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A Scrap Of Parchment With A Lot Of Punch
Author: Julian Valentine
Date: 08-11-10 10:47
"Your change is 12 sickles, 17 knuts," Julian says as he counts out the money into the palm of an elderly witch who has retained her looks to the point that every time she comes into the shoppe, Julian thinks she must have been one of those stop-you-in-their-tracks beauties in her younger years.
"Thank you. See you next week." There's a twinkle in her eye and a lively step to her walk as she exits Twice Told Tales. Julian hopes that when he's her age she's still that spry. Hell, he hopes he's as spry as Albus Dumbledore should he live to be over 150 years old!
Julian goes back to sorting through a box of very musty, very ancient books he'd gotten at an estate auction yesterday. The crate was merely listed as containing assorted old texts and the auction house wouldn't allow anyone to do a quick inventory before the auction began so Julian had bought the crate for next to nothing with fingers crossed it would contain at least one book worth a little something. So far he's found three that are high dollar items, another two that will go for a nice sum once some repair work is done, and several others that aren't anything overly valuable but the sale of just one will more than cover what he'd paid for the entire crate. In other words, Julian is rather pleased he decided to chance bidding on, and obtaining, the box.
Today is one of those mid-week days when there are enough customers to keep a person from getting entirely bored and feeling as though the day is absolutely dragging yet with the customers coming in at a slow enough rate that other things can get accomplished. One part-timer is here today and Julian has her rearranging the history section, putting the books in topical groupings and then also arranged by author. It's something Lysander and he have talked about doing for awhile but just hadn't done.
Lysander and Charlotte are off somewhere today for a father-daughter day. With having been missing as long as he was, then recovering, and since being back dealing with this whole Aralyn-Astrid mess, Lysander announced this morning that everything and everyone else be damned, he was spending time with his daughter all day, just the two of them. Charlotte was more than a little thrilled to the point that her giggling carried up to his flat to become infectious, causing Caerwyn to snicker over his plate of eggs, sausage, and cheesy toast soldiers.
Caerwyn has been in and out this morning with Gus Hodfuffer. At times, Julian starts thinking that those two are together so often they are conjoined.
Grace came by after her own breakfast to see them all for a few minutes before going to Blossom's. Her class group there is having an outing on a yatch today and she couldn't wait to get going. Between her excitement and Charlotte's, Julian would have sworn the air was tingling with charged electricity early this morning.
The bell over the door jangles as Caerwyn and Gus come rushing in. "Dad, may I have money to play paint ball, please?" Caerwyn asks in a breathless rush. At the sound of Caerwyn's voice, Dexter appears from nowhere to hop ont the counter, walking back and forth against Caeryn's chest. Just as abruptly, the cat practically does a back flip off the counter and shoots across the store to skid to a stop in one of the windows where he flops down and goes immediately to sleep in a swathe of sunlight. If Julian does live to be as old as Albus Dumbledore, he will never understand how Dexter's mind works.
About the only good thing Julian could ever say about Afton Carew is that she instilled extreme politeness in Caerwyn. Julian rarely has to remind him of his manners and always experiences a sense of paternal pride when others compliment Caerwyn on being so well-mannered and polite. Julian counts out some money for Caerwyn asking as he does, "What are your lunch plans?"
"My Uncle AJ wants to take us for Thai food, if that's all right with you, Mr. Valentine."
"I don't see why not, Gus. Here, Caerwyn, this is for lunch. Offer to Mr. Hodfuffer to pay your share. It's all right if he won't take it but you should make the offer."
"Yes, sir. Thanks, Dad."
As this exchange was talking place the shoppe door opened and closed again with the bell jangling. The boys turn to leave and Bill Weasley, the person who'd just come in, reaches to open the door again and holds it for them. "Thanks, Mr. Weasley," "Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Gus then Caerwyn says to the somewhat solemn faced Bill.
Bill nods at them both then steps further into the store remarking, "Does Caerwyn grow a little every night? I see those two playing around town and I swear the boy is slightly taller every day."
"It definitely seems that way. At this rate he'll be taller than Hagrid. What can I do for you, Bill, or are you just browsing?"
Weasley's expression grows even more solomn to the point that lines etch his face. "I need to talk with you." His eyes go to where he can hear, but not see, that at least one other person is in the shoppe. "Privately."
Julian cannot imagine what Bill Weasley would want with him that required absolute privacy but nonetheless he calls out in the direction of the history section, "I'll be away from the counter for a bit. Watch for customers." A muffled female voice replies, "All right, Julian."
"The office or do you need more privacy?"
Bill thinks about this for a moment before saying, "Perhaps your flat is better."
Julian does a mental shrug and also censors himself from making some sort of sarcastic or cutting remark. He's curious enough as to what Weasley wants that he doesn't want to irritate the man to the point that he turns and leaves before revealing his purpose there. "This way then."
Julian takes the lead up the stairs, going all the way to the top floor then opening the door of his place to allow Bill to enter first. Once both are inside and the door is shut he says, "Okay. What's all this about?"
Bill doesn't give a verbal reply. Instead, he reaches into a pocket and pulls out a scrap of parchment, which he then wordlessly hands to Julian. Confused now, Julian takes the scrap and stares down at it. The words written there only serve to confuse him more.
Do you remember how angry you were with her in the moments before her death, or have you forgotten after seven years?
With a slight wave of the parchment he asks, "What is this?"
"I got it by owl the morning of Emrys Fest."
"And?"
"And I was hoping you might know something about it."
Julian reads the words again, his face clouding over. "Is this about... ... Helena?" He has trouble getting out the name and when it does come, there's a catch in his voice. Has it really been seven years? Some days it feels fresh, like yesterday and other days it feels millenia have passed.
"I think so, but I don't know for sure."
"It sort of implies you were with her when she died."
"Yes."
"I asked you then and I'm asking you again now, did you kill her?"
"NO!" Bill forcefully exclaims. "We argued. I left. I don't know who killed her."
Julian thrusts the piece of parchment back at Bill. "You think I sent this?" he bites out.
"I have no idea. Okay. No, I don't but I had to ask. Maybe you know something without realizing you even know it."
"Based on what little we know, Helena was killed just after you two argued. Do you think her killer sent this?"
"That's crossed my mind. There's also Adriana."
"Adriana? Adriana Fairchild is dead. You personally retrieved her body from Romania as I recall."
"So we think." Bill's forehead crinkles with deep thought before asking, "Four years ago, during the battle, did anyone see her as an Inferius?"
Julian shakes his head. "How would I know?"
Bill stares at the scrap of parchment and mumbles, "I saw Helena. Charlie and I both."
Julian can't find anything to say to that. He doesn't really even want to as that would mean having to think about Helena as an Inferius. He closes his eyes tight and shakes his head, trying to blot out the image his mind is trying to conjure of it. It. Not her. An Inferius would definitely be an it.
When the silence is broken it's Bill, his voice a little shaky, a little unstready. "I should be going. If you get anything like this, let me know?"
"Yeah, sure," Julian half-heartedly replies, moving to open the door. From the landing Bill chooses to leave by the outside stairs, which is fine with Julian. It means he can stand there a bit longer, trying hard to imagine Helena as the beautiful, vibrant woman he'd known and not as a two and a half years in the ground corpse turned Inferius.
Cravings And Conversation (Hendrika)
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 08-11-10 19:33
After seeing Charlie off this morning following a breakfast of fluffy cheese, ham, and mushroom omelets, Hendrika had finished getting the boys dressed then walked them over to Blossom's. Not scheduled to work herself, she had debated whether to take the boys today or not but then decided if they were out of the house she could give it a proper floor to ceiling scrubbing, something not easy when one has two rambuctious boys ages 3 and 4, and a husband whose job has him out of doors mucking around on a dragon preserve all day.
Hendrika worked non-stop from the time she got home until just after noon. Even using magic, a thorough, top to bottom house cleaning takes time. She finished up sorting through clothes Artie's outgrown, with the plan of giving them to Majandra for Georgie and to Blossom for Fabian and Frederick. She'd started on Schuyler's clothing, culling through his outgrown things determining what would fit Artie and what to add to the Majandra-Blossom pile when Hendrika realized she was famished. It's been hours since breakfast and she's been working hard all morning. Definitely time to take a lunch break!
Despite looking like she's been doing housework all morning, Hendrika decided to go to the bakery to get a loaf of bread to use for a cream cheese and cucumber sandwich, something that sounds refreshingly cool after a morning of warm drudgery. Reaching Briar's Hendrika pauses just outside the door after getting a glimpse of her reflection and wiping a smudge off her cheek and tidying stray strands of hair.
Entering the bakery, Hendrika stops to take an appreciative sniff only to have a sudden craving for whatever chocolate sweet she's smelling. Whatever it is has the scrumptious aroma of hot, gooey chocolate. Maybe she'll have get a chocolate cake to take home for tonight.
So focuses is Hendrika on the utterly heavenly chocolate aroma with her eyes scanning the display case, taking in the different offerings with chocolate that she doesn't notice Briar sitting at one of the tables with a man about their age and an older woman. She only turns when she hears Briar's voice raised in greeting.
"Hi, Hendrika! Just here to visit or may I help you with something?"
"I came for bread but now whatever has just been baked or is baking that's chocolately has me craving chocolate," she laughs.
Briar excuses herself from the two she's sitting with and comes around the counter. "The chocolate you're smelling is probably the chocolate cakes just from the oven. Those are too hot to frost at the moment but I've got others ready to go. There are also chocolate fairy cakes and two still warm chocolate silk pies. What sort of bread do you want?"
"Definitely some rye and I think some of your stottie if you have any today."
"Just have some ready to come out of the oven as a matter of fact. Less than 10 minutes if you don't mind the wait."
"No, not at all." Hendrika moves to closer study everything on display. "Is that chocolate hazelnut?" she asks tapping the display glass directly in front of a torte.
"Yes, single layer chocolate hazelnut with chocolate ganache."
"That sounds so, so good. I could eat a piece now and skip lunch and never miss having lunch I think," Hendrika says with a grin.
"Sometimes we adults do things like that but never, ever let on to the children," Briar grins in return.
The woman at the table lets out a peal of laughter. "Isn't that the truth! I remember once when Matthew and my step-son Griffin were teens, rushing in from being outside all morning, eager to split the last slice of pie only to find it gone. I always let them think Griffin's father ate it when really I'd had it for breakfast after making them both eat oatmeal."
Beside her, the man says with a sigh, "I really, really wanted part of that last slice. It was such a good pie."
He suddenly chuckles and both Briar and Hendrika join in as Briar boxes up the torte and gets a loaf of rye bread. "Hendrika, this is Kristen Leach and her son, whom I've mentioned to you, Matthew McQuillen."
"Oh yes, hello, so nice to meet you."
"Kristen, Matthew, this is my half-sister Hendrika Tenbrook Weasley."
Kristen Leach raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Half-sister? I thought you had a half-brother."
"I do. Mum's son, Byron Dippet."
"Right, Copernicus's son. Few knew but of those who did, what a scandal that was," Kristen replies with a knowing smile.
In keeping with the lie they've had gone for several years now, Briar then says of Hendrika, "Hen is Dad's daughter."
Kristen digests this information without a blink. She just nods and says, "I can't say I'm surprised. Algernon Burnshire was quite the ladies man." To Hendrika she says, "With the name Tenbrook and your accent, I'm guessing you're South African."
"Yes, that's right."
Kristen's eyes suddenly get bigger and rounder. "You know, I seem to recall Algernon going there on business a number of times. Not to talk ill of either of your parents, Briar, but they both did play around enough that it's a wonder you don't have more half-siblings running around. Claudia and Algernon did love each other passionately but theirs was one of those more unconventional marriages."
Briar and Hendrika exchange a glance, Hendrika thinking that Briar's thoughts are most likely along the same line as hers: Kristen Leach's comments just help back up their lie.
Briar looks over to Kristen Leach, "No offense taken. I've learned over the years just how much truth is in what you've said. Lisette Valentine's told me some and I've heard things from others as well as rumors." She looks back to Hendrika. "That stottie bread should be ready to come out of the oven. Back in one tick."
Hendrika nods then turns to face the table where the other two are seated. "Are you two just visiting the area?"
"We're moving back to Great Britain and have been looking for places. As long as we're both in the market for something, we've been meeting an estate agent together. Mum and I are looking at two places here in Hogsmeade in a bit," Matthew replies.
"One is probably right across from us. It's a nice little house and looks to be in good shape. I've not idea the asking price though."
"Is it just you and your husband?"
"No, Charlie and I have two boys. Schuyler is four and Artie is three."
"They must keep you busy," Kristen says with a fond smile, probably thinking back to her own days with a young, active son.
"Here you go," Briar says, breezing back in from the kitchen. "The loaf is extremely hot so be sure to hold that bag by the handles."
Hendrika fishes money from the coin purse dangling from her wrist. "How much do I owe you?"
Briar waves her hand, making a shooing gesture. "Must we keep going through this?"
"Yes, we must. We Weasleys can eat you out of bakery and home if you don't charge us."
Briar laughs. "True, though with the help you put in around here without accepting a wage, I figure the least I can do is not charge you."
Hendrika makes a face. "Fine. Be that way. Tell Grace Auntie Hen expects a visit from her soon. She's wanting to help me paint Artie's room."
"And you agreed?" Briar teases, walking with Hendrika to the bakery door.
"I plan to turn her, Charlotte, Artie, and Schuyler loose with paint. Caerwyn and his friend Gus too if they want. It will be fun, though most likely extremely messy."
"Understatement! See you later! Come by for tea tomorrow!"
"You're on! See you then!" Hendrika moves to leave then remembering the other two turns to say, "Goodbye, so nice to have finally put a name with the face, Matthew. Very nice to have met you, Mrs. Leach."
Walking home, Hendrika thinks that it's nice Kristen Leach unknowingly reinforced the lie that Briar and she have the same biological father. She also thinks that if Charlie were to ever want the type of marriage in which Hendrika was expected to condone his running around with other woman, she'd be forced to castrate him, which would truly be a shame given the fact that Charlie is no slouch in bed. Hendrika also starts thinking about having banana peppers on her cream cheese and cucumber sandwich. In fact, a whole jar of banana peppers sounds absolutely marvy.
That particular thought has Hendrika stopping in her tracks.
The last time she craved banana peppers to this extent she was pregnant with Artie.
And that thought has her not only moving again but much faster than before. Hendrika is walking as fast as she dares with the very hot bag with the stottie, a bag of rye, and the box with the chocolate torte, mentally counting the calendar as she goes.
Death in the Family
Author: Jolyon
Date: 08-12-10 18:43
The atmosphere in the hospital room at St. Mungo's was grim. Julia and James sat at either side of their father's bed and clutched his hands. Their mother Edith stood just over Julia's shoulder and sniffled into a tissue. Jolyon was also there, but he stood against the wall across the room.
Charles Abbott was dying. The man who had fathered Jolyon, and who he wished could have raised him, was exiting the world nearly as quickly as he had entered Jolyon's life. It saddened him greatly, but he couldn't feel nearly as bereaved as his half-siblings, since they had known Charles their entire lives and he was the only father they had ever known.
Not that Jolyon would feel terrible if his father bowed out anytime soon. He vowed that if he ever had a kid, or if he took in a child that wasn't biologically his, he would treat it the love it deserved. No one should have to grow up the way he did––in fear of his own father.
Julia started to cry openly. James merely stared at his father in disbelief. In the bed, Charles' breathing appeared to become a little irregular, and his complexion was deathly pale.
"This is the end," said a nurse very quietly.
Jolyon could feel tears begin to sting the backs of his eyes. It wasn't fair that he'd only just met his real father and that their time together had been so short. He'd missed out on so much growing up, and now it was simply too late to catch up.
Then again, Jolyon supposed himself lucky that he'd gotten to meet Charles at all––that Charles had thought it right to introduce himself to his first child before it was too late.
Jolyon wiped a tear from his cheek and watched as Charles took his last breath. When Julia fell forward over her father's body, Jolyon slippped out of the room and went to the first empty seat in the hall. He sat down and put his head in his hands.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there when a gruff voice asked, "Well, is he dead?"
Jolyon looked up and saw the last person he wanted to see. Behind his adoptive father stood Bridget, who looked quite distraught, but she didn't dare shed a tear for her old friend with her husband present.
Jolyon looked from his mum to his dad and then got up and walked away.
Hogsmeade With Tristan
Author: Griffin Price
Date: 08-12-10 20:05
Tristen runs ahead of Griff then back again. Ahead. Back. Ahead. Back. Sometimes for good measure he does a complete circle around Griff before dashing away again. Griff knows he was energetic as a kid but he definitely would have remembered his parents mentioning if he was as charged up as Tristan is most mornings. It's like the boy has caffeine in place of his blood.
With Carys busy this morning and Alun wanting to meet with some long time friends of his who rarely visit the area anymore, Griff was more than happy to have Tristan this morning. Only problem is, after lunch Harry Potter and he have a meeting with a known associate of Rufus Henshaw, a man they've been investigating. They'd put off setting up this meeting until Harry's hand was further along in its healing. The meeting could get dicey and if so then Harry would need to be able to use his wand without the worry of how long his grip would last.
Griff can't cancel the meet so after lunch Tristan will go to Blossom's. Although they don't use the day care that often, Tristan enjoys it when they do plus it does allow him to play with kids his own age. It's also allowed Carys and Griff to meet others with children Tristan's age and arrange play dates.
This morning was breakfast followed by a visit with Ruth. After that Tristan and Griff, along with a leashed Seeayetee, came to Hogsmeade. His cat is due for a check-up and Griff also thinks that despite him being careful with her diet and taking care of her teeth that she's getting a cavity. Indigo McFusty said if she is the best way to handle it is to sedate Seeayetee, which means Griff would leave her there for awhile. If she's ready after lunch he'd go on and pick Seeayetee up and take her home before meeting up with Harry at the Ministry. If not, he'll get her when he comes back this afternoon to get Tristan from Blossom's.
After McFusty's, Tristan and Griff will go to drop off some books and to pick out new ones together. They'll probably also stop in at Twice Told Tales since the vintage bookshoppe has a fairly extensive and reasonably priced selection of children's books.
The main item on the shopping list, however, are birthday presents for Carys and Tristan. Her birthday is at the end of the month, on the 31st, and his is a few days later on the 5th of September. Tristan will be four, which Griff finds so hard to believe, and Carys and he have discussed allowing Tristan to take part in the peewee Quidditch league so Griff is going to look at miniature brooms today though he'll wait to get Carys's input before actually purchasing one.
He's got a few ideas on what to give Carys but today's shopping will be all about a gift or gifts from Tristan. Already Tristan is chattering about something he saw in the joke shoppe window as they walked by on their way to McFusty's. Griff tried to explain that Mummy really wouldn't want something called Sonic Boom (guaranteed "know your socks off").
Reaching McFusty's, Griff holds the door for Tristan then follows with Seeayetee. His cat is not overly fond of being on a leash but she behaves tolerably because she knows the alternative is her much hated cat carrier. They're greeted by the petite, blue haired Coco. Her tiny dog Pea is at her feet and Tristan is transfixed. He's being very gentle in attempting to pet the small dog and since Coco doesn't seem to mind, Griff lets says nothing to his son as he hands Seeayetee's leash over.
On the spot Coco crouches down and speaks to the cat then peers into Seeayetee's mouth, which the cat has willingly opened. After only a few seconds Coco stands up. "Definitely a cavity and Seeayetee says it's been hurting a little."
"Indigo said you'd want to sedate her to fix it. I'll check back around one to see if she's ready."
"Unless there's an emergency, she should be."
Coco says something else to the cat who then trots after Coco to another room in the clinic. Pea follows with Tristan going after. Griff has to reach out and snag his son by the shirt, "I don't think they want little boys running around back there. There are puppies in tha window. Let's go see them instead."
At the word puppies, Tristan is halfway to the window before Griff finishes the sentence.
Coco emerges shortly after with Seeayetee's leash to give to Griff. He signs off on the procedure for Seeayetee then pries Tristan away from the frolicking puppies without too much fuss but that's only because Tristan knows they are going to look at the Kid-itch shoppe soon.
They stop at shoppes along the way with Tristan pointing to an employee standing in the window of Petals and saying, "Mummy needs that dwess."
That dwess is bright mediciney pink spangles that just barely cover the woman's chest and an equally glittery micro-mini skirt that begs the question of why the woman even bothered with a skirt. Griff skirted the issue by telling Tristan that the particular color of pink is not one Mummy likes at all.
They stop at Twice Told Tales and the library on the way to the Quidditch shoppe and then because some children his age are playing in the pocket park between the library and Blossom's, Tristan wants to stop and play. There's still lots of time to fill before lunch so Griff's agrees, dropping onto one of the benches, opening a book he'd picked up for himself at the bookstore. He's barely read the first paragraph on the first page of what is supposed to be an action thriller when someone says, "Griffin Price! How are you?"
Griff smiles up at Mindy Fort. "I'm good, Mindy. How are you?"
"I'm good as well. Mind if I join you?" she asks, pointing to the empty bench beside him.
"Of course not. In the village shopping or do you have a job here?"
"A little window shopping but I was also putting an order in for a birthday cake. I'm helping with a surprise party for someone and one of my duties is getting the cake. Is Carys here?" Mindy asks, her eyes scanning the park and going to the street.
"No, she's busy this morning. It's just Tristan and me."
"Is that him?" Mindy points to where Tristan is coming down the slide. "He's grown so much since I saw him last and it's not been all that long ago. Doesn't he have a birthday soon?"
He'll be four in less than a month. I swear I don't know where the time went."
Griff glances over to the slide in time to see Tristan reaching the top again but instead of immediately sliding down, he peels off his shirt. "Tristan!" he calls out.
Tristan giggles, tosses the shirt off the slide then goes down. At the bottom, he kicks off his shoes and before Griff can reach him, shimmies out of his shorts. Within seconds, Tristan has also shed his knickers and is running away from Griff. Mindy gathers up the discarded clothes and comes up behind Griff as he attempts to corner his son.
"Does he do this often?"
"Usually only at home. I have no idea why he's in this nude phase or what's prompted him to decide it's all right to do in a public place. Tristan, stop right this second or we go home without anymore shopping, without getting lunch at your most favorite place, and without miniature fairy cakes from the bakery. You will NOT stay at Blossom's this afternoon." Even as Griff says that, he seriously hopes he won't have to follow through with it since that would mean having to scramble to find a babysitter so he can go with Harry on that important meeting.
He must have muttered something under his breath about having to scramble for a sitter because Mindy offers, "If he won't cooperate with you, I'll watch Tristan for you if you need."
About that same time, Tristan reluctantly surrenders. With Mindy handing articles of clothing to Griff starting with the knickers, he tells her, "Thanks for offering, Mindy."
"I'd be happy to help anytime you need."
"I will definitely keep that in mind. I worry sometimes that Carys and I rely too much on her grandfather when Tristan, as you may have noticed, is so rambunctious." To the now dressed again Tristan Griff sternly says, "If you misbehave again, Tristan, you will not get your new books to read tonight. You will not get dessert."
"Yes, Daddy."
"Go play for a little longer and then we should go find Mummy some birthday presents."
Tristan bear hugs Griff then rushes off. Mindy says, "He is soooo adorable! I bet you were too at that age. He looks like you, you know."
"You think so? I always think he takes more after Carys and looks a lot like her brother in photos of Owain at the same age."
"I suppose he does look like Carys a little but I think he looks more like you. You know, sometimes I still can't believe that Carys and you carried on practically under our noises and that when she was found out to be pregnant that we all thought it was that Hoffmann triplet. Tristan would still be cute but not nearly so if that had been the case."
Griff chuckles. "Thanks. I think."
By that time they'd returned to the bench and sit again with Minday asking, "I know it's none of my business but are Carys and you a couple again or still just sharing parenting duty?"
"We're a family but she and I aren't together in the sense you mean."
"That's a shame."
"What about you? Seeing anyone?"
"No one at the moment. I should get over to the bakery to get this cake order in but would love to catch up more. Could we meet up in a little while and get lunch together?"
"Yeah, unless Tristan ends up needing to go home I don't see why we can't have lunch with you though Tristan's got his heart set on Burger Wizard."
"Burger Wizard is fine. What time? Eleven thirty? Noon?"
"How about we split the difference and say eleven forty-five?"
"Great! See you then!" Mindy flashes a big smile, jumps up off the bench and with a wave to Tristan and then back at Griff, heads across the street to the bakery. Griff gets up as well and calls out to his son, "Tristan, time to go to the Quiditch shoppe."
Tristan gets off the ground where he and another child were rolling down a slight incline and charges over to Griff proclaiming, "I wuv the kid-itch shoppe!"
To Tristan's delight, Griff hoists him up on his shoulders and giggles the entire way to the Krum's Completely Kid-Itch.