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(Aleydis, Sadie & Ramona) Fall Fair
Author: Griet
Date: 01-26-13 08:48
Aleydis and Basil walked around the Great Hall and held hands. They'd been an official couple since the 24th of October, when they'd rendezvoused behind their makeout statue and Basil had finally asked her to be his girlfriend. Answering yes had been a no brainer for Aleydis. Having gotten to know Basil very well since learning of his crush on her, she had come to like him quite a bit.
The only family Aleydis knew would be visiting sometime during the course of the day was Uncle Pieter, who was mainly coming to see Paton. Griet was too ill to go out, since tomorrow night was the full moon. Cornelia had to work, and their parents were still on holiday in the Netherlands.
Aleydis had really wanted to formally introduce her boyfriend to her family, but it seemed that would have to wait.
Sadie, meanwhile, walked around the Great Hall with Ramona. Normally she might have been with Aleydis, but Sadie didn't want to be the third wheel. She also wanted to give Aleydis some time alone with Basil, since their relationship was still very exciting and new.
She was on the lookout for Hunter, but so far she hadn't seen him. The Great Hall was rather crowded, though.
"Want to play the Balloon Dart Game?" Ramona asked Sadie.
Their parents also weren't coming for a visit today, as they were also holidaying abroad.
Sadie shrugged. "Sure."
They walked over to the booth and decided to try their hand at both versions of the game. The wizarding version involved using their wands and the charm Dartus, while the Muggle version involved throwing darts by hand. Either way, they had three opportunities to pop balloons and win prizes.
Intruder
Author: Griet
Date: 01-26-13 09:14
Griet felt very unwell. She had drawn the curtains as tight as they would go, but they still didn't do enough to shut out the daylight. Even with her eyes closed and her head buried beneath a mound of blankets, Griet felt as if there was too much light in the room.
At least today was Saturday, and Griet didn't have to worry about any classes. She could sleep all weekend, though Monday would no doubt be a problem. Griet would cross that bridge when she got there, she supposed.
Despite the extreme discomfort she felt, she drifted off into a very light sleep. She could hear the background noises in her flat––the walls shifting, the plumbing whenever her neighbors flushed a toilet or ran the faucet. She heard a knock on her door, but by then she couldn't tell if it had really happened or if it had happened in a dream.
She mumbled, "Come in," or thought she had. Her muffled brain made it difficult to distinguish reality from what was happening in her head.
What she didn't know was that Clover Blakely had heard Griet's mumbling and after trying the door handle and discovering it unlocked, had stepped into the flat. Clover looked around the room and instantly felt that she had missed out on life. Griet had grown up: she had graduated from Hogwarts, moved out of her parents' home, and started up her own household, however small.
The flat was larger than their old dorm room at Hogwarts, and it was all Griet's. She had a sofa and coffee table, and books and knick knacks on shelves. A peek in the kitchen showed a set of matching plates and coffee cups drying in the dish rack next to the sink. Clover had none of those things.
"Griet?" Clover tentatively called out. She knew her presence wasn't really welcome. Griet had made the fact that she didn't want anything to do with Clover anymore very clear.
"Clover," Griet mumbled, from beneath her pile of blankets.
Clover stepped into the doorway of the bedroom and saw the untidy bed and the lump within it. She frowned. "Are you okay?"
Griet made a pathetic noise that sounded like the high-pitched whine of an unhappy dog.
Clover furrowed her brow and came closer. "Griet? Do you need a healer? Is there somebody I can get for you?"
Griet somehow pulled herself out of the fog in her mind and hastily untangled herself from her blankets as she tried to sit up and face her unwelcome intruder. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and climbed unsteadily to her feet.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice broke, as if she had a sore throat and had gone slightly hoarse. "How did you get in?"
The wrinkles in Clover's forehead deepened even further. "Griet, you're not well. Let me help you." She moved towards her old friend to help her back into bed, but Griet held up a hand and said, "No. Don't."
Clover stopped and said, "I really wanted to talk to you. I know you don't want anything to do with me anymore, but I can't accept that. We were best friends once, and I made a really stupid mistake. I know I can't take it back. I know that what I did was the worst thing I could do, short of killing Cornelia, but I've apologized and I will keep doing it until I'm blue in the face. Can't you forgive me, Griet?"
Griet's chest heaved and she felt like she might throw up. "You have to go," she finally managed to say.
Clover's face fell and her shoulders slumped. "You hate me."
Griet stepped forward and made a shooing motion with her hands. "You have to go, Clover."
"Why, are you contagious?"
Clover turned and allowed Griet to lead her through the flat to the front door.
"Not right now," Griet said, "but stick around long enough and you'll wish you hadn't come."
Clover stopped on the landing and turned around to face Griet. "Griet, I––"
"Don't, Clover. Just don't. Please don't come back here again."
Griet shut and locked the door before Clover could say anything else. She waited until she heard Clover's footsteps moving away from the door, and then turned around and crawled back into bed.
(Adriana) The Prisoner
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 01-26-13 10:26
Adriana swept into the narrow room that had at one time served as the monks' dormitory at the abbey. Bound to a chair and with her back turned to the doorway sat Christina Sorcha, erstwhile employee at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry and unwilling pawn to Lord Voldemort.
Since her capture on Halloween night, Sorcha had been kept in virtual isolation. Adriana and her various supporters visited her from time to time, but with the exchange of very few words, particularly on Sorcha's part. Like Adriana, she had been gone from this part of the world and this type of life for years, but unlike Adriana, Sorcha had moved on with her life.
Sorcha raised her head upon hearing Adriana's footsteps. She had not yet gotten anything to eat that morning and was ravenously hungry.
"And how are we this morning?" Adriana queried, moving around to an empty chair situated in front of Sorcha's she sat down and crossed her legs. In her hands, she held a tray that contained a bowl of porridge and a steaming cup of English breakfast tea.
Sorcha didn't answer.
"Oh, Christina. You don't have to be this way," Adriana said. "We were friends once, weren't we?"
"Not exactly," Sorcha finally said.
"Fine," Adriana said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We were friendly once, but I think we could be friends. We have a lot in common."
She pulled out her wand and used it to dissolve the bonds keeping Sorcha to her chair. Sorcha rubbed at her newly freed wrists and wondered what would happen if she tried to run from the room. Adriana still had her wand out, however, and it was probable that there was a guard standing outside the door.
Adriana put her wand away and held out the tray. "Here. Have something to eat."
Sorcha stared at it and wondered if she should try to make a break for it, but hunger and good sense won out. She took the tray and picked up the spoon next to the bowl of porridge. She paused when the spoon was level with her mouth.
"Oh, it's not poisoned," Adriana said. "Why would I go through the trouble of having you kidnapped if all I wanted to do was kill you?"
Sorcha weighed Adriana's reasoning in her mind and then swallowed the spoonful of porridge. She ate half the bowl before either of them said anything else, and it was Sorcha who spoke first.
"What happened to you?" she asked.
"I came into the person I was meant to be," she replied matter-of-factly. "What happened to you?"
"What are you referring to exactly?"
"Well," Adriana said, and she got up and began pacing the room, "I know you were HIS loyal servant for a time. I want to know why and what changed."
Sorcha ate a few more spoonfuls of the porridge. It was actually very good, and even had bits of fresh fruit in it.
"What does it matter?" she finally asked.
Adriana stopped pacing and glared at her. "Oh, it matters. You were reliable and competent. I need you to serve me the way you served him, and I need to know what it's going to take to get you to participate freely. If you won't tell me, then I will find out everything my own way. Maybe you'll be a bit friendly and save me the trouble?"
She had pulled out her wand, a movement that had not gone unnoticed by Sorcha.
Small Interaction
Author: Johanna Steele
Date: 01-26-13 13:17
Johanna was hanging out with Gus and Felicia. Neither of their parents had come today and the three of them decided to spend the day together. There was no sign of Kate and Mark so far and Baltus was busy with his own family, for Felicia's dismay, who kept trying to spot him on the crowd to see if he was free to come and meet her.
Johanna felt somewhat bad she hasn't done her homework yet, but it was fun to spend time with her friends, especially without having Felicia's lips pasted to her boyfriend's or Gus worried about Polly. It was as if they had returned to the past where none of them had significant ones.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Felicia declared after her third butter beer. Johanna followed her best friend which made Gus roll his eyes. He knew that they would probably take an eternity inside the bathroom.
He waited for them patiently, leaned casually against one of the castle's stoned walls. Gus studied the crowd of students, relatives and school staff and for a moment he thought he had spotted Polly. He hasn't exchanged a word with her since they broke up and although he had decided not to punish her Gus was not going to forgive her or forget. It was as if she was dead to him.
Meanwhile, he had a conversation with Johanna and she told him about how she had decided to move on with her life. Gus knew that since last year she had a thing for him, and Felicia had told him once how Johanna tended to consume herself over his person and he was honestly glad that was over. They could be friends and she would not be jealous if he started dating again. She would also be free to date but Gus thought Johanna was more focused on the distant OWLs than possible boyfriends.
Gus' eyes then fell into a booth nearby that sold drinks. His Hufflepuff colleague, Angharad Carter-Cadin was making her order. With large steps he walked towards her. The people behind her looked at him in an unpleasant way, thinking perhaps he was trying to take their place in the line. The waiter told Angharad the price of her drinks but before she could open her wallet Gus gave him the money.
"Drinks are on me," he told her.
Angharad was about to protest but Gus didn't let her do so.
"I made you spill your butter beer at the Homecoming day.So let me make up for it. I don't like to owe anything to anyone."
"But you just bough drinks to me and my siblings. You didn't have to…"
"Well, I guess they owe me now," he replied with a smile. "See you around, Cadin."
And Gus walked away just in time to meet with Johanna and Felicia, who were already intrigued by his small interaction with Angharad.
Talking With Hermione Before The Wedding
Author: Ginny Weasley
Date: 01-26-13 14:14
Before going to the small tent where the groom and best man were in the final stages of getting ready for the wedding Harry had seen Ginny to a seat, which happened to be next to Hermione. Noting the way Ginny's fingers massaged what looks like a watermelon under her dress, Harry had hesitated in going. "You're sure you're fine?"
"Yes, just some very mild false labor contractions."
"You're sure it's false labor and not the real thing?"
"Positive. Now, stop hovering."
Hermione had intervened with a hand to Harry's arm. "Remember I'm right here if needed."
Somewhat mollified at the reminder a doctor is sitting next to his wife Harry had left them to join the rest of the male segment of the wedding party. Ginny had shot a grateful smile at her friend and sister-in-law. "Thank you. He seems to keep forgetting that pregnant women tend to rub their stomachs often for no reason at all. I would have told him that's all it was but he'd been feeling the baby kick and felt one of those mild Braxton Hicks."
"Ron freaked out too the closer my due date got," Hermione sympathetically replied.
"I don't know what's worse, having Harry so nervous I'm going to go into early labor to the point he'll even follow me to the loo, or all his moping after Professor Dumbledore died. At least we don't have all that much longer before my due date. And, at least now he's been allowed to see Pettigrew and follow up on some things Pettigrew told him the moping and pouting at being shut out on the investigation and hunt for Adriana has stopped."
Ginny changes direction and next says, "Is Ron very helpful with Rose?"
"More than you'd think. He hasn't even complained when it's his turn to get up with her in the middle of the night. Or much anyway."
"You're missing her right now, aren't you?"
"You have no idea how much!"
Ginny can tell that Hermione would love nothing more than to expand on that sentiment but the wedding it about to begin so both go quiet as the groom and groomsmen take their places.
(Angharad Carter-Cadin) One Debt Paid Another Owed
Author: Cai Pembroke Carter
Date: 01-26-13 17:54
The day was going well, even Evan showed up to spend time with the family - which was a shocker, and it seemed he was with the same girl that he'd been seeing since Emrys Fest this past summer - which was even more of a shock knowing what I know of my eldest brother.
Either way, I'd been sent to the concession stand to grab drinks for everyone and had just been about to pay when before I could even grab my money Gus van Tassel cut me off and paid for them.
"Drinks are on me," he told her.
Angharad was about to protest but Gus didn't let her do so.
"I made you spill your butter beer at the Homecoming day.So let me make up for it. I don't like to owe anything to anyone."
"But you just bough drinks to me and my siblings. You didn't have to…"
"Well, I guess they owe me now," he replied with a smile. "See you around, Cadin."
I shook my head as he walked away, rolling my eyes for a second before I grabbed the drink tray and headed back to everyone, getting curious glance from Cai, Broderick and his girl friend Drizella because they'd seen the interaction with Gus.
I passed out the drinks and dropped down into my seat before I answered their questioning glances. "He'd run into me at the Homecoming & Exhibition Day and made me spill my drink so apparently that meant that he'd buy my drink today. And, he ended up paying for all our drinks instead of just mine."
I reclined in my chair and let my attention drift for a little while, I had homework that I needed to get done and a few letter to write to friends that I still had in Japan and various other things to do, but for now I wanted to spend time with my family. Even my mom had come out, which was cool despite the fact that she tended to cause drama where ever she went.
The adults were talking and that left the rest of us to talk or wander off and play games. Cai had gone over to spend time with the Ling's while Aderyn was off spending time with the parents of one of her roommates.
"Why don't you walk with me for a little bit kiddo? We very rarely get a chance to talk while you are way - at least not like we used to."
Smiling, I pushed myself up and hooked arms with my mom and she and I headed toward the castle, intent on talking and going to see what games were inside.
"So, what are your thoughts on that boy you were talking to earlier?"
I blinked, looking side-ways at my mom for a minute, knowing full well that I should have expected a question about Gus.
I shrugged. "Don't know. He seems kinda nice, but also has that dumb jock air about him. Not saying he isn't cute, because he's definitely that. He'd also dated one of the worst possible people, and I'm still trying to figure out how that girl ended up in Gryffindor." I shuddered thinking of the rumors that I'd heard about Polly, most of which had been confirmed by the boys that had bragged about her.
"Well at least he isn't with her any more. Do you think that the two of you could possibly..."
I didn't even let her finish before I shook my head. "Don't even go there Mom. I've only just actually started interacting with him...don't start the wedding bells and all that crap."
Guin laughed and shook her head. "Not even remotely what I meant kiddo. I meant are the two of you even friends?"
"Nice cover mom, and to answer your question. I don't really know. I mean we don't talk, we don't even really socialize outside of classes and don't really have the same friends."
My mother rolled her eyes. "So get to know him silly girl."
We went inside and played a couple of the games, won prizes before heading back out to join the rest of the family.
Finding Sadie And Ramona (Hunter & Daniel)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 01-26-13 18:17
Hunter Rabnott, with cousin Daniel Gelson, was just about to give up on locating Sadie Mickle in the Great Hall and was going to suggest to Daniel that they go out on the grounds for awhile when Daniel tapped him on the arm and pointed. "There."
Following the line of Daniel's arm and pointed finger to the cake walk, Hunter sees Sadie encouraging her sister as Ramona guides a gooey looking cake with chocolate and white frosting along the cake walk path. Hunter and Daniel wait until Ramona's gotten the cake along the path without any falters before approaching.
"Hi, Sadie. Ramona. Great job with the cake."
"Hi," Sadie replies, the smile she'd been giving her sister growing broader.
Ramona grins as she accepts the now boxed cake from the booth attendant. "I thought I was going to miss that next to the last turn."
Initially, if Hunter had found Sadie, Daniel was going to sort of melt away into the crowd but before he's able to do that Hunter announces, "Daniel and I were hoping you two would join us on some of the rides."
Sadie looks to Ramona who gives an almost imperceptible nod. Sadie then turns to Hunter, "Yes, sure, we'd like that."
Ramona holds up the cake box. "First, would anyone like some cake? It's chocolate marshmallow."
Daniel speaks for the first time with a very enthusiastic, "Yes, I'd love some cake, thank you."
The foursome goes outside where some picnic tables have been set up, a heating charm over them making them cozy. There are napkins and utensils in a container on the table they pick, making it unnecessary to use magic to cut the cake and giving them something to put their slices on. While Ramona, with Sadie's help, cuts four slices to put on napkins, Hunter and Daniel go to get drinks. When out of earshot from the girls Daniel pokes him. "You didn't follow the plan."
"I couldn't see asking Sadie to go off with me leaving her sister all alone. Sorry, but it's not like you seem upset by it."
"I'm not. There's cake and unless Ramona decides suddenly not to go on any of the rides, I don't mind sitting with her on any of them. She's nice."
They're already at the front of the line for drinks at the booth they went to so Hunter waits until they have the drinks in hand and are on their way back to the table to ask Daniel, "Do you like Ramona?"
"Like I said, she's nice. We're friendly. Anything else I've never given much thought to," Daniel shrugs.
His cousin seems a little too nonchalant about it, making Hunter think maybe Daniel does like Ramona as more than just someone he's friendly with. He'll have to pay attention to how Daniel interacts with Ramona; if he can tear his eyes from Sadie that is.
Back at the table, they dig into the scrumptious cake and talk about the rides available today, deciding to first try something called the Drunken Pirate, which has cars that look like pirates ships being storm tossed, spinning wildly around and moving up and down all at the same time. It is apparently called the Drunken Pirate because many coming off the ride stagger around for several steps.
The remains of the cake safely in the box and all that's left of their slices are some crumbs and sticky spots of frosting on the napkins, the four bus their table and head for the Drunken Pirate, Hunter automatically reaching for Sadie's hand, and unable to stop from grinning when she slips hers into his.