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After the Birthday Party
Author: Josie
Date: 03-29-15 14:10
"It's past midnight," Henry declared looking at the clock by the fireplace. "No letter."
"No letter," his wife Mary repeated.
I looked around the living room. There were vestiges of Derek's birthday party everywhere: the cake half eaten, with eleven candles; the empty plates and the wrapping paper on the floor. He has already gone to bed alongside his two sisters, Jane and Annie. My father was the first to break the silence:
"So this means he is like me?"
"Not exactly," I told my father. "We should go now. I'll explain you on the way home."
The environment around my brother's house was tense and I knew my father and I should leave and give Henry and Mary some privacy. We said our goodbyes, dressed our coats and left. My father and I entered in his car. He insisted on driving me home, no matter how many times I tried to explain him that apparition would be a fastest method. We continued our conversation in the car, as we left Henry's neighborhood.
"I don't understand. Derek turned eleven and he didn't receive his letter from Hogwarts. What is the matter with that? Aren't there other magical schools he can attend?"
"Yes there are. But if he wasn't accepted at Hogwarts it can only mean he is a Squib."
"Squib? Don't you mean a Muggle, like me?"
"No. The right term is Squib. It's because Derek comes from a wizarding family. "
I started explaining to my father everything about Squibs. He started to understand why Henry had always been so impatient with Derek not showing any signs of magical abilities and his broken expression when no letter from Hogwarts had arrived tonight. Derek himself seemed concerned about that during the party, but Mary had consoled her eldest son saying that it might come when he was already in bed. Sometimes owls took their time. Now, they would have to explain to their son first thing in the morning, that he would not be able to attend Hogwarts like he so much wanted to. That he would have to see their sisters learning magic, playing Quidditch and brew potions, while he probably would have to attend a Muggle school. Assuming that would be his fate. It was all so uncertain at the moment.
My father drove in silence, as I spoke. He didn't seem to like this situation at all. He left me at home and he didn't even seem to notice the light was on at my apartment. Jack was there and I felt grateful I didn't have to explain that to my father yet. I kissed his cheek and told him to drive carefully and I only entered the building when I saw his car disappearing at the corner.
Jack was waiting up in the couch, with Foxy at his feet.
"So?" he asked me, standing up.
"It's like we predicted: my nephew is a Squib."
"I'm sorry Josie," Jack embraced me. I closed my eyes trying to get lost in his touch, but doing so was impossible.
Tonight my thoughts and concerns were with Derek.
Still Friends
Author: Cate
Date: 03-29-15 14:57
Cate was done with class and she had taken her books and parchment back to her room when she ran into Beatrix. "Hi." Cate said with a smile. "How are you?"
"I'm alright." Beatrix answered with a half smile.
"What's wrong?"
"I just miss hanging out together. Since you and Preston got back together and you, Amanda and Elliot are talking again..."
Cate sighed softly, "I know I have not been a very good friend and I am sorry. I have missed hanging out with you."
The two talked for a few minutes before Beatrix excused herself to go do something, but she promised that she would come back and maybe they could work on homework together. Cate agreed and hugged her friend before she left.
Going to the Common Commons Cate got a snack and some Pumpkin Juice to drink before she joined her friends over in the corner. She looked at them sitting there and for a brief moment she thought that she would see Jordana sitting there with them and a wave of sadness washed over her.
Walking over to her friends she flopped down onto a pillow next to her boyfriend and Darren and Elliot on the other side with Amanda sitting in front of her.
Trust
Author: Amanda Reynolds
Date: 03-29-15 15:16
Amanda smiled at Cate as she sat down on the pillow in front of her and leaned over to kiss her boyfriend. She then looked at Elliot who was all cuddled up with Darren. She sighed internally and wished that she could be the one that was cuddled up with Elliot. She still had a massive crush on Elliot that she didn't know what to do about. She sighed again.
"You okay?" Cate asked.
"Yeah." She said a slight dreamy note to her voice.
Cate noticed where she was staring and she smiled at Amanda. Stuffing the last of her snack in her mouth she chewed and swallowed and then said to Amanda,"come on let's have a little girl talk."
Amanda didn't really want to talk about Elliot and how she felt about him but she knew that is what Cate wanted to talk about. She nodded her head at Cate and got up.
When the two girls reached a spot where the others could not hear them they started talking, Cate going first. "You have a crush on Elliot don't you?"
Amanda chuckled nervously. "Yeah I guess you could say that."
"Does he know?"
"Yes. But he is in love with Darren. He wants to ask him to marry him when we are out of school."
"Wow. I'm sorry." Cate reached for her friend's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm here if you need to talk."
Amanda almost chuckled to herself thinking that at one time she would have trusted those words from Cate but now she was still feeling her out after everything that had happened. She wanted desperately to trust her but the fact is that she didn't totally trust her anymore.
"Eh, it is what it is. There is nothing I can do to change how he feels." She gave Cate a half smile and noticed that Preston was looking their way. "I think Preston is missing you."
Cate smiled and quickly hugged her friend and then the two walked back over to where the others were and sat down.
Another Friday
Author: Valeria Mockridge
Date: 03-30-15 15:18
"You're becoming a swot, just so you're aware," Petula drawled as Valeria set her last essay aside to dry. "That's what, all the homework currently assigned?"
"So I want my work out of the way, that's not a crime, Pet," the blonde replied, sounding bored. This wasn't a new argument. In fact, she was fairly certain they'd had it repeatedly since the beginning of the term.
"But you don't do anything else anymore, you've always got your nose in a book. Granted, it's normally some sort of advanced hexes, but still."
Val got to her feet, putting her essays and books away before she looked up at her cousin. "And what should I be doing, Pet? You're with Niccolo so often, and there's only so much I can stand of being gooseberry."
"You could be trying to figure out who slipped that gift into your bag last week," Pet pointed out.
"I could. Or I could already know and just not feel like sharing."
"Is this going to be like the Christmas gift?" Petula asked, following Val as she headed for their dormitory.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Valeria claimed, but they both knew she was lying. On Christmas morning, a present had arrived for her, wrapped in silver paper with an emerald green ribbon. When she'd opened it, it held a pair of expensive earrings, ascher cut emeralds in a platinum setting, along with a note. Which she'd never told anyone what it said, but she wore the earrings constantly. Valentine's Day, someone slipped another package into her bookbag at some point between classes, in the same silver paper with the emerald ribbon. Inside this one had been a tennis bracelet to match the earrings, and it only left her wrist when she was in the shower. Again, she never spoke of the note's contents, and they'd been spelled with some sort of privacy charm. It was driving Petula, and by extension, Niccolo, crazy not knowing what was going on with the blonde and her secrets.
"Fine, if that's the way you want to be. Shall we get a snack before you have to get to Arithmancy and Divination?"
"A snack? We just had lunch," Val protested.
"Which you hardly ate. And I feel like a fairy cake, so you can at least come with me to the Common Commons."
"Fine," Val gave in. "But I thought it was Zabini's job to bow to your every whim, especially when you are wanting sweets."
"It is. But I claimed I wanted some girl time, so he's working on his assignments so he can cater to my whims this weekend," Petula said with a smirk. Valeria just rolled her eyes and followed her friend.
In The Commons (Lauren & Amorica)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 03-30-15 20:36
The chair next to her pulls out. Having been so engrossed in a book she'd not known anyone was even there, Lauren looks over in surprise. Surprise turns to a warm smile. "Hi, Amorica. Finished for the day or killing time until a class?"
"Hi, you don't mind do you?" Amorica's hand is on the chair but she's made no further move to sit.
"No, of course not."
Returning her cousin's smile Amorica slides into the seat. "I'm done for the day. One thing I like about Fridays is that I only have two classes, and both in the morning."
"Me too. Potions and,"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts. Or am I remembering third year mandatories wrong?"
"No, that's right. I'm impressed. At the start of school I could remember last year's schedule fairly well but now I'd have to put a lot of thought into it."
"I don't remember everything but I liked DADA enough to recall it, or I guess that's why it's still stuck up here." Amorica taps her temple. "Aunt Madeline and Uncle Scott coming tomorrow?"
Lauren frowns and nods. "Both are coming but if it's like it always is, Marlow and Liannah are going to start squabbles and get us all in trouble. Are Uncle Geoffrey and Aunt Shalamar going to come?"
"They're supposed to but Dad's had the flu so it may just be Mum. Alexa might come with."
"Do you want her to?"
"I sort of miss her but at the same time, just like you find your sisters annoying, I can find mine annoying."
"You ever wonder what it would be like to have a brother or more than one?" Lauren asks.
"As much time as the extended Wenlock family spends together sometimes it seems like we do have brothers, or I feel that way anyway."
"Yeah, I see your point. Does it seem strange to you not to have so many of the cousins still around?"
"Yes, though there are still plenty of us here not to mention Aaron and his family being here. Deak visits regularly and so do Drake and Ophelia. It's too bad we don't see more of the other Darlings and all the Riveras."
"Mateo told me in an owl that Alejandro is switching to St. Emrys."
"Alexa mentioned something about that but didn't say why. Did Mateo?"
"Alejandro has decided he wants to be a healer and the university there is fairly new and somewhat small. It doesn't have a healing program and may never add one."
"Maybe we'll see more of him then but with us here at Hogwarts, that still wouldn't be much," Amorica says with a lopsided smile. "I'm going to get something to drink. You want anything?"
"Lemonade, please."
When Amorica returns, Lauren and she spend the next hour chatting and catching up more. Though they see each other regularly, with Lauren being a third year and in Gryffindor and Amorica a fourth year and in Slytherin, they don't always have a chance to sit just the two of them and talk about whatever comes to mind.
(Leigh) Life is Good
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 03-31-15 12:44
Leigh Buchanan had idolized her older cousin Liza for as long as she could remember. Liza, Aunt Lucia, and Uncle Lorenzo had all been Death Eaters and had died in the service of Voldemort. They had done so much in their relatively short lives and had departed from the world in a blaze of glory. Their lives, however brief, was exactly what Leigh wanted for herself.
Leigh nonetheless wished the three still lived because she felt closer to them than she did her own family unit. Her parents and twin did not share her ideals at all. She felt proud of herself for having successfully followed in the footsteps of her aunt, uncle, and cousin, even though times had changed and Voldemort no longer ran the show. His successor, who claimed to be Voldemort's spiritual daughter––something Leigh did not question because she wanted it to be true––was also someone she unequivocally respected.
Adriana Fairchild was not only strong and beautiful, but she was a natural leader––someone who commanded loyalty and respect. Fairchild was easily someone to emulate, though Leigh knew that she could only ever be a follower. It was the only thing she had ever aspired to be, after all.
Leigh considered herself quite lucky to have been inducted into the Death Eaters so soon after arriving. She could only assume that Fairchild saw a useful ally in her. Not only had Leigh done everything her mistress had asked of her, but she had done so without hesitation. She would also continue to serve Fairchild without question and in any capacity necessary.
Her mistress appeared to be in high spirits as of late. Leigh knew the reason had to do with a mysterious object delivered by another Death Eater, but no one expect perhaps the other Death Eater himself seemed to know much about the object that excited Fairchild so much. Leigh knew it wasn't her place to ask and would not under any circumstances make any inquiries about it unless given permission by Fairchild herself, but she couldn't help but be curious. Whatever it was, it not only lifted Fairchild's spirits but those of the rest of her followers as well.
Leigh was so very pleased, not only with herself but with her circumstances too. She had finally found the place where she belonged and couldn't be happier. Life was good––very, very good!
(Jonathan) The 'Other' Girlfriend
Author: Chance Morgan Lovell
Date: 03-31-15 15:51
Jonathan sat at his desk in the Daily Prophet and worked on an article but he could not concentrate because he kept day dreaming about Katherine. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her to listen to all the sounds that she would make...
"Hey!" Chance said from the desk opposite the room. Not hearing Chance Jonathan kept day dreaming about Katherine. It was when Chance raised her voice again and said, "hey!" that he realized she was talking to him.
"Oh. Sorry."
"What were you day dreaming about your 'other' girlfriend?"
Jonathan's face drained of color and he shook his head rather frantically. "There is no one for me but you." He said, knowing full well that he had been having a lot of fantasies about Katherine. In fact he was supposed to have lunch with her today. It was a working lunch but he had so many things going through his mind about her that he wanted to make it a different kind of working lunch.
"Well, okay." Chance said. "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine." He said his face regaining color.
"Alright then I am off to lunch. You want to join me?"
"No, I have a working lunch today."
"Okay. Well have fun." She said and with a small pop she disapperated.
A moment later Katherine came to the door and leaned against the frame. "Well hello. And just how are you doing?" She cooed.
Jonathan instantly forgot about work, lunch and everything else but Katherine. He stalked towards her flicked his wand closing the blinds in the room, grabbed her and pulled her into the room and slammed and locked the door. Grabbing a fist of her hair he pulled her head back and kissed her neck."You know you've wanted this as much as I have." He growled. She didn't resist and he could feel his body growing excited by this.
Loosening his grip on her slightly he devoured her lips and she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "let's go somewhere more private."
You Have Been Served
Author: Marzipan
Date: 03-31-15 16:00
Marzi used her wand to clean up the soil that had spilled out of an earthen pot she'd accidentally knocked to the ground. The pot was now mended and back on its shelf, which held empty pots of all sizes and materials. Marzi's favorite was one she had gotten when she still lived in Africa, during one of her travels to Morocco. It was medium-sized, glazed, and mostly blue and white in color. She'd gotten a very good deal on it after a lengthy amount of enthusiastic haggling. Sometimes she used the pot to show off a plant for one of her lectures, but now it sat empty.
After Marzi got up all the spilled soil, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. It was nearing four o'clock, which meant that her office hours were almost behind her. She doubted very much that a student would rush into the greenhouse at the last minute, but Marzi had no intention of leaving early. Instead, she went to the little desk in the corner and stuffed into a folder the homework assignments the second years had turned in to her that morning.
With the days already growing longer, even though it was still very much the dead of winter, it was not yet night. The sun was setting, however, and orange hues penetrated through the foliage in the greenhouse windows, casting a sort of glow inside the glass building. The beams were blinding if one walked through them, but otherwise, the light was actually very pretty.
It was because of the light that Marzi noticed the owl approaching the greenhouse. It was large and black, with a face similar to that of a barn owl. As the owl neared, Marzi realized that it was making its way for the greenhouse and not some other destination like the Owlery. She went to the door, which she opened, letting in not only the owl but the chill. The bird, which was actually more of a dark gray than true black, landed on the main work table, where it dropped an official-looking sealed envelope. Then it fixed its blackish eyes on Marzi.
Marzi took the hint and walked over to her desk, where she kept a small jar of owl treats. She emptied a few onto her palm and then gently tossed them at the owl. The owl took no offense at not being hand fed and took its time eating the treats from the table. When it finished, it flew back out the open door. Marzi closed the door behind it and then picked up the letter from the table.
Without even opening the letter, she felt a chill run down her spine, and it wasn't even from the cold air still trapped inside the greenhouse from having the door open earlier. The letter was addressed to
Mrs. Marzipan Ravenscroft
Professor of Herbology,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
and had a return address from
The office of Mr. Thelonius Smirke, Esq.
The City, London
Frowning, Marzi broke the seal on the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment that was folded in thirds. She quickly read through the letter, which stated she was being sued for the wrongful death of Redberga Fawley. The plaintiff was someone named Elfreda Fawley. Heart pounding, Marzi clutched the letter in her hand, and decided it was time to head back to the castle. She knew it unlikely that Weston would be home from work yet, but she would be waiting for him in their quarters to give him the bad news.
Clearly Unhappy!
Author: Capri Brycin
Date: 03-31-15 16:37
"Mom, Dad it's not the end of the world." Capri said, and she wished that Mark was there to help here with this. However, if he was there they would just be lambasting him instead of just her. Either way it's not good.
"You said you were not pregnant the last time we had dinner. And that was only a few weeks ago."
Capri closed her eyes her Dad was clearly not happy. Her mother on the other hand wasn't happy but Capri could tell that she was a little more happy than her father.
"And is that Mark fellow going to take responsibility for you and this child that he has produced?" He paused then said, "it is his child right?"
Capri knew that the child was not Mark's because they had not been intimate since before she had been raped, of which her parents did not know about. "Yes, of course it is Mark's child." She almost spat at her father.
Her brother Amyas moved from where he was sitting and put an arm around his sister and hugged her close to him. He looked at his parents and squeezed his sister closer. "Why don't you guys show her some support instead of giving her a hard time. You know she could use your support right now. This is going to be hard for her and Mark --" He shook his head and let the sentence die off.
"Thank you, Amyas." Capri said. She then looked at her parents and said, "it's fine if you don't want to support me you don't have to be a part of your grandchild's life." She stood up and so did Amyas the two hugged and then she said. "If and when you change your mind," she directed the comment to her parents, "you know where to find me." And with that she disapperated from her parents home and to her own home.