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(Arielle) Herbology Class
Author: Jolyon
Date: 01-20-19 07:52
Arielle basked in the warmth of the greenhouse, having just come in from the blustery cold. The sky was gray and thick, threatening sleet. She took her time removing her hat, scarf, gloves, and cloak, and then hung them on the rack near the door before taking her usual place at the main work table. She was one of the first seventh year students in the greenhouse.
It didn't take long for the rest of them to trickle in, including her brother Asher and her ex-boyfriend Malden. After removing his own winter accessories, Asher slid into the seat next to Arielle. They only sat together because Professor Ravenscroft had arranged them alphabetically on the first day of class. Typically, Arielle did assignments that required a partner with Pedro Garcia, who sat on her other side.
Malden sat several seats down from Asher and was unfortunately in a position where Arielle could see him well and vice versa, though Malden deliberately avoided her gaze. Ever since their breakup, he acted as if she didn't exist, though Arielle could tell that he was angry. She'd heard that he'd punched a wall and gone to the Hospital Wing with a broken hand. She supposed she could be glad he chose to take his anger out on the wall instead of her, though she couldn't imagine that he would ever hurt her, even in anger.
Arielle had considered asking Asher about his friend's frame of mind in the aftermath of the breakup, but she let it go because she and Asher had never been particularly close. Instead, she observed them both.
Asher seemed to be in better spirits, and Arielle surmised this was because of a girl. Malden merely seemed stern, which put the headmistress to mind. He would not be pleased with the comparison!
"Welcome class," said Professor Ravenscroft, once everyone was accounted for and in their seats.
Arielle stopped thinking about Malden and focused on her professor and the lecture at hand.
Broomstick Shopping
Author: Mildred
Date: 01-20-19 13:45
When her classes were over Mildred went to a broomstick shop. After watching Chloe playing Quidditch at Hogwarts, she decided she was going to buy her cousin her own broomstick. She was sure Paul was not going to do it, and so Mildred would be sending the broomstick to Hogwarts as an anonymous gift. Her fingers touched the cable of one of the most recent models, a broom called Sunbeam. It was a fast and therefore expensive broomsitck.
Money was not a problem to Mildred. After graduating for Hogwarts, she had received a mysterious donation into her Gringotts' bank account. The sum was quite considerable, and she had asked one of the goblins if it had not been some sort of mistake. But the goblin just looked at her with an offended look and declared that there were no mistakes at Gringotts. The donation had allowed her to make a comfortable life at St. Emrys so far without getting a job. She could entirely focus on her studies.
She could buy the Sunbeam, and all other new models for Chloe, but Mildred thought it wouldn't be wise to do so. Chloe was only a first year, and despite she showed some talent in Quidditch, Mildred did not want to turn her into a pretentious young woman and get her the latest broomstick in the market.
She moved to another aisle, in order to consider more modest, but still decent, broomsticks. That was when someone greeted her.
"Hello, there," Jasper Pole called.
"Hi!" Mildred greeted Jasper back.
Just like Mildred, Jasper was a Law student at Merlin college. They met in the fall, in a gathering for the new Law students. The older students welcomed the new ones, giving them tips on how to survive classes and pass exams. Jasper had a charming smile and he was very helpful to Mildred. She must have caused some sort of impression on him because whenever they passed by each other on campus he would greet her. He even invited her to a New Year's party at his family hunting lodge. Mildred went with her roommate and friend Queenie McPhaul. It was a typical college party and Mildred's first. She was hoping to spend more time with Jasper, but after he acknowledged her arrival he vanished into the crowd. She later spotted him with his friends, all older students, but that was it.
"How are you? Did you like the party?" he asked.
Mildred nodded. "Yes, and your lodge…amazing!"
"You should see it without so many people in there. It's actually pretty great. Hey, I had an idea: some close friends and I sometimes go there to hunt. Have you ever hunted Nogtails?"
"No," she admitted.
"You must try. It's settled: you're coming with us on our next hunting weekend."
"All right," Mildred agreed.
After he asked her how classes were going he left the shop. Mildred noticed he did not buy anything. Could it be he just saw her inside and came to greet her? She couldn't say, but she was feeling quite excited with the prospect of a weekend in Jasper Pole's company.
She continued her broomstick search for Chloe. After consulting with a shop clerk, she ended up buying a Woodstar model broomstick for her cousin. She then mailed it to Hogwarts, without a single card or identification.
Thursday Lunch
Author: Majandra
Date: 01-20-19 18:05
As soon as Majandra enters the Great Hall for lunch Miranda appears in front of her. This happens so quickly Maj thinks Miranda must have been right inside the door watching for her. "Hi, sweetie. You're flushed. Are you feeling well?"
Miranda shrugs. "Don't know why. Some friends want to owl order pizza for Saturday night. Can, I mean may I?"
"I don't see why not. Come by my office after class, Herbology right?" At Miranda's nod Maj continues, "I'll give you some galleons then for your share. Oh, just had a thought. Be sure the kitchen isn't serving pizza Saturday. No sense ordering it if you can get it here anyway."
"Okay, thanks, Mum. If I bring my Potions homework with me will you answer a question I have?"
"Of course. Happy to help."
Miranda grins, gives her a quick hug, then hurries off to join her friends at the Gryffindor table, sitting down next to roommate Cecily. Maj continues on to the head table, taking the empty spot on Severus's left. "Any word on Veronica?" she inquires.
"False labor again. They've sent her home."
Maj lowers her voice to ask, "And still nothing on the father?"
"If only I were so lucky then perhaps Veronica would quit pestering me every time she swears she's in full blown labor."
Maj hides a smile but at the same time can't blame him. In the same low tone she points out, "She's long considered you more than a close friend and you did reconsider quitting the Knights at her request."
"I reconsidered because of Kingsley and because of those accounting errors that have yet to be resolved."
Hiding another grin Maj manages to say quite seriously, "Well, at least you didn't allow Veronica to push you into marriage."
Severus visibly shudders. "Thank Merlin for avoiding that horror!" As if not wanting to ruin his lunch with further talk of Veronica Dumbledore, he changes the subject by asking, "Any takers on your offer of assistant with OWL and NEWT Potions preparation?"
Searching
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 01-21-19 10:23
Having no more meetings at either the Palace of Westminster or the Ministry of Magic, Hermione took the afternoon off to continue her project. The test conducted with her invention on 12 Grimmauld Place had done everything she'd wanted, and since that successful day, she'd taken it out on the road, checking the castle ruins on her short list.
Hermione never went out alone, on the chance that she did stumble upon the real Death Eater headquarters, but some of the castle ruins were in remote or dodgy areas, and two heads were always better than one. Sometimes she went out with the Order members who were also aurors, such as Tonks, or Harry and Ron, and other times she was joined by Lupin or Sirius or even Professor McGonagall.
She'd crossed a lot of the castles off of her list in just a short amount of time, but her "short list" wasn't all that short.
Her searching hadn't come up completely fruitless following her invention's success at the old Order headquarters. While scrutinizing the supposed site of Ilminster in Somerset with Tonks, the tool (which still didn't have a name; Hermione thought Fred, George, or Majandra might be able to help with that) began to vibrate. Tonks used Revelio, Aparecium, and finally Homenum Revelio, which combined together showed the hidden castle attached to the existing church and a pair of fugitives, Perrin and Lula Mace.
Neither Hermione nor Tonks had recognized the pair, who had aged since they'd last been seen in public, but they also probably wouldn't have known who they were, though Tonks would have been familiar with their names. What alerted them to the fact that the two weren't hiding for innocuous reasons was their reaction to being found. The elderly couple dueled hard, forcing Tonks to summon backup, which came quickly and resulted in the couple's apprehension.
Armed with the knowledge that her device worked in more than just a controlled environment, Hermione felt without a doubt that she would find the Death Eaters once and for all. After gathering the tool, her map, and other supplies, she disapparated for Suffolk, where Mad-Eye Moody was already waiting for her.
"Well met, Hermione. Let's see what other rats we can flush out," Moody greeted, hoping for the jackpot but satisfied with any other discovery they might make during their searching.
Hermione produced her map and said, "There's no evidence this place exists, but Hadleigh Monastery might have been in this area." She pointed at a place on the map and then looked out from where they stood.
Mad-Eye followed her gaze and said, "Let's have a look, shall we?" He held his wand tight and added, "Constant vigilance!"
Hermione smiled and set off with her wand in one hand and probity probe-secrecy sensor in the other.
A Fresh Set Of Eyes
Author: Griffin Price
Date: 01-21-19 19:03
Griff glances at the clock he has on the cubicle wall opposite his desk, grimacing at seeing how much time has passed since he'd opened the murder book for an older case. It's his night to make supper and he needs to pick up a few things. If he doesn't leave soon he'll be so late getting home after going to the store that he might as well order take away.
Returning items to the murder book and putting parchments and photos back into other, related files in preparation of leaving, he looks up at a knock. "Jack. Hi. What can I do for you?"
Jack Emerson is one of the department's newer Aurors, not all that long off his probationary period. "I was told you wanted a fresh set of eyes to look over some files."
"Good timing. I just finished tidying them up after going through them all again." He stands, coming around the desk to hand what he has to Jack then reaches for the rest. "Where's your desk?"
Jack jerks his head back in the direction from which he'd come. "The common area. Don't qualify for my own cubicle yet."
"Lead on."
Jack takes him the shortest route through the warren of cubicles to where the desk he uses sits in a large open space. "This one. Thanks. Anything in particular I should look for?"
Griff blows out air, making an exasperated sound. "Look at everything. See if anything jumps out at you or if something seems off or strange to you. You're familiar with the cases?"
"Only peripherally so far. The victims' bodies are all mixed up."
"Right. There's information in here from Charlie Weasley about something similar, but not exactly the same, with a series of dragon deaths that were ultimately linked to former dragon keeper Raymond Washington." Griff thumbs through the files. "This one here."
"I'll go through everything quick as I can."
"Not too quickly. Take your time to study everything."
"Got it."
Griff claps Jack on the shoulder. "Hope you aren't squeamish. The photos of the victims are best on an empty stomach even if you have a strong one. I need to get going. Get me at home tonight if you have any questions or need anything. If not, see you tomorrow."
"Night, have a good evening."
Griff nods at Jack and makes his way to the nearest bank of lifts, making a mental list of what he needs to pick up to cook the meal tonight he's got in mind.
Not An Entire Waste Of Time
Author: Harry Potter
Date: 01-22-19 20:19
Exiting a building that was once the London town home of a mid level Georgian peer but is now broken up into flats, Harry stands on porch debating what to do next. The visit with the wizard living in a flat the Muggle residents aren't even aware exists was a bust. The octogenarian shares the name of the man he's seeking but is around fifty years too old.
No spells indicated the elderly gentleman is actually someone in his early thirties and he readily agreed to take Veritaserum to confirm he is not with whom Harry needs to speak. As Harry's visit had not been prearranged and as the man never left Harry's sight once he'd opened the door at Harry's knock, Harry has no reason to suspect the older wizard had somehow taken the counter to Veritaserum. He left satisfied though disappointed with the wasted trip. Not only that, the whole morning has been unproductive for a variety of reasons.
Out on the sidewalk he looks to the left and then to the right. He's just familiar enough with this area to know that there is a great restaurant not all that far if he goes left and another almost equidistant the other direction. Does he want Caribbean or Italian for lunch?
His decision is made for him to head for Caribbean when Harry spots someone familiar down to the left and on the opposite side of the lane. Hurrying down and over to catch up he calls out, "Mrs. Clarkly! Edantha Clarkly!"
Slowing, searching for the source of the voice, Edantha Clarkly's eyes squint then open wide when landing on Harry. His own eyes go wide upon realizing that she's heavily pregnant.
She comes to a complete stop, which causes the small dog she has on a harness to start dancing around her feet. She stoops to pick the dog up, talking to the tiny poodle until Harry nears. "Hello, Mr. Potter. This is a surprise."
"Very much so. Looks like congratulations are in order though under the circumstances I'm sure your impending bundle is somewhat bittersweet."
One hand goes to her bulge. "Yes, Zeke and I had so hoped for a second child. I, and our families, are so thrilled yet devastated at the same time."
They both go silent for a second then Harry asks, "Have you moved to this neighborhood?"
Nodding once she replies, "Temporarily with my sister."
She doesn't need to explain why. Harry understands without needing to hear she couldn't stand the thought of staying in the home where her husband was gruesomely murdered.
A car passing splashes up icy water from a deceptively deep puddle, soaking them and the dog. The poor dog yelps at the unexpected chill bath as do Edantha and Harry. After a half second they both begin laughing. She gestures back down the street. "We're just around the corner. You'll be free to use a drying spell."
The walk is short but both are shivering by the time they step inside another Georgian structure, this one entirely Wizarding, nestled between two similar Muggle buildings. Edantha sheds her dripping coat then uses her wand to quick dry the dog, whose name turns out to be Gin. "There's a cat named Tonic," she explains, turning her wand on herself to dry spots where the drenching soaked through her coat. "My sister's has an odd sense of humor sometimes."
They both laugh again then passing on her offer of a cuppa Harry reaches out to shake her hand. "Thanks for a play to dry off and, again, congratulations on the new baby."
He takes his leave, continuing on to the Caribbean cuisine restaurant, wondering when Edantha Clarkly got the wrist tattoo of the same odd symbol that showed up at the scene Zeke Clarkly's murder. He gave no indication he'd noticed, wanting to do a little checking up on Edantha before inquiring about the symbol connected to Zeke's death and to the secretive club Ron discovered. Maybe this morning has not been an entire waste of time after all.
Monsieur Weasley
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 01-23-19 18:19
Bill stepped out of the bank with the pair of goblins closing with him and exhaled a deep sigh. It had been one of those days when everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Primarily, Bill encountered difficult customer interactions. One witch came off very self-entitled and nothing Bill said or did seemed good enough for her. Another didn't want to show the required identification needed to open a new account. Someone else claimed to have left his vault key at home, and couldn't Bill just open it with the master key?
Bill was glad it was Friday night and that he wasn't working this weekend. He said goodbye to the goblins, who went off together, and then slowly set off himself. Bill didn't get very far when he had the feeling that he was being watched. He hated how early night came in the winter. Even with the lamps dotting High Street, there were shadows everywhere.
He scanned his surroundings and then spotted Qadir Adallah leaning against the wall outside Botanicals & Beyond. Upon being sighted, Qadir shoved off the wall and made his way towards Bill. Bill grasped his wand, which was in the exterior pocket of his black peacoat, and waited to see what Qadir would do.
Qadir started to say something, but then he stopped short and cocked his head, seemingly taken aback by Bill's appearance.
"Sorry… I thought you were someone else. Are you… related to the Weasleys?" Qadir hesitantly asked.
Thinking quickly, Bill scowled and affected a French accent. "Are you lookeeng for Bill? 'e iz my cousin. I came from France to ask ' im for a job. 'e turned me away wiz an abrupt non. Are you 'iz friend, Monsieur…?"
"Qadir Adallah, and no, Bill and I are not friends. It sounds like he is no friend of yours either, Mr…?"
"Ian. Ian Weasley," Bill said.
"Would you like to get a drink with me, Ian?"
"Oui. Hog's Head Pub? Iz quiet."
"I know the place."
Bill smiled and suggested Qadir make his way there without him, because he wanted to freshen up, pretending to have taken a room at the Hogsmeade Inn. Qadir set off, and Bill went as far as the doorway to the inn. He waited for Qadir to take the turn down the alley to the pub and then set off, stopping at the same corner to make sure Qadir wasn't lurking outside the pub. Noting that the coast was clear, Bill hurried on to Twice Told Tales, where he hoped to catch Lysander. With any luck, a sting operation had just landed in their laps.