Michael leaves the office a bit early that day, largely because he is tired after the rush of early this morning. He is also looking forward to a real night's sleep, since he knows that the chief auror and Harry Potter are safe. It was, of course quite shocking what had happened to Miss Dumbledore, and Michael has to think it is a kind or warning or message. Nevertheless, tonight, he intends to relax.

"Master home early . . . master seem happy? Did master have a good day?"

"I certainly did, Blinkey. Dierna and Harry have escaped Voldemort's clutches. They arrived in London early this morning."

"Blinkey very happy to hear that!" the small elf dances around a bit. Then seems to remember there was a third person missing.

"What about Tennille Dumbledore? She missing too."

"Miss Dumbledore was killed during the escape. Voldemort fed her to a dementor. Dierna is very sad. She and Miss Dumbledore were close friends."

"Blinkey sad now. All Dumbledore's VERY good wizard."

Michael fishes some silver coins out of his pocket.

"Here, cheer up, Blinkey. Go down to the pub and get yourself a drink."

The elf takes the coins and disappears, retuning a few minutes later with a glass nearly as big as she is.

"Blinkey, what did you get?"

"Blinkey buy pint!"

Michael can't help but laugh. "Pints are man-sized, Blinkey. They are not made for elves. Your going to get drunk!"

"Blinkey celebrate friend's return with Master! Blinkey not get drunk!"

"All right Blinkey." He takes a glass and pours himself a drink "I think Dierna says, Slainte!"

Later, when the pint-sized elf has finished her pint, she looks uncertainly at Michael. "Master right . . . Blinkey drunk." And falls off the stool.

---

Consoling Dierna
Author: Remus Lupin
Date: 11-21-02 21:47

"Why does everyone stand by me? You and Seamus. Remus, Michael."

"Because," answers Seamus, who is answering the front door. "We are all your friends. Friends don't abandon each other, ever."

"I abandoned --"

"No one." I reply, entering the house. "You have never abandoned anyone."

Dierna turns around. "Remus . . I . . ." She turns away.

"You never failed anyone. Dierna," I tell her, "you are a wonderful friend and auror."

"I failed Tennille. . .I couldn't save her. She can't even go the the summerland. They drank her soul . . ." she says.

Not knowing what to do, I put my arm around her. "You can't carry this guilt forever. I know it's devastating but you're not to blame for this or any other tragedy. You have to learn to forgive yourself, Dierna," I tell her. Dierna doesn't respond, just stares into the fire. Times like this the best someone could do is be there, I think.

---

Saying Goodbye
Author: Amerah Patterson
Date: 11-21-02 21:54

Mom and I watch as the coffin is magically lowered into the ground. A stream of tears silent tears cascade down my face. I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, trying to stop the tears but they keep coming. Mom wraps me in her embrace and tries to console me. Why? I think. This can't be happening. I try to control my emotions and the devastation of losing one of my good friends.

---

Reunion
Author: Albus Dumbledore
Date: 11-22-02 17:41

With a heavy heart, I trudge up the hill and through the gates to the Castle. The massive front door creaks open as I approach. I slip inside and it closes behind me with a resounding thud! As the echoes die down, I hear another sound, seemingly from the second-floor hallway.

"Hello?" A female voice floats eerily in the silence. The old rock is unnaturally quiet, even for Summer Holiday. There's usually someone around.

I follow the sound up the steps and see a young woman... tall, slender, blond hair... I do not recognize her from the back, or from this distance. I'm afraid my eyes are not what they used to be. Too old for one of the students, I would guess. But then, I have been wrong on that score before, too.

She is walking down the hallway, looking around at all the paintings. She almost giggles as she passes "Sir Cadogan", who is supporting himself on his lance and a good bit of self-determination, being somewhat the worse for wear after his most recent battle.

I clear my throat to announce my presence, and I see her jump and turn to face me. "Good Morning!" I call out down the hallway. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Uncle Albus? Is that you?" She comes running down the hallway, shoes clacking on the hard marble floor. I embrace her with a great, avuncular hug, even though her broomstick keeps getting in the way.

We separate and just look at each other for a moment. "I heard from Professor McGonagall that you were coming, but I did not expect you quite so soon. Things have been in a bit of an uproar, what with the abduction and rescue of the head auror and one of our students, Harry Potter." I stop to catch my breath. "Then, too, there is some very sad news. My Granddaughter, Tennille, was taken by a Dementor's Kiss."

"I had heard rumors, but not the details," she replies. "I'm very sorry such a terrible thing had to happen to such a sweet girl."

I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the hateful thoughts. "So! You are to be the new teacher of Arithmancy, from what Minerva tells me. What is it that has brought you out of your hibernation in France?"

---

Coco paces back and forth along the widow's walk, talking non-stop to the lilliputian-sized dog sitting in the middle of a large pillow that in turn sits on a black, wrought iron chair.

"Cor, tain't roight Wal left us behind this trip, Pea. Tha Bolts coulda signed fer tha bloomin' package, wotever it be. But nooooooooo. Gorta be me 'e says. No exsplainin' or nuffin'. Was roight dodgy about it. Jus stay 'ome this mornin', sign for tha package, and then go pick up some stuff fer 'im at the chemist and grocer. Coulda sent tha package to tha shop an' let the Bolts sign fer it so's I coulda gone wif 'im. Coulda done tha errands tamorrow. Iffin tha gent wots deliverin' tha package don' get here soon, I'm gonna hang me a note on tha door and get somethink ta eat. I'm feelin' a might peckish by now. You be hungry, Pea?"

Coco nods as if the dog has spoken. "Yeah, thought so. Ya ain't had a spot today. Soon as this lad comes, we'll pop across tha way ter tha store. Get a cuppa from Mitzy. Iffin' we're lucky, Pea, she'll have bangers fried up. Ooooh, an' maybe some of those there fairy cakes wif tha sugar sprinkles. We'll do tha errands after. Mitsy's always gots somethink she needs from the grocer and Bolt prob'ly needs somethink from tha chemist's. Blimey! Nearly forgot! We need ta get you more kibble, Pea. Almost out, we are. When we get ta the grocer's, remind me."

Further conversation is interrupted as a voice calls up from the garden three and a half stories below where Coco stands. "This the Nutt House? I got a package."

Coco peers down at the man thinking, "About bloody time!" while smiling and calling down, "We'll be roight down."

Coco picks up Pea and proceeds to skip down the outer stairs, which lead from the widow's walk to the garden. She hastily scribbles her name on the form and reaches out to take the package. The man just grins at her and points to his parked lorry. "I've got to unload it. The package is too heavy for you so if you'll open the door, I'll cart it inside for you."

A few minutes later, the man waves to Coco as he drives away. Coco, in the meantime is muttering to herself... and to Pea of course. "Well, leastways we know why Wal didn't want tha Bolts signing fer it. Anniversary present. Why ya think 'e didn' just tell us ta begin wif? Guess it makes no never mind now. They'll be chuffed when they see wot he got'em. Now, let's go get that cuppa."

Coco begins to walk across the street to the tourist shop her grandfather Wal co-owns with Abe and Mitzy Bolt, appropriately named Nutt's & Bolt's. However, Coco, with Pea riding in one pocket, has not taken more than two steps when a large, brown owl comes swooping down towards her. Thinking the owl is after the diminutive Pea, Coco bends protectively over to conceal her pocket opening from the large bird. Coco's shocked when all that happens is an envelope drops at her feet. The owl makes a circle around Coco's head, gives several hoots and then flies away.

Looking up at the owl in awe, Coco calls after it, "Sorry. Didn' mean ta offend. Thought yous was after me sweet, tiny, Pea Nutt. Thanks fer tha letter."

Coco picks up the letter and turns back to the Nutt House garden. Sitting down on a bench beneath an ivy covered arbor, Coco pulls Pea out of her pocket and shows the dog the letter. "Cor, wot ya think o'this, Pea? Look it. Addressed ta me wif pretty, green ink. Have ya ever seen a envelope like it?"

Coco turns the ecru colored envelope over and over in her hands, feeling the thickness of the parchment and studying the wax seal on the back. "Guess we won't know wot it is till I open it, huh?"

Carefully pulling up the envelope's flap, Coco is so stunned after reading its contents that at first she just sits on the bench, mouth hanging open. Pea yaps at Coco a couple of times to get her attention.

"Blimey, Pea! A school for witchcraft and wizardry. Whoda thunk it? Bloody hell! It says ta answer by owl... by owl?! To send a reply by July 31st. That be today."

Coco stands up and searches the sky for any sign of the brown owl. To her great relief she sees it perched on the widow's walk railing. She holds up her hand to it as a signal to stay put and calls out, "Wait rioght there, Owl. Gorta send an answer wif ya."

Coco runs inside the house and quickly writes a short letter indicateing she would love to attend Hogwarts. She also asks for information on where to find the supplies and how to reach the school. Coco grabs a handful of Pea's kibble and runs up the inside stairs to the third floor. She rushes out onto the widow's walk with a banging of doors. The owl peers at her, well, rather owlishly and hoots.

Coco grins at the owl. "Nice ta meet ya, Raja. I be Coco and this be Pea. We're a couple of Nutts."

The owl Raja blinks at Coco and Pea a couple of times, greedily eats the kibble Coco holds out to it, and then sticks out one of its feet to take Coco's reply. One more hoot and Raja is winging away, letter firmly grasped in his claws. Coco and Pea watch Raja until the bird is no longer visible then with a slap to her forehead, Coco remembers the errands still to do, sticks Pea back in her pocket, and runs down the stairs to the garden.

The rest of the day, Coco keeps patting the letter in her pocket to make sure it's really there. She also wishes her grandfather would hurry up and get home so that she can share this mind boggling news.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

cor = jeeze, gee, wow, etc.
dodgy = suspect peckish = hungry
cuppa = cup of tea
bangers = sausages
fairy cakes = cupcakes
chemist = drugstore/pharmacy; also refers to the druggist/pharmacist
lorry = truck
chuffed = pleased

---

With his luggage in tow, Bill approached a dusty old building in the northwest region of the Garden City area of Cairo. Like many other international visitors, Bill chose to live in downtown Cairo as opposed to the outskirts of town in locales like Maadi and Heliopolis. Garden City boasted a series of flats for the international business man, but only one in the area was specifically for the wizarding folk.

To the Muggle eye, Bill's building, the Hyacinth, looked like a run-down, abandoned warehouse. Any unwelcomed person to come upon it would suddenly become very frightened and hurry away in fear. On the other hand, to a wizard the Hyacinth had an ordinary outward appearance and a very posh interior.

After the door magically swung open, Bill stepped across the threshold and followed his feet to the staircase he so frequently traveled during the years he spent living in the building. His flat was located on the fourth floor of the seven-storey building and consisted of two bedrooms, one and one half bathrooms and an extra large living area. There was also a kitchen and a dining nook, but these areas were rarely used because Bill preferred to eat his meals outside the apartment.

Bill stepped inside his flat and dropped his luggage by the door. He let his eyes wander around the place to reacquaint himself with his old home. They fell upon a note on the dining table. He crossed the room and picked up the thin sheet of papyrus, upon which was written:

Dear Bill,

I'm so very pleased that you're back in Cairo. Things haven't been the same without you here. As you were probably aware, your flat was subletted for six months during the past year to a charming Danish couple who were in town on official Gringotts business as representatives of the Copenhagen branch. They moved out in June. If anything is out of order, please contact me ASAP. I hope you will find everything as you had left it one year ago.

Sheri Ahmose

PS: We're having a dinner tonight on the roof for the entire complex. Bring a dessert.

Bill chuckled and placed the note from his landlady back on the table. He checked the time and noted that he could spare some to write the promised letters to his family and friends back home. After expanding his luggage and rummaging around for parchment, ink and a quill, Bill set to work.

Twenty minutes later, he left the flat with letters for Adriana, Briar, Charlie and the folks at the Burrow and went to the complex post office on the ground floor. After the letters had been sent off, he disapparated to the Cairo branch of Gringotts bank.

He appeared outside the door step and was greeted by two goblins, who escorted him inside and lead him towards the back of the building where the upper management officers were located. Bill had hardly enough time to take in his surroundings, but they really hadn't changed since the last time he had been there.

The interior of the Cairo branch was drastically different than that of the London branch. The goblins wore plain brown uniforms and spoke in rapid Arabic. The floors were wooden and potted palm trees lined the center aisle. The great windows on the sides of the building were covered with wooden blinds, which filtered the bright sunlight into small streams of gold.

The two goblins lead Bill up a winding staircase to the second floor, which was mostly open to the ground floor below. Momentarily, Bill leaned over the wooden barrier to watch the activity down below, but the goblins pushed him onwards down the narrow corridor. He was stopped outside the bank president's office.

Bill immediately noticed that the nameplate next to the wooden doubledoors bore a different name. He opened his mouth to ask the goblins about the change in management, but quickly clamped it shut when the doors magically swung open. The goblins escorted him in and then left him alone in the room with two men he had never seen before.

One broaded-shouldered man, dressed sharply in a business suit with neatly trimmed beard, sat in a high-backed leather chair behind a grand desk. To his left, standing next to one of the vertical windows was a smaller man dressed in traditional Egyptian garb with a white turban on his head.

Bill eyed both man curiously and then thought to introduce himself. "Hello, I'm Bill Weasley. I formerly worked with this bank but have been on leave for the past year. I've been recalled back and have just returned today."

The man behind the desk formed a smile and indicated to one of the chairs in front of the desk. "I know who you are, Mr. Weasley. You have a good reputation with Gringotts bank. Please, sit down."

Bill did as he was bade.

"My name is Khalid Adallah, and this is my associate..." Here he indicated to the man standing by the window. "...Omar Nawif."

Nawif inclined his head slightly to acknowledge the introduction, but otherwise remained silent.

"I am the new president of the Cairo branch of Gringotts bank," continued Adallah.

Bill said, "Please to meet you both. I had no idea Azar Zahid planned to step down."

"He wasn't pleased with his performance and decided that I would be more successful. I am not sure if he made the correct choice, but only three months have passed and it is too soon to say whether or not the change was for the better or for the worse."

Bill nodded slowly. "He's a brilliant man. I'm sure he knows what's best for the bank."

"Yes, he certainly does." Mr. Adallah then shifted gears and spoke about his expectations for the bank. After Bill was briefed on the projects he should work on, he left the bank and decided to walk home instead of disapparate from the bank. He needed to stop by a market and pick up a dessert for the rooftop dinner anyway.

---

Skirting It
Author: Charlie Weasley
Date: 11-22-02 20:24

Charlie Weasley finished the deep kiss with his beloved Helena before he went back on topic.

"Well, my dear, that was a lovely tangent, but I would really like to know what's wrong with you. I'm not that dense, Helena Tufton." Charlie said as he got up off of the bed and crossed to the window. "Are you going to be honest with me?"

He wrapped his left arm around his waist and brought his right hand up, running his fingers over the red whiskers that had began growing on his face since he last shaved. His eyes scanned hers and he watched as she dropped her head, then brought it up again.

"It's just really bothering me that Briar would consider marrying Julian Valentine." She shrugged.

Charlie's brow furrowed. "Do you know him well?"

"I've ran into him at that bookstore. That's all. I just know he's the really sleezy type. He just gives me the creeps." Helena made a disgusted face and crossed over to Charlie. She ran her hand across his bristly cheek. "This makes you look rugged, Charlie."

Charlie inhaled a laugh, causing some sort of snort. Helena laughed. "What was that?"

"Dunno. Think I'm getting hungry." Charlie said grinning.

"Mmm, hungry for what?" Helena watched his lips.

Charlie drew Helena closer. "Something good, but not spoiled."

"Charlie Wealey!" Helena swatted his shoulder, laughing.

"I love your laugh." Charlie kissed her lips, once, briefly. "And I love you."

And he kissed her again. Longer, deeper.

---

During lunch, Harry would have loved nothing more than to claim all the food for himself and greedily gorge until ever crumb was gone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, however, had other ideas. Mrs. Weasley kept stopping Harry from taking too much of any one thing. In fact, she insisted he take very small portions, reminding him what the doctor had said. When others expressed an interest in what Harry had been told, Mr. Weasley explained.

"Harry's had very little food over the past few months. Even with the rejuvenating potions and other healing potions the doctor gave him, Harry's stomach, his whole body for that matter, isn't going to be able to handle a great deal of food all at once. Eat slowly, small portions, and patience are the key words the doctor told Harry to remember when it comes to eating for the next two or three weeks at least."

Everyone's eyes lit up with understanding while Harry sat there thinking, "Great. Now they all know and every time I go to take a bite, someone will be right there to monitor me." Then smiling, Harry's next thought is, "It's bloody wonderful to be home with friends who care."

After the cake is served, to everyone's delight, Mrs. Weasley brings out ice cream to go with it. Harry took a very small bite of the moist, rich cake and followed it with a small spoonful of fudgy chocolate ice cream. Somewhere between his second bite of cake and his second spoonful of ice cream, Harry leaned towards the person sitting nearest him and was sound asleep before his head rolled onto the person's shoulder.

A sniffling Mrs. Weasley ran upstairs to Ron's room to get the bed turned down as Mr. Weasley followed carrying the sleeping teen. Harry slept so soundly the rest of the day and into the night he was never aware of how many times one of his friends crept in to stare at him as if making sure he was really there and all right.

---