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Meeting
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 07-15-15 18:13
Hermione and Ron entered The Hog's Head, which was fairly empty even though the village was full of Hogwarts students enjoying the last Hogsmeade trip of the school year. They glanced over at Aberforth, who tilted his head in the direction of a lone table occupied by a single wizard. The wizard's back was to the corner, giving him a perfect view of the dingy room. He seemed to sit up straighter at their arrival.
They walked over and sat down at the table. Ron, all the more vigilant since becoming an auror, turned his chair so that he, too, had a good vantage point for making observations around the room. Hermione, however, sat with her back to the door and put her trust in Ron and Aberforth. She didn't anticipate any trouble, but one never knew what might happen.
Linus and Ron had never formally met, so Hermione quickly made introductions before getting down to business.
"She's contacted you?" she asked, referring to Leigh.
Linus twisted his half-empty beer glass on the rough surface of the table and said, "She has. I was a bit reluctant to open the envelope after what happened last time––"
He stopped abruptly when Hermione cut in, "I hope you took it to the authorities rather than risk your fingers, or worse!"
"I did just that," Linus stated. "The envelope was checked for curses, poisons, and the like, and when it was deemed safe, I opened it."
"What was in the envelope?" asked Ron.
"A fairly long letter describing trips to various places around the world and hinting at assignments but not really saying anything, if you take my meaning."
"So she's telling you about her new life without giving any secrets away," Ron surmised. "What's your opinion of the letter?"
Linus stopped fiddling with his glass and leaned back in his chair. "I don't think that she's lonely per se," he began, "because she seems really happy and appears to have found her niche, however wrong a calling it might be."
"But you are her twin and you were close once," Hermione guessed. "She misses you and wishes you were with her, experiencing the same adventures."
"That sums it up, I think," Linus said. He leaned forward again and mainly addressed Ron when he asked, "What if I pretend to show an interest in what she's doing? I could go undercover and help bring her, and maybe others, in."
"It's too risky," Ron replied, with a shake of his head. "Hermione says Leigh knows you disagree with what she's doing. Why would she believe you had a change of heart?"
Linus nodded his head slowly. "You're right. She's too smart to think I'd want to be there, doing whatever terrible things she's doing. I just wish I could help."
"You already are," Hermione insisted. "Every letter she sends you could contain a clue as to where she might be. As long as you keep the authorities informed, you're doing your part."
"I know," Linus said with a sigh, "but sometimes it feels like it's not good enough."
Ron asked, "Was there anything else in the letter worth mentioning?"
Linus seemed to come alive with the almost-forgotten detail. "Yes," he said, and he reached for his glass again. "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it, actually," he continued. He started twisting his glass nervously again.
Ron shook his head and silently urged Linus to get to it already.
When he finally did, he said, "She made a mention of something big taking place this summer, but she gave no indication as to what or when or where. The only thing she said is that it will be newsworthy."
Hermione and Ron exchanged looks. What could Leigh and possibly the other Death Eaters have planned? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
Happy Birthday
Author: Mildred
Date: 07-16-15 02:49
"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Achilles asked, at the doors of Blossom's Gaming Centre.
"No. I have some errands to do. You can all go, I'll be fine," she assured her friends.
Achilles shrugged his shoulders, gave Mildred a peck on the lips and he walked inside the establishment followed by Queenie, Amelia and Melpomene. Only Wesley stayed behind, witnessing the unpleasantness on Mildred's face after Achilles sign of affection.
"You should tell him to stop. If you don't, I will," he told her.
Achilles' proximity towards Mildred had increased over the school year and he now had enough confidence to kiss her on the lips, quite often. She couldn't stand such closeness, but she didn't shove him away either. Mildred was taking use of Achilles' feelings towards her to plant in his head the idea that he should invite them all to his country house during summer. She knew if she gave him the cold shoulder, he would not be open to face his parents and ask them permission to invite his friends to their house. So she endured his displays of affection the best she could, doing the best not to shove him away. Everyone thought there was something going on between the two of them and that they might be secretly dating.
"I can't."
"But you don't even like him. I can tell. You're always trying to avoid him. Queenie says it's because you don't want to date him in public yet, but I don't believe her." Wesley's words surprised Mildred. She was sure no one had noticed her discontentment towards Achilles. "And I know you're strong enough to make him stop if you wanted to. But you clearly don't. So what is going on?"
Mildred looked around the busy street. The risk of another student hear her was minimal but she didn't feel comfortable in discussing such matter in the middle of the street. She was afraid of Wesley's reaction and what he might think of her. Mildred knew it was wrong to use Achilles' feeling towards her in her favor, and leading him to think she might be interested in him was wrong. It was actually very cheap and she was ashamed of herself. But finding out what the Sims might be hiding, whatever her mother wanted from their summer house, was much more important to her than anything else. She took Wesley to the Hogsmeade park and they sat together in one of the benches. She open up and told him the truth.
"You probably think I'm a horrible person…"
"I could never think that of you."
His kind words moved her and she lost all her control and started to cry. Enduring Achilles' attentions and his touch were taking a toll on her and she was finally able to tell someone the truth.
"I am just tired of living with doubts and secrets. I'm afraid that both my parents weren't after all the good people I thought they were and I don't know if I can live with that. Maybe the Sims' hate towards my family is legitimate…And the funniest thing is I'm trying in a way to avenge my mother's death but I realized I don't even remember her voice! Or the way she used to hug me, and her smell…all the memories are fading away! Today was her birthday and I don't even know what sort of gift she would like. I'm forgetting her…"
More tears came down her face. Wesley stood at her side until she composed herself a little bit, apologized and started to clean her face with her shirt's sleeves. He told her he was going to fetch a handkerchief and left her alone in the bench for a while. Mildred was glad no one had really noticed her melt down, and that everyone seemed to be busy doing their own things.
Wesley returned moments later with a napkin and a small package from Briar's bakery.
"What's that?" Mildred asked.
"You'll see in a moment."
He opened it and inside there was a small pink cupcake, with a sugar rose and a candle on the top. Wesley used his wand to light the candle.
"I'm pretty sure your mother would have liked pink roses. All women do, I think," he then said, to no one in particular" Happy Birthday Mrs. Campbell! You have a wonderful daughter."
This gesture touched Mildred and she smiled grateful, looking at the cupcake and then to Wesley. She felt like she was going to cry once again, but this time from commotion.
"Happy birthday, mom. I love you," she said and then she blew out the candle herself. Then she turned back to Wesley to thank him. But before she could do so, he leaned forward and kissed her lips.
It had nothing to do with Achilles' kisses. This one was different, softer, sweeter, better…Mildred didn't want to pull back from him and she wished that the Hogsmeade trip would last for more than just a few hours.
Visit To Maple Manor
Author: Kody
Date: 07-16-15 14:44
Arriving at Maple Manor, Kody walks up the well manicured flagstone path, following an off-shoot around to a side patio. Letting himself in he pauses, listening for sounds to indicate where his parents might be. Hearing a clatter from the nearby kitchen, Kody goes that direction to find Cece, a House Elf, in the process of making tea.
She smiles broadly at seeing him. "You don't come home enough, Master Kody."
Kody gives her a hug. "Since when did you go back to addressing me as Master Kody?"
She winks and tweaks his nose much as she used to do when he was a child. "Cece likes to see if Kody pays attention." As the kettle begins to whistle Cece moves to take it from the hob. "Your mother is in the attic."
"And Dad?"
"Cece is not certain where Christopher is since he ate his birthday breakfast."
"Yours and Mum's birthday breakfast. Yum."
Cece grins at him again, turning her attention to properly steeping the tea. Kody gives her a hug from behind then makes his way up to the attic by the shortest route possible from the kitchen. Sometimes there are drawbacks living in a house large enough to be considered a manor.
"Mum?" he calls out from the open doorway. Not getting a reply he walks further into the vast space, broken up here and there by numerous cubbies, some of them big enough that others would consider them decent bedroom sized or large enough to serve as a sitting room. Halfway along the long length of the attic Kody feels a breeze and sees more than the usual ambient light.
In one of the cubbies with a window, Kody finds Laurie sitting on the floor, a number of boxes open around her, her face buried in what looks like a tiny, ruffled, pale orange dress. "Mum?"
Laura visible starts, looking up from the teeny dress. Her eyes are watery and she gives an audible sniffle. "You gave me a fright." She sounds slightly stuffed up
"Are you all right?" he asks, coming to kneel on the floor beside her.
"Yes," she says even as she swipes away a tear. She sniffles again then shrugs. "No, I suppose not really."
Peering in the nearest box to him, Kody fingers a little shoe poking out. Kordelia and Emilian have recently announced they're expecting. His mother's upset state and the baby clothes prompts him to ask, "Is Kordelia all right? The baby?"
Laura, smoothing out the small orange dress, shakes her head. "She's fine. They're fine." Holding up the dress she says, "Kordelia wore this on her first outing after she was born."
"So you're upset because you're being nostalgic?"
"Oh, yes and no. I've been going through the boxes to organize everything by size, yours and hers. It had all originally been better organized but over the years, looking for specific things, such as some of your things for Siobhan and Nathaniel when Jack was born, and when my friend Golda had nothing but boy clothes in anticipation of twin boys only to have one of the boys turn out to be a girl."
Laura carefully folds the orange dress before continuing. "Organize, check for spots, frays, seams in need of repair, that sort of thing. Air it all out. I know we've awhile yet before Kordelia's due date but it was on my mind and as long as it was, I didn't want to put it off then forget entirely until last minute. Going through the boxes puts me in mind of Anthony's sister. Kordelia may have been six when she went missing and not an infant like Karina but I understand Ariella's and her husband's anguish. I keep thinking I should go see Ariella but then I think that would only make worse what she's feeling. We got Kordelia back but she was already grown and only because she went to the Ministry here and got help to fill in the blanks of what she remembered as a six year old."
Kody puts a hand over his mother's as she smooths out another small outfit. "Yours isn't an uplifting story even though it did eventually end well."
"Exactly." Laura's tears start again. "Do you know who hard it was not to keep you under my thumb your entire childhood? The same goes for your father. We had to constantly fight the urge. It was almost like a war with ourselves. I had a few panic attacks over the years as we worked so hard to allow you a carefree childhood."
"I never knew that."
Laura gives him a wavering, watery smile, swipes at both eyes then tightly clasps his hand. "Help me up. You aren't here to sit with your mother being weepy, nostalgic, and worried about what to say or not to say to Ariella." Once on her feet she gives him a quick hug then asks, "Why are you here, by the way?"
"Came to see if there's anything you need help doing for tonight and also to see if Dad and you are interested in lunch on me."
"Everything's set for the birthday dinner," Laura replies in reference to Christopher's birthday today. "I'd love to go to lunch. Christopher went to the office long enough to make a copy of some parchments to send to a client. He should be back any moment if he isn't already."
Laura and Kody exit the attic a different way than Kody come up. They join Cece in the kitchen where the House Elf is now in the process of making biscuits using a secret recipe she won't even share with Laura. Within five minutes Christopher has returned and within five minutes after that Kody and his parents leave for a restaurant of Christopher's choice.
Birthday Gathering (Eden & Others)
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 07-17-15 15:07
Eden eyes what's left of the birthday cake some of her cousins and friends got her. Thursday had been her sixteenth birthday. "Anyone want another slice before we box what's left to take back?"
Alastor, who'd surprised Eden by showing at the time set for cake and presents, asks, "Could I get some for later? Maybe about this much?" He indicates roughly half of what's left.
Knowing from his cheeky grin he's joking about such a large piece, Eden looks around for something to put the to-go slice in. Alastor helps out by producing a container from home.
Jasper gets another slice after that, saying as he does, "I think I'm going to order something from Briar's to be delivered the weekend before final examinations. I'm also going to stop at Honeydukes before returning to school to load up on sweets to help get me through studying."
Eden, Marlow, and Heather make a face at him. "We have OWLs before you have finals," Heather remarks. "Thanks for reminding us they're coming up sooner than your exams."
Lauren, paying close attention to the time so she can meet up with Ariella Kent soon, wants to know, "Are the OWLs and NEWTs really so awful?"
Jasper says, "Horrible," at the same time Alastor replies, "Excruciating."
Liannah then tells her youngest sister, "It's not the life or death some make it out to be but they are difficult and more stressful than you can imagine."
Amorica chimes in, "I think maybe they used to be more life and death, or at least the NEWTs were. You know, before there was university, when NEWTs determined if you could go into a particular career track."
Alastor nods in agreement. "I think so too. I know several who had only so-so NEWTs who are doing well enough at St. Emrys to go into fields that would have been closed to them if only those NEWT scores were what counted."
"All I know is I have no idea what I want to do. Not really. But, there was a time a fifth year had to have a good idea because OWL scores determined what courses could be taken sixth year and certain fields, like Auror and Healer, required specific courses and then a minimum NEWT in each," Eden comments.
"I don't know if it's admirable or sad that there are some who do know exactly what they want by fifth year. You know, people like Christopher Chant who pretty much knew third or fourth year what he wanted to be a veterinary healer and that's the program he's in at St. Emrys." Alastor swipes at some frosting left behind after one slice was lifted onto a plate.
Liannah asks, "Why sad?"
He shrugs. "I guess because they get locked in on something and maybe miss out on other things because of it."
Amorica grins, looking over at one of her fellow Slytherins and a friend and classmate of Eden's. "You mean like Baron Marchbanks?"
Baron makes a silly face at her. "I don't think it's sad that I've always know my ultimate career goal but," he continues diplomatically, "I can see where someone else might think that of my long time aspirations."
Eden laughs. "Before we get into some deep debate, how about we go use the passes Aaron and Saffron gave me for the Gaming Centre?"
There's a chorus of agreement and a flurry of activity to get gifts and food packed up. Eden asks Alastor, "Coming with?"
"Maybe for one game of something but then I should go and work on a paper that's due Monday."
The walk from a grassy area of the park to the Gaming Centre is short and after stowing their things, the group is soon split into three teams for a game of wizarding paint ball.