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Shopping and Learning the Layout
Author: Karma Davyd
Date: 04-18-11 15:09
I watched the howler tear itself into pieces after the final echos of my mother's latest rant escaped it. "She hates the fact that I have the ambition to be something other than a doting, Indian housewife." I said, massaging my temples as I finished the last of my cup of cafe au lait and reading through the Daily Prophet that the owl had also delivered with the morning post. There were also copies of the Mumbai Messenger and a few other magazines that I subscribe to that are more for pleasure reading.
I would look through the Mumbai Messenger later. Right now, I wanted to finish my breakfast, my coffee and take a shower and get ready to finish shopping to fill my new flat. The howler had done little to sour the decent mood that I'd woken up in, and I was glad for that, because lately talking to my mother tended to put me into a horrid mood - one that was more often than not difficult to pull myself out of. But, I needed to get some shopping done, and send out an owl to Professor Dumbledore about perhaps gaining a position at Hogwarts. That, however, wouldn't be sent out until Monday as it was currently Saturday.
After a shower, I dressed simply in a black tank with a chenille sweater over it and paired it with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and my favorite pair of black boots. It was warming up slowly but surely in London, but it was still leaps and bounds above what the temperature was in St. Petersburg, but decidedly colder than it was in Mumbai - I would be wearing shorts and just the tank top if I was still in Mumbai. I clipped my hair up in a jeweled clip that I'd gotten when I turned sixteen and headed down into Wizarding SoHo.
I stopped into a few consignment shops, I've always had a thing for antiques, and consignment shops and the like were usually gold mines for the perfect little trinkets and furniture to fill her flat. I ordered a few things, before heading out of the consignment shop.
I wandered around a bit, still getting my bearings in the area where I am now living. I still, unfortunately, did not know a single, passing soul - yet another point that my mother kept harping on in each of her letters, howlers, and fire chats, however, that would change.
Babysitting At The Egg Hunt
Author: Ginny Weasley
Date: 04-18-11 16:42
"Ginny! 'arry! Was 'opin you'd come!" Hagrid booms.
"Hi, Hagrid, how are you?" Ginny asks as she attempts to pin a squirming, uncooperative Fabian to the blanket spread out so she can do a nappy change.
As she speaks, Harry echos her greeting. "Hi, Hagrid!"
"Oi'm well, 'ow 'bout you two? An' 'oo are these strappin, fine lads?"
"Fred's twins. Frederick," Harry indicates the twin nearest him and pointing to the blanket, "Fabian."
"Nah. Can't be. They're too big!"
Ginny grins up at their towering friend. "I know, right? They are growing so fast, nearly fifteen months old, and since they've been walking, they are the devil to keep up with."
Hagrid is now on the ground gurling at toddler Frederick as the child pulls on Hagrid's beard, laughing uproariously each time he does. Seemingly oblivious to how hard Frederick is tugging, Hagrid asks, "You two babysittin'?"
Fabian, now with a fresh nappie, scrambles over to jion his brother to add to the beard tugging. Ginny, using her wand to take care of the soiled nappie, nods at Hagrid. "In a way. We're helping Fred and Blossom while the triplets hunt eggs."
Harry points in the general direction Seth, Larkin, and Gideon had gone with Fred and Blossom. "They went that way if you want to go say hello."
"Definitely'll do that. Hafter these 'ere lit'le ones is done playin'." Hagrid smiles affectionately at the twins who, as fearless as their father and Uncle George, are undaunted at having this massive man grinning at them and patting their backs. They smile back and squeal with loud, unabashed laughter as they continue grabbing at Hagrid's beard.
To Ginny he asks, "'ow are tha weddin' plans?"
"Going well."
Harry, now playing peek-a-boo at the twins over Hagrid's shoulder, adds, "Ron's nervous he's going to mess up something between now and the wedding or even on the big day itself."
"Hermione's nervous too though she doesn't show it like Ron," Ginny says.
"They delivered me invite personal. Warmed me 'art. Speak o' tha devil."
Ginny and Harry follow the direction of Hagrid's eyes and both spot Ron and Hermione at roughly the same time. Ginny waves to get their attention and soon all four are sitting with Hagrid talking and laughing as the twins decide to explore climbing over Hagrid's massive body, periodically crowing with delight.
Eternal-Black Family At The Egg Hunt
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 04-18-11 22:07
Strolling hand in hand across the Hogwarts grounds, Mira and James dashing ahead, Drucilla and Sirius spot a small group of familiar faces as they approach the section set aside for young children to egg hunt. Drawing near they call greetings to Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hagrid with the twins running energetically around huggy everyone. MIra's also giving sloppy wet kisses to them all, Fabian and Frederick Weasley in particular.
Dru sets down the twins' Easter baskets and spreads out a blanket next to the one on which Ginny and Hermione are sitting. Sirius sets down a picnic hamper them takes two pieces of brightly colored canvas, gives them a shake and places the two resulting canvas chairs onto the blanket. Giving the Weasley toddlers yet more kisses Mira tells the adults, "These are my boyfriends. So are Hagrid and Harry and Ron and Seth and Gideon and, who else, Dad?"
"Gerry. Gareth. Schuyler. Artie. Georgie. Bill. Charlie. George. Fred... "
"And lots more," Mira interrupts, sounding rather pleased with herself.
"That's a lot of boyfriends, Mira. How do you manage them all?" Hermione asks trying, as they all are, to keep a straight face.
Mira shrugs then says with great gravitas, "It's a hard but really, one can never have too many."
Eyebrows raise at such a statement from a child not yet even five even as they all struggle to contain their laughter. Dru jumps in to explain, "My daughter is quoting something I said recently to Sirius about shoes shopping and how many pairs I own."
James, now holding his picnic basket and shooting looks of longing to where other children are busy searching for eggs, asks beseechingly, "Is it time?"
Giving Dru an affectionate pat on the head, Sirius nods and makes a grand sweeping bow and arm gesture. "Lead on, good sir and miss."
"You so silly, Daddy," James tells his father with Mira chiming in, "Very silly, Daddy," before they scurry ahead of him, giggles growing louder with every step they take, Sirius following right behind.
Dru tells the others, "Mira thinks every male is hers and that they should all show her proper adoration and devotion. Sirius says that's fine but when she hits puberty, he's putting up a shield charm around her that has a radius of fifty feet."
This elicits a round of chuckles that dies down as they all watch on as Frederick and Fabian start jabbering, their own baskets now in hand. Dru does't know if their talk is the normal jabber of children not quite a year and a half old trying to tell the adults around them to hurry up and take them egg hunting as well or if it's the secret language of twins. It's possible it's both.
Ginny rises saying, "I think that's my cue."
Harry gets up as well. "I'm helping so it's my cue too."
By then the Weasley twins have each taken hold of Hagrid and are pulling at his hands. The generally good natured man tells them, "Oi can take a 'int," and gets up as well, taking mincing minute steps so as not to trod over the boys as they each hold onto one of Hagrid's fingers, leading him along.
Dru can't help but smile watching them go before nodding towards the picnic hamper and asking Ron and Hermione, "Would you like anything? We brought plenty."
"A butterbeer sounds good," Ron says, getting up to get it himself as he's closer to the hamer than Dru. "Hermione?"
"I'll have a butterbeer too thanks."
"Drucilla?"
"Lemonade and would you also hand me the packet of digestive biscuits, please?"
As she's made this request, Dru's hand has gone to her stomach. She thinks she must be looking a little green as well because Hermione asks, "Are you all right?"
"Fine, just a little tummy upset."
Ron hands her the lemonade and cookies. "That doesn't sound fine to me."
Hermione looks as though she's about to agree when an understanding gleam lights up her eyes. "Has it been bad?" she asks.
"No, not really. It's mainly mild attacks every now and again."
"Have you known long?"
"Not very."
"Known what?"
"Think about it a second, Ron," Hermione says with a bright, broad smile.
"I don't get... ooooooh. Okay. Congratulatoins."
"Thank you. Don't worry about not saying anything around others yet. While we've not said anything to anyone since we've only just had it confirmed, the news is also not some big secret. There are so many we know or see regularly around Hogsmeade who are expecting or who've had babies recently. It reminds me of that old joke about there being something in the water and we've all drunk from the same well."
Ron gives Hermione a mock serious frown and sternly says, "Don't go drinking from that well until AFTER the wedding and then not for awhile."
As the three continue talking and joking Sirius, meanwhile, is helping both James and Mira with their eggs. At the moment he's trying to convince them that it's perfectly fine to wait and open their eggs later. "For now, let's just open one or two, okay?"
"Why?" Mira asks, hands working to break open the bright green egg with equally bright pink spots she's just found.
"Yeah, why? James asks around a piece of candy from the red and cream striped egg he'd found a few seconds before.
"Because if we stop to open every single egg the moment you find it, that means less time to find more eggs. If we find all the eggs we can for now, we will have lots to open later."
The twins share a look then say in unison, "Okay, Daddy."
Mira holds out the now open green and pink egg, a pout on her lips. "Just paper."
"No, not just paper. The paper has writing on it. Let's see. Oh yes. This is a very good piece of paper to have, Mira. If we take this to Briar at the bakery, you can pick out six fairy cakes to take home."
"Six? All for me?"
"Well, yes, though not to eat all at once, and you may share with your brother."
"Only if it's not pink," James says, nose wrinkled in disgust. "I don't like pink fairy cakes. Those are for girls."
"Then maybe Mira will pick out one with purple just for you," Sirius says of James's current favorite color. "Now, how about we get moving again. Lots and lots of eggs to be found to fill your baskets with."
Sirius has tucked the certificate to Briar's Bakery back into the green and pink egg and dropped it back into Mira's basket, almost missing the target because she and James have spotted more eggs and are racing off to get them.
Awesome Egg (A Few Wenlock Cousins)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 04-19-11 12:56
Liannah gives Marlow a sharp nudge with her elbow. "Seriously, do you HAVE to tag along? Go hunt eggs somewhere else."
Marlow, hand on hip, makes a face at her older sister. "You aren't the boss of me, Liannah MacDougal. I can hunt wherever I want."
Liannah turns in exasperation to the person on her other side, who just happens to be their cousin Eden Jenkins. "Little sisters are SUCH a pain."
Eden shrugs. "I wouldn't know. I AM the little sister."
Liannah rolls her eyes and huffs off to catch up with Hera Roberts, another second year Ravenclaw, just as the other first year Wenlock cousin rushes to where Marlow and Eden are. Heather pants, "Have I missed anything?"
Eden shakes her head, "No, we're just getting started."
Marlow holds up a shiny copper colored egg with a pretty checked pattern created by squares of copper with a satin look and squares with more of a flat finish. "I did find one egg by accident when I dropped by basket just as I reached Eden and Liannah."
Heather oohs at the egg. "It's so pretty. Do you think it's a big prize or just candy or something like that?"
Marlow shakes her head. "Without gathering more eggs and seeing if there's anything to some being metallic looking like this one, I couldn't begin to guess. I can't decide to open it now or wait."
"Now," Eden grins with Heather nodding in enthusiastic agreement.
Marlow is happy to oblige, carefully breaking the egg open along the seam. A folded piece of parchment flutters out, caught by Heather before it reaches the ground. She hands it to Marlow who opens it to find it's rather large, brow furrow at the line of writing she sees printed there.
STATE YOUR TWO FAVORITE COLORS.
Marlow thinks for a second then says, "Lavender and sunny yellow."
All three girls watch with interest as the line of writing shifts to form two oblong ovals with one labeled LEFT and the other labeled RIGHT and in between the instructions PLACE YOUR FEET IN THE APPROPRIATE OVALS. With a one shouldered shrug, curious to know what this is all about, Marlow places the parchment on the ground them steps her left foot in the LEFT oval and her right in the RIGHT one. The parchment splits in two, each half curling up around Marlow's feet. There's a warm, tingling sensation and the shoes she had on suddenly appear on the ground in front of her. The parchment pieces dissolve so quickly and completely that all three girls nearly miss seeing it.
All three girls are now ooohing in wonder and delight for replacing Marlow's shoes on her feet are beatiful bi-colored lavender and sunny yellow athletic trainers of a recently released and much sought after brand and style.
Marlow breathes out, "Awesome!"
After admiring the trainers for a few more seconds, Marlow grabs up the shoes she'd been wearing and shoves them in her basket. "Let's go find more eggs!"
Neither Heather nor Eden needed encouragement. Eden points to a spot further along. "No one's hunting there. Let's go."
The three girls take off in a run, wanting to get as many eggs as they can now before the hunt is over.
Couple of Egg-citing Finds
Author: Adina Blackwood
Date: 04-19-11 14:52
Adina, Arthur, Kida, Whitney and Daisy had all been itching for this moment, the Easter Egg Hunt had started on the grounds and with brightly ribboned baskets that they had each made (including one for Arthur though his wasn't as bright as the girl's) the five Slytherin students headed out to the grounds marked for the hunt.
Fifteen minutes into the hunt they each had about two dozen eggs from the area that they'd chosen to hunt in, and were milling about as well, none had chosen to open their eggs yet - however, they would soon be stopping to settle on the blanket that Kida had brought down so they could settle and enjoy the remainder of the Saturday afternoon.
Adina after a few moments, watched Professor Black be lead around by his daughter and son through the toddler area where the younger children were hunting equally brightly bedecked eggs that held prizes and sweets galore. She needed to talk to him, and she needed to stop putting it off, she really did. It was important, and she didn't want to have to suffer through the rest of the term without having someone to -actually- talk to about what she was, and perhaps get tips on how to tell her friends.
"Adina, going to stare at the toddler area a bit longer, or going to come find a few more eggs?" Arthur's voice cut through her mental argument on why she shouldn't go talk to Professor Black now instead of later - this was a family day for him, she didn't want to interrupt that or take him from time with his children.
"Yeah. I'm coming...sorry." She said, and turned away from the toddler area and headed back to where the rest of their little fivesome was waiting rather impatiently to get back to the hunt.
About an hour of searching granted each of the five a fair quantity of eggs and they soon settled on the blanket and began breaking the seal of the eggs, opening them to find their prizes.
Whitney had gotten a piece of parchment that had, much to her delight turned into a pair of silver and black trainers - that just about everyone wanted, and that was her only big prize aside from a coupon for the laser tag in the village. Daisy had gotten a couple of coupons for Briars that she couldn't actually use until end of term, because she couldn't go into the village being only a second year. Kida had managed to find a couple of gift certificates to Gladrags over in Hogsmeade, and fully intended on using them during summer break for new outfits.
Arthur had gotten a gift certificate from Krum's Completely Quidditch - which he would probably use to get Adina something as she was the Quidditch player among them even though she wasn't on the IQT any more.
"So what did you get in your eggs?" He asked, peering over her shoulder at the eggs that weren't yet open. "Wait, why haven't you opened them yet?"
Adina shifted, curling her legs beneath her, fingertips idly rolling over the pile of eggs that filled her basket so neatly. She remained silent, shifting over just a little bit so that Arthur's attempt to embrace her failed. "I don't know why, I just haven't. The prizes are like little secret treasures that you want to covet, want to keep locked in the egg until the moment just feels right." She knew she was babbling, speaking in messed up riddles, but she couldn't actually find the words to express what was bothering her, not without fully spilling her secret to the four individuals sitting on the blanket with her.
"So wait a little while before you open them, it's alright. No one said you have to open them immediately." Arthur said and pulled her into him so she could lean against his chest and he could keep his arms around her. Adina sighed, she knew she wouldn't win that battle and simply sunk herself into him, allowing herself to pull some comfort from the attention. She reached forward and plucked a brilliant amythyst and sapphire swirlled egg from the top of her basket.
The seal on the egg broke, and something small landed in her lap, however, it did not remain small for long as it came to its full size, it was a broom - and not just any broom. The model that currently rested in Adina's lap was not available on the market and would not be until well later into the year - and yet here one sat on her lap. A squeal of delight rose from the second year and she clutched the broom to her - however, it was tinged with a layer of bittersweet as she remembered that she wasn't playing Quidditch any more this year. Perhaps she'd give it to one of her teammates if none of them happened upon another egg that held the broom as its hidden treasure - no, that's exactly what she'd do. She could get a new broom over the summer, if she was allowed to play Quidditch at all next year - which was of course dependant upon her final grades for this year.
"That's an awesome prize." Whitney said, offering her friend a bright grin. "You are going to be the envy of everyone else in school with that broom. Unless there are a few more of them out there."
Adina smiled and laid the broom across her lap, before plucking out another egg, and this one turned into a pair of emerald and black trainers like Whitney had gotten. Those were the only two that Adina opened for now, the rest would wait a bit.