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(Mark) New Internship
Author: Isolde
Date: 10-20-13 14:08
The Patent and Trademark Office at the Ministry of Magic consisted of a number of divisions, including Patents, Trademarks, Application and Filing (for Patents), Application and Filing (for Trademarks), Patent Records, and Trademark Records, to name a few. The office was very different from the Printing Office, where until recently Mark had served as an intern.
Following the events at Emrys Fest, Mark hadn't wanted to work under Will Dewhurst anymore. He didn't want to have to explain himself to Kate's father, assuming she had told him what Mark had done.
The Monday following Emrys Fest, Mark had gone straight to the wizard in charge of interns at Human Resources and requested either a change in departments or his resignation, citing personal reasons for both. He didn't want anyone to think that the reason he didn't want to work for Mr. Dewhurst anymore was because of something the older wizard had done. The truth was, Mark respected Kate's father very much and had learned more than he ever expected during his internship in the Printing Office.
He simply had to put some distance between himself and Mr. Dewhurst, if only to further distance himself from Kate. Three levels at the Ministry of Magic ought to do it.
Mark arrived for his shift at the Patent and Trademark Office, finding the Atrium as crowded as ever. He made his way to the bank of lifts and waited with the other smartly-dressed employees. One of the brass grates opened and a group of wizard spilled out onto the marble flooring. Mark waited until the last one exited before attempting to make his way inside, along with everyone else who had been waiting. He managed to find a place and turned to face forward, when his breath hitched in his throat.
In the distance he saw Will Dewhurst making his way over to the lifts. It wasn't clear that the older wizard had seen Mark, but he certainly would if the grate remained open for much longer. Mark silently willed it to close. To his relief, it did, jerking violently as it began its journey to the next level.
Location Unknown: Betrayed
Author: Ethan Somerset
Date: 10-20-13 17:10
The robes fit perfectly, which didn't come as a surprise since they had been tailor made by an Imperiused Muggle seamstress from the nearby village. Her work done, the seamstress had been summarily killed and her body dumped in the woods where it might be weeks or longer before someone found her.
Still, Hattie felt rather foolish in her set of child-sized Death Eater robes. Until now, she had not been allowed to go on any public raid without the risk of being recognized. Never mind the fact that nearly ever attack the Death Eaters had made thus far took place in the Muggle world.
Hattie sighed and put on the silver mask she had been given. It, too, was slightly smaller than those of her compatriots. Hattie lowered her hands to her sides and studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked ridiculous, like a child playing dress up for Halloween.
She heard a commotion behind her and turned to see Meadow accompanied by a wizard she recognized. Hattie removed the mask from her face and scowled at Meadow, who was snickering at her appearance.
"Hold your tongue or I might feel the need to remove it," Hattie threatened.
"He's got a mouth on him, hasn't he?" the wizard said.
Meadow rolled her eyes and said, "That's not a he. That's––"
"I said shut it, Meadow!" Hattie shouted, reaching in the folds of her voluminous Death Eater robes for her wand.
Meadow merely crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "What's the problem, Penn?"
"You are," Hattie replied, hating that she sounded like a petulant child instead of the grown woman she truly was. "Leave me alone with him."
Meadow quirked an eyebrow. "You're not going to kill him, are you? I'm certain Adriana would disapprove of you robbing her of a new ally, and as I'm the one who brought him in, I would appreciate it if you would leave him be."
"Why would I kill someone who shares the same passion I do?" Hattie asked.
The wizard beside Meadow raised his eyebrows, and then comprehension dawned. "You're…"
"Yes, yes. It's Hattie Harsnip, your old partner in crime," Meadow exclaimed, waving her arms around in an exaggerated fashion.
Hattie shot her a death glare.
"Fine, I'll leave you to catch up," Meadow said, slipping from the room.
Hattie turned her gaze upon the wizard, who had never truly been her partner. True, they had both worked for Voldemort in an unofficial, underground capacity, and true, they had both been assigned to deal with the same problematic wizard, but they had never really worked together before… until now, it seemed.
"So, Meadow has recruited Nero Noir to the Death Eaters," Hattie said.
"That she has," Nero replied, taking in Hattie's youthful, boyish appearance with the hint of a smile on his lips, but he didn't dare make fun. Theirs could be a very beneficial alliance.
He turned to the doorway through which Meadow had gone and remarked, "You don't seem to care for her very much."
"She has betrayed me."
"And yet she still lives," Nero remarked. "It seems to me if she had really wronged you in some fashion, you would have put and end to her already."
Hattie pulled her lips into a thin line. "Be that as it may, I still feel betrayal when I look upon her. It certainly doesn't help when she teases me for my looks. It's her fault I still appear this way!"
Nero shrugged. "Perhaps she will still rectify the matter, and if she can't, then certainly our leader can."
"Perhaps…" Hattie shrugged out of her new robes and folded them over her arm. "Are you a fugitive, Nero? Will you be staying here as Meadow and I do?"
"I am being investigated, so it is better that I remain in hiding."
"Good. Then we can catch up. You can tell me about news from the outside, and I can bring you up to date on what there is to know from within our little group."
Nero smiled at her. "I suspect you want to know about Somerset."
"Tell me," Hattie replied, nodding her head. "Tell me everything."
Hide And Seek (Miranda)
Author: Majandra
Date: 10-20-13 17:51
Six and a half year old Miranda Weasley stands in the middle of a ring of dandelions, slowly scanning for signs of where her five year old brother Georgie and soon to be eight years old cousins Larkin, Seth, and Gideon have hidden themselves. She's already found three and a half year old twin cousins Freddie and Fabian who were actually well hidden with someone's help but gave themselves away with constant giggling.
Among children not yet trained in magic, hide and go seek is no different from how Muggle children play.
Through a few trees off to one side, Miranda spots movement of bright yellow. As Larkin is wearing a yellow top, she's certain she's just caught a glimpse of the other girl sneaking from one hiding spot to another in an effort to get back to the safe "home" area they had designated when beginning the game. When playing inside they don't usually do the safe zone, something they have when playing tag. It's when they are outside and more spread out. If you get to the safe zone without being spotted or if spotted but not touched, you don't have to be seeker next time.
Bending a little at the waist and moving as quickly as she can while also trying to sneak, Miranda moves in a direction to head off Larkin. There is a path just past those trees that can be used as one way to get to the road leading to Ottery St. Catchpole. Larkin must be using it to get past where she last knew Miranda to be. If Miranda hurries, she'll reach a gap in the trees where Larkin will probably come off the path to run to the safe zone.
Miranda reaches the gap though there's no sign of Larkin. She's certain the older girl hasn't emerged yet. Larkin can't have. She would have seen her.
Wondering if Larkin went further, thinking to circle more around where the path curves a little, Miranda walks through the gap to the narrow dirt path, looking down in the direction Larkin was moving. Not seeing her cousin, she moves along the path trying to be quiet, and keeping her eyes open for any signs of Georgie, Gideon, and Seth.
Hearing movement nearby, Miranda ducks behind a bush, ready to jump out at Larkin or whichever boy it is. Ready to pounce, she briefly wonders why Larkin would come back this way instead of going through the woods where she was to run across to be safe. Then again, if hidden well enough, why would she want to risk being spotted or caught? Miranda doesn't really care. She just wants to find everyone else so they can start over with someone else as seeker because she thinks she has the perfect place to hide for next time.
Bright yellow comes into view so Miranda jumps out, yelling, "Got you," as she does, not paying attention that the bright yellow is too high from the ground to be Larkin's top.
The woman gives a squeal then, hand to chest, nervously giggles. "You startled me."
Embarrassed, Miranda hastens to apologize. "I'm sorry. I thought you were my cousin. We're playing hide and seek."
"Sorry, no, just a confused hiker. When I came to this path I thought going that way," she gestures over her shoulder, "would take me to the road but I seem to have been going back deeper into the woods again."
Ponytail swishing, Miranda shakes her head and points back the other direction. "You go that way for the road."
"Ah. Thank you! My half-day hike was looking to turn into a full day and maybe into the night at the rate I was going."
"If you're ever hiking here again and get lost, there are houses that way," Miranda says, pointing once more.
"Thank you again."
The woman goes back the other way and Miranda goes back to looking for her brother and cousins. Not two seconds later she locates not Larkin but Georgie, who'd been hiding behind one of the trees right where she was talking to the woman. Now that he's been found and doesn't have to keep silent, Georgie asks, "Who was that?"
"A lost hiker wanting the road to the village."
As he starts for the safe zone to wait while the others are either found or make it there without Miranda seeing or catching them, Georgie offhandedly says, "Sort of looks like you, Randa."
Following the footsteps of the woman, of a mind to check behind trees and bushes and wherever else along the path would be a good hiding spot, Miranda silently agrees with her brother. Now that she thinks about it, that lady did look like her. Spotting something purple, a color Gideon's wearing today, Miranda shrugs off the thought and quickly forgets it as she ends up giving Gideon chase when he sees he's been spotted and takes off to try and reach the safety zone before she touches him.
Prisoner
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 10-21-13 17:55
The room in which Bronwyn found herself was hardly bigger than a bathroom. It had a dirt floor and wooden panels for walls that seemed a bit worn. There were no windows or vents, but Bronwyn could still occasionally feel wind blow into the room. Sometimes it whistled as it made its way inside.
Bronwyn sat bound to a chair most of the time. The only exception was when it was time to eat or use the loo. Her bottom ached terribly from all the sitting. It didn't help that the chair was made of steel and lacked a cushioned seat.
In the few days she had been held captive, Bronwyn had already managed to lose track of time. Without any windows, it was difficult to judge night from day, though if she stared at the spaces between the wood panels hard enough, she could sometimes make out what looked like bright light.
She had seen her captor only a handful of times but had yet to get any answers from the young witch. Bronwyn didn't think she knew her at all, or at least she couldn't place her if she did. What she did know was that the witch was probably around her age. She had the same hair and wore the same kind of clothes. It was somewhat like looking in the mirror, even though they didn't share the same face.
While it was true that Bronwyn worried about her own fate, she also worried about Toby and the rest of her family. She wanted them to know that she was all right, or as all right as one could be when held prisoner in a tiny room. She comforted herself in knowing that Desi was probably already looking for her.
The door to the small room opened, and the young witch entered the room. She stopped before Bronwyn, holding neither food to eat nor the chamber pot Bronwyn found terribly uncomfortable to use.
"You're probably wondering why I brought you here," the witch said.
Bronwyn didn't reply. She had asked that questioned numerous times since finding herself in the small room. The witch hadn't deigned to answer until now, apparently.
"The thing of it is," the witch said, "you have something I want."
"What do you want?" Bronwyn asked.
"Your husband."
Bronwyn's jaw dropped. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it hadn't been that.
"What will you do with me?" Bronwyn asked, her voice breaking slightly.
"Make it so that he won't want you anymore. Of course, I have to keep you separated, at least for a while. The longer you're away, the easier it will be for him to forget about you…
"Eventually, he'll turn to me, since I'll remind him of you. He'll fall in love with me and forget all about you, especially if you come back looking horribly disfigured. If I even decide to let you come back. Maybe I'll leave you here to rot!"
Bronwyn stared at the witch in horror. She was obviously crazy, and that made her even scarier.
"What's your name?" Bronwyn asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
A smile spread across the witch's lips. She removed her hands from behind her back, where they had been during the entire exchange, and revealed a large set of sharp scissors. She stepped forward with them in hand and snipped the air threateningly.
"I'm Maybelle, soon to be Toby Beck's second wife."
Why Can't Libby Listen For Once?
Author: Georgia Copperpot
Date: 10-21-13 19:00
"Libby, slow down!"
Libby, as per usual, ignores me. I try using her full name. That seems to work for some.
"Liberty Annette Copperpot!"
Libby slows enough to look over her shoulder but that's about it. Time for what my Muggle grandmother Claude Hughes would call the big guns.
"Libby, if you do not stop and wait, you will not get any sweets and we will not go to McMerlin's!"
That gets her attention. She slows down, taking mincing little steps but doesn't come to a full stop.
"Libby," I warn.
My stubborn, wants to do her own thing, thinks she's the boss of everyone and everything little sister finally stops moving. She waits, arms folded, giving me such a withering glare that I'm a little shocked when her untrained magic doesn't flare up, combusting me on the spot.
Libby's statue stillness lasts maybe three seconds. She suddenly takes off again, this time instead of continuing on the same side of Diagon Alley's lane crossing over to the other side. She she dashes across she squeals, "Sex god! Sex god!" causing more than a few heads to turn her direction. One of those heads is that of the sex god himself, Sage Porter.
Libby reaches Sage before he's even pinpointed where the shouting of his name was coming from. She hurls himself at his legs, arms going around to clasp him in a hug. When I get there he's trying to prise her free but she's having none of that. Just as I arrive she's telling him, "You need to visit me, sex god. Cheeky monkey can go away."
"Really, Libby. You're too old to talk like you're practically still a toddler." To Sage I say, "Sorry for this."
Still bent over attempting to loosen Libby's grip, Sage lifts his head to look at me best he can from that position. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"My sister is attempting to graft herself to your legs. I think I should worry."
"No, really. It's fine, Georgia. I don't mind that Libby's happy to see me." He looks back down at her, probably with a crick in his neck by now from having looked at me. "You had a birthday a few weeks ago, didn't you, Libs?"
"I'm nine."
"Look, how about you let my legs go so I can walk and we'll go to the Flour Shoppe, where I'll buy you a belated slice of birthday cake?"
"What's lated?"
"Belated. It means I'm late saying happy birthday and getting you something."
"You don't have to get her anything, Sage, not even a slice of cake."
"Hush, cheeky monkey. I need cake and presents."
"You had cake and presents," I remind as Sage says, "It's okay, Georgia. I don't mind and I want to."
Libby, finally relinquishing her hold on Sage's legs, gives me a know it all, somewhat condescending smile. "See."
She takes Sage by the hand and they start walking. Surrendering this particular fight with my sister, I fall into step beside her, letting her chatter away rather than trying to find something of my own to say to my ex sex god boyfriend, Sage Porter.
(Jasmine Serano) No Longer A Fun Trip
Author: Xiomara Sofia Serano
Date: 10-22-13 05:38
Sitting on the bed, in the room that I had been expected to remain in, I kicked my feet back and forth pulling pieces of parchment apart and letting the little pieces land upon the area rug on the hardwood floor beneath me. I was tired of being away from home. This 'trip' wasn't fun any more and I wanted to see my mother again. I even missed my tutor and Alexander (as nosey as he was).
I'd asked Thadeous if I could go home and he said no, that my mother hadn't done what he wanted of her yet and that meant that I couldn't go home. Not until she'd done what he'd all but demanded of her. I was starting to get annoyed, really, really annoyed. I wanted to go home.
"Jasmine, time for dinner..." Thadeous' voice trailed up the stairs.
"I'm not hungry." I shouted, and flopped down on my bed, kicking my legs lightly.
I knew my Mother was looking for me, there was no way that she would let me be gone this long. Every time we went out, I was hoping that I'd see her on the streets of Prague, trying to find me. She'd see or hear me singing in the marketplace when we went out, and she'd take me home with her.
"Jasmine, dinner. Now." Thadeous' voice was just outside my door and I knew within in a moment he would be in my room dragging me down to the table.
"I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!" I yelled, burying my head beneath my pillow and wishing he would just go away.
True to form, the door soon opened and Thadeous was in the room. A flick of his wand and I thought I heard "petrificus totalus" or something along those lines because the next moment I couldn't move. Great.
Then I was moving, or rather Thadeous was moving me. Carrying me downstairs and the spell was released the moment that I was settled in a chair at the table. Great, now I'd be forced to stare at them all evening, because I had no intention of eating the food that they put in front of me. So far I'd done well enough, only eating small morsels of food – but I was starting to get hungry, and I knew that they wanted me alive, if they didn't they probably would have sent me back home dead by now instead of keeping me for however long I'd been here already.
"Eat Jasmine, I'd hate to have to send you back to your mum starved. Besides, you'll want to be well fed because we are going to see her tomorrow. To see if she's been trying to find the book." Thadeous said with a smirk, knowing that even if it was a lie I would probably believe him and eat dinner.
Petulantly I turned my gaze to him. "You've never taken me to see her before, why should I believe you now? Why should I believe that you'll let me near her when she could easily kill you and just take me home?"
Thadeous smirked lightly, "Because she will not know it is you dear Jasmine, and you won't be able to tell her anything in the meeting."
I blinked, wondering what he was planning, and I knew that I would have to find someway to counter whatever the hell he was planning. Already, I knew that my mother would be trying to find me, and if she could find the book it would get me home faster – but she'd probably find the book, keep it for herself and take me home anyway. I'd been trying to give her glimpses of where I was, how I could be found each time I figured she might be using her mirror to find me, but I doubted it was enough.
The Holder of Truth
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 10-22-13 05:55
Things had been relatively quiet this summer, until Emrys Fest when Bronwyn had gone missing. We'd rallied to support Toby and were helping trying to find her, with aid of the Ministry of course. I'd gotten things ready for the beginning of term this coming September early on in the summer leaving everything else free – save for perhaps minor details.
I had lunch with Maggie about once a week and kept in touch with her, and today I was simply relaxing and currently sitting at one of the open air tables at a quaint little cafe in Wizarding SoHo reading a book. People watching was something I enjoyed and had done quite a bit of it throughout my travels. I was thankful that the wanderlust had cooled a bit, and Ariella and I were taking trips sparingly – and now that we were both done with St. Emrys perhaps we could begin starting a family.
"Lawrence Masterson?"
I blinked, hearing someone say my name. I turned and saw a witch dressed as a currier, curious as to why whatever she had for me wasn't being delivered via owl, and more importantly how had she found me out here today?
"Yes, I am Lawrence."
"Good. This is for you..." She said, dropping an envelope on the table before me and before I could say anything else apparated with a crack.
I stared at the envelope, and was curious as to what it was. However, I also had an uneasy feeling as I continued to stare at the envelope. Some how, I had a feeling whatever was within it was not something I wanted to deal with, I wanted to know, or should open sitting out in the open. I finished the last of the crisps on my plate, dropped a tip for the waitress and grabbed my book before apparating back to Hogsmeade and headed into the Castle and to my quarters.
Several hours later, I was staring at the contents of the envelope. Letters, photographs. All of it spread out on the coffee table, and I didn't believe any of it. The initial letter, written in a script that I didn't recognize was laid out on top of everything else.
Dear Lawrence,
Orphaned at fifteen, forced to move to London. Didn't really know the truth about Mummy and Daddy.
Will the fairytale be shattered, or will you still cling to the fact that your parents were saints?
Sincerely,
The Holder of Truth
The Holder of Truth? Seriously? Could that have been any cheesier?
However, I couldn't help but begin to have the smallest fissure of doubt, what if the things that I'd been given were actual truth? I wanted to talk to Ariella about this, or maybe I should just try and figure it out myself, we already had enough to worry about with Toby missing.
(Orion's Flat, London) Ugh, Shopping…
Author: Orion Howell
Date: 10-22-13 11:56
Orion looked down at the scratched parchment in front of him. Though not working for the Ministry any longer, Bronwyn was a friend and her disappearance nagged at him. He'd been in contact with Driver about working together again, so that Desi could focus on the official investigation. Something was nagging at him though, some little bit that wasn't adding up.
There were a number of times that Bron or Toby had mentioned seeing someone who looked remarkably like her, even Desi had said something on it once. With Toby's position, or even Bronwyn's on the WWN, a stalker wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
All he had was a hunch though, and that wouldn't get far with the Ministry. At least not with the Auror department. But it would at least be another avenue to explore. He'd have to run it by Desi later.
"Uncle Orion!" came from the other room.
"Yes, Sagitta?"
"When are we going to Diagon Alley? I want to get my wand," the eleven-year old pouted. "I thought you said Bronwyn was going to take me."
"Yes, but remember, I told you something's happened and Bronwyn can't right now?" Orion said and the child wrinkled her nose.
"Oh. Is that what you were working on?"
"Yes, I've been trying to help Desi with some ideas on where she might be."
"I hope she comes back soon, I wanted to see her before I go to Hogwarts."
"I hope so too, kiddo. But come on, we'll go get something to eat and then we can get your wand and uniforms and all of that other stuff. I think I can handle some minor shopping," Orion said and Sagitta nodded.
"Okay. Can we Floo Mr. Foster and ask if Remedy can come? I know she needs to get her stuff too," Sagitta said and Orion nodded.
"An excellent idea. You get dressed, I'll Floo Jefferson and see if Remedy can come along."