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Music Marathon
Author: Maggie Hawthorne
Date: 10-15-13 12:49
Emry's Fest was awesome as usual, and being here as an intern, helping Bronwyn and getting to attend the meet and greets with the Bands and meet some of my favorite musicians was making this even better.
I'd also gone to Quidditch Con last week, but that was more for me and I'd brought home a couple of things for a few friends as well as some signed memorablia for myself - I'd even gotten Harry Potter and Ginny Potter's autographs, which was fantastic and had me floating on cloud nine.
I'd had some of the pictures from Quidditch Con framed and put up in my apartment and I'd even gotten a couple of things for Nate which I'd given him when I'd seen him a few days later.
Right now, I was sitting on a blanket with Coraline, her girlfriend Phoebe, Maria and her boyfriend Xavier, Patrice and her boyfriend Carter and our friends Peony and Ezekial while we waited for the next set change.
"I think I'm going to go check out the vendors. Unlike someone," Peony eyed me and grinned. "I have to pay for my signed merchandise." She teased.
"I'll come with, besides I want to see if I can find something for Charlie Weasely to sign if I can manage it." Coraline said, pushing up from the blanket and walking off with Peony.
Phoebe shifted, moving to grab a bottle of butterbeer out of the cooler and handing me one, she sat up, cross-legged and after a moment she nudged me.
"Hey, isn't that the guy you've kinda sorta been seeing for the last however long?"
I blinked, looking over and grinning seeing Nate walking with Tim.
"Yup, that's him and his friend Tim. Be right back."
"Invite him over, we've got plenty of room and plenty of food." Phoebe said with a grin.
I stuck my tongue out at her and headed over and intercepted Nate and Tim.
"Hey guys, if you want you are welcome to come over and join me and my friends. There's bunches of room and plenty to eat and drink."
I motioned to the large blanket that was set up, that had a couple of coolers filled with drinks and food, bags and various pillows and chairs for people to get comfortable on.
Nate nodded and we headed back over to the blanket, and once everyone got settled I made the round of introductions. We talked a little bit while the next band ran through their warm up and started their set, I was just glad that I got to spend the day with friends and it was made even better by the fact that I'd gotten to meet most of the acts that were performing today.
Elsinore Hottentot
Author: Errol
Date: 10-15-13 14:08
Megara and Errol have found a place to sit near some trees and though they can't see Claudia Spellman on stage 1 through the crowd they have no trouble hearing her clearing. Megara breaks off a chunk of still warm cookie that Megara keeps calling a biscuit then passes it to Errol. "Have I mentioned how happy I am that you were able to come today?"
"Only 25 or 30 times," Errol dryly replies, breaking off his own hunk of cookie and popping it into his mouth.
For the first time today Megara wants to know, "Do you get to stay until the end?"
Errol finishes chewing and swallowing, not so much because he's mindful of his manners - it's only Megara afterall - so much as he doesn't want to start choking and in turn spewing out chunks of apple oatmeal walnut cookie.
"Don't know. I guess. It's whatever Judith decides. She's really the only reason we came."
Judith Russell is Ross Anderson's on again, off again girlfriend, only don't refer to her a his girlfriend within her earshot. She thinks being called his girlfriend sounds juvenile.
Errol had been wanting to come to Emrys Fest for months. Uncle Ross had repeatedly told him, "We'll see," which of course meant, "Absolutely not." It wasn't until Judith decided she wanted to come, pointing out to Ross, "I'll be in England on business anyway so I might as well set a day aside for nothing but fun. Why don't you join me?"
Ross had capitulated and had brought Errol with him, though that hadn't been part of Judith's plan. Judith doesn't dislike Errol but she'd been thinking to have the entire day alone with Ross and the crowds of witches and wizards at the music festival. Ross had placatingly pointed out, "Errol will meet up with some of his Hogwarts friends," Judith being one of the few who knows where Errol's been going to school, "and we'll hardly see him."
As soon as he'd learned he was getting to attend, Errol had owled Megara and a few others, such as his roommate Alastor Jenkins and classmate, and Alastor's cousin, Hunter Rabnott. He's hung out with several of them through the day but not as long with some as with others because some are here with dates and he didn't want to come across as intruding.
The cookie eaten except for a few crumbs on the front of Errol's shirt, Megara suggests, "Let's get something to drink."
"And something else to eat. I'm still hungry."
Megara freezes in the midst of standing up. "Did I hear correctly? Errol Elliot Anderson admits to still being hungry? I must mark this on my calendar as a historical date."
Megara's fascination with whether Errol's appetite equals other teen boys his age stopped being amusing long ago. Errol gives her a whithering look but refrains from commenting. She shoots him one of her blinding brilliant grins then continues moving, asking over her shoulder, "What should we get to drink?"
"Butterbeer's fine with me. What do you want?"
"Butterbeer's good. Then where?"
The music changes as Claudia Spellman wraps up and The Sniglets start their act on the other stage. Errol shrugs at Megara's question. "Whatever's nearest the closest booth selling butterbeer I guess. We can grab another snack then go see if Romeo Butterwick is giving out autographs yet since you're dying to have one."
"Excellent. I wouldn't mind getting something from The Unspeakables either."
"I'd sort of like to have that small poster of theirs myself, the one that plays their new songs."
Megara and Errol maneuver around several people and then, quite literally, Errol runs into a guy. Smacks into him actually. Both stumble but keep their balances, the guy hotly demanding, "Watch where ," even as one of the people with him, incredulously says, "Errol?"
The guy halts midsentence to gape at Errol along with the one who'd said his name. She says it again. "Errol."
"Dayna. Wally," Errol coolly replies before taking Megara by the hand with the intent of walking away.
Wally grabs him by the arm. "Wait."
Ice now in his tone Errol wants to know, "Why?"
"Because we've not seen you in forever," Dayna answers.
"Imagine that."
"At least let us explain and apologize," Wally requests.
"No, I don't think so. I pretty much know what's whats."
What Dayna says next isn't expected. "Who's your friend?"
Megara, having realized who these two are when Errol said their names, puts on a smile and in an American Eastern seaboard accent he had no idea she was capable of, one hand stuck out as if to shake, tells them, "Elsinore Hottentot of the Philadelphia Mainline Hottentot's. And you are?"
Wally shakes Megara's hand as Dayna tells her, "Dayna Upton and this is Wallace Milner. How do you know Errol?"
"From the Westbrook Institute. And you?"
"From back home. We've known each other since we were little kids and we all went to the Sequoia Creek Academy. I don't think I've heard of the Westbrook Institute."
"Ah, well, no, you wouldn't have."
"What?"
"Highly exclusively. Not just anyone can get in much less have heard of it. Mimsy says it does help keep the riffraff from even attempting to apply."
"Um. Huh. Sounds uh, well." Dayna quickly changes the topic slightly. "Has Errol ever mentioned me," Dayna's eyes cast a glance to Wally, "us I mean, to you?"
A lazy hand wave. "No, not that I recall. Should he have?"
"Oh. Um. I don't know. I thought maybe he would have but I guess not."
Errol doesn't interrupt Megara at any point. In fact, he's finding he's enjoying this snooty, Elsinore Hottentot person she's morphed into.
Wally is impatient with these not so pleasant pleasantries. He turns imploring, beseeching eyes on Errol. "Please hear me out. Five minutes."
"You sold me out, Wally. You, Dayna, and Lane were the worst because Lane and you called yourselves my best friends and . Frank and his father's money and power had all of you agreeing to say and do whatever he wanted, to point the finger of blame at whomever he said to point towards."
Dayna protests, "We're not as horrid as you think. You have no idea what it was like for us."
"Seriously? You're going to complain to me about how bad you had it. Doesn't matter how you try to paint it, Dayna, you're you're just as guilty as Frank Gresham. I don't want to hear your sob story about how you had no choice and have been racked with guilt ever since. I don't want your apology, Dayna, or yours, Wally. Unless you were Imperiused, and I know you were not, nothing you have to say will sound like anything other than the lame excuse it is."
Wally, face red, shakes his head sadly. "I really am sorry. I had hoped you'd be able to forgive. Maybe another time."
"Don't hold your breath waiting."
Dayna looks as though she might start crying. Wally's face is even redder, though Errol can't tell if it's from embarrassment for what he'd done, anger at him for not accepting an apology, or a mix of both.
He says to Elsinore, "We really should go get your mimsy that drink we promised." To Dayna and Wally he says, "Goodbye. I wish I could say it was good seeing you. Don't bother giving my regards to Lane."
Megara, that fake socialite smile still plastered on her face, nods at them both then, her hand in Errol's, says loudly enough for Wally and Dayna to hear, "Please don't bore me later with the details about your little friends."
Errol, not bothering to look back, assures Elsinore, "I won't."
Reaching a line for butterbeer, Megara turns to scan the crowd to see if they followed and asks, "Do you want to leave now?"
"Nope. I'm not letting them run me off. They can go home after Emrys Fest and tell anyone and everyone how Errol Anderson's going to some school called the Westbrook Institute. Thanks for that."
"Just helping out my adoptive, challenged baby brother."
"Where did you learn to do that accent?"
Megara's grin is full of mischief. "Oh, I have many talents you have yet to learn about."
"I don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing."
Her grin broadens. "You'll just have to wait and see."
Their turn comes at the counter so Errol orders a couple of bottles of butterbeer then looks around to see what food booths are near. Despite the encounter with his former friends he's still fairly hungry.
Left Out (Jill)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 10-15-13 18:14
When Jill first met up with her closest friends she couldn't help noticing a brochure for the St. Emrys residence halls peaking out from under a plate of cheesy chips one of the others had got for them all to share. Alexa, seeing Jill looking, had pulled it out from under the plate and tucked it away out of sight, giving her cousin an apologetic look in the process.
Jill appreciated Alexa doing that. It's been hard enough making the decision to return to Hogwarts rather than come to St. Emrys with everyone else. Knowing that Alexa, Marjani, and Etta are excited about rooming together certainly hasn't helped.
Sometime later, hearing someone else mention trying to decide between staying on campus, staying at home, or getting a flat somewhere, Jill is reminded of it again. Head cocked to one side she asks Olive without intending to, "Does it bother you we're being left out?"
Olive gives her a curious look. "Left out of what?"
Jill expansively spreads her arms. "First term together. Rooming together. Meeting new people. All of it."
Olive's face darkens. "Yes, it bothers me. I decided, like you, that it's more important to finish at Hogwarts. That doesn't mean I don't feel left out."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to touch on a sore point."
"No, it's okay. I know you're feeling the same way too. It helps to know I'm not alone."
Jill gives her a small smile. "It helps me too to know you'll be there in September, even if we aren't in the same house."
"At least with us being seventh years, all the classes we're both taking means we'll be in them together."
"Very true. I'm thinking of getting some ice cream. Want some?"
"Ice cream sounds great. Let me see if Zuberi wants me to bring him any."
Zuberi does want ice cream and offers to come with Jill and Olive because they end up with orders from some of the others. By the time they get to a vendor selling ice cream, Jill feels much better and is glad she brought the topic up with Olive.
Things Don't Go As Planned
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 10-16-13 18:07
Kate tried to concentrate on Romeo Butterwick, who under normal circumstances had no difficulty whatsoever gaining the attention of his audience, especially those of the female persuasion. Many times, Johanna asked if she wanted to go home, but Kate always shook her head no. If she went home, then she would wallow in self pity and cry herself to sleep. Better to stay at Emrys Fest surrounded by her friends and plenty of distractions, no matter the fact that she couldn't get the image of Mark kissing someone else out of her mind.
How could he do that to her?
Kate hadn't seen Mark since catching him cheating on her. She wanted to confront him, but at the same time she didn't want to talk to him at all. Maybe she wouldn't have to ever again. Her friends would no doubt seek the answers she wanted, and then she could close the book on Mark forever.
Or could she?
It wasn't like she could flip a switch and decide she didn't love him anymore, though apparently that's exactly what he'd done.
She sighed and hung her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Bronwyn sang and danced to Romeo Butterwick's last song. His music wasn't Desi's taste (it wasn't heavy metal, after all), so she merely stood and watched her best friend with one eyebrow quirked. Desi was very much in the minority, however. The stage was littered with women's underwear.
After Romeo exited the stage and the last act, Killed by a Curse, started up their set, Bronwyn excused herself to help with closing out the music festival. She promised she would meet up with everyone afterwards across the street at The Wyrding Way.
She slipped behind the "staff-only" area around stage one and talked a little bit with Romeo and his crew before inquiring with her old boss Dylan Cornfoot, the manager of the university's WWN station, regarding what she could do to help. He sent her to his office to bring back a box of rubbish sacks to assist with the clean up.
Bronwyn knew exactly where to go and made it to the empty office quickly. She found the box in a supply closet, and when she turned, she found that she was no longer alone.
She jumped, dropped the box, and exclaimed, "Oh, you scared me!"
"Sorry?" a witch roughly her age and size said, but she didn't sound very sure about feeling sorry for scaring Bronwyn.
Bronwyn peered at her. "Have we met?"
"No, we haven't met," the witch replied, "but I've seen you, and I know everything about you."
Startled by the admission, Bronwyn took a step back, but she had no where to go with the closet behind her. "Umm…" Belatedly, she reached for her wand, but the witch was quicker. She had her own wand out and pointed at Bronwyn's chest.
"Time to go night-night," she said.
The last thing Bronwyn remembered was her knees collapsing. She was out cold before she even hit the floor.
Sisters (MacDougal Girls)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 10-16-13 18:46
The three MacDougal sisters had had to check in with their parents and just by happenstance arrived about the same time where Madeline and Scott have been camped out much of the day. Free to get back to their respective friends Liannah, Marlow, and Lauren head back into the crowd, walking together for the moment. For once, the three aren't arguing or being snitty with each other.
Curious about something Lauren asks Marlow, "Who was that chap Ophelia and Drake introduced to you and some of the others this morning?"
Interested in knowing the answer herself, Liannah inches closer to hear better.
"Plum Beck's cousin from Australia. Justin Hodges. He's coming to Hogwarts and will be in my year."
"He's cute," Liannah lets slip, not having meant to comment at all. It's not like she's interested in him. She may only be going into fifth year but if not for Happy Haven she'd be a sixth year. Who has time for a fourth year child?
Marlow shrugs. "Yeah, I guess."
Lauren, in a sing song voice, teases, "You say that because you like someone else."
Marlow starts to deny it but knows that doing so will just egg Lauren on. Instead, she says, "He seems nice and, yes, he's cute."
Liannah makes a noise that sounds like a scoff. Marlow looks directly at her asking, "What?"
"Lauren's right."
Marlow gives a shake of her head and rolls her eyes. "Think what you want. I see Eden and Heather."
Leaving her sisters Marlow joins her friends/cousins. Liannah watches her go for all of half a second before turning to Lauren and asking, "Do you know who Marlow likes?"
Lauren gives Liannah a sly grin. "Maybe. What's in it for me to tell you?"
"I'll buy you something."
"A Broomstick Boys poster, one with at least four songs on it."
Liannah mulls it over, having been thinking more along the lines of a sweet or other food, giving herself a mental kick for not having been more specific up front. After a long moment, Lauren staring fixedly at her, she nods once. "Done."
On the walk over to the Brookstick Boys booth, Lauren gives Liannah hints, not wanting to actually name the name until her poster is in hand.
With Iola (Caerwyn)
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 10-17-13 21:36
One of the most unexpected things Caerwyn learned about his Aunt Iola is that she mainly lives in a Muggle flat. The first time he'd finally been allowed to spend more than a couple of hours with her and somewhere other than Hogsmeade Iola had brought him to the flat. They'd arrived by Floo at a Wizarding tavern in the small town of Abergele, in Wales, and from there walked to her flat, taking them from a Wizarding neighborhood to a Muggle one. The flat is in an older two story house that was converted into two flats, one up, one down. Iola's is the one up.
Because of being so surprised or in spite of it, Caerwyn didn't ask her why she chose to live as a Muggle, not even when she mentioned she does have a small Wizarding residence as well. He hadn't thought to ask the few times he'd seen her between then and today.
Iola met him at the tavern and on the walk to her flat, with a stop at the grocer's and bakery's, Caerwyn decides he'll ask and hopes in the process he doesn't sound elitist or snobby. He isn't either of those things, even with Grandmum being someone who thinks Muggles are several rungs below witches and wizards. Not that she goes around constantly bad mouthing Muggles. By now, however, her disdain and that of Granddad's is well enough known to him.
Following Iola into the kitchen to help her unpack the cloth shopping bags Caerwyn pulls out a loaf of braided bread still warm from the bakery oven. "There's a bread box just behind you," Iola tells him.
Pivoting, he sees a spotless metal bread box, matching the rest of the kitchen, which in turn matches the whole flat. The flat is in an old house but Iola's decor is extremely modern. Shiny, hard surfaces. Glass and metal. Furniture that is comfortable enough he supposes but in appearance looks as hard and sharp as the surroundings.
Opening the bread box to put the loaf in, he finally asks, "Aunt Iola, why a Muggle house?"
"The first time was because of a boyfriend. I won't go into the boring details of why he was living Muggle." She pauses as she opens the ice box to put some vegetables in the crisper. "I never fully moved in but lived there half the time. I came to appreciate having a telly and being able to easily contact friends who have a foot in the Muggle World. One of my best friends from school, for example, married a Muggle. He fully accepts that she's a witch and what that entails but he absolutely hates having owls coming and going from the house. Being able to ring her up without having to locate a call box and making sure I had enough Muggle change to do it is very nice. Now, we both have mobiles, which is even nicer."
Iola pauses again as she climbs up on a small step stool to put some items away shelf in the small pantry.
"I love being able to pop in a movie on a cold, rainy or snowy day and snuggle under a heated throw that I've not had to periodically check the charms on. I like the way the electric lamps light a room on a dark night, especially when I'm curled up with a book. I enjoy the various kitchen gadgets when I whip up a meal, even if it means doing it all by hand but, as someone who enjoys cooking, I don't mind that."
"Briar says something like that about baking. Sometimes she'll make a recipe of something entirely by hand."
"You spend a lot of time with her, with Briar Rose, don't you?"
"Sometimes, but she is Grace's mum."
"You spend a lot of time with Grace. Most boys your age don't like having to entertain their little sisters."
"I don't mind. I like having a sister. Sisters if you count Jasmine and a little brother if you count Xavier. Charlotte Stratford is sort of a little sister too."
"She's not been around, though, has she?"
"Her mum's back and wanted some time with Charlotte." Caerwyn doesn't say more as he doesn't think Uncle Lysander would want him yammering on about the problem of Aralyn Fox. Besides, Caerwyn isn't supposed to know as much as he does. Dad has only told Grace and him what he'd just told Iola but Caerwyn has picked up things on his own and Grace has overheard some things she shouldn't have and shared with him. Neither still knows the full story, but Caerwyn has an idea or two.
They've gotten a little off track of Caerwyn's original question but as he thinks he's got the picture of her reasons for living here, he takes the conversation another direction. "Speaking of mums, you said you have more photographs of my mum from when you two were growing up."
"There's a photo album on the coffee table and a box next to it. Bring both here to the table and we'll have snacks while I tell you about the different pictures."
When Caerwyn returns to the kitchen with the album and box, Iola has drinks on the table and is putting some biscuits on a plate. He sits where she indicates and after she's put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, she sits down beside him, opening the photo album to the first page. "That's Afton and there's me and that woman is our grandmother, our mum's mum. Her name was "
"Dwysil. I remember Mum mentioning her a couple of times."
"Did she ever tell you how Dwysil died?"
"No, I don't think so."
Iola grins. "You'd have remembered I think. Dwysil Gwyther died on a trek through the Himalayas in search of the Yeti."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. There are some photos in another box of that expedition. I'll have to locate it."
They talk more about Dwysil and the other photographs on that page of the album, Iola filling Caerwyn in on other relatives and telling him more stories of when his mother Afton and she were children. On the third page of the album, there's a picture of Afton in her late teens, an unusual pendant visible around her neck. Caerwyn taps the image with one finger. "I think I remember Mum wearing that a lot."
"Yes, it was a favorite of hers from the time she got it.
Caerwyn nods. "I remember she seemed to really love it."
"It had been our mother's, passed to her from her mother, Dwysil, who'd gotten it from her mother, and so on for several generations back. Mum gave it to Afton when she turned eighteen. I wonder what's become of it."
"It's probably in Mum's things that were packed away for me."
Iola casually comments, "It's a family heirloom so at some point you'll want to be sure it's safe. Afton had some other very nice jewelry that might need to be secured as well."
Caerwyn nods again. "I'll ask Dad. Say, if that pendant is an heirloom passing to the women in the family, maybe you should have it."
"I wouldn't want to take something of your mother's from you."
"But I have lots of other things and by rights, the pendant should be yours now."
"What about when you're grown and have children? You might have a daughter."
"If I do and you don't, then you can give it to her."
Iola pats Caerwyn on the hand. "That's very sweet of you. I would love to have the pendant but only if you're fine with it. Now, let me tell you the story behind this picture," she says of another photograph on that same album page.
Busy studying that picture and the others on the page, Caerwyn doesn't notice the pleased as punch, sly smile that passes across Iola's lips.
By supper time, they're only partway through the album because of all the people and stories Iola tells Caerwyn about. They take a break from it and as a change of pace from sitting in the kitchen for a few hours, walk to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner, Iola asking Caerwyn how his summer's been going since the last time they'd spent some time together.