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(Ariella) Soft Opening
Author: Beck
Date: 11-19-17 08:37
Ariella boxed an apple crisp pie and secured it with twine before carrying it to the small, attic room where Pie in the Sky's owls lived when they weren't making deliveries or hunting. The two Eurasian eagle-owls were gifts from Ariella's grandfather and were named Banoffee and Pumpkin.
Ariella gave the boxed pie to Banoffee, who took off through the open window to make the delivery to a family in Devonshire. She watched the owl until she could no longer make it out in the sky, shivering where she stood in the darkened attic space. Then, Ariella turned and went back down to the kitchen to work on her next order.
The pie shoppe had had a soft opening on the first of November. The hours were currently limited, due to the fact that Ariella only had one employee. She couldn't afford any other help at the moment, but that would hopefully change as time progressed.
Colette Saint-Pierre had gone to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and then attended a culinary program in Paris. She had moved to London a few weeks ago with her boyfriend and had seen the Help Wanted sign in the pie shoppe's window. Ariella and Colette had hit it off right away, and Colette was also good with Karina and Adam, who spent a lot of time at Pie in the Sky.
Ariella also appreciated that Colette never asked about the father of her children. It had been more than a year since Lawrence had left, and though the betrayal still hurt, Ariella thought about him less and less each day. She used to feel badly for her children, who were growing up without their father, but now she realized that it was for the best that he was out of their lives. He was a dark wizard according to the newspapers, and Ariella hoped that justice would catch up to him someday.
She re-entered the kitchen, where Colette was busy cutting a blackberry pie for a customer seated in the dining area. Colette slid a slice onto a plate and carried it out with a fork, while Ariella turned her attention to the next item on her list, a whole buttermilk pie to be delivered locally.
Weird
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 11-20-17 18:27
Sylvestor sets a mug on the table, looking over his shoulder as he does. "That was strange."
Fitzwilliam pauses in the act of stuffing an almond sandwich biscuit into his mouth. "What was?"
"Some girl I don't know just told me there's a group for adoptees that meets every third Sunday for brunch. For something like a week now I've had comments about being adopted and adoptees. Why would I care about people who've been adopted?"
Fitz shrugs. "Maybe the group is just trying the word out that there is a group and are mentioning it to anyone when they think about it."
"First time I heard of the group is today and has anyone said anything to you about adoption?"
"Don't think so." Fitz shrugs again, cramming another biscuit into his mouth.
"So I get repeated comments about being adopted and told about a group but in the same time you've had nothing."
"Nope. Don't think so. A second year said something to me yesterday but I don't know what it was. Who pays attention to them?"
Sylvestor rolls his eyes. He picks up his mug and takes a drink then for the first time in awhile notices one of the clocks in the commons. "Why are we sitting here snacking when we could get dinner in the Great Hall."
"Don't know," though it comes out more of a, "Dun o," because of Fitz adding more biscuit to his mouth before completely swallowing the previous one.
"You don't know a lot, do you?" Sylvestor snarkily comments as he begins gathering his things. "Dinnertime. No wonder this place is so empty."
Fitz wraps the remaining biscuits in a napkin. "Let's go. I'm famished."
Despite having had a goodly number of biscuits himself and a few mugs of spiced pumpkin juice, Sylvestor heartily agrees, picking up his pace as they exit the commons.
Lunch with Tonks
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 11-21-17 18:59
Hermione crossed Westminster Bridge and eventually turned left on Belvedere Rd., which was crowded but not as highly trafficked as some of the other streets in the area. Still, there were business people and tourists roaming about, especially now that it was the lunch hour.
Hermione herself was on her lunch break. She ducked into Troia, a Mediterranean restaurant, and scanned the interior for the person she was meeting. That person was actually a witch, Tonks.
Tonks was easy to find, particularly since she looked like herself and not one of her metamorphmagus disguises. She was seated at a table against the wall and read the menu.
"Hi," Hermione greeted breathlessly. She unwound her scarf and stuffed it into the pocket of her coat, which she shook off and slid over the back of her chair. She produced a folder from her bag, which she also hung over the back of the chair, and then sat down opposite Tonks.
"Here," Hermione said. "These are the notes you asked for."
"Thanks," Tonks replied, opening the folder to skim the first page of notations.
"I think it's a good idea," Hermione said, pausing to smile at the waitress who brought her a menu and asked for her drink order. "Starting the search again, I mean," she added, after the waitress had gone away.
"It's been too quiet, and we don't know where the Death Eaters are or what they're doing, other than still recruiting, apparently." Tonks leaned forward and jabbed her index finger into the smooth surface of the table. "That abbey's still got to be around, and there could be evidence of either future crimes or past ones we don't yet know about. It's best we not be sitting ducks."
"I agree," Hermione said, "and I want to help."
"I'll let you know when we plan our search parties."
Their drinks came and they placed their food orders, and once the waitress had gone again, they talked about how the Ministry's spy still couldn't reveal anything useful because the spells placed on him couldn't be broken without causing significant harm. Then, there was the fact that Elphias Doge as Silas Mimsy hadn't had any contact whatsoever with the Death Eaters. It was all terribly frustrating.
When the food came, the two witches shifted gears, talking about their kids and other happy things. Then it was back to work for the both of them.
Not Fine
Author: Carys
Date: 11-22-17 18:48
Carys watched the fireplace with Snowy on her lap and waited for Tristan to emerge from the floo. Since he had already turned eleven, Carys and Griffin had decided to give Tristan a little independence. He was allowed to floo to and from Hogmeade Primary Day. The rule was he had to come home directly after school unless his parents agreed to a delay because of a school function or something else.
So far, and somewhat surprisingly, Tristan had adhered to the rule. Carys realized that she really didn't have to anxiously await his return home, since he had shown himself to be compliant, but she couldn't help herself. He was still her child and she probably would never get used to him being off on his own without another adult looking after him.
He tumbled through the fireplace right on time and immediately dropped his backpack. Tristan peeled off his cloak and started to throw it onto the floor as well, when he caught sight of his mother. He should have realized she would be in her usual place. Tristan carried the cloak to a closet and hung it up, though it was covered in soot and needed cleaning.
Carys nudged Snowy off her lap and got up to pick the backpack off the floor. She held it out for Tristan to take to his room and asked, "How was school?"
"Fine," Tristan muttered.
"Fine, or not fine?" Carys asked. She could tell by his tone that it was the latter. She followed him to his room, where he dropped the backpack onto the floor and then kicked off his shoes.
"Cecilia told me she wants to be just friends."
Carys knew by now that Cecilia was the girl Tristan liked. She was in the same year and had a very free spirit.
"I see," she said sympathetically.
"She also told me that she thinks you and Dad are going to separate."
"Why in the world would she say such a thing?" Carys asked. Snowy brushed past her legs and walked over to the bed, jumping up onto the duvet.
"Because of what that Mosquito lady wrote in the newspaper," Tristan said.
Carys pressed her lips into a tight line. Rita Skeeter had published a couple of short, salacious articles about her and Owen being an item after catching them talking in Diagon Alley one day. Readers who didn't know better found the gossip exciting because of who Owen's brother had been.
"You don't believe Skeeter's stories, do you?"
"Of course not," Tristan answered, affronted that his mother would even think such a thing. "She's dumb, and so is Cecilia for believing it." He sighed and stroked Snowy's white fur. "I guess I'm better off without her."
Carys felt bad for her boy and his broken heart, but she believed he would get over it quickly. She asked him what she wanted for dinner, as she hadn't prepared anything yet. Tristan named his favorite comfort food, which was also easy and fast to cook. Carys ducked into the kitchen to make it, and when Griff came home, she filled him in, put Megan in her high chair, and then called Tristan to the table for supper.
A Few Minutes Quiet Time
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 11-22-17 18:52
Harry plops into the couch beside Ginny, kicking off his shoes. "Okay, now that Jamie isn't saying Mum or Dad every thirty seconds, what is it you were trying to tell me?"
"The date for the Christmas program has been announced. Jamie has a part so you need to be sure to take at least a half day. The information is on the board in the kitchen."
"Already know who's in the program? It's still early November."
"The last day of their term will be here before we know it."
"We'd talked about maybe going away for Christmas this year. You still want to?"
"Could be nice depending on where we go. Mum and Dad would be up for it. Not sure who else. We can ask around tomorrow."
"If we do go somewhere, it either needs to be a place done up for Christmas, complete with snow, or somewhere warm."
Ginny snuggles in closer. "As I'm a bit chill at the moment, if voting right this second I say warm, tropical even."
Harry flicks his wand to stir up the fire, debating whether he should bring in more wood. Deciding he'll wait to do that when Pixie next goes out he puts his feet up on the coffee table, getting more comfortable still. "How was practice?"
"Good overall but yet again Freya's retrial came up. That always has a negative effect. How was your day?"
"I've been trying to locate the retired personnel who handled one of the cold cases. I finally located one of them and was able to set up an interview for tomorrow. I'm hoping she remembers enough of the details of the case to be of some use."
"Muuuuuuuum! Daaaaad! I want some water."
They look to the figure standing in the hall. Albus, not Jamie.
"I've got him," Harry says, heaving himself up.
Not ten minutes later when he's gotten Albus back to bed where the boy quickly conked back out, Harry returns to the sitting room to find Ginny as deeply asleep as their toddler. He puts a blanket over her then calls to Pixie to take the dog out, even remembering to grab some firewood before they go back inside, Harry wondering why no one ever thought to mention that becoming an adult and a parent means passing out asleep before 9 pm on a weeknight.
Another Sighting
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 11-23-17 07:30
Bill unlocked the door at Gringotts after going through the various opening procedures with the goblins and then retreated to his office to complete some parchmentwork. He flicked his wand at a tea kettle in the corner of the room and proceeded to read through new banking regulations until the water began to boil. Bill paused his work to steep the tea and then wandered out into the bank's lobby, which was completely empty, save for the goblin tellers.
Bill wandered over to the front door and looked out the glass. Even without stepping outside, he knew that autumn was very much there. Fallen leaves were on the cobblestones and occasionally blew down the street with the chilly breeze.
Bill started to return to his office, where a hot cup of tea awaited him, when he caught sight of an owl speeding towards the bank. He pushed open the door to admit it. The owl dropped a scrap of parchment into his open palm and then went to one of the teller stations for a treat. It took a piece of jerky into its beak and then flew back out the still open door. Bill pulled it shut behind the owl and unfolded the parchment.
It was from Blossom and said Victoire is asking for you.
Bill told the goblins he needed to step out. He donned his cloak and left the bank for school. Bill found his daughter in Blossom's office. She wasn't facedown on the floor like the last time he was unexpectedly summoned. Instead, she was seated in a chair opposite her aunt's desk, with her arms wrapped around her legs, which were pulled up to her chest.
"What happened?" Bill asked Blossom and Victoire simultaneously.
"She said she thought she saw the man again," Blossom supplied.
"I saw him through the window," Victoire added. "At least, I'm pretty sure it was him." She was white-faced but calm.
"Some of the teachers and I checked as soon as she reported it, but we didn't see anybody," Blossom said.
"What does this man look like?" Bill asked. He sank into the chair next to the one Victoire sat in and put an arm around her shoulders.
"He's tall," she said, "and he's got long, scraggly hair and a scary face."
She described the clothes he was wearing, which were drab robes.
"What makes his face scary?" Bill asked. He'd been unable to get much information out of her in the past because of how upset she'd been. Although he didn't want to risk causing a meltdown, Bill felt like he could ask more probing questions since Victoire was being receptive at the moment.
She shrugged her shoulders, which moved up and down under Bill's arm. "I guess it's because he looks a little like an animal."
"What was he doing?"
"Nothing. Just passing by."
Bill squeezed her shoulder. "Can you stay at school today?"
Victoire nodded. "I don't want to play outside, though."
"That's all right, Victoire," Blossom said. "You can stay inside during recess."
She seemed satisfied and asked if her father could walk her to class. Bill did and saw her safely to her desk before briefly visiting with Blossom some more. They discussed the mysterious man and his possible motivations, if there were any or if Victoire's fear of him had them theorizing things that weren't necessarily true, and then Bill returned to the bank.
His tea had gone cold by the time he returned to his office. Bill brewed himself another cup and couldn't help but think about his eldest child more than the many tasks at hand.
The Truth
Author: Lee Sickleby
Date: 11-24-17 08:19
Lee had promised Alaia that he would come home for lunch. He ended up being later than planned because a meeting about Roman Travers ran long. The wanted wizard was still at large and was now thought to be crime boss Zukovsky's second in command. Lee wanted to capture Travers himself. He was angry about the deception and wanted to avenge Newell's death.
When he arrived home, he found Alaia seated at the dining table, nursing a cup of tea. She was blank-faced as if she were trying to control her emotions, but Lee could nevertheless tell that she was angry with him.
She'd started showing her suspicion that Lee was hiding something from her when he first returned home from Nigeria, where he'd been hospitalized with a bad wound to the abdomen. The wound had been cursed, which meant Lee hadn't healed as quickly as he normally might. Although he could hide the potions given to him to break the curse, he couldn't hide the constant pain he felt. He also shied away from her touch and changed his clothes or bathed when she wasn't around to avoid her discovering the wound.
Because he was supposedly a mere clerk for the Department of International Cooperation, he couldn't very well pass the pain off as a workplace injury. There was really no good explanation for it, other than the truth, and he couldn't very well tell her that.
"Sorry I'm late," Lee said. He eased into the chair adjacent to her and started to reach for her hand, but she drew the mug towards her, indicating she didn't feel like being touched.
He hesitated, wondering if he should let her speak first, but when she didn't immediately say anything he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Do you have something to tell me?" she asked in a low, even tone. Her gaze was on the steaming mug.
Lee questioned, "What do you think I'm hiding from you?"
"I don't think you're carrying on an affair, if that's what you think," she began, "though perhaps you are and you're into a severe form of S&M, since you wince every time you move." She expelled a sigh and went on, "No, I think you're faithful to our marriage, but I think you are lying to me about something important. At first I thought you might be sick. Really sick, like I was not all that long ago."
Lee watched her without saying anything. She had obviously worked something out, and though he knew that she wouldn't know the whole truth, he realized that she had ruled out other likely possibilities.
"Then, I thought you might be using, but I'm not sure that's it. I've checked the house and there are no drugs or potions here. I suppose you could be hiding them somewhere else, but I doubt you'd keep them at work. I think even you know how stupid that would be."
She looked him in the eye for the first time and said, "I ran through other ideas… a fight club with other idiotic male friends, criminal activity, or just constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yes, I know this isn't the first time you've gotten hurt. I didn't put it together the first dozen or so times something was off with you, but it's all begun to make sense. You're involved with something that puts you in danger, and you're lying to me about it."
She finished and kept her gaze firmly upon him, daring him to deny what she said.
Lee felt his jaw tense. He wanted to pretend like she had nothing to worry about, like he really just was a clerk at the Ministry and that her fears were unfounded. But now seemed as good an opportunity as any to finally come clean with her. Rowle was in prison and couldn't touch her now, and Lee trusted Alaia not to tell anyone anything.
He took out his wand. Alaia's eyes flicked to it uncertainly for a brief moment, but then they narrowed when he cast a muffling charm. Lee had many security spells all over the house, but he nevertheless took the precaution of making sure nobody overheard the conversation.
He put his wand on the surface of the table but kept his fingers on it, fidgeting as he decided on the words he would use to tell his secret. Finally, they came to him:
"I'm a spy."
Distractions
Author: Marzipan
Date: 11-25-17 12:37
Marzi stood at the front of Greenhouse Four and lectured her seventh year NEWT students on the windmill palm. A juvenile specimen of the wizarding version of the tree was in a pot decorated with Chinese characters. The six-foot tall palm's fronds turned lazily like the sails of a windmill.
The students were paying attention for the most part, but Marzi could sense an underlying distraction. The weekend was just around the corner, as was the first Quidditch match of the season. Marzi intended on being at the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match. Her boys were extremely excited and each had declared support for a different house. Carter wanted Gryffindor to win, and Vallon hoped that Slytherin would.
Marzi had no allegiance either way, though if she had to put her eggs in one basket, it would be for Ravenclaw, which had been both her father's and husband's Hogwarts house. At any rate, she had gotten her boys a scarf and mitten set to match the Hogwarts house of their choice. It would be interesting to see if the Sorting Hat placed them in those houses when the time came, and if they'd change their allegiances between now and then.
Class seemed to drag on, even for Marzi, who was feeling a little distracted herself. Besides having Quidditch on the brain and wondering about the eventual personalities of her children, she thought about the letter she had received that morning at breakfast. Once again, Heathcote Hamstead had written her, asking if she would run away with him.
She'd not responded to his original message, but she was debating whether she should do so now. Not only was he a liar, but he was a thief and he deserved to be punished. Marzi was thinking she might talk to someone in law enforcement about the matter. Maybe the owl carrying her response to his letter could be tracked. After a brief internal debate, Marzi decided to go to the Ministry of Magic during her lunch hour.
At long last, the seventh year class concluded. She sent the students off with homework and then turned her attention to her next class.
Packing
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 11-26-17 08:22
Bronwyn draped a pale beige, suede coat over the other clothes filling her trunk, debated for a moment whether she should add anything else, and then pulled the lid closed. The trunk was so full that it didn't want to shut easily, and Bronwyn had to sit on it to get the latches to snap shut.
Toby appeared in the doorway with a grin on his face and asked, "You do realize we are only going away for a long weekend, don't you?"
"I know, but I like to have options just in case there's a change in the weather or we go some place that might require one outfit over another," Bronwyn answered.
Toby leaned against the door jamb with a shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest. He was still grinning. "You didn't leave any room for souvenirs," he commented.
Bronwyn said, "So we'll just get another trunk while we're over there."
They were leaving in just a few short hours for a trip to China. The Montrose Magpies were playing an exhibition match against the Jiangxi Jungle Cats on Saturday. Tomorrow, the team and their guests were getting a tour of Lushan National Park, followed by a nice dinner in Nanchang City. Sunday, the team was set to sign autographs and take photos at an orphanage. Bronwyn hoped to squeeze in some shopping between all the scheduled events.
Toby reigned in his instinct to see if Bronwyn could empty out a 1/3 of the trunk. He had a feeling if he asked, she would spend ages trying to figure out what to purge, which might make them late for their departure. Instead he told her that he had emptied the litter box and made sure that Shadow had plenty of food and water for the long weekend ahead.
Alanna had already been asked to check on the cat and the house while Toby and Bronwyn were out of the country. Toby had thought to ask her first out of anybody else in the family, since she could use distraction and a sense of purpose more so than the rest at the moment.
"Okay, I'm just going to freshen up and then I think we're ready to go."
Toby smiled lazily at his wife and retired to the living room couch to listen to the WWN while Bronwyn primped for their trip. He knew she would be a while, but fortunately, he wasn't in a hurry to leave just yet.
Dinner Gathering
Author: Kody
Date: 11-26-17 18:51
"Anything new at the gaming center?" Deak asks Daria.
"We're working on a few things. We've redesigned one of the paint ball courses and are adding another for laser tag."
"Can't wait to see what you're working on." Deak gets up to refill his butterbeer, asking if anyone else needs anything.
"I need to check on dinner. Back in a sec." Daria gets up to go to the kitchen, in her estimation waddling rather than walking. Though speculation was rampant when Kody and she eloped that she was pregnant, Daria is only now expecting. Though just starting to show she feels like her entire body has been thrown off and that it's affecting her walk.
Kody had gotten up to go instead but she waved him off. Ophelia rises then, offering to Daria, "I'll help." This prompts Tracy to go along as well while Deak waggles his glass. "Anyone?"
Parker speaks up then. "I'll have a little more, thanks. Kody, what's the status of the charity match against the Cannons?"
"Still on hold. We may end up playing one but for a different charity if Helping Hands United can't clear up this mess about missing funds."
Drake, finishing off a small fire whiskey, shakes his head. "it's too bad about them. They always seemed such a good cause. Pretty much every team in our league has played a match for them."
A knock on the hard interrupts briefly, Kordelia and Emelian apologizing for their tardiness, explaining that there had been babysitter difficulties. They'd ended up calling on Laura and Christopher for help. Kordelia bustles into the kitchen to join the other ladies while Emelian helps himself to a pre-dinner drink. The conversation picks up where it left off, on the Helping Hands United scandal and whether other charities will be found to have accounting errors and which ones will benefit from having league teams playing matches for them.
This topic carries over into dinner once it's served, Kody thinking that for a Thursday night dinner gathering, Daria and he have done well.
Not Exactly Alike
Author: Ellis
Date: 11-27-17 18:23
After History of Magic, Daphne and Emily went to the Great Hall for lunch. The twins found two side-by-side seats somewhere in the middle of the Gryffindor table and plopped down, immediately helping themselves to whatever offerings were nearest to them. That happened to be macaroni and cheese and BLT sandwiches.
Not surprisingly, the majority of the talk circulating the Gryffindor table was about tomorrow's big Quidditch match against Slytherin. The girls were definitely going to be there, all decked out in scarlet and gold. Besides the standard Gryffindor regalia, they were also planning on wearing face paint to support the house team.
This was their first year at Hogwarts with Quidditch matches. The games had not taken place last year on account of the SAT.
"Bet you're regretting signing up for F&A again this year," Daphne said to Emily.
"You say that to me every Friday at lunch," Emily replied, unfazed. "I happen to like the class, and it's not like you can compare it to Potions or History of Magic. It's mostly fun."
"Still, you could be starting your weekend with me," Daphne pointed out.
"Another thing you say to me every Friday. I should make a mental note to beat you to it next week. That ought to change things up a bit."
Daphne stuck her tongue out. "I do believe you made that same remark last Friday. Now who's repeating herself?"
"Well, we are twins," Emily said with a wink. "We're supposed to do everything alike."
"Almost everything," Daphne reminded, thinking of Fitness & Athletics again.
Emily stuck her tongue out this time and said, "Should we do our face paint as mirror reflections of each other or the exact same way?"
The girls debated what they might do tomorrow morning before the match and then went up to the Gryffindor Common Room in time for Emily to ditch her books and head to F&A.
I Am Smiling
Author: S Snape
Date: 11-28-17 18:49
Severus stands with his back to one wall, a drink in hand that looks like it might be scotch or whiskey but is actually nothing more innocuous than apple juice. Veronica sidles up beside him. "You always look so glum, Severus. It's a party. Smile."
"I am smiling."
Veronica scrutinizes him them gives a hearty laugh. "I'm starting to think you don't like these gatherings."
"I have no idea why you'd reach such a conclusion."
"You and your dry sense of humor." Veronica takes a sip of her wine before saying, "Seriously, if you aren't happy being part of the new Knights Walpurgis, why do you continue attending events, helping with membership drives, " she waves her hand to indicate there's an etc. or an and so forth.
"Perhaps I am waiting to see what this reorganization of the Knights is truly all about."
Veronica's brow knits. "I don't follow. You know we're a charitable organization."
"While there have been a handful of charity events, most of what I've experienced since being recruited to join are soirees such as this, designed solely to increase membership."
"The larger our membership, the greater our reach."
"Yes, but membership has reached such a level now that charitable events should be the organization's main focus. With enough exposure from those events, membership will continue to rise."
"True, and we are almost to that point. We will soon shift our focus."
"I wait with baited breath for that moment."
Veronica laughs heartily again. "You do realize that when it comes, it means you'll need to smile your way through charity function after charity function."
"I am all aquiver at the thought."
Shaking her head while continuing to chuckle, Veronica leaves Severus to go greet a potential Knights Walpurgis member with deep pockets.