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Summer Plans and Questionable Futures
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 04-30-09 19:01
Isma sat on her bed, talking to Eric and Blake. She was home, had been for some time now and she had never thought she'd see it again. The first few days she was home she'd never even stepped outside, not even when Charlie came over and asked her if she wanted to go to a movie or something. Seriously, she'd never really done anything but linger at home and spend time with her parents who were decidedly glad she was back home.
Blake and Eric were currently at home, the trio never really discussed what happened while they were in the community for nons, and it was a good thing. Isma was glad that the possibility she was going to be going to a Muggle psychiatrist was finally dropped, because she wasn't going. She often thought about having her parents take her to St. Mungo's and see if they could give her a sleeping draught that will help quell the nightmares she still has on occasion.
If she were at Hogwarts, she'd go talk to Madame Pomfrey, but she's not at Hogwarts, she's at home. She should be getting ready to take her finals and have her very first End of Term Feast, but sadly...that will not be happening.
"So, do you think we'll be going back to Hogwarts next year? Or will we have to go to one of the other schools or will we be stuck in Muggle schools until we can get into Hogwarts again?" Blake's question cut through the silence of the bedroom as he turned down the volume on the WNN. They'd just finished listening to Bronwyn's show, and the announcement about St. Emry's fest had Isma's interest piqued.
"I've no idea really, I'm hoping we get to go back to Hogwarts. But, the question is, will we have to do second year over again, or will we be third years like we are supposed to be." Isma said, shifting and tossing one of her stuffed animals at Eric who was staring out the window. "Earth to Eric...come in Eric."
He jumped with a start and turned and glared at Isma who immediately started laughing. "Sorry, was thinking about..." He shook his head, nightmares still plagued the three of them, but were less frequent than they had been since their time in France and their ultimate reunion with their families.
"Pay attention." Isma said and immediately both boys turned their attention to her. "Remember what Bronwyn said at the end of her show, about Emry's fest? I am thinking of asking Mum if I can go, maybe the three of us can spend the day there listening to music and just finally relaxing and doing something at the same time." She shifted, curling her legs beneath her, eyes drifting over the pair of boys.
"Do you think that we'll be allowed to go? Is there an age limit for entry into the Fest? I mean your birthday is -after- the Fest." Blake said, looking to Isma.
"We'll have to find out now won't we!" Isma said. "I want to go to Diagon Alley and just relax, maybe even go get some ice cream. Mom and I need to go sometime soon anyway so I can get an account set up at Gringotts...if it's still there after everything that happened. Can't apparate yet, and don't know where else I would go to have an account set up with wizarding currency ya know?"
The boys nodded and attention shifted to the doorway when there was a light knock. "Alright you three, lunch is ready and Blake, your mum will be here in about an hour and a half. Eric, yours in about forty five minutes." Isma's mom said and vanished back downstairs, expecting the trio to follow. Isma turned of the WWN and the trio headed downstairs for a lunch of fish and chips.
A Quiet Evening at Home
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 04-30-09 19:24
Lawrence sat on the couch his arms wrapped around Ariella, they were listening to a radio station on WWN. "Now that things are settling, hopefully we can get your patent back." He said softly, knowing well that that was one of the things that had depressed his wife recently. "Things will hopefully return to to normal relatively soon." He kissed the top of her head and held her close to him.
"Things hopefully will be turning up for me at work, I've also been helping out at Botanicals and Beyond with Travis. Things are starting to come back alive again now that the ideals of the Minster are being turned around." He said softly, stroking his fingertips along her arm.
She shifted against him, a soft sigh sliding from her lips. "I know. When things settle at the Ministry maybe we can go and get the paperwork done?"
He nodded. "Definitely." Eloise popped in, set a new bowl of freshly popped popcorn on the table near the pair of them and popped back out.
"Thank you." She said softly, turning to kiss him lightly.
"I also know you want to see Alanna soon. She'll be done with school soon, by now finishing up her N.E.W.Ts and then it will be the end of term feast. We'll go pick her up at King's Cross. We'll take everyone out for dinner. I'll even see if Bron and Toby want to come."
Ariella grinned up at him and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I knew there was a reason I loved you." She slid her fingertips along his arms and nestled all the more into him.
The pair of them would eventually retire for the night. It was a peaceful moment in their topsy-turvy world so far.
Reflections
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 04-30-09 19:31
Yesterday's reunion with Desi had gone smoothly, just as Bronwyn had hoped. The silence that had stretched between them for so long was no more, and now they were once again all caught up on each other's lives. Although Bronwyn had written Desi the occasional letter about what had gone on since leaving Seattle, she'd told her friend everything all over again. About how she and Toby and Katherine had decided to leave Brisbane and return home once and for all. How they'd participated in the raid at Hogwarts of all places. Where they lived now, and who was among them and who was still missing.
Bronwyn even had some surprising news to share with Desi. Recently, she'd received a letter from someone she hadn't heard from in years––Sebastian Sjoblom, who'd transfered to Hogwarts from Sweden during their sixth year. Apparently, he and Arley Montgomery, an old acquaintaince of Desi's and Bianca Diamond's ex-boyfriend, who'd also briefly gone to Hogwarts, were living in New York these days. Bronwyn had sent a reply and invited the boys to go to Emrys Fest. She hoped that they would be able to attend!
Desi had some news of her own. Her father still hadn't been found yet, but Bianca had turned up at St. Mungo's Hospital. Desi hadn't yet gone to visit her twin and had hoped that Bronwyn would go with her...
Bronwyn had met Bianca only once, during her first trip to Seattle a really long time ago. She knew that there'd never been any love lost between the sisters, Desi having described Bianca as being the bad twin and Bianca likely having had choice words for Desi herself. She could tell that Desi longed to see her twin sister, though––to see that Bianca truly was all right. Despite their past, Desi obviously cared.
Bronwyn, of course, had agreed to go with Desi. Desi only need let her know when.
The River Schiltach
Author: Ronan Eastwick
Date: 05-01-09 14:42
Ronan stretched out on a red and white checkered blanket that his mother had brought with a picnic basket to the bank of the Schiltach river. A slope of green lawn met the rambling water on one side and the edge of the market square on the other. A few other people were seated on the grass, and many more sat outside at the cafés in the city center.
Enid sat beside Ronan, whose eyes were closed. She could tell that he wasn't asleep and spoke to him.
"I suppose we will have to decide what we want to do," she started, turning her gaze from Ronan's reclining form to the water. "Do we stay here in the city of our most ancient ancestors or do we return home?"
Ronan opened one eye and squinted at his mother. "Won't they rearrest you if we go back?"
Enid pursed her lips. "Wouldn't you want that? As I recall, you weren't at all happy to see me in Professor Snider's office the day of my release from Azkaban."
Ronan sucked in a breath. "While I don't condone any of the things you did to get yourself landed in prison to begin with, I think you also know that I don't quite feel the way I used to about you. When you go through what I have––what you have too, when you think about it––you look at everything in a new perspective. You're the only family I have left, and besides... these last couple of months with you have been nice."
When Enid looked down at Ronan again, he saw that there were tears in her eyes. "I know you can't forgive me for what I've done––when it comes to Caden I can't even forgive myself for what happened––but I'm glad we've managed to repair our relationship. I know I don't deserve your love. I was a very bad mother to you."
Ronan sat up and put an arm around his mother's shoulder. "I guess I still turned out okay." He smiled.
"Thanks to your brother, no doubt." Enid smiled too. After a while she asked again, "Do you want to stay here, or do you want to go home?"
"Honestly?" Ronan replied. "I want to go back, but I think you should stay. You belong here."
Enid started to shake her head. "No. If you go back, I go back. If we're to ever be separated again, then it'll be because I'm at Azkaban––where you can still visit me, if you want."
Ronan sighed. "Will you just turn yourself in, then? Or will you wait for them to take you in?"
"I'm sure they are far too busy right now to collect me and all the others they released prematurely. I'll do the honest thing and turn myself in." She put a hand on Ronan's arm. "Perhaps you'll come with me when I do?"
"Of course I will."
Ronan looked away from his mother and watched a twig get swept away with the current of the river. How strange was it that once upon a time Ronan had wanted nothing more than to see his mother behind bars and that now he wished her freedom, despite knowing that she belonged in Azkaban? She almost seemed a different person now. Perhaps the last year had changed her, as it had Ronan too.
Walking Down The High Street
Author: Kody
Date: 05-01-09 17:52
Ophelia, Drake, and Kody walk along the High Street coming from the direction of Hogwarts where Ophelia had gotten to meet for the first time Aaron's and Saffron's little girl Niccola. As they pass The Three Broomsticks, Ophelia comments, "It's too bad Kordelia didn't come along. I've hardly seen her."
"Yeah, and she's sorry about that. It's just that she'd already made plans with a few old friends who are in London visiting. Between them and last week end of term at St. Emrys we've hardly seen her ourselves."
Drake draws Ophelia closer, slipping an arm around her waist. "Now that you don't have to worry about being in Britain, you'll be here more often and before long you'll be living over here again."
"It's really too bad St. Emrys doesn't have some sort of summer term. I know from a few friends that Muggle universities often do."
"Were you taking courses at a new school in Perth?" Kody asks.
"Yes, but it would be nice to have more coursework out of the way and be that much closer to finishing. Aren't we stopping for Daria?"
Ophelia waves a hand at Blossom's when Drake and Kody keep walking. Drake furrows his brow. "I didn't tell you? Daria, Parker and Tracey are meeting us at the restaurant."
Ophelia grins up at Drake, "No, you didn't tell me. You two were so busy arguing the merits of the various Quidditchs teams that hope to be back up to muster by fall that I had to interupt to remind you we were late to see the baby."
Drake's brow furrows more as he thinks back before saying, "Oh, right."
Kody snorts then makes a sort of choking, strangled sound when Ophelia asks him, "So, what's up with you and Daria? You're seeing quite a lot of each other. Are you exclusive?"
Drake looks a little too gleeful, in Kody's opinion, to have this topic brought up. Kody shoots Drake a glare before giving Ophelia an innocent expression complete with shrug. "I don't know why you would think that when she and I are just friends."
Rolling her eyes at him Ophelia says, "Don't give me that. You two are definately more than just friends."
Drake says nothing as Kody and Ophelia go back and forth, Kody sticking to his claim of only being friends with Daria and nothing more and Ophelia not believing a word of it. The conversation only stops when they stop to look at a man standing in the street, talking to himself and pointing a wand at the window of the shop he's in front of.
They clearly hear him saying, "Can't believe no one's fixed this sign yet. If said it once I've said it a hundred times since noticing it. Want something done right, do it yourself."
The man hardly notices the three, giving them only the briefest of nods as he uses his wand to change a sign from reading
Exotic Hothouse Flowers
to reading
HOT HOT HOT
EXOTIC FLOWERS
Kody glances up to see that the shop no longer has the Egyptian Mysteries sign over the front but now a large, flowery one indicating the place is now Petals. Following the direction of Kody's gaze Ophelia asks, "New herb shop?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"I wonder what was wrong with that window sign the way it was first?" Drake says.
"Yeah. Looked fine to me but maybe the guy was just ticked that what he'd ordered wasn't what he was given."
Ophelia nods, "Changing it to how he wanted it without thinking whether the other one was fine."
With the restaurant right there, just across from Petals and the muttering man, Ophelia, Drake, and Kody don't dwell too much on what they'd witnessed. Inside the Crown & Cauldron they're taken immediately to the table where Tracey, Daria, and Parker are seated. Greeting their friends, the three newcomers sit down and conversation shifts to other things, including what to order for dinner.
Do We Stay or Do We Go?
Author: Carys
Date: 05-02-09 09:19
Carys sat at the kitchen table and scribbled her way through a French language learning workbook. She'd been taking an intensive French course, and while she was by no means fluent in the language, she'd picked up a decent vocabulary and could read simple sentences. Understanding spoken French, especially when delivered rapid fire, was nearly impossible still, and pronunciation wasn't easy either. Carys nonetheless felt very accomplished in her endeavor to learn her father's language, though she no longer knew if she would spend the rest of her days in France.
Now that things were better back home, she could go back if she wanted. Griffin still commuted between Southern France and London for work, and while traveling long distances wasn't necessarily a problem for wizards, it might still be nice for Griffin if he lived closer to work. Carys didn't know how Griffin felt about returning home or if he'd rather stay in the house he just bought for himself and Carys' family.
Carys herself wasn't sure what she wanted. On the one hand, she liked her new life in France. It felt like a fresh start, as if the future held so many possibilities previously denied to her. On the other hand, she missed home. She'd grown up in Wales with her mother and not in France, her father's country. In a way, she almost felt like she could start over back home too. After all, everyone else probably wanted to move forward with their lives and not live in the past, especially the most recent past.
Tristan was too young and probably didn't have an opinion either way. As long as he was with family, it wouldn't matter to him where he lived. Alun, however, longed for home. He hadn't been back to his house in Cardiff since the day Carys and Mairwen were snatched. With the exception of that fateful day, the house had very happy memories for Alun.
She lowered her quill and looked up at her grandfather when he entered the kitchen to fix a pot of tea. How old he looked, and how solemn too. She decided then and there that she'd talk to Griffin as soon as he came in about relocating back to Wales.
Double Take
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 05-02-09 10:30
I know what you did.
The cryptic note haunted Lysander still. Who had sent it, and what did that person know? If only Lysander had a way of finding out without alerting the sender to his investigation. But Lysander didn't even know where to begin. All he had was the note, written in an unfamiliar hand and so anonymous and unidentifiable that it could have come from anyone.
Another letter had not arrived since the first one, which eased Lysander's mind only a little bit. Perhaps the original had never been meant for him, or maybe it had been a joke. Unfortunately, Lysander knew very well that he'd done numerous things that could warrant such a note. Maybe he hadn't covered his tracks well enough!
He couldn't do anything about it right now and could only wait to see what would happen next. Lysander loathed uncertainty, especially when the not knowing and what may come could quite possibly not only affect him but his young daughter. He tried not to worry, though.
All of Hogsmeade seemed abuzz about the new business opening in the village. Lysander had already had the privilege of meeting one of its future employees, and if all of its staff looked as good as she did, then hers would be a business Lysander would definitely be frequenting, whether he needed herbs or spices or whatever the store sold or not!
He stepped outside onto the front porch that was almost like a balcony anyway and breathed in the summer air. Charlotte was inside sleeping, as it was well past her bedtime. Lysander wasn't tired, but he was more of a night owl anyway.
With it being so late at night, not many people were out and about, but Lysander saw some people walking up and down High Street. Hogsmeade had become busier with the recent influx of all those who'd left town for various reasons, apparently even at night.
Lysander was just about to turn and go back into his flat when he did a double take. A woman had just passed across the street, and she looked awfully familiar. He squinted into the darkness to get a better look. The woman had brown hair past her shoulders and had a slim, but pretty figure.
She passed from view and left Lysander shaking his head. Surely he'd only imagined seeing Chyler, his dead wife, walking down the street!
Trying Not To Yawn
Author: Jared
Date: 05-02-09 10:43
High above the rest of the castle, the students taking the Astronomy practical fight to stave off yawns and work to keep eyelids open. For Jared, blinking has become a great exercise taking huge amounts of energy in his fight to do a full blink, not letting his eyes stay shut when eyelids go down during each blink. Thank Merlin these exams are nearly over!
Jared has one more after tonight, the second part of the Divination NEWT. The overall exams aren't done quite yet though with History of Magic and Muggle Studies left. Jared briefly lets his mind wander, thinking about whether Professor Miller will do a trip for the seventh year Muggle Studies students now that he's overseeing the course again. That would be Jared's only regret for not taking the class this time but with Professor Miller's brother-in-law as his best friend, Jared supposes that having a foray into the Muggle world to see and do things he knows little about will be easier won't be as daunting anyway. If he's got questions he just asks Sage what he knows. If Sage doesn't know, Sage has family members who do.
Alanna bends over her astronomy chart causing her curtain of hair to send a pleasant fragrance wafting across Jared's face. He breathes in deeply, enjoying the scent and that in turn makes him wish they were alone on this tower. Finding his thoughts drifting to things they shouldn't with others around and especially not during an important exam, Jared shifts slightly to look at another portion of the night sky.
There had been some clouds and rain earlier in the day but now the sky is clear, making for easy charting. Putting his eye to the telescope, Jared takes in the constellation he's adding to his chart. Counting on his chart to make sure he's got all five stars for Libra drawn in, Jared then very carefully labels the constellation on his star map.
Stifling another yawn, Jared starts drawing in the stars of another constellation, wondering how much time is left for the exam. It feels like it's been hours upon hours, which can't be right as there is only an hour and a half alotted for the exam. As if knowing Jared, and others, need some sort of time reference, Professor Huntingdon calls out, "Forty-five minutes left."
Trying not to sigh at the thought that the exam is only halfway over, Jared diligently plots stars and other astronomical items onto his map, smiling as he catches another wiff of Alanna's pleasant smelling hair.