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Odd
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 11-07-12 14:21
"We lost another patient," announced Lelia Burnett, a nurse assigned to Hermione's floor. She came around the nurse's station, setting a clipboard onto the counter, and then plopped down into an empty chair with a heavy sigh. "It's odd, isn't it?"
Hermione, who had been standing at the counter, re-reading one of her own patient's files, glanced up and asked, "Odd? What do you mean?"
It was a sad reality that patients died at St. Mungo's everyday. Some had illnesses, naturally or magically, that simply couldn't be cured. To state someone dying in a hospital as odd when it wasn't unusual in the slightest peaked Hermione's curiosity.
"Well, she only had a rash on her legs, and Healer Percy said it wasn't life-threatening. He checked for infection, and she had none. So how is it she died after all? As I said, it's odd, particularly when others have died lately when there's no reason for it to happen," Lelia said.
Hermione thought back to some of the other cases she knew of, such as the man who had swelled up his face and the woman who had accidentally transfigured herself into a cat. She had been found on the floor, still in cat form, with a spot of blood around her mouth.
"I think you are on to something, Lelia," Hermione mused aloud.
She suddenly felt too distracted to finish reviewing the patient's file, so she stowed it in its rightful place and then decided to take a walk. Her baby seemed equally restless. She felt it shift position several times.
As Hermione walked, she wondered what the deceased patients had in common. Which healers and nurses had had access to them? What potions had they been given? What spellwork had been done to them? What else did they share that had led to their deaths?
She eventually found herself outside the Head Healer's door. The nameplate read Medina Claggett, Head Healer - Spell Damage.
The door was slightly ajar, and Hermione could see that Healer Claggett was sitting at her desk, reviewing parchmentwork. Hermione knocked lightly on the doorjamb and then peeked her head into the office.
"Do you have a moment?" she asked.
Medina allowed her reading glasses to slip to the edge of her nose and looked at Hermione. "Yes, of course. Come in, have a seat. Care for some tea?"
"Yes, thanks," Hermione said, easing into the leather chair opposite Healer Claggett's desk.
Medina poured two cups from a white teapot with yellow tulips on it and passed one to Hermione. She took a sip from her own cup and then said, "Now tell me what's on your mind."
Hermione wasn't sure how to start. After all, it was only idle speculation and the only thought she had given her idea had just now taken place in the corridor.
"Well, I think we may need to look into some of the deaths that have been occurring on this floor," she tentatively began.
Healer Claggett raised an eyebrow. "Go on," she invited.
Hermione took a deep breath and then began to speak.
Can't Sleep
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 11-07-12 15:20
Bronwyn curled onto her side and looked out the window. It was open, admitting the ocean breeze, which raised gooseflesh on her arms. She pulled the comforter over her shoulder, but kept her gaze fixed on the window, where she could see the moon reflecting off the ocean in the near distance. The sound of the waves rolling onto shore should have lulled her to sleep, but it didn't.
Toby, meanwhile, slept soundly. He had always been that way. The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep, and would wake up rested, no matter what time he awoke. Bronwyn envied him that.
She finally decided to get up and walk around the house. There was no point in staying in bed, especially with Toby not awake. She slipped a cardigan over her camisole and stuffed her feet into a pair of slippers. As quiet as a mouse, she exited her bedroom and tiptoed past the other rooms in the spacious beachhouse Karma had found for the group.
In the kitchen, she found a clean glass and poured herself water from the tap. She drank half the glass at the sink and then carried the rest to one of the sofas in the living room.
Most of the outside walls consisted of large plates of glass, affording a view of the ocean in one direction and the backyard landscaping in the other. From the outside, the beachhouse looked like a mansion. Bronwyn didn't want to know what the place would cost if it ever went on the market. She and Toby probably couldn't afford it, even with his salary as a professional Quidditch player. Besides, it was too big for just the two of them.
She drained her glass and then carried it to the kitchen, where she set it into the sink. On the way back to her bedroom, Bronwyn decided to use the bathroom, since she had no doubt her bladder would wake her up in the middle of the night if she didn't. She bumped into Desi in the hallway, who was also on her way to the bathroom.
"Hi," Bronwyn said. It was the first time they had been alone together since coming to France.
"Hi," Desi said. "You can go first."
"Okay," Bronwyn said. She slipped into the bathroom, did her business, and then slipped out. Rather than say goodnight and retreat to her room, however, she lingered in the hall while she waited for Desi to finish in the bathroom.
When Desi emerged from the bathroom, she seemed a bit surprised to see Bronwyn waiting for her. She jerked her head in the direction of her own room, and Bronwyn followed her, eventually sitting down on the edge of her bed. Desi's room was smaller than Bronwyn's and Toby's, but it was still huge. Her window was also propped open, so that the sea breeze caused the sheer curtains that framed it to flap lazily.
"So…" Bronwyn began, choosing her next words carefully, "Why didn't you tell me about you and Orion?"
(Adriana) Murder Most Foul
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 11-07-12 17:01
Adriana remembered the first time she had ever stepped foot in Albus Dumbledore's office. It had been nearly eleven years ago. She had arrived at Hogwarts in search of the headmaster, whose name she had gotten from her recently deceased father Robert Fairchild. Albus and Robert had been friends long ago.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, Adriana's first visit to Dumbledore's office had followed a bit of excitement. The then Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Lovett, had come across Adriana in the entrance hall to the castle and had mistaken her for a Muggle. Professor Lovett's frantic and failed attempts to modify Adriana's memory had seemed insane back then, because Adriana's true memories––the fact that she was a witch––had long been suppressed by her father.
It was thanks to Dumbledore, during that very first meeting in his office, that she remembered her magical background at all.
Adriana clutched at the door handle, telling herself it was now or never, and then slipped into the office. Lit only by the fading light filtering in from the windows behind the massive telescope on the upper level, the room was seeped in shadow.
At first glance, she didn't see Dumbledore anywhere. The chair at his desk was empty, and as far as she could tell from her position just within the office door, he wasn't standing at one of the many glass front cabinets or bookcases in the circular room. The phoenix Fawkes wasn't on his perch, perhaps having decided to stretch his wings. The only sound, besides Adriana's beating heart, came from the sleeping headmasters in their portraits.
She quietly secured the door behind her and then stepped forward into the room. The darkened corners gave her pause, but she quickly came to realize that she was the only person there. Near Dumbledore's desk, on which parchments and books lay in organized chaos, Adriana felt a breeze. She turned her head and noted a satin brass umbrella stand propping open the balcony door.
She stole to the open doorway and paused when she saw Dumbledore standing at the stone railing. The light breeze ruffled his long hair and beard and buffeted the bottom of his robes. He seemed utterly at peace.
Adriana stood for what felt like hours but really was only seconds, when Dumbledore spoke.
"I wondered when you would come," he said, keeping his back turned. He had his hands clasped behind him and seemed completely resigned to whatever would happen next.
Adriana didn't immediately answer, wondering if Dumbledore had eyes in the back of his head. She gripped her wand and took a step out onto the balcony.
"I know what you're after, Adriana."
"What am I after?" she finally spoke.
"That which you have been researching these many months," Dumbledore replied. He finally turned to face her and studied her with very grave eyes. "Yes, Adriana, I know what you have been up to. I know what you plan to do. And yet, despite this awareness, I cannot help but feel a little surprised––and extremely disappointed."
He sighed and suddenly looked much older. "When you first came to Hogwarts eleven years ago, I saw in you a bright, young witch with extraordinary powers. There are many gifted wizards in our world, but fewer still have even greater potential. I'm quite pleased that I have more than one such individual on my staff."
There was a pause, and then he said, "I knew from the first that you were special. You were very much Robert Fairchild's child. But standing before me now, I see Anne, not Robert. I thought you were stronger, Adriana. I thought that you of all people would be able to face your demons and win. But alas, that was only wishful thinking on my part. Tell me, Adriana. Do you hear Voldemort's voice still?"
She knew from all the books she'd read and all the movies she'd seen in her old, mostly Muggle life, that allowing the victim to keep talking usually led to trouble for the perpetrator. She imagined Professor McGonagall stopping by to discuss business with Dumbledore, or Filch rushing in to report trouble somewhere in the castle.
She briefly wondered if anybody else knew what she was up to. Had Dumbledore voiced his suspicions to anyone? All the same, she didn't plan on sticking around. Her most precious items were already packed and ready to go.
Adriana couldn't help but supply Dumbledore with an answer. "No," she said honestly. "I haven't heard his voice since his death."
"But?" Dumbledore wisely asked.
"But," Adriana went on, heaving a deep sigh, "I feel his presence everywhere, and sometimes I feel like he's planting thoughts in my mind."
"How interesting," Dumbledore mused. "I wouldn't think it possible, but…" He gave a half shrug.
Adriana knew she should act now, but she couldn't help herself from asking him a question. "How do you always know everything? How did you figure me out?"
Dumbledore never took his eyes off of her. "I saw you with Tales of Beedle the Bard. It ought not to have meant much, since you would have read it or had it read to you as a child, but the book in your presence and your reaction upon me finding you with it left me wondering.
"Then I saw you with the wand maker, Mr. Kiddell, when you brought him to Hogwarts as your guest to the play. I knew then without a doubt that it wasn't just about a book of fairytales. I'm sure Mr. Kiddell has his charms, but I'm not certain he's your type. He's not Bill Weasley, is he?"
Adriana fought to keep her face impassive. What did Dumbledore know about the type of wizard she preferred to date anyway?
Dumbledore sighed then, suddenly appearing as old as his many years. When he spoke, his voice sounded even frailer.
"I'm dying, Adriana. Truth be told, I've been living on borrowed time for longer than Voldemort's been gone."
He held up the blackened hand that nobody looked twice at anymore. It had been a part of him for long enough that, although unusual and possessing a morbid quality, seemed to suit him. Adriana had hardly noticed it since returning to Britain after her time abroad. Dumbledore carried the hand as if there wasn't anything wrong with it, which made it easier to overlook.
"I owe my longevity, at least the years following my accident, to Severus. He managed to restrict the curse to my hand, but we both knew it would only be a temporary reprieve.
"I sometimes wonder if I would already be dead, had I not spent a considerable amount of time locked in a magic mirror. For me, time stood still, and the curse in my hand remained mercifully at rest."
He smiled the smallest of smiles. "Miss Granger, that is to say Mrs. Ronald Weasley, has no idea that her setting me free has a double meaning… or at least that would be the case, if you don't do what it is you are planning."
He held up his hands, one pale, one dark, and asked, "Have you truly decided, Adriana? Are you to put this old man into the grave before the curse spreading through his body takes him, or will you stand up to the voice in your head and make your father, and me, proud?"
Adriana stared at Dumbledore and felt within her a battle of wills. She felt a strong urge to lower her wand, feeling indebted to Dumbledore for restoring her old memories and returning her to the world in which she belonged. If not for Dumbledore, then Adriana would never have met Bill. Her time with him had been one of the happiest in her life.
And yet, if Dumbledore hadn't made her remember everything, then Voldemort would not have gained access to her mind. It had been her spiritual connection to the Dark Lord that had sent her on the downward spiral, which had cost her her original position at Hogwarts and her relationship with Bill. However, Adriana felt only acutely aware of Dumbledore's passive role in the darker events in her life.
She felt overcome with the need to follow orders, and her orders were to take possession of the Elder Wand. She jabbed her own wand forward and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Dumbledore stumbled backwards a few paces but steadied himself on the stone railing. His wand lay at Adriana's feet.
He spared it a final glance and then looked into Adriana's face. "You disappoint me, Adriana."
She felt shame roll over her in waves, but his fatherly admonishment also made her angry. She jabbed her wand forward again and hissed, "Avada Kedavra!"
Green light enveloped Dumbledore. Before he tipped over the railing, Adriana saw the final expression on his face. It was a mixture of serenity––his death freed him from the curse that was already killing him––and sadness. He had not been able to sway Adriana to goodness as he had hoped.
Adriana did not bother to see where he landed on the ground. She knelt and picked up the Elder Wand, that legendary piece of wood that she had been tasked with finding, and felt something like an electric charge race through her body. It felt perfect. She turned it this way and that and then held it out, as if ready to cast her first spell with it.
Her heart had never ceased beating wildly, and now it reminded her that she ought not to linger in what was no longer Dumbledore's office. She stowed away her old wand––why use it when a new and better wand had just chosen her?––and then made her flight from the castle.
Sisterly Talk
Author: Emerald Green
Date: 11-07-12 18:05
A knock on her partially open door has Emerald looking up fron a textbook. "Hey, Olive. I thought you'd gone with everyone else."
"I thought about it but I'm meeting up with Zuberi and didn't want spend the entire time watching the clock then rush home to get cleaned up before leaving again. I thought now might be a good time to talk to you about something if you aren't too busy."
Emerald closes the book and sets it on the bedside table. "Just rereading a few things for an upcoming test." She's taking a couple of summer classes with credits she's already made sure will transfer to Duke. Patting the bed in front of her she invites, "Sit. What's on your mind?"
Olive sits on the end of Emerald's bed, folding her legs up crosslegged. "You're the only one I can think of asking this of but I'm not really sure how to ask."
Just making that statement has brought a blush of red to Olive's cheeks. That her sister waited until they are alone in the house and is now showing a hint of embarrassment as she admits to know knowing what to say gives Emerald a good idea of the sort of question Olive has.
"It's something of a personal nature?"
"Yeah."
"Having to do with Zuberi?"
"How did you know?"
"It's not that hard to figure out. Go on and ask your question."
"How did you know when the time was right with Phin?"
"That's not so easy to answer. The best I can say is that the timing just seemed right. He was ready. I was ready without feeling pressured. Zuberi's not pressuring you is he?"
"No, not at all but we are definitely heading that direction."
"Don't rush. You're both still young."
"No younger than you, not really. He would have graduated already if not being kept back a year and I would be a seventh year if not for Happy Haven."
"Yeah, I guess so. I think I have blocked out exactly how grown up my little sister is. Make sure you use protection when the time does come."
"We will, I promise. Do you ever regret not waiting longer with Phin?"
Emerald chews on her lower lip, debating how much to say. She decides to be entirely honest. "Yes and no. Yes because sometimes I do wish I'd waited until I was out of school entirely by at least a year or two. No because it meant that experiences as Happy Haven and City of Hope were not my first exposure to sex and didn't warp my view of it."
"What do you Wait. You're saying you were raped? How did I not know that?"
"At Happy Haven, it was mostly all hush hush. I don't know why exactly. Maybe it was against the guards code of conduct, if they had such a thing. It's possible there was also some sort of awareness that with so many little kids around, they shouldn't be openly raping people. Its possible there was another reason. I just don't know. At City of Hope, rape was not openly condoned but nothing was ever done to any guard guilty of it."
"Did anything ever happen to those guards?"
"I can't speak for all of them. Of the ones guilty of raping me, one was killed during the liberation. The other two are in Azkaban on a number of charges."
"Did you ever talk about this with anyone?"
"Some with friends. Aunt Blythe. A therapist. Even Phin."
"I just can't believe I didn't know all this time."
"Now that you do, please make sure nothing is said around Jade and Hunter. I know they aren't babies anymore but this isn't something they need to know just yet, if at all."
"Yeah. I promise they won't learn it from me." Olive stretches out her legs. "Thanks, you know, for telling me and for the advice. I should let you get back to studying."
"If you need to talk more, this can wait, or if you want to talk another time."
"I'm good for now but I'll probably want to talk again, and soon. Thanks again, Emmie."
Olive leaves Emerald to her studies, but rather than returning to the European Wizarding World of the 14th century in her text, Emerald's thoughts are firmly stuck on wondering if Olive and Zuberi will do the deed for the first time today and should she have insisted Olive stay and talk more before going off on her date.
The Discovery
Author: Dante Knight
Date: 11-07-12 20:10
After parting ways with his family Dante had apparated to the far edge of Hogsmeade. He'd take his time making the walk to Hogwarts, his mind churning the entire way.
Should he speak with Professor Dumbledore?
Get it out of the way, remove Rocky's ability to threaten?
Would he be asked to leave his faculty position?
Would an Auror be sent for to question him?
Or, would he be taken to the Ministry for questioning?
Would he be formally arrested?
Once to the castle, Dante went straight to his quarters. He stood for a long time assessing how many material items he's acquired in the year he's been at Hogwarts. What would he take, what would he leave?
Telling himself to stop jumping ahead to a future that may not come to pass only to tell himself it's always best to be prepared for the worst outcome, Dante changed into shorts, t-shirt, and running shoes.
Two hours later Dante came to a half in the gloomy shadow of the castle. If not for full darkness finally falling, he'd probably still be out there, alternating between walking and running. He'd thought about using his wand to illuminate his path but he'd discarded that idea as soon as he had it when his stomach grumbled so loudly he knew he could no longer ignore the fact that he'd not eaten since a midmorning brunch.
Now that he's come to a full stop a bone weariness sets in. Dante considers lying down on the grass indefinitely. There's been the constant movement for the last couple of hours; the having had little to eat and drink today; the emotional and mental drain from meeting with his family; and, his mind turning his questions over and over while also trying to think exactly what to say when revealing everything to the headmaster. Such a lethargy has taken hold of his body Dante would not be surprised to find himself in this very spot come sunrise.
He must have zoned out entirely for a little while. Dante isn't sure if it's been a minute or an hour or even half the night. He simply has that feeling that he's missed some time somewhere. Much as he'd like to stay right where he is, he really does need to force himself to go in and eat, or at the very least get some water. As he is no doubt somewhat rank after his long workout, he should probably also shower.
Another minute or two passes without him moving, eyes fixed upward on the visible stars. He sighs aloud. "So you might have to find another job. So you might be pressured to reveal their location. They will be long gone from that cabin so there's nothing for you to tell. Stop wallowing and get up."
His body refuses to budge right away but after another five or ten minutes Dante is on his feet, bent with hands on knees, flexing his shoulders to work out the kinks. It's as he goes to fully upright that he sees something reflecting a combination of moonlight and light from some of the lower level castle windows. Something of the outline puts Dante in mind of a person who's tripped over and not yet pushed off the ground to stand again. Curious, Dante moves closer.
It takes a minute or two for Dante's overtired brain to fully process exactly what he's seeing. Dante checks for pulse and heartbeat. Confirming what he already knew, he finds neither. Having no idea what has occurred, whether this is from natural causes or was caused to happen he doesn't disturb the body further.
Stepping back, Dante turns in the direction of the nearest door, his slowness is moving now not so much because of how lacking in energy he is but because of the difficulty of going inside to tell whomever he encounters first that Albus Dumbledore lies dead.
Two That Can't Sleep
Author: Desdemona Diamond
Date: 11-07-12 20:49
"So…" Bronwyn began, and cut right to the heart of the matter, "Why didn't you tell me about you and Orion?"
"There was nothing to tell. Not at first."
"At first?" Bron asked.
"Yeah. He got in the middle of one of my cases. When his superiors saw I didn't kill him, 'cause apparently my temper is legendary, they decided to make us partners. Apparently Orion hasn't been performing as well as he should, so they decided he needed a partner. So they had me assigned to him."
"So, it's a work thing?"
"Yeah, I'm not supposed to tell anyone, so don't say anything."
"So, when whatever he's doing is done, that'll be it?"
I had no answer for her.
"There's something else, isn't there?" Bronwyn quickly figured out.
"Orion made me an offer, to have the transfer made permanent. At the Fest he slipped me a note. The offer is now official. If I want, I can become an Unspeakable and work with Orion on his missions."
"But?"
"I'm not sure I want to. Sure it sounds like fun, and exciting, but, I'm not sure I'd like the idea of leaving people behind."
Bronwyn thought a while before she said anything, "You don't have to always think about others. You can think about yourself sometimes. It's great that you do it so often, even if no one realizes it. Who knows, a career change may be a good thing?"
"Maybe…"
"Besides, a lot of the Ministries departments work together, it's not like you'll be totally cut off from everyone you work with."
"It's not the people I work with that I don't want to be cut off from."
"Who else would you leave behind?"
"You. And Toby. My parents, Arley, Seb, Xavier, and the Morgans too."
"Why would you leave everyone behind?"
"If I am transferred, I'd be working undercover a lot. I'd be someone else all the time."
Bronwyn said nothing, just seemed to look down.
"If I don't have to lose everyone, then I may accept the transfer."
"But you won't lose anybody!"
"If I have to leave them behind, then, yes, I would."
"Maybe while you're on assignment, but not permanently…"
"Well, who knows how long the assignments will last," I told her, "They could last months, or years…"
"So, you'll tell Orion no?" she asked with a bit of hope.
"If I have to choose between you and Orion, there's no contest," I told her, "I think I'll talk to Orion about it. If nothing can be worked out, then I guess I'll tell him no."
Bronwyn smiled as she stood, "Glad to be of help!"
"What would I do without you?" I asked with a smile.
"I do not know, I seriously think you'd be completely lost," She said as she walked to the door, "Good night. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon when you wake up."
"Good night!"
New Face…Curious
Author: Melinda
Date: 11-08-12 02:45
The last few nights she'd been working at Petals there had been a rather handsome gentleman in who had tipped her very well each night and she couldn't figure out why he was paying her so much favor when there were other girls just as talented. Not that she was complaining at all, but she didn't want to be a source of jealousy with the other girls.
As much as she tried not to think about him he kept creeping in to her thoughts. He was seriously cute and his eyes were definitely one of his most attractive features.
"Earth to Mel. Come back to us."
She looked up and Christian was sitting on the edge of her desk with a mug of coffee in hand.
"Sorry. Have a lot on my mind. What's up?"
"Nothing of import, but just wanted to remind you of the meeting at seven with Electra and Mathias Catchpoole. I know you usually work a second job and I will send word to them if you should miss any part of your shift."
Mel smiles. "Thanks, but I already got the night off for the meeting. And arranged for a sitter for Camden."
"Great. You have the directions to the restaurant and the parchmentwork I asked for is ready to go?"
"Yes, everything is ready. Do you want to look it over before hand?"
"Nope. I trust your judgment and your skill. I will see you later this evening."
"Alright. Thank you Christian. I will be there."
When she'd asked her sister to watch Camden, she had told her repeatedly that it wasn't a date it was a business dinner. However, her sister had continued to press until Mel had told her that her boss, the guy from work she was going to the meeting with was gay.
Mel attempted to focus on her work until the end of her shift but her mind kept wandering to the handsome, blue-eyed man from Petals.