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Quiet Summer
Author: Karma Davyd
Date: 09-27-15 16:34
The girls had been at their grandparents for the majority of the summer, and were coming home soon. I'd taken time to do a bit of a cleaning through their rooms and throw away any broken toys and things of that nature, as well as buy Jui and KJ a few new school supplies for the start of their school year at the day school.
Being a single mother of three was not something I was planning on, but as the days go by it gets easier dealing with the fact that Dexter is not here to see these moments with them. His birthday was earlier this month, and I'd celebrated by myself as the girls were with his parents.
I was currently going through and getting my lesson plans put together for the coming school year and I couldn't help but marvel at how quickly the summer had passed and it was nearly going to be September First and the start of yet another term. I was thankful for my teaching job at Hogwarts and I was looking forward to ultimately the day when my three began their time at the school.
Avi and Jag currently weaved their way around my legs as I sat at the kitchen table, and mewled insistently because they were apparently starving because the bottom of their food bowls could be seen. Shaking my head, I pushed myself upward, scratching each of them behind the ears before I added a bit more food to their bowls.
I pushed a hand through my hair and attempted to remember if I ate anything in the last few hours. The rumbling of my stomach indicated that, nope, I'd not eaten anything since breakfast this morning and it was now nearly half past five.
Quick flick of my wand and my lesson plans and other paperwork was currently placed in a neat pile off to the side of the table as I set about reheating some leftover curry and steaming small amount of rice to go with it. I also heated up a couple pieces of naan to go with the meal.
By the time the food was done, I'd decided that I was done being cooped up in the kitchen and headed out to the patio and enjoyed the sounds of the evening, the cats following me outside to play in the fading sunlight. I still wasn't used to the quietness of the time when the girls weren't here, and I wasn't entirely sure how I'd handle it when I began sending them to Hogwarts when they came of age.
Nearing Summer's End
Author: Lawrence Masterson
Date: 09-27-15 16:43
I'd spent the bulk of the morning out in the greenhouses getting things ready for the beginning of the school year when I would have a new group of fifth years, who would be dealing with the tougher OWL coursework.
I'd spent most of the summer attempting to keep myself distracted and not avidly hunting my daughter, who still has not yet been found and there has been very little evidence pointing to who took her all those months ago. I missed my daughter more than I could even begin to formulate words to express.
With all the misfortune that had happened to the Beck and Masterson families, it made me wonder if we would survive the rest of the year without any further incidents. I could hope that eventually all our issues would be resolved and things would slowly begin to return to normal...however, when that would actually happen was anyone's guess.
Heading back inside, I headed upstairs for a shower and ultimately Ariella and I were going to be meeting Maggie in the village for a late birthday dinner. Her birthday had been earlier this month and ultimately I'd been a horrible brother and forgotten...though I knew she wasn't in any way cross with me for forgetting, because of everything going on.
"Ready to go?"
I asked as I came up behind my wife, and wrapped my arms around her waist, brushing a kiss against her cheek. I held her close for several moments, not wishing to let her go. The fact that the pair of us had some how managed to hold ourselves together, to continue to trudge through every day with our daughter's fate unknown ceased to amaze me.
"Almost," she said after a moment then slipped from my embrace to finish getting ready.
Within moments we were heading out of the castle and to the village for dinner with Maggie and a night of celebration.
(Aderyn) Last Carter at Hogwarts
Author: Cai Pembroke Carter
Date: 09-27-15 16:59
"I seriously cannot believe that I am the last member of my family to be still in school. However, I will be the only member of my family to finish at the same school. Even went to three schools. Broderick, Angharad, and Cai went to two. I started at Hogwarts and have every intention of finishing at Hogwarts."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, we moved around a lot because of my parents, but I think this is the absolute longest we've ever lived in the same place and I don't think that we are moving anytime soon."
"Well that's good, because I'd hate to lose a friend because you are moving to some other country."
Emily Murray and I had been classmates but hadn't really talked until Emrys Fest this year and we'd hit it off and had been spending a lot of time together this summer. Currently, we were shopping for school supplies, and getting ready to enjoy our fourth year, which would be our last before we had to deal with OWL course work.
"Your parents signed the permission slips and everything for Hogsmeade this year right?" Emily asked as we headed into the Astronomer's Nook to get new star charts and things for Astronomy. It was one of our last stops before we had to head to Madame Malkin's to get robes.
"Were are we eating lunch? McMerlin's or the Deli?"
We debated the merits of each location before ultimately making a decision to eat at Delia's Deli because it was the only time we could eat here unless we had to replenish any supplies when we came home for winter holiday.
"Lunch then Madame Malkins?" Emily suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me. Are you coming to my house after, or do you have to head home?"
"I already told my mum that I was crashing at your place tonight remember?"
"That's right. Sorry, spaced for a minute there. Alright, let's get the rest of this shopping done so we can spend time shopping for things not school related. I think Narcissa's got a new shipment of clothes recently and I wanna look."
We took care of our last purchases and headed to the Deli for lunch, before heading to Madame Malkins, which took longer than either of them had anticipated due to the fact that they had come in behind a group of about two or three first years who were getting fitted for their robes.
Eventually all of our purchases were done and we headed to Narcissa's and got a few new accessories and a new outfit each which would be worn on the train ride to Hogwarts before we had to put on our robes for the Start of Term Feast.
"Alright, now that we are done...I think it's safe to floo home unless you want to stop and double check and make sure we didn't actually forget anything."
Quick check of supplies revealed that there were a few things missing and quickly we grabbed the last few things we'd forgotten before flooing home for dinner and Emily helping me pack my trunk with the plethora of supplies we'd just bought as well as the things that remained from last year that were still in good condition as well as textbooks and things.
(Kate) Shocked
Author: Bronwyn Dewhurst
Date: 09-27-15 17:17
Kate consulted the list in her hands and asked, "What about a nursing pillow?"
Hugo made a face and said, "I don't want to think about my cousin nursing. Something else, please."
Kate sighed and scanned the list again. Hugo's much older cousin was finally pregnant after trying for more than a decade. Her baby shower was just days away, and Hugo, who was invited since the party wasn't a traditional women-only one, had waited till the last minute to buy a gift.
"There's not much left," Kate remarked. The wish list was charmed to cross off any gift already purchased by anyone shopping off the list. There were more items crossed off than not. "Nappies?" she finally suggested.
Hugo made a face again and said, "That's unoriginal."
Kate huffed and said, "I'm sure your cousin would appreciate nappies, since I'm told babies go through quite a lot. There are different sizes. You could get some for when the baby is a little bigger."
"Oh, here we are," Hugo said, grabbing a yellow rubber duck off the shelf. He gave it a squeeze, making it quack. "Can't go wrong with a rubber ducky."
Kate shook her head and said, "If that's what you're going to get, you better throw in one of these." She pointed out an infant towel with a hood that was also a duck. It was folded and neatly wrapped with an orange bow.
Hugo nodded. "Good. Now I have a theme."
He turned and proceeded to look for anything else with a duck and bathtime theme, no longer needing Kate's assistance with his shopping. She left him to his own devices and wandered over to a display of stuffed animals, when the door chime sounded. Kate glanced over at the door and gasped when she saw a heavily pregnant Capri enter the store.
Kate's eyes unexpectedly filled with tears, especially when Mark entered the shop behind Capri. So they were still together, and apparently they were having a baby! Kate backed away from their line of sight and ducked down another aisle. She wanted to leave the store immediately, but she didn't know how she could do it without Capri or Mark noticing her.
She found Hugo with an armful of things and rushed up to him saying, "We need to go."
"What? Why?" Hugo said. "I'm on a roll, Babe. Also, why are you whispering?" He looked at her then and saw her face.
His whole demeanor changed. "What happened? What's wrong?"
His question was answered when Capri and Mark appeared at the end of the aisle. There was a long moment when the four former Hogwarts students looked at one another in silence, and then Hugo cleared his throat and said, "Yeah. I think I've got everything I need here."
He somehow managed to take Kate by the arm and led her up to the checkout counter. She didn't dare look back at the others. It hurt too much to see them anyway. But why? She wanted nothing more to do with Mark and didn't give a fig about Capri. The fact that they were still together and adding to their family shouldn't matter to Kate at all.
But it did.
Hugo wrapped up his transaction quickly and then escorted Kate out of the building. They walked swiftly down High Street until Hugo stopped suddenly. Kate staggered to a stop next to him.
"Are you upset because they said something unpleasant to you or because you're still mad at Mark for betraying you, or is it because you had no idea Capri was pregnant and that Mark is probably the father?" Hugo asked.
Kate couldn't lie to Hugo. Their relationship wasn't as good now as it had been in the beginning, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be honest with him.
"It shouldn't bother me," she admitted, "but it does. I don't know why, but it does. I'm sorry, Hugo. I wish it didn't."
Hugo studied her for a moment and then took her by the hand and said, "He meant a lot to you, I know that. I also know that you didn't expect things to end with him the way they did. It wasn't your choice to move on. It was his. I guess that's why I'm not surprised that he still affects you, even though I know you don't want him to."
"Hugo, I––", Kate began, but he shook her head and squeezed her hand.
"I know how you feel about me and know you won't go back to him. I'm not worried, but I am worried about you. Will you be okay?"
Kate thought for sure Hugo would be mad, but then she had never seen him angry before, not even before they started dating. She nodded and then threw her arms around his neck. She would be okay. She had to be.
(Alanna) Difficult Conversation
Author: Beck
Date: 09-28-15 15:14
When Jared came home from work, he found Alanna seated at their dining table. A glass of red wine and a stack of parchments marked with flags here and there were in front of her on the table. At first glance, it might be that Alanna took home her work, but she rarely did that anymore. Nowadays she stayed at work beyond her required hours as if home were a place she would rather not be.
Jared put down his briefcase and remarked, "I'm surprised to see you home so early."
Alanna suppressed a deep sigh and used both of her hands to gently push the stack of parchments forward. "I need you to sign these."
Jared wordlessly approached the stack and then slid them closer to him to better see what Alanna wanted him to sign. His eyes widened at the capitalized words PETITION FOR DIVORCE at the top of the first page.
He looked at her. "You want a divorce?"
The word "No!" was on her lips but what came out instead was "Yes. Please sign the papers, Jared."
Jared shook his head. "Why? What's changed? I know something has because you never talk to me anymore. What's going on, Alanna? What brought us to this?" He slammed his hand down on the stack of parchments and caused Alanna to jump in her seat.
She wanted to tell him everything, but she couldn't risk his safety and future any more than she did the rest of her family. Already, Anthony's situation had improved. Alanna knew the only reason he wasn't free yet was because she had yet to follow through with all of Reed's demands. If she didn't get the divorce, then Anthony would wind up in Azkaban instead of free, Karina would never get found, and something terrible would probably happen to Jared. Alanna couldn't risk it.
Fat tears welled in her eyes and started to track down her cheeks. "You have to sign it, Jared. Please!" she exclaimed.
"Tell me why," Jared demanded. "When we got married, we vowed it was for better or worse. Normal couples communicate with each other when problems start to arise. You've said nothing to me. All you do is keep to yourself. I'm your huband, Alanna. Talk to me!"
Alanna shook her head. "I can't," she cried. "I can't be with you anymore, Jared. I can't!"
"Why the hell not?" Jared shouted. "There has to be a reason."
Alanna got up and nearly knocked over the wine glass. "It's not that simple, okay? I need to get out of this marriage, and you have got to let me go. Sign the papers, please!"
"Not until you give me one good reason why I should," Jared said.
She wished she could have said something like, "Because I don't love you anymore," but that was a lie she couldn't bring herself to say. It was out of love that she was ending things, but she couldn't tell him that either or ever make him see it.
Instead she said, "You deserve someone so much better than me."
"I think that's for me to decide," Jared said, "and until recently, I thought you were the best thing that ever happened to me. Try again, Alanna."
"You just said it yourself," Alanna said, feeling spurned on to get it over with once and for all. "The honeymoon is over. The woman you thought you married isn't who you think she is. She's a frustrating, secretive little bitch who is making your life hell for no good reason you can see. Do yourself a favor, Jared, and get out before it's too late."
Jared stared at her hard. The silence that stretched between them grew more and more awkward for Alanna. She started to get the feeling that he was seeing right through her, sussing out the real motive for her desire to get a divorce. Just when she thought he might try another tactic to get her to open up to him, one way or another, he picked up the stack and walked out of the dining room. The next thing Alanna heard was the slam of the front door.
A First Date
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 09-28-15 18:37
The woman sitting across from Viktor offers a small, but somewhat amused, smile. "For someone who must have females constantly throwing themselves at him and falling at his feet, you seem a wee bit nervous."
Viktor's mind races with any number of responses, rejecting each as overly lame or an attempt at humor that will surely fall flat and be taken as him being arrogant. He ends up going with the unvarnished truth, his nervousness bringing his accent out more. "Vhile it iz true I haf female fanz, I do not date them. I do not date much at all az determining who iz truly interested in me and who iz zumone vishing to take advantage iz difficult."
Mina, short for Wilhelmina, MacRae's smile slightly widens. "So I've passed initial muster?" Her eyes twinkle. She chuckles. "I've put you on the spot."
Viktor is indeed squirming internally. Now he tries for the attempt at humor. "Unless you charmed me to ask you to dinner, you indeed passed initial muster." He groans to himself. He's gone from thick, heavy accent to sounding overly formal.
Mina lightly laughs again. "I'll wait until the third or fourth date to charm you into signing over your Quidditch team."
Relaxing a little, he returns her smile. "I thought the accepting date for charming over Quidditch teams was the fifth."
"What can I say, I can move a little fast."
The ice broken, Viktor relaxes even more, falling into far more comfortable conversation with Mina. She's with the Muggle Studies Department at Merlin College, St. Emrys. They met in the spring when Viktor began working with that department and a couple of different Ministry of Magic Departments to learn more about various Muggle games and sports in an effort to improve the his Hogwarts Fitness & Athletics curriculum.
Viktor had liked Mina straightaway but on a professional level. As he got to know her better over the subsequent weeks, he increasingly thought of her more on a personal level but with his past dating history he was skittish to ask her to dinner. Now that he's not as nervous and is enjoying this first outing, he's wishing he'd gotten up the courage much sooner.
Over their entrees, they take turns asking and answering question, Viktor learning how she got involved in Muggle Studies and him telling her about how he first came to be on the Hogwarts staff.
Home from Prague
Author: Araxie Loren
Date: 09-28-15 19:35
I'd been home from Prague for less than twenty-four hours and already I had to start turning my focus from summer to the start of the new term which was mere days away. I was not entirely looking forward to being home, though I was glad for the charm on my bag for the sketchbooks I'd filled with artwork from the streets of the historical city. The architecture was something I'd fallen in love with, and I was considering going to uni there instead of to St. Emrys once I finished at Hogwarts. This was not a topic I'd yet brought into discussion with my Aunt, Uncle and Dad.
I'd unpacked my things after I'd gotten about nine and a half hours sleep because Nichole and I hadn't slept a whole lot on our last day in the city. A shower, and dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a new pair of trainers I was ready to head out to my studio and turn some of my sketches into paintings.
No sooner had I gotten to the bottom of the stairs, was I stopped on my way to the back door to go out to my studio.
"Araxie..."
My Dad's voice brought a smile to my lips as I turned and offered him a hug.
"Welcome home kiddo. How was your trip?"
"Fantastic. I was about to head to the studio to turn some of my sketches into paintings unless you had something else in mind?"
Daniel grinned and hugged me again, "I was thinking father daughter shopping trip? Get the last of your supplies and maybe grab a late lunch at your favorite Thai place?"
Hmmm...shut up in my studio, or lunch with dad and shopping. It was an easy decision to be honest, and I knew I would have plenty of time to work on the paintings when I got home and before I had to go back to Hogwarts.