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New Year's Brunch
Author: Marzipan
Date: 03-02-14 13:34
A blanket of snow covered the expansive lawn in front of the old stone farmhouse Redberga Fawley called home. Fluffy and unmarred by dirt or other blemishes, the snow looked perfectly groomed and made the scene as pretty as a picture. It was as if Redberga herself had hired someone to ensure the grounds looked flawless.
Marzi, Weston, and their two boys walked up the stone steps leading to the main house. They were dressed warmly, but underneath their cloaks and jackets they wore their finest clothes. Redberga had insisted upon it for her New Year's brunch.
Before Weston could knock on the heavy wooden door, it opened by someone unseen. The family stepped inside, where it was cozily warm, and shed their outer layers. Their jackets and cloaks were whisked out of sight, and then the family was seen into a sitting room packed with other young families.
Redberga, comfortably seated on a settee, spied her grandson first and stated, "There you are, Weston."
He went to her and bent to kiss her cheek. "Happy New Year."
Marzi followed suit, but Carter and Vallon were distracted by all the other boys and girls, some of whom they knew from school.
"Carter, Vallon, greet your great grandmother," Marzi instructed them.
They reluctantly came over and practically climbed into her lap to kiss her hello.
Some of the other parents, whose children seemed more like puppets than actual children, exchanged disapproving murmurs.
Marzi pretended like she didn't notice. Her children were well behaved, thank-you-very-much, and she didn't need a room full of snobs to tell her otherwise.
"Well," Redberga said, "since our party is finally complete, let us retire to the dining room."
There was mass movement to the adjacent room, which had a long table set for a dinner party rather than brunch. Rather than a children's table tucked somewhere in the corner, everyone sat at the main table. Weston and Marzi sat together with one boy on either side of them in chairs with magically adjusted seats.
Once everyone was seated, several servers entered the room and began filling glasses and plates. Redberga had gone to great lengths to impress her guests, though the grandeur of it all was lost on her youngest visitors. Carter and Vallon both reached for their food with their fingers, which drew even more deprecating looks from the other adults in the room.
Again, Marzi pretended not to notice. She looked around the table and saw every other child using a fork or spoon, some with more dexterity than others. Her children certainly knew how to use eating utensils, but they were still little boys. So what if they used their fingers to eat finger foods!
Marzi knew why Redberga had insisted they come, though. Like sending Carter and Vallon to prep school, their great grandmother also wanted them to get to know the right sort of families outside of the classroom. What better way to impose her influence over them than by hosting a social gathering underneath her own roof!
"I want to thank you all for coming today," Redberga announced. "It pleases me to see so many upstanding families gathered in my home. You honor me by your presence, and I trust you feel the same about me.
"It is my greatest hope that this year proves very beneficial for all of us, but especially the children. They are young and impressionable, but under our guidance, I think they will find much success. Let's ensure their bright futures together, shall we? To our children, and the new year!"
"To our children, and the new year!" echoed the adults around the table.
Marzi murmured the toast, understanding perfectly well what Redberga wanted for her children.
At Home
Author: Ellis
Date: 03-02-14 15:28
"Alys! Alys, wake up!"
Alys woke up to a pair of hands on her shoulder shaking her awake. There was some confusion at first, since she had been dreaming about flying without the aid of a broomstick, but when her head cleared she found herself looking up at her sister Blakeney.
Blakeney was the antithesis to Alys, at least in appearance. Where Alys was blonde, Blakeney had brown hair. They were less than a year apart. In fact, Blakeney's eleventh birthday was set to occur in one month and one day exactly.
"What's the matter?" Alys managed, propping herself up on her arms.
"Nothing's the matter, other than you being the only one still sleeping. You've missed breakfast, and there's hardly any leftovers."
Alys knew better than to miss meals when her family was as large as it was, but she had slept very poorly last night. She was in her old room, the one she had shared with three of her sisters, Blakeney included, but instead of her old bed, she'd slept on the floor. Her bed now belonged to another of her sisters.
The floor, although charmed to be as soft as her mattress, nevertheless felt wrong and had led to a restless sleep.
"If there's nothing else to eat, then why did you wake me?" Alys asked.
"Because I'm a nice person and saved you some bacon," Blakeney said, revealing a folded over paper towel in which nestled two slices of mouth-watering bacon.
"Oh, you are the best!" Alys exclaimed, sitting up fully to take the bacon from her sister.
Blakeney also produced a crescent roll, which she passed over as soon as Alys devored both strips of bacon.
"Feeling better?" Blakeney asked, once Alys had polished off every single crumb.
"Yes, thanks," Alys said. She climbed to her feet, stretched, and then walked over to the wardrobe squashed in the corner of the already very full, small room. Alys threw open the doors and felt herself cringe. Everything inside had been so organized when this had been her room. Now there was no order in it whatsoever.
"You might as well fix it," Blakeney said, reading her sister's mind. "It'll only stay that way till you leave, which is soon, isn't it?"
"Yes, on Sunday."
"Too bad. I wish I could come with you."
"You'll get your letter soon enough."
"Not soon enough," Blakeney replied, "but I know what you mean."
Alys looked over her shoulder to smile at her sister. "Just think how fast my first term flew by. Soon it'll be Easter, then it'll be summer."
"Alys, it's barely New Year's. Summer is half a year away!"
"So it is," Alys agreed, "but that doesn't mean it won't be here before we all know it. Okay, should I organize by color or style?"
Pancakes
Author: Ron Weasley
Date: 03-02-14 16:24
Ron sets a plate of tiny pancakes in front of Rose. She gives him a toothy grin, mixed with a little drool as she's got another one coming in. It's so hard to believe she's more than a year old now.
Though the pancakes are small, Ron mashes them up somewhat after he's drizzled them with some syrup. Rose claps her hands in anticipation before reaching with one chubby hand to grab a fistful. Ron adds a bit of sliced banana to her plate then leaves her to it while he makes larger pancakes for Hermione and himself. He's also got some bacon frying, the aroma luring Crookshanks and Hero to hover nearby.
Breakfast is usually before now but they'd gone to a New Year's Eve party at the Burrow, not getting home until the wee hours. Most of the revelers were gone by around two but Hermione and Ron had sat talking with friends and family far longer, Rose safely tucked in bed asleep upstairs with a number of the other children.
Ron awoke before Hermione and much as he'd wanted to fall back asleep after a half hour of being unable to do just that he'd gotten up. He'd found Rose awake but happily playing in her crib, which was nice but not an everyday thing for her. She's very good at letting them know she's hungry or wants a fresh nappy. It probably helped that Hero and Crookshanks had gotten into the crib with her, keeping her company. It's amazing how sweet tempered even Crookshanks is with Rose. Hero is a good natured cat but many cats don't care for small children pawing and grabbing at them. Hero has never seemed to mind. Not once have Hermione or Ron found a single scratch, even accidental, on their daughter from either feline.
Tossing a couple of nibbles of bacon to each of the lurkers, Ron moves to set the table. He'd thought of taking Hermione a breakfast tray in bed but she'd popped her head into the kitchen a few minutes ago to say she was up and was going to take a quick shower. He puts the pancakes and bacon on the table along with some juice. Coffee is ready if she wants and tea can be made quickly if Hermione prefers that.
Ron checks on Rose's progress, giving her a few more slices of banana then sits talking to her and feeding her pancakes with a fork, though she seems fairly efficient with her hands, until Hermione returns. With Rose positioned between them, Hermione and Ron eat breakfast, deciding to spend a little time in this morning with the fire going in the sitting room then perhaps bundled up and take a stroll with Rose around Hogsmeade. Ron does have a shift at the Ministry today but not until this afternoon so he intends on making as much of this first day of 2008 as he can with his family.
New Year's Lunch
Author: Griet
Date: 03-03-14 10:11
All members of the Vanderbilt family were present at the Mickle house in Norwich, where Aunt Pearl had prepared a scrumptious buffet consisting of roast turkey, potatoes, vegetables, Yorkshire pudding, and much more. Having missed out on the family gathering at Christmas, Griet was delighted to celebrate New Year's Day with her extended family.
On New Year's Eve, she had split her evening at her parents' home in Canterbury and at the party at St. Emrys University. She'd almost been hesitant to attend the latter gathering, not wanting to bump into the newly engaged Clover and Oberon, but she needn't have worried. They either didn't attend or she'd simply overlooked them.
Cornelia and Cassander had not gone to the university party but had also played double-duty. They had started out the evening in Canterbury and then gone off to celebrate with some of Cassander's friends. Neither had slept a wink last night but were only just now beginning to run out of steam.
Aleydis had followed Griet's example, starting off her evening at home with her family and Basil, and then ringing in 2008 at St. Emrys. He was with her now at her aunt and uncle's house. Later, they planned on having dinner with all the Wynbournes. Conscious of the fact that she had at least one more large meal to go before the day ended, Aleydis tried not to stuff herself at lunch.
Beatrix's social calendar for New Year's Eve had been less busy, much to her disappointment. Although the invitation to visit had been extended to Ash as well as Rowan, only Rowan had come over last night. Rowan had spent the night and had gone back home after a late, very light breakfast.
Beatrix had hoped to have her very first New Year's kiss. There was always next year, she supposed. She thought about Ash and what he might be doing at that very moment. Was he thinking about her, too? Probably not, but a girl could dream.
"You're blocking the desserts," Franciscus said to Beatrix, who moved out of the way with a slightly dazed expression on her face.
"Girls," he commented, watching her go.
He and Paton, being boys, had been thrilled to set off fireworks last night (under adult supervision, of course). They had started somewhat early but had paced themselves so that they didn't run out before midnight. When the clock struck 12 o'clock, they lit up the sky in a continuous explosion of colors.
Franciscus and Paton were already looking forward to next year, or any other occasion before then where there might be a need for fireworks!
Uncomfortable
Author: Ginny Weasley
Date: 03-03-14 17:06
Cupping her hands around her steaming tea and holding her face close to better appreciate both the aroma and the warmth, Ginny slightly shifts her body though she knows at this point getting truly comfortable is surely beyond her grasp. With only a short time to go before the baby's due date, there's nothing all that comfortable about standing, sitting, or lying down, or at least not that she's found. Adding to the sense of discomfort are the false labor contractions rippling across her swollen belly. They aren't painful but they also aren't the most pleasant of sensations.
Molly's half smile, half grimace indicates she understands exactly what Ginny's experiencing without a word having to be spoken about it. Unless Molly had a miscarriage or more that she's never mentioned, her mum has been through this six times, including once with twins. Ginny cannot imagine what carrying twins, much less triplets like her sister-in-law Blossom had, would be like.
Ginny shifts again, this time to place her tea cup on the end table. One hand goes to her rounded stomach. "Baby's kicking if you want to feel, Mum."
Molly never tires of such things so quickly moves positions to sit next to Ginny, placing her hand where her daughter indicates. She smiles at the movement against her hand. "Those are stong."
"Strong and active a lot lately too. Once finally in bed this morning and just as I was dropping off to sleep at last, he decided that the better part of an hour should be spent playing the drums or whatever it is he's doing in there. Harry says he'll be a footie player."
"Footie?" Molly repeats, trying to place where she's heard that word before.
"Muggle sport called football, though I think the American's have another name for it."
"That's the one they kick a ball around from one end of a pitch to another?"
"That's it, more or less. Dad might enjoy a match. Harry will have to take him to one sometime."
"Arthur would love that. Speaking of your father and Harry, they should be back at any moment. Does that German restaurant sound fine or do you prefer something else?"
"German is fine with me. I ate at the party but finger foods spread out over several hours don't seem very filling in the long run. We slept late enough that I didn't have more than half a slice of toast knowing we were going to lunch with you and Dad."
The sound of the Burrow's door opening has Ginny starting to push off the couch. Molly waves her to stay put. "I'll get Jamie."
When Molly returns from upstairs with Jamie in her arms, Ginny has manuevered off the couch, but only with Harry's help. She's got Jamie's coat ready to put on him. They're flooing to the restaurant but the building is sometimes prone to drafts even with the charms placed to help keep diners comfortable. Seconds later Arthur, Molly, Harry, Jamie, and Ginny leave the Burrow. Once seated at the restaurant, Ginny brings up football. Harry is soon answering Arthur's questions about the sport while Molly and Ginny discuss possible baby names.
(Patricia) Muggle Chores
Author: Sophie McCourt
Date: 03-04-14 03:37
Patricia dried the dishes Sophie had just washed with a cloth, a frown stamped in her face. Belinda would then put them back on the cupboard. Little Eileen would watch her older sisters, still too young to help out. On the radio a song was playing and Sophie started to sing along. Her other sisters followed her example, all but Patricia.
"I don't understand why we have to do this."
"Mum cooked lunch, and now we are helping out by cleaning," Sophie explained her.
"I know that. But it just doesn't make sense. Mum has her wand: she could clean the entire kitchen in less than three minutes. Instead we are taking ages by doing it manually. We look like a bunch of Muggle girls."
"Martin gets uncomfortable with magic. You know that already, Patricia."
"Then he shouldn't have married a witch!"
Patricia furiously rubbed the cloth against the hard wet surface of the plate. It wasn't that she disliked her stepfather who was a nice friendly man; but it caused her a certain irritation the way he behaved when had to face magic. Martin just preferred everyone acted 'normally'. But cleaning the dishes wasn't something normal to Patricia. At her father's house it would be their house elf taking care of all the domestic chores. Patricia knew Honoria would be horrified about this. Unfortunately her sisters didn't act the same way as her. Sophie was glad to be help her mother and the others liked to follow her lead, fascinated by these simple chores they didn't tend to do at home. But Patricia couldn't see this as a fun game and she took no enjoyment of such task, not when she knew her mother could make things so simply by just waving her wand.
"I can't wait to go home…" Patricia confessed, passing a dry glass to Belinda.
"Last week you kept bothering everyone saying you wanted to come here."
Patricia didn't reply. Despite getting along well with her stepmother, she missed her mother and she wanted to be with her. That was why she was so eager to come and visit her mother at the village of Allerton Mauleverer. She enjoyed the village and since the house her mother shared with Martin wasn't very big, she had to share a bedroom with Sophie. It was exciting to stay up late at night sharing stories and secrets with each other.
Sophie told her everything about Hogwarts, never getting tired of her sister's questions. Patricia couldn't wait to share a room with other girls her age and to learn magic. However she was terrified of Filch, because of the way Sophie had described him. Peeves was also another thing Patricia was afraid of, but she had seen an amulet against poltergeist in a shop ad Diagon Alley and she was considering asking it as a birthday present. Patricia had never seen Caleb Quigley or Estine Mignon, but she felt as if she already knew them because Sophie had a million of stories about them. She wanted September to come so badly so she could make her own friends!
Finally the dishes were all washed, dried and put into place and the four McCourt girls went back to the living room to where her mother and stepfather were. Only Elmer was missing. He had stayed in Wales, because he was still very weak to travel. He had been at St. Mungo's not while ago and those had been times of anguish for the family. It hasn't been the first time Elmer had gone to the hospital but even if he came home feeling better, he wasn't healed. Talking about her brother's condition was a forbidden topic in the family, a mystery Patricia would like to solve but at the same time she was scared to do so.
She looked at the strange squared box called television that her sisters and Martin seemed to love so much. Instead of looking at the images with interest she copied her mother and went to fetch a book she had brought and started reading it.
(Titus) Best Holidays Ever
Author: Tiberius Nott
Date: 03-04-14 12:45
"Do you want some more trifle, Titus?"
The boy nodded and his aunt ,Cecelia, served him with another large portion of trifle. The dessert was delicious and Titus ate it with a voracious appetite.
"If I didn't know you, I would think you haven't eaten for weeks, boy," Uncle Casper observed, amused.
Titus was spending the holidays with his aunt and uncle. Tiberius had written to him informing he was going to spend the season aboard (obviously not telling him where and why) and that Casper would be the one fetching him at the Platform 9 and ¾. At first Titus didn't want to be with his uncle and aunt. They had no children so there would be no cousins he could play with, and they lived in a small house at Oxford. Like he predicted the bedroom he was going to stay was miniscule with just a little squared window and her aunt didn't have a house elf. He thought that he was going to spend his days locked inside the room, bored to death. He even had conceived a plan of abandoning the house when his aunt and uncle were sleeping, and catch the Knight Bus to Endhope Abbey. He had more than enough money to buy a ticket home.
But his escaping plan was immediately forgotten. Cecelia and Casper didn't plan to leave Titus alone at his bedroom during the holidays. Uncle Casper took him to a Quidditch match and he went with his aunt Cecelia to a shopping trip in Diagon Alley, where she bought him a new sweater. She made Titus help her in the kitchen and around the house. He was not used to have people tell him what to do, and he wanted to refuse helping out but for some reason he just couldn't say no his aunt. She would look at him with her kind brown eyes and as Titus did the chores she would listen to what he had to say, paying full attention to it.
No one had ever listened to him, not for real. But Cecelia did. She heard him complain about Asher and Malden being on the Quidditch team and his weekly visits to the Hospital Wing, that he tried so hard to keep a secret from everyone because he didn't want to seem weak. He told her about Saidra's terrible habit of destroying the dormitory's furniture and she thought him a spell that could protect the bed poles and avoid his roommates of getting upset. Titus told her about his time at the photography club and how he wanted a camera to take photographs. On Christmas day he received Casper's old camera as a gift. It was not the best camera in the world but it was his and it had been a gift he actually wanted. Cecelia also had cooked all of Titus' favorite dishes. For the first time in a long time he felt cared and loved.
But that wasn't even the best part. The Hobdays owned a shop at Oxford: a plant shop. They sold both magical and normal plants and they had a greenhouse at the back of the shop. Titus loved to help his aunt arranging the plants and watering them. She didn't let him approach the dangerous ones, even if he told him he was very much capable of doing so. His aunt and uncle sold plants and flowers to both Muggles and wizards. The Muggles had no idea of the existence of the magical plants located at the greenhouse. His uncle explained that they made more profit this way, but Titus would always disappear into the back of the shop when a Muggle wearing dreadful clothes would come in. However, he was once caught in surprise when he was sweeping the floor by an old Muggle lady, who had given him a toffee. That hasn't been so bad.
"I'm going to miss your food, Aunt Cecelia," he confessed, once he finished the trifle.
It was the New Year's Day and in a few days, Titus was going back to Hogwarts.
"I'll owl you some cakes," she assured him.
"And we will write as well," Casper added.
Titus thanked them, trying to hide his excitement. His parents barely wrote to him, just like Tiberius. But Casper and Cecelia were different and if they said they would write to him and send him sweets, then Titus was sure they would do so. Now he wouldn't make a fool of himself when everyone received letters from home at breakfast and he would be the only one empty handed. This had been without a doubt the best holidays he had ever had.
Whist-ful Thinking
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 03-04-14 14:01
Nero shuffled a pack of cards and then dealt one to each player around the table, which included Zane Rosier, Hattie Harsnip, and Meadow O'Guinn. When each player had thirteen cards, Nero set the final card face-up on the table: the Queen of Hearts.
Zane, seated to Nero's left, reviewed the cards in his hand and debated which to play.
"Such a difficult decision," Hattie remarked sarcastically.
"Sarcasm doesn't become you when you look like a little boy," Nero remarked.
"Don't set her off again," Meadow warned, but it was too late.
Hattie threw her cards down and said, "Maybe the next body I'll jump into is yours. What do you think about that, Noir?"
"I think you can try."
Zane threw down a card onto the table and asked, "Are we going to play this round or are we going to argue about nothing?"
It was Hattie's turn to play now, but she didn't move to pick up her cards. "I don't want to play anymore. I'm tired of being cooped up indoors with nothing to do."
Meadow sighed. "It's ice-cold outside. Would you really rather be out there?" she asked, jabbing her thumb out the window. A tree-like bush covered in icicles was bent in all directions, too heavy to bear the extra weight. "Personally, I could use a hot bubble bath right now, or hot chocolate, or…"
"I just mean that I'm tired of being in hiding," Hattie interrupted, finally picking up her hand again and perusing her cards. "I wish I could come and go like some of the others."
"We're all in the same boat," Zane said, "fugitives." He smirked. "Guess you probably wouldn't want Nero's body after all, if freedom is what you crave."
Hattie commiserated with a smirk of her own and then threw a card onto the pile.
Just then, Fairchild breezed into the room, humming under her breath. She had been out all night and had returned looking like the cat who'd eaten the canary.
"I predict very big things this year!" she announced.
"Everything is falling into place, then?" Nero called out.
"Oh, yes. I––"
But before Adriana could finish her thought, her pet Ivanova appeared in the company of two wizards Nero recognized very well.
"The Somersets," Ivanova announced.
Nero and Hattie both got up from their seats. It had been a long time since they had seen Ethan's adoptive parents. One thing was for certain, though. The Somersets shared the same ideals as the rest and no doubt longed to see the son they'd disowned completely destroyed.
Perhaps Adriana was right. Everything did seem to be falling into place just perfectly.
(Mark) Topsy-Turvy
Author: Isolde
Date: 03-04-14 15:50
Mark stood outside on the back porch of his house and felt none of the cold. He'd had the sense to dress warmly, but his thoughts distracted him entirely from the icy wind that nevertheless penetrated the fibers of his coat and jeans.
Despite his ostracism at Hogwarts, Mark wished he would have stayed there for the holidays rather than come home. In the beginning, it had only been his life turned upside-down by the strict demands of his parents. It had not been a pleasant Fall Term at Hogwarts, but he had managed to survive the burden of having no more friends. After all, he had set it all into motion intentionally.
His Christmas Eve confrontation with his mother and her subsequent revelation had turned everything topsy-turvy. Not only had Eviene Farnon had an extramarital affair, she had had one with a Muggle. On top of it all, she had violated her family and closest friends by modifying their memories.
Meirchion Farnon had blown up at the news and then kicked his wife out of the house. She was staying with her parents, who had also taken everything quite badly but were forgiving enough to provide their daughter with a roof over her head. Mark had not seen her since her hasty retreat. He hadn't seen much of his father, either.
Mr. Farnon had spent many days holed up in his study, nursing away or contributing to his madness via a number of stiff drinks. Mark had thought to leave, being of age and having a little pocket money to afford a room somewhere, but had thus far remained in his family's home. Despite everything his father had put him through, Mark didn't have the heart to leave him.
His mother's hypocrisy hadn't escaped Mark at all and was at the forefront of his thoughts. How could she complain about his interest in Kate, who was a half-blood, when she herself had chosen a Muggle for a paramour! He fully intended on using his new knowledge to his full advantage, even though he feared it was too late to make amends with his friends. He wasn't even sure they would understand why he'd ended things with Kate.
The door behind him opened, admitting light and warm air. His father gave one glance at him and muttered, "You'll catch your death out here."
Mark turned and came inside, where the temperature was noticeably warmer. He removed his coat and slung it over the arm of the easy chair by the door. His father had a healthy color in his cheeks, and it didn't appear to be from alcohol.
"You all right?" Mark asked.
"I've reached a decision," Mr. Farnon answered. "I'm going to file for divorce from your mother."
"I see," Mark said. He supposed he saw it coming. His father was not the forgiving sort.
"What she did was unthinkable. The affair, that filth she chose to hole up with, not to mention what she did to all of us. It's unforgivable. I can't take her back. I won't."
"I understand," Mark said. "If I were in your shoes, I would probably do the same."
He thought about Kate and how he had kissed someone else right in front of her. It hadn't meant anything to Mark. He'd only done it to turn her away from him, which had been a complete success. His mother, on the other hand, had apparently been in love with this other man. Their situations couldn't be compared.
Somehow he doubted Kate would agree, if he ever managed to apologize for all the hurt he'd caused her.
Mothers Are Beyond Annoying
Author: Travis
Date: 03-04-14 18:36
The persistent pounding on the door finally ceases, allowing Travis to be drawn back to dreamland. The snuggled deep in the warmth of her bed comfort is short lived when the covers are unceremoniously yanked off. Peering through barely cracked lids, Travis paws at the bedding while protesting, "What the hell, Mum?"
Morticia says with annoyances, "Stop being a sluggard and get up."
Travis clutches the sheet, blanket, and comforter, drawing then back up and rolling over at the same time, putting her back to her mother.
The rummaging sounds Morticia has begun making stops. The covers are pulled off, though this time Travis resists. Her mother having the standing advantage and also being deceptively strong results in Travis being pulled halfway down the bed before she looses her grip on the covers. Giving up on them for the time being, she crawls back to her pillow as the rummaging sounds begin again.
Voice muffled by one of the pillows Travis grouses, "You can't just barge into my flat, into my bedroom."
"I knocked. Repeatedly."
"What if I'd had someone with me."
Morticia's unladylike snorting laughter makes it clear what she thinks of that statement.
Something smacks across Travis's leg. She blindly gropes for it as Morticia orders, "Put that on."
That turns out to be robes of some sort. Travis uses one hand to spread the clothing over her upper body but otherwise doesn't move.
"Fifi Sequoia Ravenclaw get up this instant and get dressed."
"I'm not five, Mum."
There's a sharp pinch to one leg.
"Ouch! Feckity feck feck!" A hand moves to massage the site of the pinch.
"Language."
"Mother, I've had it." Travis says warningly, face still smooshed against a pillow.
"Shall I tell everyone you're too hungover?"
"Everyone who?"
"All the guests."
"You're making no sense."
"Your cousin Viveca's wedding."
"That's not until four."
"It's two-thirty now."
Travis rolls over, glaring at Morticia. "It is not. I set my alarm for noon and it's not gone off yet."
"The alarm in pieces there on the floor?"
Travis jumps up, slight hangover headache and not getting to bed until eight this morning forgotten. Snatching up whatever dress robes her mother had thrown at her, she stumbles over to the bureau to root around for fresh undergarments. "Bloody hell, Mum! Why didn't you say something about the time right away?"
Morticia dramatically sighs. "You never appreciate my efforts."
Darkly grumbling under her breath, Travis makes her way to the bath to freshen up as best she can in only a few minutes. She has no memory of the alarm ever going off. What she gets for ringing in the new year the entire night and part of the morning. At least the shoppe's closed today so that's one less worry. A short time later Travis steps back into the bedroom to put on the finishing touches, such as shoes, and to get her dress coat.
With Morticia tutting over Travis's hair, they depart via portkey, Morticia convinced Travis isn't capable of apparating and refusing to do a side-along and not wanting to get dirty going by Floo.