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Ready or Not
Author: Finley
Date: 10-28-13 09:39
Finley walked into the dormitory room she shared with the other girls at Winchcombe Children's Home and set a glass of water on the night stand next to her bed. A couple of the other girls were already in their beds, some reading books and others already sleeping. Finley pulled back the covers to her own bed, climbed in, and then turned off the lamp on the night stand.
She had difficulty falling asleep because she knew that she only had a few more days left before term started at her new school. Finley was both excited to leave the orphanage and nervous. She didn't know what to expect at a school for magic, considering she didn't know anything about magic at all and until recently, didn't even know it existed. What if she wasn't any good at it? What if the Headmistress had made a mistake and she didn't actually belong there?
Her recent trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid had been an eye-opener. Finley had witnessed so many incredible sights, like crowds of people wearing odd clothing and objects that seemed to move of their own accord. She saw flying broomsticks, color-changing cauldrons, and owls that were apparently used to deliver mail and could be kept as pets. Finley also saw real, live goblins at the bank. She wondered what other fantastical creatures from myth and legend were actually very real.
Without money of her own, there was only so much she could purchase for school. Hagrid explained that students such as herself without family or means sometimes received a small amount of money through the school to pay for supplies. Nearly everything Finley got on that shopping trip was second-hand, but she didn't mind. It was more than she had ever owned in her entire life.
The one thing she received new was her wand. When she first learned about magic being real, the idea of having a wand had never once crossed her mind. Then Hagrid took her to Ollivander's. There she saw towering stacks of slim boxes as far as the eye could see. The kind old wandmaker gave her several wands to test. Finley felt very foolish waving the wands as if she knew what to do with it. Mostly nothing happened, but sometimes something broke or exploded. The final wand she tried was the one she ended up purchasing. It was made of ash, had the core of a unicorn tail, and was exactly eleven inches long.
Her wand and the rest of her supplies, like books and her uniform, were all in a locked suitcase under her bed. Hagrid thought it best she secure her items as long as she remained in the orphanage, since "Muggles" as he called non-magical people, weren't supposed to know about magic and would certainly question the items in her suitcase.
After a while Finley fell asleep, only to awake when she heard a noise coming from under her bed. She sat up and peered over the edge, to find two poofy pigtails bent over the suitcase, which had been pulled out from under the bed.
Finley turned on the lamp on her bedside table. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded of Charla, who looked up without the slightest notion of regret on her face.
"I wanted to see what you're hiding," Charla replied, climbing to her feet and tugging down the hem of the long T-shirt in which she slept.
"That's none of your business," Finley answered. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and climbed down to make sure Charla hadn't succeeded in getting the suitcase open. The lock was still intact, but the leather around it looked more distressed than it had when Hagrid bought the used suitcase from the junk shop in Diagon Alley.
"Fine. I'm sure whatever it is, it's freaky just like you are. I hope you like your new freaky school, Finley. I'm sure it's just where you belong."
Finley pushed the suitcase back under her bed and turned around to face Charla, so that they were eye to eye. "I can't wait to get there so that I can be far away from you. Now you better get away from me or I might have to make something happen."
Her eyes cut to the lamp on the night stand. Charla followed her gaze and then remembered pieces of light bulb showering down from the ceiling after a different encounter with Finley. She turned back to Finley and opened her mouth to retort, but then she appeared to think better of it. She clamped her mouth shut and brushed past Finley to return to her bed.
Finley watched her go, and then noticed that other girls had watched the entire exchange. Finley scowled and climbed back into her bed. She reached over to the lamp and turned it off and then pulled the covers over her head. The first of September couldn't come soon enough.
Zane
Author: Ella
Date: 10-28-13 16:11
Zane stood just outside the abbey but well within the wards placed around the property's borders. The air was crisp, now that night had fallen, but it wasn't chilly enough to require a jacket to remain comfortable. The moon was nearly full and lit up the entire landscape.
Zane lit up a cigarette and blew smoke to the sky, temporarily obliterating some of the stars.
"Nice night," said the Taiwanese wizard whose name Zane could never remember.
"Yes," Zane replied, keeping his gaze turned to the night sky, "and yet I still have the feeling of being cooped up with nowhere to go."
"You are not alone in seeking asylum with Adriana," Kep-Tian said. "There are others who can no longer go home."
"Are you one such person?" Zane asked, finally turning to look at the wizard standing next to him in the grass.
"Yes and no," Kep-Tian admitted. "My exile from my home country stems from many years ago, but I do have my own residence, one that is safely hidden from those who might wish to find me."
Zane couldn't make the same claim. The homes and flats where he and Ella had lived were not safe for his return. He doubted law enforcement continued to stake them out, but he felt certain that they would know if he went to any of his former residences.
He wondered about Ella. Where was she now? How was she feeling? Did she hate him? Was she with that fool Francis now?
Zane didn't know anything having to do with her and had no way of knowing, unless he could convince someone to look in on her. He cast a sideways glance at Kep-Tian but ultimately decided to keep the question to himself.
Zane flicked the cigarette bud into the grass and stubbed it out with the toe of his boot before telling the Taiwanese wizard good night and heading back inside the abbey.
At The Lupins
Author: Sirius Padfoot Black
Date: 10-28-13 20:04
Drucilla calls out, "Not so rough, James. Teddy's smaller than you."
The twins turned seven in May while Teddy Lupin is just shy of his fifth birthday. Though James is not huge compared to Teddy, there is a size difference. Teddy doesn't seem to mind though and can be just as rough and tumble as James, who seems to always enjoy having another boy to play with even if Mira is in the thick of it. She's been right there, keeping up with them, running and wrestling.
Dru dolefully says to Tonks, "Just when I think she's the girliest of girls, she proves me wrong."
"Nothing wrong with that." Tonks can be girly but she's also known for being something of a tomboy. She casts a glance over to where their husbands are standing at a grill. "Do you think if they're trying to figure out how to magically make the chicken grilled to juicy perfection?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Dru laughs, leaning over to check on Zaria, who passed out a short time ago. She doesn't plan on letting the child, who will be two at the end of October, sleep for very long or she'll want to be up till the wee hours once they're home.
Tonks tops off the slushy margarita they're both having. "Did you decide if you'll accept the offer to work full-time?"
"No. I'll have a really great day with the kids and think, no, I don't want to do anything more than part-time and then they'll start whining and griping and throwing temper tantrums and I think, yes, I'd love to get away from this."
"What does Sirius say?"
Dru chuckles. "What do you think he says?"
"That you should do whatever makes you happy and he'll support you in your decision."
"That's almost word for word." Dru reaches for a chip and as she scoops up some dip with it she asks, "Any word on Fairchild?"
"Nothing solid. I don't know who's more frustrated, those of us on the case or Harry."
"What about our neighbor from down the lane, Dexter Morgan? Anyone have a clue what's become of him?"
"Not that I know but I'm not on that case. They could have something and just not released that information yet. There are actually several missing persons cases being worked by Hit Wizards and Aurors, such as that Quidditch players wife, Bronwyn Beck. I've only got one such case, a bloke whose wife sent him to Mr. Mulpepper's Apothocary but he never made it there. She thinks Fairchild took him but she comes off as such a shrew I wouldn't be surprised if he decided he'd had enough and left."
"Why do you have that case and not a Hit Wizard?"
"Because there is a suggestion that he was dabbling in dark arts and he's told a few friends that he thinks Adriana Fairchild is quite the looker and rather sexy."
That particular line of conversation comes to a halt when Remus loudly announces, "Chicken's ready," and Sirius asks, "Who's hungry?"
The next few minutes are spent bringing the rest of the food out and getting the children settled with plates. When the adults are seated with their own food, the subject turns to Sirius and whether he's looking forward to another Hogwarts term in a few days.
(Adriana) Checking in and Meeting Someone New
Author: Bill Weasley
Date: 10-29-13 17:23
The Old Crown was Birmingham's oldest inn. Adriana slipped inside the pub and made her way to one of the unoccupied tables. She wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, the latter of which she removed once inside the dimly-lit eatery. Those she knew would certainly recognize her, but she didn't expect to meet anyone familiar, except Christina Sorcha.
Sorcha arrived promptly and joined Adriana at the small, round table.
"Is this really a good idea?" Sorcha asked. "You being out in public like this?"
"Nobody here knows who I am, except for you, and I know you're not going to say anything," Adriana pointed out, not having to voice the consequences Sorcha would face for acting out of turn. She knew that her son's well-being was at stake.
Adriana picked up her menu and began perusing it. "I asked you here because I want to know if you've made any progress into locating the place of his burial."
Sorcha picked up her own menu and said, "If the information is in his file, I haven't yet found it, but I'm still looking. It's very thick, as you might imagine, and it's not always easy getting into Records. Well, the getting in is easy if you're a maintenance worker, but accessing the files is another story altogether."
Adriana looked up as a waiter approached their table and ordered an English pale ale, despite the fact that she had told herself she would never drink alcohol again after overdoing it at Dexter's brother's bar. She also ordered a baguette with Shropshire ham and cheddar.
After Sorcha stated what she wanted and the waiter walked away to fulfill their orders, Adriana said, "There is something else I want you to look for while you are in his record." Without telling Sorcha about the sword she had seen in Voldemort's memory, she asked her to notate any special objects or weapons associated with him and to look for the names or descriptions of unidentified associates of his.
Their food arrived quickly. Once they were alone again, Adriana inquired after "Sorcha's puppet," the solicitor Reed Wycombe.
"He's an idiot," Sorcha replied, "but he's easy to manipulate. Is there something else you would have him do?"
"There are others in Azkaban loyal to the cause. With Pius Thicknesse in charge of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I think your little lawyer will have an easier time getting the approval to retry certain convicts."
"I'll give him the assignment. Anything else?"
Adriana thought for a moment. She already had many in her pocket at the Ministry of Magic. Thicknesse was in charge of an entire department, and a very powerful one at that. Adriana had someone working the Floo Network and someone else operating as an obliviator. There were many more roles to fill, however.
"Just find him," Adriana finally said, thinking of the most important task at hand. "And Christina? Be quick about it."
Sorcha pulled her lips together in a thin line but didn't reply. The rest of the meal was taken in silence, and then Adriana left.
When she arrived at the abbey, she was surprised to see one of her newer followers, Vandalia Keene, with someone she didn't recognize. Like Adriana, Vandalia had a foot in the Muggle world, but she was of the opinion that wizards were the superior race. Vandalia worked in the antique and antiquities business and filled the void that Hans had left.
Adriana approached the pair. She didn't like it when her followers sprang an unvetted newcomer upon her without warning, but she had eaten a decent meal and felt in good spirits. Maybe it was the ale, though she had limited herself to only one glass.
"Who's this?" Adriana asked without preamble.
"This is Jimmy Stewart," Vandalia replied.
Adriana, who had once been a theatrical type person, quirked an eyebrow. "You're much younger and more alive than I remembered, Jimmy." To Vandalia she asked, "Why did you bring him here?"
"He has a proposition for you," Vandalia replied. "I think he could be of use to us."
"I'll be the judge of that," Adriana responded. She took in Jimmy's appearance, not at all oblivious to the fact that he was very good-looking. When her eyes met his, she asked, "So, what is it you have to offer me?"
School Supplies
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 10-29-13 17:39
"Devon. Hello."
"Hi, Mrs. Malone."
Gertrude Malone does a quick scan of the immediate area before asking, "Where's your mum?"
"She's at home with a sour stomach."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Please tell Loraine I hope she's better soon."
"Yes, ma'am, I'll tell her."
Noting one of the books at Devon's feet Mrs. Malone asks, "School shopping?"
Devon nods, "Term starts soon."
"So you're here with your father then."
Christopher comes around the aisle just as Mrs. Malone makes this statement so Devon hooks a thumb at him as she shakes her head. "With my cousin Christopher."
He nods at the witch. "Hi, Mrs. Malone. How are you?"
"I'm well, thank you. It's so nice you're helping Devon get her school supplies, Christopher."
"I'm happy to help."
"I hear you're going to become a veterinary healer."
"Yes, going through Marjoribanks College at St. Emrys."
"That's fantastic! Well, I shall let you two get on with it. Devon, I'll check on your mum in a few days to see how she's doing."
"Thank you, Mrs. Malone." Devon waits until the older woman has begun walking away before nodding at the two texts Christopher holds, "I think that makes everything here."
Christopher and Devon go through her list just to be sure then take the stack of books to the line at the cashier. The line moves fairly quickly so they're soon exiting Flourish & Blotts. Thinking they're done with shopping for her, Devon turns in the direction of The Leaky Cauldron only to have Christopher stop her.
"This way."
"Sorry. I didn't know you needed anything."
He grins down at her. "Not for me. For you. Uncle Edward gave me the galleons to get you something else if you want it."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"A broom."
Devon had hoped to get a broom in one of the eggs during the Hogwarts Easter Egg Hunt but while she got a number of great prizes, a broom wasn't one of them. She's not sure she'd want to play for the Hufflepuff House team but having her own broom to take part in just for fun matches would be great. She quickly covers the steps back to her cousin and they walk the other direction to Quality Quidditch Supplies, Christopher telling her, "If we don't find one here, or if you want to shop around, we'll go to Hogsmeade to Krum's."
Despite carrying her share of the shopping bags, Devon is practically skipping when they reach the Quiddich shoppe.
(Blackguard Offices) A Lead
Author: Nephele Mockridge
Date: 10-29-13 19:28
Nephele wrinkled her nose. She'd taken a break from her beloved potions to look over Pippin's notes on the most recent phase of the investigation. The break-in had led to a number of obscure leads, but this one seemed the oddest yet. They'd found a bizarre list of notations, which they had been steadily working their way through, but this last one was confusing them all.
Pippin wandered over and perched on the edge of the desk she'd claimed when she wasn't in the lab. "Find something, Luv?"
"No. This bloody thing doesn't make any sense. It's like someone took Greek, translated it to Latin, and then translated it into French, German and then English."
"Does it make sense if you translate that?"
"Lucky for you, I know all of those languages, along with Spanish and Italian, though I admit, my German's a bit rusty."
"Thank Merlin for your mother's overachieving nature and private tutors," Pip teased as Nephele shuffled her notes.
"Yes, yes, I'll tell her you said that. And if we ever have children, you get to explain to her just why we won't be having that many," Nephele said, finding the right sheet. "It's Muggle literature about some chick named Alice, but a variety of names are underlined."
"Anything useful?"
"The White Rabbit is underlined. And next to it, there's a name. Revanche. It's French." Nephele looked at it again. "That might be the name of someone Kirley and Cass were investigating, when looking for Skeeter's source. They said an R connected to an L, and when I did a cursory search of the French society pages, Marc LeBeau recently ended a presumed engagement to Camille Revanche. Rumor had it he'd been seen with a dark-haired British Temptress."
"You think that could be Cass' sister?"
"No crazier than some of these other leads," Nephele said. "We should probably talk to Mademoiselle Revanche."
"Are you sure you don't just want an excuse to go back to Paris?"
"Perhaps. But still, we should discuss a few things, see if she can tell us anything useful."
Pip grinned and tugged Nephele up to her feet. "Well, then let's go," he said, kissing her soundly. "Did I forget to mention how much I like it when you wear green?" he murmured, winking as he tugged on the edge of her green sweater.