|
|
Going Straight To The Dance Club Booth (Estella)
Author: Saffron
Date: 11-23-13 19:11
Friday night Bran and Kurt had let Estella know she was welcome to go around the Great Hall with them for Club Day. She thanked them and said she wasn't sure when she'd be going as she wanted to sleep in. Feeling a little draggy, she didn't know if sleeping in would be just a little later than during the week or a lot later and the boys were planning to linger over breakfast then be some of the first to take a turn around the hall, checking out every club.
With the Quidditch trials over, talk moved from who was trying out and for what position to who made the four teams and to today's Club Day. Older students talked up their favorite clubs and some of Estella's professors talked up the clubs they sponsor. She has little doubt that Upper Years professors who sponsor clubs were doing much the same.
Entering the Great Hall somewhat earlier than she thought she'd be, Estella has a vague idea of a few of the clubs she about which she'd like to know more. One of those clubs is the Dance Club and that's the first that comes to mind. Bypassing the booths nearest the main doors she quickly locates Professor Flitwick's Dance Club booth, heading straight there.
It only occurs to her as she reaches the booth that she could have gone about this is a more organized manner. As long as she's already at the Dance Club booth, Estella might as well start there. She'll be more methodical from this one.
Professor Flitwick is effusive while telling Estella all about the club he sponsors, so much so that rather than see what else might interest her and only then sign up for anything she eagerly puts her name down. With Dance Club information clutched in one hand, including when and where the next meeting is, Estella picks a direction and moves on to the next booth, keeping eyes open for any of her roommates, for Bran and Kurt, and for her sister Katheryn.
(Evelyn, Edgar & Luke) Club Day
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 11-24-13 14:25
Evelyn looked in disgust to the Gobstones booth and she quickly walked away from it, not interested at all in joining such club. Evinrude and Dinah followed her. This year, Evelyn was determinate to be part of a school club. Last year, she had been so convinced she was going to make the Quidditch team that she didn't sign up for anything.
Later she regretted such decision: she heard how many of the students had fun in their respective clubs, learned new things and made new friends from other houses and years. Evelyn's interest in playing Quidditch had been discouraged when she realized the intense practices and match preparations she would have to attend even when it was dark, cold and even raining. She liked sports and outdoors, but only when she was in the mood and it was pleasant outside.
"Book Club...hum...That sounds too nerdy," she commented.
"What about Dance Club? We could dance with boys there," Dinah suggested.
Both of them giggled. Evelyn liked the idea of meeting and dancing with boys her age, or even older. She decided to keep in mind Dinah's suggestion, as they continued their walk around the several booths set at the Great Hall. Evelyn couldn't sing at all, so she excluded Hogwarts Harmonies right away. She also put aside Alchemy, Herbology and Charms. She thought about being part of the Drama Club, but then she changed her mind. While Dinah was talking with Professor Miller at the Yearbook booth, there was a girl that called Evelyn and asked her if she was interested in joining the school's newspaper, the Hogwarts Herald.
She said she needed more people who could write pieces for the newspaper, do interviews and always be attentive to what was happening at the school. Professor AJ Hodffufer was the sponsor of the club and he gave Evelyn a pamphlet and the latest exemplar of the school's newspaper, giving her some examples of the king of articles she could write. After a few questions she decided to sign up.
Meanwhile, Edgar walked on his own around the Great Hall. Unlike his sister he wasn't feeling inclined to join any club. However, he changed his mind when he found himself at the Book Club booth. Edgar wasn't that bookish, but he thought maybe he could force himself to read more. His mother was always telling him that reading opened his horizons and gave him more culture. Besides lately, with Luke spending more time with Alcmene and Edgar not wanting to be the spare one, it would always be useful to just sit at a corner and read, when there was no one around to hang out or any homework to do.
Just when he finished signing his name on a parchment Miss Bramble had given him, Evinrude Walthrop pulled it to herself and she wrote her name under his, with a flourished handwriting. She smiled at Edgar. He nodded in recognition and he turned around, ready to leave the Great Hall. But Evinrude wasn't done yet.
"I wanted to thank you for what happened the other weekend, during the Quidditch trials."
He raised his eyebrow, not really sure what she was talking about. Evinrude elaborated:
"When you defended me from that bludger, remember? You used your body as a shield…"
"Oh, right..." he said with indifference. "I was just doing my job."
"I could have been really hurt if it wasn't for you, Edgar. So I wanted to thank you. Next Hogsmeade trip, we are going to the Three Bromsticks and the butterbeer is on me."
And before he could say anything else, she left, going to meet with his sister Evelyn and her other friend, Dinah. Edgar walked away from the Great Hall a bit confused. Was it his impression or he had just been asked out on a date? Or was Evinrude only expressing her thanks by offering him a drink? He went back to the Gryffindor common room, shrugging his shoulders. There was still a long way to the first Hogsmeade trip and Evinrude would probably forget about her invitation, so he had nothing to worry about.
Still at the Great Hall, Luke was helping Coach Krum at the Athletics Club booth. He had signed up for it once again and he was trying to convince Alcmene's sister, Alice, to join and be part of the swimming group. But the first year girl seemed to be more interested in discussing another topic:
"Are you really my sister's boyfriend?"
"Yes. You probably haven't seen the school's swimming pool yet. It's very large and it's open all year."
"So you're the one who sent her all those letters during the summer. The ones she didn't want us to read. She even put a spell on it, to make the ink invisible. Were they love letters?"
"Er…not really," Luke replied, a little bit embarrassed.
"Anyway, if you don't like to swim Alice, the Athletics Club has other great options for you. Let me see if there is a pamphlet over here with a list of all the other sports that are practiced…"
"How often do you snog with my sister?"
"Alice!" Alcmene called her sister.
Luke's cheeks had turned bright red.
"If you're not interested in this club stop bothering Luke."
Alice obeyed her older sister and she left, but she took one last glance at Alcmene and her boyfriend, in the hopes to catch them kissing. That did not happen.
"I'm sorry about Alice. She's curious. "
"It's all right," Luke assured her. "She's cute."
Then another student appeared with a question about the swimming group. Alcemene left Luke do his job and she went to take another look at the other booths, promising to come back later so they could have lunch together at the common commons.
(Azaelia) Book Group
Author: Isolde
Date: 11-24-13 16:05
Azaelia handed Eilonwy Barrett a copy of the novel the Book Group would be discussing at the first meeting scheduled for October 11th. Book Group would meet every other Thursday during lunchtime in the library, with lunch provided.
"Thanks for signing up, Eilonwy," Azaelia said, smiling at the fifth year Gryffindor student.
Eilonwy smiled in return and with her book in hand, moved to the next booth in the Great Hall.
Azaelia kept her own smile on her face for a moment, and when it seemed clear that nobody else planned on making an immediate visit to her table, she slouched back in her chair and let her face fall.
She still couldn't believe that what Rita Skeeter had written about her father was true. She also couldn't believe that he admitted that he wasn't the wizard Azaelia had always believed him to be. What was more was that Azaelia's mother had known the truth all along. Together they had lived false lives and had duped their daughter into thinking they were something they were not.
Azaelia didn't hate them, though. She didn't even necessarily disagree with her father's choice of business dealings. She just wished her parents would have confided in her, and moreover, that she didn't have to find out the truth in a newspaper article meant to discredit her.
That they wouldn't tell their underage daughter the truth, Azaelia could understand. But she was an adult and had been for a good while now.
"You don't look very happy to be here," said a voice that jarred her from her thoughts.
"Mark, hi," Azaelia murmured, making no effort to look more interested now that somebody was standing in front of her table. He looked rather sour himself, and Azaelia thought she knew why. She had heard the rumors about a love triangle involving him, Kate and Gus van Tassel.
"Not enough sign ups for Book Group?" Mark asked.
"No, it's not that," she said. She slid the clipboard over to him and said, "Are you interested in joining the club?"
Mark gave her a look that answered her question. "I don't read if I can help it," he replied.
Azaelia pressed her hands to her heart as if she were suffering an attack. That got a small smile out of the both of them.
"Just came over to chat then?"
"I guess," Mark said. He glanced around as if looking for somebody and then turned back to Azaelia. "I wasn't even going to come, but it's kind of boring today."
"Don't you have NEWTs you can already be studying for?" Azaelia asked.
Again, Mark shot her a look. "Why would I study in September for exams slated for June?"
Azaelia chuckled. "Well, why wouldn't you when those exams just might affect what you'll do after you graduate? I understand, though. I do still remember what it was like to be a student who would rather relax than do homework and study."
"Yeah, well, I thought I would see what there is to see since I don't have anything else to do right now," Mark said, "but it looks like you have a customer." He nodded to a first year girl who was so very small compared to the seventh year next to whom she stopped. "See you," he told his cousin's cousin.
"Bye, Mark," Azaelia said. She didn't have to remember to smile. The brief conversation with Mark had managed to cheer her up some, even though both of them weren't feeling all that happy at the moment.
"Hi, there!" she told the young girl. "Are you interested in joining Book Group?"
Johann's Grief
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 11-24-13 16:37
Berthold enters the library in the safe house, holding a map of Britain in his clamp, but stops when he finds Johann at the window. The older-looking wizard stands with his back hunched, and there is a framed photograph of a young version of Hans in his liver-spotted hand. The movement of his shoulders gives away the fact that he is silently crying.
Berthold debates whether to leave or to make his presence known, but before he can reach a decision, Johann looks up and spies him through the reflection in the window. He backhands the tears from his face, and when he turns to face Berthold, it is as if he had never been crying at all.
"You have news?" Johann asks, carefully setting the framed photograph of the young Hans onto the corner of the desk.
"News, no," Berthold replies, "but thoughts, yes." He holds up the map. "I've marked the locations where I think we should begin our search for Fairchild."
"Give it here," Johann says, taking the map from Berthold's clamp. He spreads it out over the desk and leans over it, looking from one red circle to the next.
Berthold, meanwhile, looks at the photograph. In it, Hans is laughing at something someone has said. His hair is cut long, and it falls into his face each time he leans forward to laugh.
Berthold looks back at Johann, who looks as hard as ever. "It is natural to feel grief over the loss of a child, even one who has disappointed you," he says.
Johann looks up from the map. "Now I, like you, have no heirs as my legacy when I am no more."
He straightens, his eyes flicking to the photograph on the desk next to the map. "I do not like knowing that he is buried in an unmarked grave in a cemetery for international criminals."
"You know as well as I that claiming him would have landed you in the cell he had unexpectedly vacated," Berthold says.
"I know," Johann replies. "I also know it would be a fool's errand to attempt to exhume his body, if we can even find it. Better instead to direct our efforts in hunting down his killer."
They already guessed that his execution had come directly from Fairchild. She may not have killed Hans herself, but in giving the directive to do so, she is just as guilty as the killer himself.
Johann bends over the map again. "Where would you like to start?" he asks Berthold.
Berthold looks at the red circles he marked and points at one in a heavily wooded area. "Here. Let's start here."
(Outside the French Ministry) Four Heads Are Better Than Two
Author: Kirley Mockridge
Date: 11-25-13 06:52
Written with Cassandra Catesby and Peregrinus Hartcrofte
"I met Camille Revanche when we were children," Cassandra said to Kirley as they sat under an umbrella at a street cafe not far from the French Ministry in Paris. "The Revanches also hail from Normandy. Camille was of a similar age to Callie and myself, so naturally our parents thought it would be a wonderful idea for us to play together over the summer. A dreadful error on their parts; Camille and Callie loathed each other on sight. Camille was jealous of Callie's popularity, whilst Callie positively revelled in rubbing Camille's nose in it. Fortunately, perhaps, Camille did not attend the same school as us - she went to Beauxbatons - so we only saw her over the summer when we visited our relatives in France."
She shrugged. "I had no idea what she did after that. I had rather lost track of her. Whilst my relationship with her was not as toxic as Callie's, I wouldn't consider her to be a bosom beau either. I don't believe I've spoken to her in years." Her eyes shifted to the Ministry building. "I hadn't expected her to be part of the diplomatic corps." It appeared that Camille had some sort of liaison or attaché role between the British and French Ministries.
"I knew of her family, so I've managed a civil relationship with her when I've had to deal with her," Kirley added. "But something about her has always felt a bit off. Perhaps it's my natural wariness of strangers..."
"Paranoia, you mean," his twin added. "But it serves us both well."
"Nephele..." Cassandra looked up sharply. She looked from her to Pip. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. What brings you two to Gay Paree?"
"Camille Revanche," the blonde said. "We found her name in investigating the break-ins from Gringotts."
Her friend arched a brow and exchanged a look with Kirley. "What a coincidence. We're here to speak with her too," Cass said. "Marc Lebeau suggested she might be the R in Callie's diary. I get the distinct impression Mlle. Revanche was less than happy about his leaving her for Callie. We were wondering if she felt bitter enough to go to Rita Skeeter."
"Curiouser and curiouser," Pip added, stroking his chin. "If our inquiry is correct, than Camille Revanche has ties to the group we've been referring to as The Wonderland Gang. I do very much wonder what the connection might be between the crimes they've been committing and the leak to Skeeter."
"It would appear that speaking with Mlle. Revanche is the only way to answer that question," Nephele said dryly. "Have you found an address in your searches or shall we accost her in the Ministry itself? I'm sure Mother will bail us all out, if she must, though we'll have to work around Hogwarts' schedule..."
"She has an apartment in Paris," Cass said. "It's why we were waiting here. It's only a short distance away; she might walk rather than apparate." She shrugged. "Or we could just accost her in the Ministry." She glanced at Kirley. "How are your French connections?"
"Fairly good. I have a decent relationship with most of the Minister's staff, because of my position at home, but I'm not sure it's enough to keep us out of trouble," Kirley answered. "The prudent solution would be to wait until either we see her go home or we can reasonably assume she's apparated and hit her apartment."
Cassandra nodded in agreement and was just about to reply to Kirley when she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. A woman had just left the French Ministry. She was dressed in elegant Parisian style, her hair caught up in a twist at the back of her head, a small hat tilted to partially shield her face, but Cassandra was sure she recognised the child she had known years before in the adult.
"That's her," she breathed softly.
"Should we approach or just follow?" Nephele asked. Since Cass knew the witch in question, it seemed prudent to follow her lead on this.
"Let me see what sort of response I get," Cass said, rising from her seat. "Pip, why don't you and Neph follow along a bit more discreetly? Just in case. No point scaring her off before we find out what we want to know." And they were in the middle of a Parisian street. Not exactly the ideal setting for a magical stand-off.
She pinned a social smile to her face and set off briskly, her angle designed to intersect that of the other woman. "Camille," she exclaimed, her voice the breathy gasp of the social butterfly. "Camille Revanche. How charming to see you again. You do remember me, don't you? Cassandra Catesby. Well, of course you do, we met as children." She gave a musical laugh.
Camille's eyes widened with surprise, even a little shock, but she recovered quickly. An artificial smile curved her lips. "Yes, of course," she said. "How delightful to meet you once again, Cassandra. I was not aware that you were in Paris."
"I couldn't turn down an invitation to the most romantic city in the world, now could I?" Cassandra said brightly. She tucked her arm through Kirley's as he approached.
"Kirley, have you met Camille? Camille, this is Kirley Mockridge. Kirley, Camille Revanche."
"I believe we've met through the Ministries," Kirley said, smiling at Cass as he covered her hand on his arm. "Such a small world," he added, his charming mask firmly in place. Practiced eyes studied Camille, and he knew that his twin and Pippin were doing the same from where they watched discreetly.
"Indeed, you're the Minister's aide, I believe?" Camille replied. "What brings you to Paris? Business, or...?" Her gaze switched from Kirley to Cass and back again, clearly attempting to divine the exact nature of their relationship. She had relaxed a little since their initial approach, Cass wondered if she had thought it was Callie accosting her on the street to start with, but she could still see the cogs whirring beneath that delightful confection of a hat.
"Perhaps a bit of both," Kirley said with a slight hint of his boyish grin as he looked to Cass. "After all, can anything in Paris be all business?" he said.
Cassandra cast a smile back at him, then glanced at Camille. "You will have a drink with us, won't you?" she said.
"Well, I really should be going. I have an important engagement to keep," Camille replied.
"Pity, didn't Marc say he hoped we'd catch up with the charming Mlle Revanche so we could pass along his invitation?" Kirley drawled, noticing his sister and Pip moving closer. Nephele had her wand out and a clear shot, but she hadn't used it yet.
Camille had taken half a step forward, but she froze at Kirley's words. Her head snapped around. "Marc?" she said breathlessly. "Marc Lebeau?"
"Yes. We ran into him just a while ago," Kirley said with a glance at Cass. He was careful to keep his words vague, but if he couldn't carry off such a simple mind game, he didn't deserve his education inside Slytherin House.
"You did? And he mentioned me?"
"Yes," Cassandra agreed, although not in the context Camille appeared to believe. "He suggested we look you up if we were coming to Paris."
Camille gave a girlish laugh. "Oh, Marc was always so charming and so handsome too," she said. "We had such good times together."
"He did seem rather fond of you," Kirley said. Which was wholly true, Marc had been reluctant to tell them who the R could be. There seemed to be a sense of protectiveness about him, but he had caved eventually.
Camille's eyes lit up. "Oh, he was," she assured them. "I mean is." She gave another girlish laugh. "You know what I mean."
"Why don't we find somewhere we can chat?" Kirley suggested, glancing to his twin who nodded, her non-wand arm slipping through Pippin's as they prepared to follow discreetly.
(Paris, France) Reeling Her In
Author: Cassandra Catesby
Date: 11-25-13 06:55
Cassandra studied Camille over the rim of her coffee cup; they'd found a quiet café in a Wizarding part of Paris. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the other woman. She seemed cool even professional until Marc Lebeau was mentioned and then she became all girlish giggles and fluttering eyelashes. She was giggling now, smiling at some remark Kirley had made, and telling him all about a time when she and Marc had made a romantic visit to Paris.
"It was the summer before our last year at Beauxbatons," she was saying. "Oh, we were so young, but so much in love. Every day was a sunny day." She flashed him a coy look. "You understand I am sure."
"And then Callandra came along," Cass said, tiring of the arch remarks. Camille froze. Her expression darkened.
"That bitch..." she hissed.
Cassandra sipped with apparent unconcern at her coffee, but the sudden shift in mood made her itch to reach for her wand. She was glad Nephele and Pip were around for back-up.
"That bitch, as you call her, is my twin sister," she reminded Camille coolly. "But you're right, she always did have a way with men. She only had to crook her little finger..."
"She stole him from me, used some sort of Charm or love potion..." Camille spat venomously. Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"I very much doubt it. Not that Callie wouldn't stoop to such tricks if she saw a purpose to them, but she rarely needed to bother," Cass observed in dry tones. "The male of the species flocked around her like bees to honey."
She arched a brow. "Is that why you gave all that information to Rita Skeeter?"
Beneath the venom and the fury, something else flickered. Cass leaned forward unconsciously, eyes narrowing, as Camille pushed her chair back. The legs scraped on the cobbles. The chair wobbled as she rose abruptly.
"I don't have to listen to these sorts of accusations," she exclaimed. Her tone was angry, but Cass was sure that flicker had been something else. Fear.
From his hidden vantage, Pip watched the proceedings carefully, as he and Nephele listened to the conversation via a temporary charm placed on one of Cassandra's earrings.
"Steady on, lass ... bait the trap, but don't spring it just yet ..." He had whispered so quietly that Nephele could barely hear him, even though they were well out of earshot of the others without the benefit of a Clairaudient Charm.
Nephele clutched her wand and glanced to her brother, who looked unconcerned. Kirley shifted his gaze back to Camille. "Oh, I think you'll do more than listen. Unless, of course, you'd rather I make a formal complaint to your Ministry that you've obstructed the search for Callie," he said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankle at the knee. "That could lead to questioning with Veritaserum, and well, I'm sure you don't want that."
There it was again, that flicker in Camille's eyes. Cassandra was sure it was fear.
"Please sit, Camille," she said, politely but firmly. "We just wish to talk to you. That's all." The Frenchwoman hesitated. Cassandra indicated the chair with her non-wand hand. With evident reluctance, Camille resumed her seat.
"As I'm sure you can understand, Skeeter's articles have caused some concern amongst Callandra's friends and family," Cassandra continued. "Accusations have been made of more than we were aware of. When that happens people inevitably have questions. How true are those accusations, for a start."
Camille's face twisted into a vicious smirk. "Then you're a fool to wonder," she spat out. "Nothing that bitch does would surprise me. She's capable of all that and more. If you only knew..."
"Then why don't you tell us?" Cassandra offered.
Camille's eyes narrowed as she realised the trap she had neatly fallen in to. "You won't get me to admit anything," she hissed.
Kirley's smile was slightly dark. "Then I suppose we have little choice but to contact those with more power to investigate than we have," he said. His eyes flickered to his twin, who was getting to her feet, wand in hand and trained on Camille.
"You..." Camille's eyes widened and she rose quickly to her feet, her chair toppling over in her haste. Her wand was already out and pointed at Kirley. "No!"
Nephele was already behind her, wand pressing into the French witch's neck. "I suggest you put that back away," the blonde said quietly. "You will not get another warning." A silent incantation was already in her mind, it just required the final flick of her wand to cast.
As suddenly as Nephele had appeared at Camille's back, Pip was at her side, taking her wand from her hand. "Best not take chances. I don't much care for what some do when backed into a corner."
Camille dared not turn her head with a wand pressing rather painfully into her neck, but as Pip stepped forward into her view, her expression changed somewhat. She searched his face, as if looking for something ... familiar.
"You see, Camille, we're not the only ones who want to ask you a few questions," Cassandra said. "If you won't answer ours, maybe you will answer theirs."
She glanced at Pip and Nephele. "She's all yours," she said.
Herbology Club
Author: Marzipan
Date: 11-25-13 09:53
Some of the smaller examples of the projects the Herbology Club had taken on last school year were on display at the booth Professor Ravenscroft currently manned. There were a handful of aerium Christmas ornaments, terrariums, an herbal kit, and several personalized flower pots to show prospective club members the sorts of activities in which the Herbology Club involved itself.
"It's more than just learning more about Herbology," Professor Ravenscroft explained to first year Alys Ellis. "It's about having fun with gardening projects. Do you help with the gardening at home?"
"Yes, sometimes," Alys replied, "but mostly it involves weeding the flower beds or raking up leaves."
Professor Ravenscroft chuckled. "Weeding is part of gardening, and it is something we will do in the club. I know it's a chore, but I can promise you it's more fun to do when there are others to help!"
Alys didn't look too convinced, perhaps from experience.
"You're free to think about it a bit more," Professor Ravenscroft said. "Have a look around at the other clubs, and if you think you might be interested in trying Herbology Club, you can always sign up later."
Alys agreed to do that and went off to the next table. Professor Masterson came over then to relieve Marzi at the Herbology Club table.
"Any takers?" he asked, sitting down in the empty chair next to Marzi's.
"Most of last year's participants have signed up again, and we have a few new names on the list too," she replied.
She left him then for a visit to her quarters, where she found her husband and children playing with a train set modeled after the Hogwarts Express. The boys hardly paid her any attention when she came in, but Weston got up from the floor to give Marzi a welcoming kiss.
"How did it go?"
"It went well. How is it going here?"
"Fine! We've not had a single temper tantrum, and both boys have said please and thank you so much, I'm not sure they really are ours!"
Marzi laughed. She had noticed a change in both Carter and Vallon, ever since they had started at the prestigious pre-school recommended by their great grandmother. The boys had become very well-mannered in just the short time they had attended the exclusive preparatory school. Vallon had even ceased his endless greetings of anyone who would listen to him.
"Have you eaten lunch yet?" Marzi asked her husband.
He nodded. "We have, and we had short naps too."
"Then I suppose I will have something to eat and maybe take in a little nap myself!" Marzi exclaimed. She left the three boys to their train set and went into the small kitchen in her quarters to prepare something to eat.