them the traditions and customs when they are young? It may allieviate the fears among many of those that the Dark Lord swayed in the early days."
"Ahh, but we are no longer dealing with the Dark Lord. Instead, we have Fairchild at the head of the Death Eaters," Severus said in his quietest voice. There was a sense to his words of him playing Devil's Advocate, as if this were a debate hashed out between the two more than once before.
"And few of us know what she truly wishes to accomplish. Not that we necessarily really knew those before." The Potions Master nodded and got to his feet.
"Food for thought, at least," he said, offering her a hand. "In the meantime, there are a large number of students who probably need supervision. Care to assist?" he asked with a slight smile.
"Very well. We shall see if they cower faster before us both than they do when you are scowling alone," Cloris teased the younger man, a slight smile on her face.
It's My Flat
Author: Eoghan
Date: 06-28-14 20:27
"Jermaine, where are you with the woman?"
Jermaine Radley, arms crossed, shrugs. "Nowhere yet."
Sherman raises an eyebrow. "Nothing at all?"
"These things take time."
Unable to hold his tongue Eoghan interjects, "I told you letting Jermaine meet her was a bad idea."
Lucy Hewitt snorts, "Why are you even here, Riordin?"
"It's my flat."
Hewitt glares. "Oh, that's right. This hovel is yours. I forgot for a moment we weren't at a safe house."
"Children, children, no petty bickering today," Sherman chides. To Radley he asks, "Can you tell if there's a problem?"
"No. I think she's just being cautious."
Eoghan admits somewhat reluctantly, "Hedy would, whether on her own or because Fairchild's drilled it into her."
Radley snaps his fingers. "I knew there was something I hadn't mentioned. That night in the bar she gave me the name Louisa. No last name."
The look Hewitt gives her partner is withering. "You didn't think to tell me this later that night?"
Sherman gives her an equally withering stare. "Us. You should have reported this to US."
Sheepish Radley admits, "I somehow forgot. Sorry." Looking to Eoghan he asks, "Why would she give you the name Hedy Lamarr?"
"Because we were both after the same item."
"I don't follow."
Sherman dismissively waves a hand. "Her reason doesn't matter. What we need to determine now is if Louisa is her real name."
Hewitt shoots Eoghan a sly smile. "You're good at that sort of research Riordin. Now that you know what you'll be doing the next few days, how about fetching us drinks and something to eat while we discuss other assignments."
Sherman slams his hands down on the table. "I said enough of that. Lucy, how about you do the checking on Voldemort followers and their children who might be called Louisa. Jermaine, make another date with her. Don't push or rush but find out what you can. Feel her out about her thoughts on dark magic, that sort of thing. Eoghan, what's the status on getting more of those rare ingredients on the list Hedy gave you?"
A half hour later his guests leave, Eoghan more than glad to have Hewitt out of his flat. Radley's not a bad sort, not really. He can be a little slow at times, making Eoghan wonder how he's made it so far in this racket. Maybe Jermaine is sharper than he comes across, stifled under Lucy's thumb as her partner. Lucy's intelligent but impatient, arrogant, has little regard for others, and has quite the temper. Rather than all that getting her cut she'll probably be running things in a few years.
Checking the time, Eoghan leaves the flat as well to see someone about a Argyroxiphium sandwicense plant. The plant, also known as silversword, is threatened, which makes it difficult to come by. Its leaves are an ingredient on the list Eoghan has. It won't be cheap.