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(Arielle) Wondering
Author: Jolyon
Date: 11-05-17 14:11
After Alchemy let out, Arielle and Malden exited the classroom hand in hand. Arielle thought they were headed to the Commons, but as Asher swept past them, she saw her brother and boyfriend exchange near-imperceptible nods. Asher carried on, moving faster down the corridor than the couple walked, and put enough distance between them to end up out of sight.
A few minutes later, Malden gently extricated his hand from Arielle's and said, "I need to go to the Slytherin common room for a Quidditch meeting. See you later?"
Arielle looked surprised, but she nodded and said, "Okay. Later, then."
Malden leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek and then hurried down the corridor after Asher. Arielle continued in her more leisurely pace, wondering if the boys were really going to have a Quidditch meeting in their common room, or if something else was happening altogether.
Arielle had noticed for a while that they seemed to be getting along again. She didn't think they were friends, exactly, but they seemed to have a common interest, and not just Quidditch.
Malden often excused himself from Arielle's company, such as during the last Hogsmeade trip. He'd been gone for about an hour and claimed to have spent it buying her an early Christmas present. Arielle didn't want to doubt him, but she kind of did. She hadn't gone so far as to follow behind him, though.
If she could sneak into the Slytherin common room, then she might follow him now, but Arielle instead when to Gryffindor Tower to put away her books and relax a bit before dinnertime.
Working Up To A Tantrum
Author: Ginny Weasley
Date: 11-05-17 19:05
Ginny moves the stroller so that items low on the shoppe's shelves are out of her daughter's reach. She then squats to pry from one hand a bottle of ink so brilliantly green the bottle practically shines and shimmers. This causes a frown to crease the child's brow and lower lip to push out as the small hand clutches its prize even more tightly.
"Lily Luna Potter." Ginny's tone is unmistakably don't make Mummy mad.
Looking both obstinate and petulant, Lily reluctantly lets go only to reach out to try and grab another from the shelf. Learning everything is now too far away elicits an angry howl. Sighing, Ginny turns. "Mum, I'm taking Lily outside for a few."
"All right, dear. I shan't be long."
A few minutes later Molly joins Ginny and Luna on a bench where they've a good view of the people strolling up and down Diagon Alley. "Tantrum averted?"
"For now. She's definitely working up to one. I should have brought the regular pram instead of the stroller. She can't grab things yet from the pram."
Lily grins over at her mother and grandmother, her mouth slobbery from where she's been gumming a hard biscuit.
"I don't remember Jamie or Albus being as strong willed as Lily at this same age."
"She gets it from you. I'd say she also gets some of it from Harry but I'm sorry to say I don't know much about what Harry was like before his parents died and I would think any hard headedness or mulishness wasn't squashed at the Durleys."
"At least until he was older," Ginny agrees.
"I've one other shoppe I want to go into. Do you want to stay here or come along?"
"We'll go with you though we may end up finding a spot outside to wait."
"Is there anywhere you're wanting or needing to go?"
"Not today."
A short time later Molly has paid for her purchase and rejoined Ginny at another good people watching spot. "We've a bit of time before you need to be at practice. Let's get lunch, my treat."
"What sounds good?"
"The Leaky Cauldron?"
"Works for me."
"Ginny Potter?"
Ginny looks up from where she's sitting, expecting a Quidditch fan to ask for her autograph. "Yes."
An official looking envelope is thrust at her. "You've been served."
Ginny rolls her eyes, sighing heavily. Molly can barely keep from asking, "What's this about?" before Ginny's had time to open the subpoena. "Bloody hell. Freya Southway has somehow gotten a third trial."
She stuffs the subpoena back in its envelope then shoves the envelope into the bag containing her purse and Lily's things. Molly and she walks towards the end of Diagon Alley where The Leaky Cauldron is located, Ginny seething that yet again someone saw fit to give Freya Southway another chance to prove her innocence of things everyone, including Freya, knows she's guilty of. It's enough to make Ginny want to throw her own tantrum.
Getting Sick
Author: Finley
Date: 11-06-17 18:16
Upon entering the Great Hall, Finley made a beeline for the Gryffindor table and sat down in the nearest available seat. Phoebus had shared all her morning classes with her but had gone up to his dorm room to exchange books. He had Muggle Studies after lunch, while Finley's afternoon was free and clear.
A good thing, too. She'd woken up with what felt like the beginnings of a sore throat. There was a slight scratch every time she swallowed, and no amount of hydration seemed to clear up the uncomfortable feeling. If anything, it appeared to be getting worse. Perhaps instead of getting a leg up on some of her homework, she would take a long nap this afternoon.
Finley grabbed a bowl of beef stew and just held her face over it, so that the steam went into her sinuses. The heat felt quite good, but with her eyes shut and her energy dwindling, Finley felt like napping right then and there. She gently pushed the bowl aside and put her head down on the table.
A moment later she felt a body sink down into the empty place next to her and assumed it was Phoebus, having returned from the dorm, but it was Eirene.
"Hey, are you sick?"
Finley lifted her head ever-so-slightly and said, "I think so."
"Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing?"
Finley raised her head even higher and nudged the bowl of stew closer again. She picked up her spoon and said, "I'm thinking I just need to sleep, so after I eat this hot stew, I'm going to tuck myself in my bed and hope for the best."
Eirene looked skeptical. "Madam Pomfrey could at least give you a potion to make you get better before you get sicker."
"I'll think about it," Finley said. She saw Phoebus enter the room but as she was so close to the door, she didn't need to beckon him over. He saw them right away and plopped down across from the girls.
"Were you talking about me?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows and grinning.
Eirene gave him an 'as-if' kind of look and said, "Finley is sick and needs to go to the Hospital Wing. Make sure she goes."
"I'm not her keeper," Phoebus said. "And she's got a mind of her own, much like you."
"There's no Quidditch practice tonight, is there?" Eirene asked Finley, ignoring Phoebus' comment.
Finley shook her head. "No. I'm just gonna go to sleep."
"Oh, Gryffindor's totally going to wipe Slytherin out during that first match!" Phoebus exclaimed. "Mark my words."
Eirene continued to ignore Phoebus. "Go to the Hospital Wing after you finish that stew, okay?"
Finley knew that Eirene wouldn't let it go until she went, so she nodded and said, "I will. I promise."
"Good," Eirene said. She got up, shot Phoebus a look, and went to the Slytherin table to eat lunch.
Phoebus watched her go and shook his head. "She is something else."
Finley could only grunt in response.
(Gareth) Playing Games
Author: Gerry
Date: 11-07-17 18:04
Gareth, James, and Schuyler sat around a three-sided chessboard and worked their way through a very exciting match. The board actually belonged to an older student who had left it in the common room for anyone to use. It was great fun for the three boys, who had all grown up in Hogsmeade together and had known each other for years.
Schuyler had just taken out one of Gareth's knights, when Gerry and Will sauntered over to the three first years. Gerry looked over the chessboard thoughtfully and then declared, "You're terrible at this game, Gareth."
"Better than you, I wager," Gareth shot back. As it so happened, he had more pieces left on the board than James. So far, Schuyler seemed to have the game in the bag, but then anything could still happen.
"We can test that theory," Gerry said. He yawned exaggeratedly, though, and added, "But it will have to be some other time. I'm beat."
"And you would be if we played a round, too," Gareth quipped. "Go on to bed, then, old man," he went on. Then he grinned wickedly and added, "Sweet dreams of Grace, yeah?"
The boys, including Will, all laughed. Gerry scowled and said, "I don't think of her that way."
"No?" Gareth feigned surprise. "My mistake. Rook to G4."
Gerry, still scowling, swept past the three first years and their chessboard and went to his dorm room, with Will following closely behind and snickering.
Night Classes
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 11-07-17 18:58
Christopher checks the time. "If you don't leave soon you'll risk being late."
Cat makes a face. "I know and being late the first class meeting is not the best impression to make. Still, I'd rather sit here with you until you go to your own class."
She rises, leaning over to give him a quick peck. "Meet you back here after."
"We'll get a late supper or a snack," Christopher agrees.
Cat grabs her things and hurries off to her night class. Christopher's isn't for another half hour so he returns to reading the last few pages for tonight. It might be the first class meeting of the course but the professor expects everyone to come having already read the first four chapters to be covered.
A shadow falls across the page. Thinking Cat forgot something he's surprised to see Amalia Ricchetti standing there. She has a shy, tentative smile. "Hello. May I sit?"
"Hi, yes, of course," Christopher replies, half standing.
Once seated across the table from him Amalia folds her hands together in front of her on the tabletop. She looks down at them intensely, as if studying her intertwined fingers. Christopher patiently waits for her to speak again, conscious of the time steadily ticking away. Like Cat, he does not want to be late.
Two or three minutes pass before she clears her throat, finally looking at him again. "I am long overdue thanking you in person. Thank you for stepping in that night."
"You've already said thanks."
"Not directly to you and I also made it clear I wanted distance from you, from Catriona, from others. I have since gained professional assistance."
"Professional assistance?"
"A therapist."
"It's wonderful you got some help to deal with everything. Um, I hate to rush off when you've decided to start speaking with me again but I've a class."
"I understand, and I, too, have a course to meet. Please let us get together soon. You and Catriona."
"If you're serious, we're meeting back here after our respective classes end tonight. Join us."
"You are sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Yes, all right then. I shall see you both in a few hours."
After Christopher has shoved his textbook into a satchel, they walk together to the main library exit where Amalia turns one way and Christopher the other. He turns once to watch her go, wondering if he'll ever be able to express to her how much her approaching means to his own mental well being about what took place that horrible night.
Opportunity to Spy
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 11-09-17 18:21
After taking supper in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall left the castle and wandered into the village. She had agreed to meet Aberforth for drinks at The Hog's Head. The visit was supposed to be social and business. It had been a while since the two had talked, and each had news to share about the various goings-on in the world.
Minerva was in front of Krum's Completely Quidditch when she first noticed her brother walking purposefully ahead of her. She slowed her walk and debated ducking behind something in case he were to turn around and see her, but Menelaus was on a mission to get somewhere and did not have the feeling that he was being watched or followed.
When he turned down the little lane that led to Aberforth's pub and brewery, Minerva guessed he was either heading to her same destination or meeting someone in the shadows of the alley. She stopped at the post office and peered around its corner to see where her brother was headed.
She saw him enter The Hog's Head. For a brief moment, she wondered if Aberforth had arranged an intervention with the feuding siblings, but she immediately squashed the idea as ridiculous. Minerva waited several minutes and then walked down the darkened lane, pausing outside the glow of one of the pub's dingy windows to see if she could identify her brother.
She couldn't really make him out, but she thought he might be at a table visible through the window, and he wasn't alone. Minerva went to the door and pulled it open, but before she entered, she turned into her animagus form and slunk behind the bar, where Aberforth was standing. The cat rubbed against his legs and he looked down and then over at the open door.
Aberforth left his station to pull the door shut and then returned to the bar. He didn't react to the cat at his feet, though he recognized her. He knew that Minerva had come into the bar in cat form for a reason, and though he didn't know why exactly, he guessed it had something to do with the wizard who had entered the pub just before her.
Minerva stayed hidden behind the bar and kept her ears perked to listen to her brother's conversation. She didn't know the other wizard at his table and wondered if their meeting was social or business or both. Aberforth also paid special attention to the table and its occupants, though he went about his bartending duties as if it was just another ordinary evening.
By the time the meeting concluded, Minerva realized she had a very big problem on her hands.
(Ramona) Sleep Walking
Author: Griet
Date: 11-10-17 08:02
Ramona entered Yellow and got into the queue. She felt sleepy and had only brushed her hair about halfway, so that it looked decent around her face but rather messy otherwise, which was why she had pulled it into a sloppy bun. If she were still in her pajamas, then she might look as if she were sleep walking, but Ramona had at least pulled on some jeans and a cable-knit jumper.
She decided to have some porridge with fresh berries and a steaming cup of coffee, which would hopefully perk her up and keep her alert through all the classes she had today. Ramona had just started her last Michaelmas Term at St. Emrys. This time next year she hoped to have a career as a broomstick designer.
Four of the five classes she had this term had to do with what she was reading: Consumer Behavior, International Business, Marketing and Product Management, and Transformation and Innovation. The one elective in her schedule was one she actually shared with her cousin Beatrix.
She happened to spot Beatrix sitting alone at one of the tables and trudged her way over, putting down her tray and sinking into the seat with a deep sigh. "Morning," she muttered.
Beatrix looked far more awake. She wore full makeup and had on a pretty blouse under a cardigan. "You poor thing. Did you not sleep well last night?"
"I did. I think I'm just having trouble getting back into the routine. Five classes plus Quidditch practice, and we've got a game this weekend."
"Have you had much time to see Gus in between everything?" Beatrix asked.
"Yes, but he's got his own busy schedule," Ramona replied. "How's Pablo?"
"He's fine," Beatrix replied.
Ramona raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just break up with him?"
"Why would I want to do that?" Beatrix asked.
"Because you don't love him."
"But I do like him," Beatrix said. She shrugged. "He's not––well, he's not…" She didn't know how to finish her thought, so she didn't say anything else, and she didn't have to. Ramona knew what she was trying to say, but rather than emphasize the point that Beatrix needed to stop stringing Pablo along, she changed the subject.
"Is it weird being here without Aleydis?"
Beatrix shrugged. "Not really. It's not like we hung out together constantly."
"True."
"But it must be hard for you to be here without Sadie. You two are definitely close."
Ramona nodded. "A little bit, yeah. Mostly, I think it's weird that she's out there in the real world already. When did we get so grown up?"
"I know what you mean," Beatrix agreed. "Sometimes I wish we could all be at Hogwarts again. Oh, can I see your notes from Intro to Wizarding Music Appreciation? I think I missed something yesterday and rumor has it we might have a pop quiz tomorrow."
"Sure, but I don't have them with me now. Can we meet up for lunch?"
"Yes. Let's."
The cousins finished their breakfasts and then went off to their respective classes, with a plan to meet up in Orange for lunch.
Following Ash
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 11-11-17 12:30
After leaving her Introduction to Potions I Laboratory, Rowan navigated the St. Emrys corridors for the fireplaces. Having some errands to run, she had suggested to Beatrix that she pick up some takeaway for supper. Rowan flooed from the university to The Leaky Cauldron and from there entered Diagon Alley.
She stopped in the Cauldron Shoppe first to buy a better cauldron for her Potions class. Then she went into Slug & Jiggers and Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary. After that, she went to Scribbulus Writing Implements and Gringotts. Upon leaving the bank, Rowan debated where to go to get something for dinner, when she caught sight of her brother.
Her first impression was that he looked pale and tired. There were bags under his eyes and he seemed to be walking with an even more pronounced limp than normal. The second thing she noticed about him was that he was going into Knockturn Alley. What in the world could he be doing there?
Rowan pulled out her wand and reduced her shopping bags until they were small and light enough to fit in one bag, which she slung over her shoulder. Then she followed Ash down the dark, uneven stairs into the place she had only been once in her life: the day she had gone from cursed nesting doll to teenage girl again.
Rowan nearly called out to Ash, but when she saw him go up to a pretty woman who wasn't old but definitely older than her brother, she held her tongue and pretended to show interest in a shoppe window across the narrow alley. Starry Prophesier had pretty crystal balls and other interesting things to look at. None of them looked nefarious, but then again, the shoppe was in Knockturn Alley, which had a bad reputation.
Ash was too preoccupied to notice that his sister had followed him into Knockturn Alley, and the witch he had met up with didn't have any interest in Rowan either. She led Ash into The Hanged Man. As soon as the door shut behind him, Rowan, who was watching out of the corner of her eye moved over to the pub. She thought about going inside, but Rowan didn't want to intrude on her brother's date or whatever it was he was doing with the woman. She decided she would ask him about it later.
A shiver ran down her spine all of a sudden. Rowan didn't know if it was from the cold or the fact that Knockturn Alley was creepy, especially now that the sun was setting. She zipped up her jacket, turned up the collar, and walked quickly back to Diagon Alley.
Professor Schnackenpfefferhausen
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 11-12-17 08:18
Fritz enters the Potions classroom at St. Emrys. He's struck with the same feeling he had upon first becoming Alchemy professor at Hogwarts. It's really weird being at the front of the university classroom, rather than seated in one of the rows of desks with the students.
This will be Fritz's fourth class meeting as a professor at St. Emrys. The same class met twice this week already, along with a three-hour laboratory midweek. So far, everything has gone to plan, and though he's been nervous because teaching adults is quite different from teaching kids, Fritz thinks he's hidden his anxiety well.
This first week at St. Emrys has also gone without any hiccups because Fritz has been able to manage his time. His obligations at Hogwarts and the university, as well as at home, have not had any conflicts. He doesn't feel like he's being stretched too thinly either. As this is only the first week of real juggling of schedules, Fritz knows that only time will tell how things will truly go.
He waits a few moments until the classroom has filled up and then points his wand at the blackboard behind him, which suddenly fills with text written in his own hand. "Potions and their side effects," Professor Schnackenpfefferhausen announces.
"Let's start with something everyone knows: Pepperup Potion. You've all taken it at one time or another, have you not?" Fritz asks the class at large. He sees some heads nod, though a few students aren't reacting because it's early yet and they look tired.
"Pepperup Potion relieves coughs and colds, warms the body, and is used as a pick-me-up when energy is low. The side effect of taking the potion is what…?"
A young man with floppy, sandy-blond hair speaks up. "Steam comes out of your ears."
"Right, and we accept it because it's harmless and kind of funny," Fritz says. "But why is there this side effect? We're going to break down Pepperup Potion and determine what causes it to work the way it does, and if there's a way to prevent unwanted or unnecessary side effects from taking place at all. Let's start with the ingredients…"
(Mark) Dinner Date
Author: Isolde
Date: 11-13-17 18:33
Mark and Kate sat opposite each other at Zeus, a Greek restaurant. The two had had a busy day.
Mark had finally gone on a solo job connecting several fireplaces to the Floo Network. The stone house had had a fireplace in nearly every room of the house. The fact that Mark had been in the field on his own for the first time had caused him to proceed cautiously, but the home's owner, a divorcée in her 40s, had hit on him shamelessly the entire time, which had also slowed down his progress.
Kate, on the other hand, had spent the day at St. Emrys, completing the first week of her last Michaelmas Term at the university. Her classes this term included Commercial Design, History of Interior Architecture, Materials and Specifications, Project Management and Technical Drawing for Interior Designers. She was also hoping to get an internship or part-time job to get the work experience she would need for when it was time to start her career.
"So, tell me about the woman who flirted with you today," Kate said, teasing Mark with a sly smile.
Mark stabbed at a roasted potato and said, "She didn't flirt with me. She flirted. I didn't flirt back."
Kate laughed. "I guess I can't blame her. You're extremely good-looking, and I bet she came up with a very good fantasy about you being in her house." She giggled and added, "I wouldn't be surprised if there's already a romance novel on the subject."
"Funny."
Kate grinned.
Mark grinned back. Everything seemed to be falling into place. He'd gone from being on probation at work and being little more than a clerk, to shadowing Floo Network Connectors and then officially becoming a licensed Connector himself. His relationship with Kate was going well––better, even, than the first time around. He and his mother had even forged a new bond.
The only things lacking in Mark's life were a renewed connection with his father, but he doubted that would happen any time soon, if at all, and a place to call his own. Mark often thought about moving out, but he was saving money by living at home.
"Knut for your thoughts?" Kate asked. She waggled her eyebrows and asked, "Is that divorcée still on your mind?"
Mark chuckled. "No, the only woman I ever think about is you."
"Awwwww." Kate grinned.
Mark grinned back.