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There's A Huge Difference Between Hate And Dislike
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 02-14-17 20:25
Taking a break Viktor climbs into one set of stands, the better to watch the action while he drinks from a bottle of water and eats a couple of pieces of fruit. A few minutes later someone comes to sit beside him. It's all he can do not to heave a massive exasperated sigh and move down several spaces.
As if reading his thoughts Theodosia half-rhetorically, half-seriously asks, "Is my presence that distasteful to you?"
"You know it's not."
"I don't know any such thing. For months you've acted as though I carry the plague. I know you've been angry but it's finally begun to sink in that you hate me."
"I don't hate you, Theodosia. You simply aren't currently my favorite person."
"Which means you don't like me."
"Huge difference between hate and dislike and a big difference between dislike and not being happy with someone."
"You don't want me here; haven't wanted me at any of these workshops. I've come because Marjani asked and helping is enjoyable. I also hoped my being around would help soften your attitude towards me. I'll give my apologies to Marjani and leave early. I won't come to another of these unless you ask."
"Your help is appreciated. If you're truly wanting to help don't leave on my account."
Theodosia doesn't say anything, possibly because she doesn't quite know how to reply and Viktor is about to prompt her into speaking. They both remain silent for two or three minutes before Theodosia says, "Fine, all right."
Viktor doesn't know if she means fine, all right she'll stay and continue assisting students attending the flying and Quidditch workshop or if she means, fine, all right simply as an acknowledgement that he's not urging her to leave. He says nothing, just sits there hoping he'll return to assisting and leave him in peace for the rest of his break.
Being left in peace is not to be.
"Marjani and Zuberi have forgiven me. It's been months. I don't understand why you haven't or won't or can't or whatever it is."
In a flat tone Viktor asks, "Do you remember Marjani and Zuberi after your parents died?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do you think it was any easier when they thought you dead?"
"I'm not sure. I knew they would take it hard but had hoped that being a little older and having gone through a grieving process that they'd handle it better."
"It. Your so called death is relegated to an impersonal it status." Viktor's voice is still flat but Theodosia feels the impact of his words just as if he'd been speaking with fiery passion. "They did not handle your death well. You left me to pick up the pieces."
"You think I had it easy? I grieved for them, for all of you."
"You knew we were alive so forgive me if I don't empathize or sympathize with you. You got updates on us whereas we got to visit your grave while trying to keep happy memories of you alive."
"If there had been some other way we wouldn't have resorted to faking my death. I didn't want to hurt Zuberi, Marjani, or you but it was unavoidable without ruining everyone's lives until the trial could take place."
"That's where you're wrong."
She shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I don't follow."
"You ruined everyone's lives."
"Not permanently."
"How self-absorbed of you."
"You would have had me murdered for real and a maniac not brought to justice?" she snorts incredulously. "That's what would have happened if I'd not faked my death and gone into hiding."
"You could have done that and still handling things differently."
"What, uproot my brother and sister who'd been uprooted enough?"
"That would have been one option, yes. Better to go with you, knowing you were alive and well. They would have hated leaving friends behind but that likely would have been short lived under the circumstances. You could have faked your death but with us in the know and under spell, such as the Fidelius Charm."
"We had to be sure your reactions and emotions were real."
"Then you tell us, Obliviate the memories, then when returned undo the Obliviation so we'd remember and would know we'd agreed to it, that you'd had a discussion with us."
"You're just full of suggestions."
"Too bad you and others involved in your death weren't."
"You know that for a fact, do you?"
"Were you? Any of you?"
Theodosia's mouth puckers into a purse.
"I'll take that as a no," Viktor tells her, standing up. "You left me to deal with a mess when I wasn't in the best mind set to handle that mess. Your compatriot injured me and deliberately so as part of your scheme but my feelings these past months have less to do with me, less to do with the pain and grief I went through. My feelings have everything to do with what seems to be little thought given to the devastation caused for Marjani and Zuberi. My feelings are about how you thought waltzing back in without warning would have us so ecstatic to have you alive and returned to us that no one would care how badly you hurt those left behind."
Viktor gives Theodosia a pointed look then walks away, leaving the stand to return to helping students hoping to take part in at least one of the broom races that will be part of one of the Scholastic Aptitude Tournament events. A short time later he sees Theodosia has stayed at the workshop, now helping one small group improve quaffle passing skills.
(Willow) Gray and Green
Author: Rowan Westwick
Date: 02-15-17 17:55
Amorica turned to Willow, holding up a gray, knitted jumper that criss-crossed in the front. "What do you think?"
"It's pretty, but I'd go with the dark green instead," Willow replied, pausing her search of a sale rack to look at the jumper in question.
"How about I get the gray and you get the green, and then we can dress to match in Slytherin colors?" Amorica jokingly suggested.
Willow grinned and said, "Sure, why not?" She did like the green version enough to buy it for herself.
A little while later, the girls left Gladrags with their purchases and debated where they might want to go for lunch. There were several options in Hogsmeade, and just about all of them sounded good. The only one they definitely ruled out was Madam Puddifoot's, since it was probably filled to capacity with their lovestruck classmates. Neither Willow nor Amorica had a boyfriend or potential boyfriend as far as either of them knew and weren't likely to find themselves at the tea room with a date on this Saturday before Valentine's Day.
They opted for Brews and Stews, which was on the other end of the lane. Neither girl knew anything about the secret meeting taking place in the back room, nor did Willow know how close she had come to receiving an invitation to the private meeting. She hadn't made the cut in the end because she was deemed a special case who would receive conversion at a later date, depending on how a related situation played out.
The girls entered the café and were seated by the window, so that they had a view of High Street and all the passersby, which weren't many since they were practically at the end of the lane. With the weather being what it was, Willow thought soup sounded absolutely delicious. She ordered extra cheesy soup with a side of toasted bread and warm apple cider to drink. The meal probably wouldn't hold her till dinner, but there were plenty of solutions for that elsewhere in the village.
An Old Friend (Jade)
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 02-15-17 19:48
As they pass a travel poster for Barcelona that's part of a display of travelogues in a Tomes & Scrolls window, Jade wistfully says, "I wish you were going to La Escuela de Hechiceria." Though the other school of magic is not in Spain it is in Chili, which is is considered to be an Hispanic country.
"I put my name in for both events. Bad luck on my part not being chosen."
Jade laughs, "I KNOW you put your name in for both. I was with you."
"Oh, was that you? I tend to get my girlfriends mixed up," Baron grins.
Jade laughs again then reaches up to swipe at spot of paint on Baron's neck he must have missed when scrubbing up. They'd been playing wizarding paint ball a short time ago. The coveralls they wear for it keep the paint from their clothes, saving everyone the time of having to use magic to get splatters off, but anything not protected by the coveralls is fair game.
When she's done Baron asks, "So, where did you want to eat?"
Brews & Stews is just right there so Jade's about to suggest it when her name is called out in an exclamation of surprise. "Jade? Jade Green? Oh my stars! It is you!"
Speechless, Jade stares at the familiar face. A name immediately comes to mind but it takes a moment to process seeing someone she knew in her old life. Her Muggle life.
"Millie? What are you doing here?" Jade asks, wondering if this is a case of a Muggle stumbling across Hogsmeade.
Millicent Rhodes grabs Jade in a hug. "I'm over here for my older brother's wedding. Parties and gatherings all week. The wedding isn't until Friday. I can't believe running into you here in Hogsmeade of all places. I thought you were in England." Millie has said all this in a rush. She stops to catch her breath, realization dawning on her face. "You go to Hogwarts. Here I was wondering what a No-Mag would be doing in an all Wizarding village but you aren't a No-Mag, are you? You go to Hogwarts. Or did. How do the grades run there?"
"No-Mag? Oh. Right," Jade recalls what that means, having heard Americans, such as those from Watling's Wizarding Academy she'd met the weekend of the Transfiguration Tournament and the History Quiz Showdown. "They're called Muggles here; and, yes, I go to Hogwarts. The grades are called first year, second year, all the way through seventh year. I'm a seventh." Jade, still holding hands with Baron, reaches with her free hand to pat him. "So is Baron. Baron Marchbanks, this is Millicent Rhodes. We were in school together before I lived here. Millie, this is my boyfriend Baron."
The two exchange pleasantries followed by Baron asking, "Where are you in school or are you finished?"
"Ilvermorny. I'm in my last year as well. I'd love to catch up but I'm also famished. What's good here?"
Any of the places in Hogsmeade are good but Baron speaks up to mention what he, and Jade, consider the best of the lot, his aunts' and uncle's restaurant. "The Crown & Cauldron is great. We were just considering getting lunch when you recognized Jade. Why don't we all go? Jade and you can catch up, Millie, and I'd like to hear more about Ilvermorny."
"That would be great! Point the way."
Jade loops arms with Millie as they begin walking. "Hunter isn't going to believe this."
"Hunter! I was so surprised to see you I didn't even think about him or your sisters."
"Let's keep an eye out for him, Baron. Even if he's eaten Hunter would probably like to come with and say hello to Millie."
The three walk in the direction of the Crown & Cauldron, keeping watch for Hunter with Millie wondering if she'd recognize him on her own as she'd done Jade.
(Mark) Tour
Author: Isolde
Date: 02-16-17 17:53
Mark and Kate strolled through the gift shop at Madam Borboleta Candies Ltd., a confectionary company in London that offered weekend tours to visitors interested in learning how sweets were made. There had been opportunity for sampling in portions of the tour, which Mark and Kate had certainly taken advantage of. Brilliantly, the tour guide hadn't overdone it with the sharing of sweets, or the guests might not have been as inclined to spend money on more sweets in the gift shop.
The gift shop was unsurprisingly inundated with heart-shaped boxes for Valentine's Day. There were heart-shaped cake pops, heart-shaped hard candies, and heart-shaped chocolates, too. Mark selected a box of fine chocolates in addition to the other sweets he had already put into his basket.
"Who's that for?" Kate asked with a grin on her face.
The corners of Mark's lips twitched. "For my mother, I think," he replied.
"You're such a good son," she cheerfully said.
Mark switched his basket to his other hand and held out his free hand to Kate. She slipped her hand in his and walked with him to the checkout counter.
The fact that they were together again was a welcome surprise. Mark had never thought he would bump into Kate at a party on New Year's Eve, and he hadn't imagined he would just go up to her and kiss her at midnight. He'd been even more surprised when she'd kissed him back. In that moment, their relationship had gone from zero-to-sixty.
Things were certainly different now. They weren't kids at Hogwarts anymore. They were two adults in an adult relationship, though Kate still lived with her dad and Mark lived with his mum.
Mark really wanted to ask Kate to move in with him, but he had to find his own place first. He didn't want to go back to Chinatown, where he'd lived with Capri. As well as things were going, Mark also didn't want to rush Kate into moving in together, though he had a feeling she would probably agree to it. He knew his mother would be supportive, but he wasn't sure about Will Dewhurst.
Mark looked at Kate as they stood in line to buy their sweets. Their last Valentine's Day as a couple had been four whole years ago. This year, he had to work and she had classes, but they had made dinner plans. Sometime during the course of the evening, Mark planned on giving Kate a necklace with a small, natural ruby in the shape of a heart for a pendant. He would probably also spring for flowers.
Kate looked at him looking at her and smiled. "What?"
He kissed her first on the lips and then on the side of her head before pulling her close. She sighed contentedly.
Mark couldn't believe how things had turned out, after he'd done everything he could to sabotage their relationship. He'd never stopped loving her, and maybe deep down, she hadn't stopped loving him either. One thing was for sure: things were finally right in the world again.
(Malden) Generalities
Author: Minerva McGonagall
Date: 02-17-17 10:22
Malden met up with Arielle after the inaugural meeting of his grandfather's exclusive group concluded. After the other invitees initially dispersed, Malden lagged behind to talk to his grandfather. Menelaus, posing as a young wizard named Sam, had asked general questions about how Malden's classmates felt about certain things, like wizard superiority, the current state of the Ministry of Magic, and the dark uprising under Adriana Fairchild's leadership. Never did Menelaus say anything to reveal his own opinions, nor did he single anyone out for feeling one way or another about a particular topic. He merely put out feelers to see if Malden's suggestions for members of the group were the right sort. Menelaus concluded that most of them were and told Malden which to drop from future meetings.
The plan was for Malden to convene the next meetings at Hogwarts in secret. Menelaus instructed Malden to begin with generalities as he himself had done, in order to further weed out individuals who didn't fully agree with their ideals and to see who really had what it took to support the cause. Malden wished he didn't have to go it alone and wondered if there was a way to sneak his grandfather into the castle for future meetings. Then again, he knew his grandfather was counting on him to be leader in the movement. He had to prove himself as worthy, just as the others did.
"So, what was so secret that I couldn't tag along to wherever it was that you went?" Arielle asked.
They were slowly wending their way back to the castle gates after having stopped off at the gaming centre for laser tag.
"It's a secret," Malden replied. He grinned to show that he wasn't being tight-lipped for no good reason, even though that was in fact why he couldn't say anything. Arielle was nothing like her twin brother or her boyfriend. Malden sometimes wondered why they made such a good match and guessed it was the old adage that opposites attract.
"A Valentine's secret?" Arielle teasingly asked.
Thank Merlin the holiday was literally around the corner, or Malden wouldn't have had such an easy excuse.
"Could be," he said.
Asher pushed past them, but he threw a meaningful look at Malden over his shoulder and then cut his eyes to Arielle. Malden knew that Asher knew that Arielle knew nothing about their lunchtime meeting. He had a brief moment of worry that Asher would blab to his twin sister, but the moment was short-lived. His grandfather had been sure to put a potion in everyone's drinks, preventing them from talking about what had transpired at the meeting with anyone but each other. Even without the precaution, Malden didn't think Asher would actually say something. Too much was on the line, and he actually believed in the cause.
Arielle squeezed Malden's hand through their gloves. "I can't wait to find out what you got me," she said.
Malden was glad he had thought to get her something. His mind had been occupied with other things and he'd nearly forgotten about Valentine's Day.
"Soon," Malden replied. "Soon."
Aftermath
Author: Lee Sickleby
Date: 02-17-17 13:45
In the time since Rowle's arrest, the aurors assigned to the investigation had gathered enough evidence to put him in Azkaban indefinitely. In the process, Rowle's role as handler for the covert arm of the Ministry of Magic was exposed, at least among law enforcement personnel and the members of the Wizengamot, as was Lee's and a handful of others, like Lilo Belby, the agent who had initially poisoned Alaia.
Ms. Belby had taken a plea deal and gotten a reduced sentence in Azkaban. She would never work for the Ministry again, but at least she had a future outside of a prison cell.
The healer pressured into prolonging Alaia's poor condition, Merwyn Smethwyck, had also taken a deal. He'd lost his job at St. Mungo's but would not go to prison. Instead, he was on probation for an extended period of time and would have to check in with a law enforcement officer every so often.
Lee still had a place as a covert operative, but his new handler insisted he go inactive until the hullabaloo around Rowle's trial died down. The whole world may not know what Lee did for a living, but more knew now than before and it was better he lie low for a while. In the meantime, Lee took on his fake role as a lowly clerk in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
He didn't like being idle, especially when the cases he'd been involved in prior to Alaia's illness were still not solved. Zukovsky was still out there conducting shady business for the Russians. It was up to Newell and Travers to continue the work without Lee, at least for now.
The only good thing about the forced break from his real work was that he could spend more time with Alaia, who was none the wiser about what all had occurred.
They'd spent their Saturday doing chores around the house. It had felt completely normal and simply perfect. Now that it was nearing suppertime, Lee was debating cooking something or going out to eat. The latter was the plan for Valentine's Day. Lee already had reservations at Little Italy.
"Let's order in," Alaia suggested for their Saturday evening.
They looked over the takeout menus they kept in a drawer and decided on Vietnamese food: eggrolls and two vermicelli bowls with chicken and shrimp.
Cold (The Triplets)
Author: Blossom
Date: 02-17-17 19:04
Walking from the pitch to the castle Larkin starts feeling the cold. She'd felt it earlier in the day despite the warm layers of clothing she'd worn to the workshop and felt it when first getting started with a group going through some Quidditch drills. Even with the cold and being up in the air by the time she played a few scrimmage matches then switched to practicing some of the various broom racing courses she was past warm, heated to the point of sweating.
Lingering at the pitch as the workshop ended and now the walk back to the castle has Larkin feeling the chill but on the verge of shivering. Wrapping her arms around herself she walks faster.
When Seth asks, "What's the hurry? Need the loo?" she tells him, "I'm freezing."
Trailing slightly behind Gideon gives his opinion. "It's not that bad right now."
"You're wearing twice as many layers as I am," Larkin points out.
"You must have been burning up during the workshop," Seth comments.
"A little hot sometimes but not too much." Gideon was actually sweltering and at one point had ducked into one of the locker rooms to peel off some of those layers. He put them back on during a trip to the loo after his last cross country broom race.
"I'm just right for now but if we stay out much longer I know I'll be cold."
Larkin goes a little faster. "Good thing we won't be out much longer. I'm going to go take a hot shower before supper." When Gideon catches up to her she gets a good whiff of him. "You should too." Leaning slightly to her other side she takes a sniff of Seth. "You too though you're not as bad as Gideon."
They both make faces at her then because Larkin is so set on getting to the castle quickly they start running, challenging her to keep up.