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A Short Break From Egg Hunting (Catriona)
Author: Fionna
Date: 04-19-11 16:52
Catriona licks residual chocolate from a mint chocolate fudge egg shaped candy, loot from an egg she's just opened. As she debates whether to eat another piece from the same egg she asks Polly, "Did your parents ever decide if you're going away for the hols or not?"
Polly looks up from her basket where she's trying to decide whether to open another egg nor or wait for awhile. "I can't believe I didn't tell you. We're going away."
Bianca, finishing the last bite of a lemony sugar biscuit, asks, "Where to?"
Polly grins, excitement etched into her face. "Martinique, in the Caribbean."
Dusting crumbs off her fingers and top Bianca sighs, "Lucky you. We're just going to Dad's parents."
"I'm not doing anything overly special either," Cat says, "but at least I don't have to spend it with Willem."
"So he lost the debate then?" Polly asks.
"Yeah. Mum's not happy since Willem has big plans Leslie, Mum, and me, but as both Mum and Dad pointed out to him, Willem made the plans knowing I was supposed to be with Dad over Easter. Leslie also told him she already had plans and if he'd bothered consulting her, he would have known not to include her in his own plans. Leslie said everyone was shouting with Willem even trying to order her to change her plans."
Polly snorts, "I bet that went over well."
"Don't you know it. Leslie told Willem off and walked out and because Mum came around asking the next day for Les to go apologize to Willem, now she's mad at Mum too. And now Willem is glad that we won't be with him and Mum because it means they can go somewhere just the two of them and not have to worry with things to entertain Leslie and me. Plus, because I'll be at Dad's and Dad doesn't mind me spending time with Christopher, I get to see him over the holiday. You know, my life was much quieter when I was living with Aunt Moira and Uncle Angus."
"Well, I'll sent both of you postcards and a gift from Martinique. Ready for more egg hunting?"
The girls get off the bench where they'd been sitting but then Cat picks up another egg from her basket. "I think I'll open just one more first."
Cat picks up a jewel toned egg in garnet and sapphire and running a fingernail around the opening pulls the two pieces apart. At first she thinks she got a rare egg that somehow didn't get anything put inside but then she sees what looks like a scrap of fabric tucked into one egg half. Pulling it out she tries to figure out what to do with the scrap, the same garnet and sapphire shades as the egg.
"Maybe it's folded up," Bianca offers.
"Maybe so." Cat turns the scrap over looking for signs of folding but finding nothing and now a little frustrated she shakes it at her friends, "Okay, I'm stumped."
"Do that again," Polly says.
"What again?"
"Shake it. It grew a little when you shook it."
Cat looks at the scrap anew and sure enough it's a little large. She shakes it again and then again. With each shake the scrap grows. Before long Cat's got a garnet and sapphire dress of about knee length in her hands. She gives it another shake but it seems fixed to this one size now.
Bianca bends and picks up something from the ground. It's a small square envelope of sapphire material. "This came out with that last shake."
"Open it. Please?"
Bianca looks inside and sure enough there's something there. She pulls out a letter sized piece of parchment. "The recipient of this Narcissa's original will find that putting the garment on the first time will achieve a perfect complimentary fit. If you are a male, please owl the garment to Narcissa's in this envelope and you will be sent a suitable replacement."
"Wow."
"Wow is right," Polly says, reaching out to touch the soft fabric.
"I'd better fold it up and put it in the envelope for now," Cat says, already folding up the dress while Bianca holds the envelope open for her.
The dress tucked into the envelope and down in her basket now, Cat grins, "Okay, more eggs now."
"Definitely!" Polly heartily agrees.
Bianca agrees as well but her mouth is full of another lemony sugar biscuit. Together the three friends pick another spot to begin combing for more eggs.
(Kate) On Her Own
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 04-19-11 19:14
Kate had gone off on her own to hunt Easter eggs. When she'd filled her basket, she'd found a quiet, out-of-the-way spot to open each egg one-by-one. It wasn't that she didn't want the company of anyone else. She just didn't mind spending time on her own.
She'd not mentioned the Easter egg hunt to her father, though he probably would have made an effort to visit if she'd had. Kate would see him soon enough when Easter break began. They didn't have any plans to holiday anywhere. Father and daughter would just spend Easter together at home.
Kate's friends were probably all hunting eggs as a group. She would have sought them out, but she hadn't for no reason other than she just hadn't. She didn't always feel like the odd girl out, being the only one in the group of friends not in Slytherin House, but sometimes it was more obvious than others. Although they'd all seen each other at breakfast in the Great Hall, the Slytherins had gone to their common room or dorm rooms afterwards, while Kate had gone to hers. The others were always together, even Mark who was a year ahead. As the lone Hufflepuff, Kate sometimes felt isolated.
As if he knew she'd been thinking about him, Mark came into view. He was alone and didn't carry an Easter basket. His pockets were bulging, however.
He slowed to a stop when he saw Kate sitting alone and debated whether to approach or simply ignore her. In the end, his feet carried her to where she sat, and without asking, he joined her in the grass.
Mark instantly made a face as the eggs in the pockets of his jeans pressed uncomfortably against his thighs. He shifted to retrieve them all and set them in the grass in front of him.
"Where are Gus, Felicia and Johanna?" Kate asked. All the eggs she'd opened so far but one contained sweets. The other had a gift certificate for a haircut from Madam Primpernelle's.
"Hell if I know," Mark replied. He opened his first egg and pulled out a slip of parchment. On it was written This coupon can be substituted for a homework assignment in any* course.
And then in finer print: *With the exception of Professor Snape's OWL and NEWT level Potions classes.
The slip of parchment seemed useful enough. Mark folded it and put it in his pocket.
"You've been hunting eggs on your own, then?" Kate asked.
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah." Kate opened another one of her eggs. Inside was a small, round emerald.
She let out a small laugh at the sight of it and handed the egg half with the emerald to Mark. "Maybe you want it. It's the Slytherin gemstone, after all."
He poured the emerald into his palm. As soon as it touched his skin, the emerald multiplied until there were ten small jewels in a row, strung onto a short, golden chain.
"Maybe not," he said. "Here."
But instead of giving the necklace to Kate, he got to his knees, crawled behind her, and put the necklace around her neck.
Kate mumbled, "Thanks," and pulled her hair out from under the necklace. She glanced down at the jewels glistening in the sunlight. It was an awfully pretty necklace.
She looked at Mark, who had resumed his position in the grass. She supposed that in some ways, he was also an outsider compared to the others. He alone had remained at Hogwarts when his friends had gone to Happy Haven.
Kate realized she was staring and looked down, embarassed.
Mark looked down also and picked up another one of his eggs. He cracked it open, finding only candy, and asked, "Are you staying at Hogwarts over break?"
"No. Are you?"
"No."
They fell into awkward silence again. Kate tried to think of something to say, but she was saved the effort when Gus arrived, followed by Johanna and Felicia. Gus plopped down next to Kate and groaned.
"I ate too much candy."
"I can tell. There's chocolate all over your face," Kate replied with a smile.
Mark said, "Careful, Gus. Don't want you to get fat again."
"Stop being mean, Mark," Felicia said, sitting down next to him. She glanced between him and Kate and then exchanged a knowing look with Johanna.
"So, what have you two been talking about?"
"Nothing," Kate answered, and that was practically the honest truth. She and Mark didn't know how to talk to each other, not really.
Johanna saw the necklace around Kate's neck. "That's gorgeous! Where did you get it?"
"From one of my eggs. What have you got?"
The girls talked about what they'd found so far and opened the rest of their eggs, while Gus digested the sweets he'd eaten and Mark leaned back on his elbows and soaked in the not-yet-springtime sun.
Bloody Awesome! (Basil)
Author: Jared
Date: 04-19-11 19:55
His plain silver and green basket, the only ornamentation being the Slytherin emblem with his name, only half filled so far with eggs, Basil plops onto the ground with a groan. "Absolutely famished, Ivan."
Ivan Grimsby drops down beside Basil, grimacing somewhat at the slight cold seeping through his pants. "Damn. Sat in a damp spot."
Basil roots around in his basket for the only egg he's opened so far as Ivan gets up and spinning around and around much like a dog chasing its tail, tries to see if his pants actually look as wet as they feel. Coming up with what he's looking for, Basil gives Ivan a disgusted look and orders, "Stand still." Taking his wand, he points it at Ivan's bum to dry the spot.
"Thanks," Ivan says, bending down to touch the grass on the other side of Basil, testing it for dampness before sitting again. "What's that?"
"That certificate to Burger Wizard. It's good for a free meal after I fill it out, I'm sending it in. Twenty minutes tops I should have food in front of me."
"Or, you could go inside to the commons or see what you can get in the Great Hall. That would take five minutes, maybe ten. If you send that in, you also have to go to the owlery so it will be more like twenty-five to thirty minutes."
"If I send this in, I can continue egg hunting while waiting for the food to get there. Owlery is right there," Basil hooks his thumb over his shoulder. "Already figured in the time to run up the stairs and send this off."
"Makes sense then I guess."
The form filled out, Basil gets up to jog the few paces over to the base of the owlery's outer stairs then takes the stairs two at a time. He doesn't dawdle so is back down rejoining Ivan in a very short span of time. On the round trip he'd spotted four eggs so now goes to retrieve them. Ivan too has found a few more, eyeing what's in his basket versus what's in Basil's as if he's silently competing against his friend to see who gets more of the decorated eggs.
Basil spots yet another, this one nestled in the crook of a small tree's branches. A second glance at the tree reveals several more eggs. He grabs one as does Ivan but while Ivan continues getting the eggs in and around the tree Basil's staring at the one in his hand. It's sky blue with fluttering snitches flying all around the shell. Basil had heard the rumor about not available to the public yet racing brooms being in some of the eggs but he'd not believed the rumor until spotting two different people today with shiny, sleek new brooms. Maybe this is one of those eggs and that's why it's got Quidditch related decoration on it.
Holding his breath in eager anticipation Basil hastily breaks open the egg. To his disappointment nothing that looks like a broom is inside. It's just a piece of a plain old envelope that fell into his open palm.
Basil turns it over to see if anything's written on the front. His disappointment is put on hold and his heartbeats just a little faster at what's written there. It's the official emblem of the international organization governing all of Quidditch. So it's Quidditch related after all.
Turning the envelope back over, Basil opens the back of the envelope carefully though he'd really rather rip into it. He doesn't want to chance ruining whatever's inside. By now, sensing Basil's onto something good, Ivan has stopped egg gathering to come see.
Basil takes out a letter, unfolds it then reads. Then reads it again. After the third time he turns to Ivan. "I bloody well can't believe my incredible good luck. This is bloody awesome!"
"What? What is it?" Ivan says, moving in closer still to see.
Baail, now grinning smugly from ear to ear, holds the letter up for Ivan to read but won't let his friend touch it. Ivan scans it then looks at Basil. "No fecking way!"
Basil still might find a racing broom today but if not, this prize is bloody fantastic enough that he probably won't care quite so much. Ivan's looking at it again, this time reading it aloud as if needing to hear what the letter contains to make it real.
Congratulations! Fill out the information requested below. Tear off the form and return it to secure your V.I.P. box at the 2006 Quidditch World Cup. Your box has seating for ten...
Ivan's voice trails off before he finishes, already wondering if he'll be invited to be one of the other nine. Basil's still grinning and is somewhat stunned. He carefully folds the letter back up and tucks it safely inside an inner pocket of the coat he's wearing. After a minute of the two boys just standing there grinning at each other, the spell is finally broken when some first years come loudly laughing their way. With other eggs right there still to be collection, Ivan and Basil rush to get them before the first years see any of the eggs.
Past and Present
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 04-19-11 20:04
Bronwyn sat on a bench in wizarding SoHo and sipped a mocha she'd gotten from a nearby Starbucks in the Muggle part of town. She'd done a fair bit of retail therapy, the evidence of which rested at her feet. If not shopping, then she probably would have been home with Toby, but he had a Quidditch match today.
Spending time with Siegfried was also out of the question, because he was on assignment for work. That left Desi, but Desi was as distant as ever lately. Bronwyn could only push so much before even she had to let it go. When the time was right, Desi would talk. Until then, Bronwyn would just have to wait.
Although it looked like she was people-watching, Bronwyn didn't see anything but an all-too-fresh memory from just twenty-four hours ago. As she'd told her husband and brother she'd do, Bronwyn had gotten in contact with the healer running the memory trial at St. Mungo's. Her first session had been yesterday.
At first, it had been rather routine. She'd filled out piles of parchmentwork and then submitted to a series of ordinary tests like one might take at regular checkup. Then, the healer had scanned her brain. What he'd said had both surprised and not surprised her. He'd found evidence that her mind had been tampered with. Bronwyn had always wondered why she'd had a memory gap of only a few days, but because she had no bad memories associated with that memory loss, she'd never given much thought to what might have caused it. Obliviation was the obvious answer, but why? Who had done it?
Those were answers she didn't have. At least not yet.
Sometimes, memory modification could get reversed. It depended on a great number of factors, none of which were certain in Bronwyn's case. She had another appointment with the healer to find out whether she had a chance of recovering her memories.
Bronwyn almost wondered whether she should just let it go. It was a long time ago, and just for a few days. Maybe whatever she'd forgotten she didn't want to remember. Maybe she was better off without those memories.
The confirmation that someone had done something to her mind wasn't what bothered her the most about yesterday, however. As she was leaving the exam room, she saw someone she hadn't seen in years waiting in the waiting room.
"Kristos?"
Kristos has looked up from the magazine he'd been paging through and given Bronwyn a long, admiring look from head to toe.
"Bronwyn. It's been..."
"Years." She'd brushed back her hair with the hand that wore her diamond engagement ring and wedding band. Whether she'd done that consciously or not, she hadn't been able to say. All that had run through her mind at the moment had been their very last encounter in his bedroom at his flat.
If Kristos had noticed the rings, he'd not reacted to them. "What are you doing here?" he'd asked instead. "Are you here for the trial?"
"Yes, and you?"
"Yes. Seems I'm forgetting things in my old age."
Bronwyn recalled that he was a good ten years older than she, which made him 33 or 34 years old now.
Luckily, their reunion had been shortlived. He'd been called in for his session, allowing Bronwyn to flee––flee as she had his flat that Christmas Eve night all those years ago.
Back in the present, Bronwyn wondered if she would see him again. If he continued the trial, then there was a possibility she would. She didn't know what to think about that. Maybe he'd changed in the years they'd not seen each other. Maybe he wasn't the monster she'd left behind.
Her eyes suddenly came into focus on a pair of very chic black boots. They belonged to a beautiful, exotic witch who was carrying as many shopping bags as Bronwyn had at her feet. The witch looked around and spotted the Bronwyn's bench. She moved toward it and smiled at Bronwyn as she approached.
"Mind if I sit?
"You're welcome to it if you'll tell me where you got those fantastic boots!"
Bronwyn slid over to make room. "I'm Bronwyn Beck, by the way."