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Both Parents Together And Not Fighting (Catriona)
Author: Fionna
Date: 05-17-13 14:40
As the third apparition lesson came to an end, Cat couldn't help but feel something of a let down. Not even so much as a splinched fingernail. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. Those who've experienced it, including Christopher, say it's very unpleasant and, depending on what is splinched and how much, painful.
Exiting the Great Hall Cat is not overly surprised to find her mother waiting. Blair had written to let her know she'd be coming. What is a surprise is to find her father standing there as well as she wasn't expecting him until later in the day. What's more Blair and Hamish seem to be having a somewhat normal conversation. Not angry looks. No raised voices. Cat has to wonder if they've only just begun speaking.
Approaching her parents Catriona takes in her mother's appearance. Since divesting herself of Willem, Blair seems to have blossomed. Leslie and Cat agree that if their mum starts dating again she needs to find a man who won't try to subjugate her. Why Mum was ever attracted to something like that in the first place the sister's have yet to figure out. Leslie did mention that Mum once said Willem didn't seem at all like that when they first met. Having seen their relationship go from a date here and there to marriage, Leslie and Cat both disagree with Blair on that point though neither would ever say as much when there hardly seems reason to any longer.
Hamish is also looking better than Cat has seen him in awhile. Dad looks to have either lost a little weight or firmed up. He's also rather dapperly dressed. When a petite ginger headed woman moves to stand by Hamish's side just as Cat reaches her parents, she surmises this woman is the reason why he's dressed more nicely than he generally is at these school gatherings.
Cat guesses this is Susana, the woman his father has mentioned in a few owls. This hunch is proven correct when Hamish enthusiastically hugs Cat hello then gestures towards his friend. "Cat, I want you to meet Susana. Susie, this is my younger daughter, Catriona."
"I've heard so much about you, Catriona." Susana extends a hand, a pleasant smile turning up her lips.
"Dad's mentioned you as well. Nice to meet you." Cat turns to her mother then to also give her a hug but directs her next comment to Hamish. "I didn't think you were coming until later, Dad."
It's Blair who answers. "I suggested we all come together. Now that Willem is no longer around, I find I get along well with your father. I never realized just how tense that man made everything and everyone."
Cat looks her mother up and down wondering if this is the real Blair. Not only did she invite Hamnish to be here at the same time she was coming but with his current lady friend too? Having Willem out of their lives is definitely a very good thing!
As Susana did not attend Hogwarts, going instead to a Swiss school, her parents with the British Ministry's diplomatic office there and living in the village where the school is located, Cat offers a tour. Her parents can speak to professors along the way if they wish and it will help fill time until she's due to get ready for the little skit the Drama Club is presenting at two this afternoon, where they'll see Christopher and his parents unless they run into the Chants before then. After a peek in the Great Hall, Cat takes them first to the Fitness & Athletics room and then to the Commons, so they might all get a bite to eat. After exerting all that energy during the apparition lesson, Cat is starving!
(Adriana) Lucky
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 05-17-13 17:22
There was a small news blurb in The Daily Prophet about it being Parents Day at Hogwarts. Adriana read over the words with a slight feeling of regret. An insignificant part of her missed the school, but a greater part wanted to storm the castle and wreck havoc with her loyal Death Eaters.
On Valentine's Day evening, she and small band of followers targeted a tiny French café in Muggle Birmingham, where they'd terrorized couples, who up until the arrival of the Death Eaters had enjoyed an intimate dinner. The atmosphere rapidly changed from one of romance to abject horror. The dark wizards fled before the arrival of the police, and before anyone left the scene of the crime, obliviators arrived to modify the memories of any remaining witnesses. How the wizarding world caught on so quickly was anyone's guess.
The following day, Adriana and some of the same followers set their sights upon a well-known year-round Valentine's Day shop, which offered its customers merchandize at severe markdowns directly after the holiday. The store was packed with mostly Muggle women taking advantage of the sale prices. The dark wizards had their fun, and then the Ministry officials who still dealt with the ramifications from the previous night's attack found themselves doubly busy.
Today's Daily Prophet briefly mentioned both incidents but did not contain any new information from previously published articles on the subject matter. Adriana skimmed the rest of the paper and then set it aside to finish her tea. She kept a mismatch of cups and saucers, a few of which she'd collected in the early days of her concealment. The cup and saucer she used this morning were made of highly polished tin and were probably her least favorite pieces in her small collection.
She held the cup by its handle and then picked up the saucer, turning it vertical as if it were a mirror. Her timing couldn't have been better. In the polished surface, she saw a figure standing behind her with his wand arm rising into casting position. Adriana sprang up from her seat, dropping both cup and saucer, which hit the table and floor with a tinny clatter. She removed her wand from her pocket as she whirled around to face the wizard.
He reacted quickly to fire off his curse, but she was a split second faster. She deflected it and then shouted, "Stupefy!"
Down went Berthold Beatenberg.
Adriana stood over him, chest heaving, and wondered just how lucky she was to be alive.
The Destination
Author: Nana Minuet
Date: 05-17-13 20:34
The first destination in Nana's imagined prison break had been the Common Commons. For some reason it seemed like the perfect place for her to catch her own little peace of mind, but even that idea was brought about without true deliberation. Honestly, what had she expected - Parents Day to be a bunch of booths sequestered off as Career Day had been? No, this event was different as was proven when Nana entered the Common Commons herself. Parents lined the walls of the room, laughing with one another as house elves scurried about to meet their visitors' needs. Students were also there, intermixed with the entire hubbub, laughing along as stories were told and gossip was caught up on.
It wasn't a depressing atmosphere in the least, but was instead warm with a sort of comfort that seemed to make Nana feel as though she herself could have molded into the crowd without a hitch. Nana possibly would have stayed here and basked in the benevolence that seemed to envelope the room, but its current state had silently nudged a feeling awake in the pit of her stomach, one that yearned for her own father to come and join in with the laughter even if she knew he wasn't going to be amongst the masses. It was a strange feeling for the student to embrace, but she couldn't deny its existence as it stretched itself and grew to fill her small frame. The feeling and the feeling alone was the reason Nana slowly backed out of the room to continue in her search for the perfect escape.
Next, Nana decided to try the outdoors as a secondary 'Plan B' destination. She did enjoy being outdoors in her tree at home and though she hadn't really spent a lot of time outdoors here at Hogwarts, she did miss the openness the world provided. There was something in the cold breezes that infiltrated the otherwise still air that seemed to calm even the toughest storm deep down within. It reminded Nana of those muggle television commercials where women would lay down in a bathtub full of steaming water and sigh loudly as their troubles dissipated along with the steam. All Nana truly needed now was a tall tree with a good view of something, anything really, and a clove cigarette to set her relaxation in order.
Not only did Nana not have the latter, but even the courtyards proved to be bustling with life as children of all ages ran up and down playing imaginary games with one another. Nana could have sworn she had even seen a few first years chasing their younger siblings while smiles lit up their faces. The laughter contagious in many ways and even Nana's lips began to turn upward as she watched one child hide from an encroaching older sibling.
"You'll never catch me alive," the child said from its quite obvious hiding spot. Sadly, the child had spoken too soon as its older sister caught it by the arms with a roar and a giggle. Nana had never had any siblings, though she had never really wanted them anyways. Still, there was something about these children playing that made her feel that much more alone, so she left once more just as silently as before.
In the end, the library had proven itself to be an ideal destination for the solitary French girl. It wasn't exactly the emptiest room in the castle, but at least it didn't seem to be full of caring families and gushing teens as they showed those caring families around. There was one thing in knowing no one was coming for her that day, but there was quite another in realizing the desolation her own life contained.
Nana tried to keep her mind from the sights she had seen in order to stave off the sadness slowly making its way to her heart. She tried imagining the loneliness as a mason jar sitting on a shelf within her mind. For some reason, its lid was loose and the loneliness inside was overflowing at the brim. All she needed to do was tighten it and voila – everything would be better once again. But it wasn't better, was it? It was just the same.
Her next step was taking out a book to read so that her mind could be taken away from its temporary perch atop the imagined shelf within. It was a good book, a legend in its own right, called Crime and Punishment by the famous muggle author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Nana knew it wasn't as good as The Brothers Karamazov, but it was the best distraction she had for now seeing as her father's personal library wasn't exactly available at the moment.
Nana didn't get very far before she heard her name echoing through the halls and then in the library itself. At first, she thought the beast bellowing for her was a redheaded fury come to claim stake on her soul as was its right. Nana had sold her soul a year ago to a man believing he was Nearly Headless Nick's first cousin twice removed of the ghostly realm (though his skin was anything but translucent) for a Bertie's Every Flavour Bean that had tasted oddly enough like soap.
In the end, it was no demon. It was only Nana's dorm mate, the prefect Ramona Mickle, claiming that Nana had a visitor after all.
The Dialogue
Author: Nana Minuet
Date: 05-17-13 20:35
"It's that one healer, the one who was with you when you first got here," Ramona said in reply to Nana's interjection of 'quoi?' The girl seemed hesitant as she spoke. Lips seemed to try to find words, but fail all while Ramona's eyes tried to fixate themselves on the girl in front of her. Something was brewing beyond those eyes, though it was taking its sweet time to debut from the prefect's lips. It finally did as Ramona abruptly sat down across from her classmate and leaned over to speak out in a hushed tone. "Who is she? Why does she keep coming for you?"
Nana looked at her fellow Ravenclaw for a moment while the gears in her head tried to move, though the question Ramona had asked seemed to rust any mechanism running them. No one had wondered, at least to Nana herself, about Mademoiselle Lindy before. She did know they had seen her though – they had to have as she had escorted Nana everywhere on her very first day. Perhaps no one had asked because they felt it was a touchy subject, that it was too taboo to be let out of its own Pandora's Box. It was still strange that they hadn't.
In any case, Ramona Mickle had now asked and Nana had to answer with something. She wasn't a rude girl, at least not while her 'help' was around to play.
It took a few moments, but soon rust began to peel away while her brain finally clunked into motion and her mouth opened to answer. "Ees like when you has car, oui? And there ees class en suh front for protect, oui? Ees weenshield, I think. And something heets suh weenshield, and eet crackles, but does not break. Just crack. And then persohn leans ohn eet, and eet bends, but steell does not break. And then more persohn leans, steell bends. But then persohn keecks eet. And eet shatters, so you replace, but ees not suh same as eet was."
There was a slight pause in Nana's speech while the analogy she was creating took life within her own imagination. She could almost grasp at the person she once was as her image stood out clearly against the background of her mind. She wanted to call out to the figure, but then she watched as its ceramic skin cracked into a spider web of microscopic pieces. Before she could do anything, the image of herself had shattered, leaving Nana in the real world with glazed eyes and open lips. Her tone was now quieter and slightly defeated as she continued to speak. "I shatter. Mademoiselle Lindy, she ees…."
"The company that replaced you and the factory warranty? In case you shatter again?" Nana nodded, though that wasn't exactly what she was going to say. She wanted to add more, but the images still replaying within her mind as well as the harshness of her English words left her mouth empty. She only watched Ramona now, as the girl's own gears began to take in what Nana had said to her. "I can relate," was her reply as she pushed her hands under her chin to sit in a more comfortable manner. Nana didn't react to this any. Part of her honestly didn't care if the other student could actually relate or not, but the other part listened intently to the story the girl was about to tell.
"A few years ago, a really vile woman was in charge of the Ministry. Purebloods and 'Nons' were segregated. Mum's a muggle, so my sister and I were 'Nons'. They got out, thankfully. The rest of us went to these camps, sort of. They were terrible. We were kids and kids were sent to this place called Happy Haven. It wasn't happy. We were treated like dirt. I thought we would die there and one girl even did, but we held on and the Resistance got to us. So, I guess no one ever kicked my glass in. They just made it crack and put as much pressure on it as they could. I guess, they didn't replace it either. Just hoped it would repair itself magically."
"Has eet?" Nana hadn't noticed her own stance weaken some as she listened to the girl's tale. Her arms were now crossed on the table's top while her head used those appendages as a perch for her chin. Nana had heard about 'Nons' and 'Pures' in the halls before. Most of the time, it was passing talk between more seasoned students and there was never any time for such trivial conversation in Nana's routine. She also knew something had happened in the United Kingdom via the magical news while she was still a free girl in France, but she hadn't really known the specifics of Modern History in her new home country.
Ramona just smiled at her dorm mate and shook her head in a sweet, yet sad manner. "I don't think it ever will fully. I think it changed me. No, I think it changed all of us. Everyone is different than we were."
"Me too," was Nana's only reply.
The Jig Is Up
Author: Fritz Schnackenpfefferhausen
Date: 05-18-13 09:51
Berthold wakes to find himself bound to a chair. He is in a small room, the very same room in which Christina Sorcha was incarcerated after her kidnapping. His limbs and neck feel stiff, and the bonds around his wrists dig uncomfortably into his skin.
At first he thinks he is alone, but then he realizes that the one called Ivanova is seated in a chair in the corner of the small room. Ivanova climbs to his feet, casts Berthold a look of disgust, and then exits the room without a word.
A few minutes later, light footsteps carry Adriana Fairchild into the room. She sweeps around Berthold so that he can see her, since his back is to the doorway of the room.
"Is this the part where you interrogate me?" Berthold asks, eyeing the witch with a look that suggests boredom.
"Torture you, you mean?" Adriana replies, fingering her wand.
Berthold's demeanor doesn't change. He shrugs his shoulders and says, "Do what you like."
Adriana fixes him with a stare meant to look right through him, but Berthold is satisfied to observe puzzlement in her expression. She doesn't know why he attacked her. She has no idea at all. He smiles.
His reaction takes her aback. What person under threat of torture and probable death smiles?
"Did you join my ranks with the intention of eventually doing me harm?" Adriana finally asks, after she comes to terms with his apathetic air.
"Yes," Berthold admits.
"Why?"
Now his expression darkens. He no longer looks detached; rather, he looks as if he possesses a deep seed of hatred for the witch standing before him.
"You killed my master, Gellert Grindelwald."
Adriana quirks an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
"Didn't you?"
Adriana doesn't answer for a long moment. She stares at him, again as if she is trying to see right through him. At last she shrugs and asks, "So what if I did?"
Berthold loses his cool and blusters, "He was the greatest wizard of my generation!"
"He wasn't the man you remember," Adriana states. "He wasn't even half the man you remember."
"How would you know? You weren't even born when he was at the height of his power!" Berthold spits out.
"I can read," Adriana dryly points out, "and I've read all about your boy Grindelwald. I know what he did. I know how he was defeated." She smirks.
Berthold growls deep within his chest.
"I know that at one time, he was the most powerful wizard in Europe. But the man I saw at Nurmengard was old and weak. He was a mere shadow of his former self, with bad hair and blackened teeth rotting in his mouth. Trust me," she says, "I did that man a favor."
"You don't know what he might have become, had he been freed and not murdered!" Berthold exclaims.
"I guess we'll never know, but I think Dumbledore gave him the beat down to last a lifetime. His time was past, and you need to get over it."
Berthold doesn't care for this child's tone of voice. "How dare you speak of what you do not know."
"I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do," Adriana counters. She looks over his head at someone standing in the doorway. "Cut off the circulation in his hands. Do whatever else you want to him, but keep him alive."
"Yes, my lady," replies Ivanova.
Adriana gives Berthold one last look and then sweeps from the room.
Forgiveness
Author: Jolyon
Date: 05-18-13 11:32
Arielle peered through the bars of the ornate Victorian birdcage her father had received at Christmastime and cooed at the two colorful birds nestled together on a perch. The new cage fit along one wall of the loft and nearly reached the very low, slanted ceiling.
Down below, Jolyon talked to the family of Kay Dunlap. Arielle only half-listened to the conversation. She didn't know Kay, since he was in a different house and a few years older than she. Arielle had been in the barn for at least an hour and had seen many families and Hogwarts students come and go. She didn't really know any of them, since first years weren't allowed to take Care of Magical Creatures.
After a while, Kay's family left and only the two Kents remained.
Jolyon called up to the loft, "Arielle, won't you come down and talk?"
"Okay," she said, and she blew kisses to two birds and then scrambled down the ladder.
"Are you avoiding your mother?" Jolyon asked, once they were face to face.
"I don't want to see her," Arielle said. "I'm still mad at her."
Jolyon offered her a sympathetic smile. "I know you are, but she's your mother. Your only mother. You shouldn't shut her out, and I think you should forgive her. She had her reasons for keeping the truth about me from you. I don't agree with them, but I wasn't in her shoes."
"Do you really think I should?" Arielle asked.
"Yes, I do," Jolyon replied.
She contemplated the idea and then admitted, "I don't like being angry. It's tiring." Arielle sighed and added, "I don't know how Asher does it all the time."
"I don't expect him to easily accept me," Jolyon began, "but I hope that he does."
"He's very stubborn."
Jolyon smiled. "I think that runs in the family. Speaking of…"
He heard Merrie's voice from somewhere outside the barn. Asher was with her, and they were discussing a disobedient cat.
"All I'm saying is that maybe your father can give you advice you can pass along to Titus," Merrie said. "He is an expert, after all."
"I don't need his advice," Asher responded, sounding incredibly irritated. "We can figure it out all on our own."
"I don't doubt it," Merrie said, "but it wouldn't hurt to ask."
They came upon the door, where they were met by Jolyon and Arielle.
Merrie wanted to hug her daughter, but she held back. Instead, she admired the long-sleeved T-shirt Arielle wore. It was the Secret Santa gift Arielle had gotten from Glori Hodfuffer.
"How lovely," Merrie said.
"Mum," Arielle began, but she didn't know what else to say. She cut her eyes to Jolyon, who nodded encouragingly, and then turned back to her mother. "Hi," she finally said. Then she moved into her mum's arms and gave her a hug.
"Hi," Merrie murmured. She let go of her daughter and smiled at her.
Asher rolled his eyes. "Can we go now?"
"No, ask him your question."
"No."
"Asher," Merrie said warningly.
Asher kept his mouth shut, causing Merrie to sigh and explain, "He wants to know how to train a cat from using his bed as a scratching post."
Jolyon chuckled. "Cats are willful creatures and they will do whatever they please most of the time. You could try squirting water at the cat any time you see it scratching the bed. Most cats don't like water, other than for drinking. Also, it might not be a bad idea to invest in a scratching post."
Asher pretended as if Jolyon had been speaking. "Are we done?" he asked his mother impatiently.
"No, we are not," Merrie replied. "You are being very rude."
"It's all right, Merrie," Jolyon said, holding up his hands.
"No, it's not, Jolyon," Merrie replied. "He has no right to treat you this way."
"I have every right!" Asher shouted. "We were fine without him. We don't need him in our lives."
"Asher, stop!" Arielle cried. "You don't know what you are saying."
"Oh, shut up!"
He turned and stormed out of the barn.
"Jolyon, I'm sorry," Merrie said apologetically. "I wish I could convince him."
"He needs time," Jolyon said. It hurt to be hated by his son, but he tried to see it from Asher's perspective. Jolyon had not known the truth about his own father for many years, but he had been a mature adult when he'd learned everything and therefore had better been able to cope with the revelation. It certainly helped that Jolyon had always been afraid of his adoptive father, who had not treated him well in his childhood.
Merrie sighed. "Even so, he shouldn't treat you so badly."
Jolyon shrugged. "He's a pre-teen. He only knows strong emotion. He'll grow out of it."
"Let's go find him," Arielle suggested, taking her mother's hand.
Merrie looked surprised, but then she offered Arielle a small smile. "All right. Maybe we can meet your teachers."
"Okay." Arielle turned to her dad and smiled at him. "Bye for now."
"Bye," Jolyon responded, smiling. "Have fun."
Merrie and Arielle stepped out in pursuit of Asher, who hadn't gone very far.