Revealing
Information
Author: Viktor Krum
Date: 07-25-02 08:34
Viktor, staring longingly at Hermione then dropping his eyes to face Dierna, clears his throat and takes a drink in a move to stall a moment while he regathers his thoughts. Receiving letters from Hermione and writing letters to her, Viktor thought he had comes to terms with her decision and, while very sad about it, had accepted it. Coming face to face with Hermione for the first time after learning of her feelings for Ron is a harsh slap in the face for which Viktor is not prepared.
Hermione sits cozily next to Ron, holding his hand, and a glow over her lovely face. The reality of seeing her so happy with someone other than him gives Viktor the strong urge to shake his fists in a rage while shouting, throwing something, and, better yet, hitting something or someone. This desire is so strong that it's only then that Viktor understands that accepting and understanding something mentally is far different from the slow healing of an utterly shattered broken heart. In his wounded heart, a blossom has lived in the hope Hermione would some day very soon realize the mistake she had made. Viktor feels that blossom shriveling and dying on the spot now that he's face to face with Hermione again.
Shoving the urge to scream and storm about deep down, Viktor clears his throat again and starts speaking. "Vell, Dierna, you might be knowing zat after a meeting vith Professor Dumbledore, I returned to Bulgaria. A wery short time later, I heard ze rumor zat of a new teammate, Grigori Zhivko, hafing dark art connections. I befriended him and did not tell him diverently ven he assumed I too leaned towards the dark arts. Ze fact I vas a former Durmstang student vas a point in my fawor. Through Grigori and his sister Stefka I vas introduced to an American going by ze name of Koyla. Zis Koyla is making ze dark arts zound appealing to teenagers and young adults. He is wery charismatic, much like a cult leader. I haf recently learned he trawels from place to place building zis following. Once a group haz grown large enough, he leaves someone trusted in charge and moves on to another location to begin vorking zere...."
With the others giving him their full, rapt attention, Viktor talks at length, telling all he knows. He occasionally stops for a sip of the refreshing drink, but Dierna waits for Viktor to finish his tale before asking questions and having him repeat certain details. This entire time, Viktor has not dared to look directly at Hermione or Ron. He doesn't even make much eye contact with Harry. While waiting to be fully done here, Viktor works very hard to pretend that Dierna is the only other person in the room.
Open Admiration
Author: Hermione Granger
Date: 07-25-02 13:37
Viktor was the last person Hermione expected to see come striding into the room after Dierna went to see who was at the door. She tensed only slightly at seeing him again, but soon relaxed when she noticed that Ron had given her hand an affectionate squeeze. He didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable about the fact that an old rival for Hermione's love was standing quite awkwardly in the room before them.
Viktor, on the other hand, was noticeably uncomfortable, if not jealous. His gaze lingered only momentarily on Hermione, before shifting to the floor, the wall, Dierna...anywhere but on the three faces sitting opposite him on the sofa. Hermione had fidgeted a little under his initial stare. She hadn't seen him since the last Hogsmeade trip, which had been around two months ago. Between that time, Viktor had learned the truth about Hermione and Ron and although Hermione and Viktor had promised to remain friends, it was easier said than done.
It was obvious that Viktor still had feelings for Hermione, and that he was still hurt after learning about her true feelings for Ron. In retrospect, Hermione wished she would have told him everything sooner, instead of letting Lavender and Parvati get to him first. It was all in the past, however, and nothing could be done to change it. Still, Hermione hoped that eventually the awkwardness between them could pass and that they really could become friends as they declared they would in letters.
As Viktor explained his investigations in Bulgaria to Dierna, it seemed as if he was trying to ignore the three transfixed faces opposite him. He was not there on a social call, after all, but rather business. Hermione watched her Bulgarian friend in complete awe as his tale unraveled. Although she knew him to be courageous, she had no idea that he was quite possibly putting his life on the line to help the good cause.
When he completed his story, there was a long, quiet pause. Harry and Ron swiveled their heads towards one another to exchange looks of surprise and admiration, Dierna drummed a few fingers on the arm of her chair as she collected her thoughts, and Viktor kept his gaze lowered. Hermione gazed at Viktor in wonder and before she knew it, cleared her throat to say a few words.
"Viktor, I..." Yet, somehow what she was thinking just couldn't be put into words. In fact, nothing about how astonished and impressed she was with what Viktor was undertaking could be expressed any plainer than by the smile that was etched across her face. And by some miracle, when Viktor's gaze flickered upwards to meet Hermione's, he smiled back.
Helping a
Customer
Author: Lysander Stratford
Date: 07-25-02 14:14
Lysander's thoughts, which generally involved vile and heinous crimes against a particular red-headed pain in the rear end, were caught off guard when a student approached the counter with a question regarding a book. Looking the boy over, Lysander frowned only slightly when he realized the student was merely a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts. Still, putting on his most helpful and pleasant smile, Lysander stepped out from behind the counter and directed the boy to the appropriate bookshelf.
"We have a few copies of the Poetic Edda, all with varying translations. If you're also interested, I think we have some fine copies of the Prose Edda available." Lysander ran his fingers across the spines of a few books before declaring, "Ah, here we go. Again, each book's translation is slightly different, but the stories are generally the same."
Lysander spent some time discussing the texts with the young Ravenclaw, giving a few tidbits about the wizards from times past who came up with the myths. It was when their conversation strayed to the Muggle fascination with the Old Norse stories, that Lysander lost interest and went to busy himself behind the counter once more.
Catching Up,
Gossiping, and Revelations
Author: Helena Tufton
Date: 07-25-02 15:05
With a deep blush in her cheeks, Helena sat around one of two round tables, which had been pushed together to accommodate the rowdy crowd of young twenty-somethings who had entered the tavern a few hours ago. Empty glasses and mugs were scattered about the tables and the party was more than ready for another round of refills.
During the past few hours, Helena had learned everything there possibly was to know about her childhood friends and anything she had missed out on while she had been separated from them all these years; from how Ally and Avery had left London for Hogsmeade after graduating from Hogwarts to how Geoff had helped in the siege at Azkaban just this past Christmas. She was amazed at how much her friends had changed, and yet how much they were still the same. After Helena finished speaking about her life and her recent time in quarantine in Romania, a new round of drinks were brought to the table by a plump witch who was practically spilling out of her gown. Before she left, the witch sent a saucy wink to Bran. She was obviously a fan of pro-quidditch, or she just had an eye for handsome men. At any rate, Bran winked back before turning his attention to Helena.
"How long do you plan on staying in town?"
Helena shrugged. "I haven't made plans to return to Romania any time soon. In fact, I think I deserve a nice long vacation away from that place."
"Was quarantine really that bad?" asked Clint, as he stretched an arm around Ally's shoulders.
"You have no idea," stated Helena, with a tinge of vehemence in her voice. "Not only was I separated from my family for a long time...during Christmas and New Years of all days! But also, that guy I was trapped in that measly tent with...I'd die a happy woman if I never saw that man again." Helena picked up her glass and drained it.
"He was ugly?" asked Clarissa, the older of the two model sisters.
Helena shook her head, "Ugly, no...I wouldn't dare admit this to his face, but he's very attractive."
The men at the table rolled their eyes, while the girls pressed for more details. Finally, after a few minutes of in depth descriptions, Natalie asked, "What's his name, again?"
"Charlie Weasley." Helena hadn't said his name out loud in weeks. In fact, she had hardly thought about him until recently.
"Wait a minute! Charlie? Charlie Weasley? As in, that redheaded cutie-patootie we used to go to school with?" Ally asked curiously.
Helena nodded slowly. "Yes? You went to school with him?" Too many butterbeers made the obvious...not so obvious.
"Oh, Helena! He's here in town! He lives here you know. Well, he has a room at the inn down the road. He shares it with his brother. We all went to school with him, but as he was in Gryffindor and the majority of us were in Ravenclaw with the exception of Avery and Clint, who were Hufflepuffs, we didn't talk too much. Bran knows him the best, probably, since they were both on their house quidditch teams." Ally gave Bran enough time to nod before continuing on, "You really missed out on so many things when you moved to Sweden. Imagine, had you gone to school with the rest of us, you and Charlie could have been friends...or enemies for years instead of just a few months..." She trailed off as she pondered what could have been.
Meanwhile, Helena smacked her forehead with her hand and groaned. "Oh, no...Just what I need! To run into someone in this town, who I have no intention of ever seeing again."
More Variables
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 07-25-02 21:14
Accustomed to tuning into body language and unspoken signals, I am able to guess a lot about the apparent triangle between Viktor, Ron and Hermione. Viktor looks around my sitting room, then focuses on me while he explains about the new variable, and how he has been trying to spy on these dark people. This is no small risk on his part, I am impressed by his courage and desire to help.
"Thank you for coming to tell me, Viktor. You were right not to trust it to writing. Messages sent to me have a history of vanishing in such times.
"I don't think I need point out that your putting yourself in a great deal of danger. Nor do I see any point in telling you to leave this to processionals. It's rather a bit late for that, anyway. I do have someone that I want to assign to help you. If you are still around on Monday I'll introduce you. You can stay here if you need a place to stay. As much as I'd like to take on the case myself, in my position I need to stay and strategize. Make sure the in-fled aurors are safe and making progress.
I turn to Harry and his friends.
"I'm sorry for the interruption. Since I was promoted to head auror, I am at call at all times. You came here to learn about your parents. But since Voldemort's goons don't rest, I too much be - as Alastor Moody says - constantly vigilant. I can still talk about your parents, and the three of you are always welcome here. I am always available to help you out, if ever you need help or advise, or just a person to talk to."
Magic Carpet
Ride
Author: Isolde
Date: 07-26-02 14:49
After a long and interesting visit of historical dark arts sites such as the Cave of Despair and Freya's House of Doom (so-called because of the torture gadgets in her basement), Isolde, Pyrrhus, and the rest of Tour 13 found themselves back at the tour office.
Everyone thanked Vashti and Jumah for the fascinating tidbits they shared with the group, and eventually dispersed in different directions to whatever destinations were next on their schedules. Pyrrhus lead Isolde out the door and onto the sandy path that wound its way through sparse trees, until it stopped before a long, wooden structure. A dark-skinned man hobbled out from the shade of one of the over-hanging gables and approached the couple.
"Can I help you?" the man asked in heavily accented English.
Pyrrhus flashed the man a charming smile and answered, "Yes. We're looking to rent a carpet for the evening."
"Come right this way."
The pair followed the old man into the building and found the large room to be filled with carpets of varying colors and sizes. Some were on the floor and walls as decorations, but others were propped up in rolled-up form, just waiting for someone to come by and take them for a ride. A few carpets waved their golden tassels at Isolde and Pyrrhus as they passed.
They finally settled on a royal blue one with an intricate golden pattern on it and matching tassels. It was the perfect size for both of them, just as long as Isolde cuddled up closely to her man. Of course, neither one minded the extremely closeness one bit. With a wave good-bye to the kind man, the couple soared up into the sky to view the beautiful Eastern world as it stretched out down below them.
A pink glow was prevalent on the horizon, and soon other colors joined the masterpiece as the sun slowly began to sink below the surface of the earth. Nothing was more romantic than to view the sunset with a loved one. The magic carpet ride was an added bonus!
Isolde and Pyrrhus shared a sweet kiss when the sun finally disappeared, and then returned to the carpet rental shop. They thanked the old man profusely and then headed off towards the tour office. Almost sorry that the day was already over, Isolde and Pyrrhus reluctantly stepped back into the fireplace and shouted, "Twice Told Tales!"
They arrived in the bookstore and immediately found Mrs. Stratford, Chyler as she told them to call her, and gave her a detailed account of their adventures in the Far East. Their next order of business was to find Azaelia and Alexis, who were still cooped up in the secret room. It was still earlier in the day in Hogsmeade than it was on the other side of the world, but Isolde and Pyrrhus were still quite exhausted and ready to head back to the castle. After giving the two dark-haired girls a description of everything they had seen and done, the four Slytherins headed back to the castle.
Re: Helping
a Customer
Author: Jarl Hrafnkel
Date: 07-26-02 17:26
"This is all well and good,' I say thumbing through the books one at a time. "But these are obviously edited versions. These don't even mention the wizard Harald Greycloak, or any of the realy juicy stuff, if you know what I mean?" I walk over to the counter and say very quietly, "I was hopping to look up information regarding something called De administrando imperio." I pull out my wand, 13 and 1/2 inches. "You see this, it's a family heirloom and is vary rare as it was made from a Rowan tree, and has a feather from the Roc. You see I come from a very ancient line of wizards, but if all you have to offer me are these watered down text, I suppose I will just have to look elsewhere."
"Yes, I suppose you will." He said somewhat dispassionately.
Holding my wand out I say... 'Thank you then for your time, H C T I then." I put the wand away and leave as the shopkeeper suddenly gets a terrible itch. "Why you little..." I hear him say as I hastily exit the store.
Something
to Think About
Author: Aaron Miller
Date: 07-26-02 21:56
I sit in The Three Broomsticks drinking the last of my butterbeer and reflecting back over the day. As it turned out the we Deacon had meant was not just his uncle, Will Bennet, but his aunt and baby cousin as well. I knew it would be a long, tiring day for someone so recently up and around from the flu but against my better judgment I accepted Deak's plaintive invitation.
Drake was ecstatic to see everyone, particularly the baby since this was his first time to meet his little cousin. To give the Bennetts family time, I trailed behind them for awhile then went my own way with a promise to meet back at the pub later.
Several times I spot various teens with brilliant red hair who all seemed in a number of ways a lot like Bill Weasley. In fact, all over Hogsmeade I was reminded of Bill. Entering into one of the shops, I had spied exiting through another door a red headed man who I would have sworn was Bill if I'd been anyplace but this town. Coming out of the bookstore later, I'd gotten a very brief glimpse of a man's profile before a group of adults went walking by obscuring my view. By the time they'd gone by, the man was nowhere to be seen, but again I'd have sworn it was Bill or at the very least someone who could pass as his identical twin. By about the third or fourth such incident, I'd shaken my head to clear it then had gone to sit for a much needed rest along with a drink. I'd finally decided that Bea talking incessantly about missing Bill when she'd pop by daily to check on me when I was so sick had affected my then addled brain.
Now, here it is hours later, I'm fatigued from the day, stuffed from an excellent meal eaten with the entire Bennett family, loaded down with packages, and on my last butterbeer before we go back to London. After a couple of the Bennetts shed a few tears during the good byes, Drake heads out of the pub to return to the school while the rest of us depart using floo powder and The Three Broomstick's fireplace.
It's only after I'm home and my bone weary body is dropping off to sleep that it occurs to me that the name of the bakery in Hogsmeade is Briar's Bakery. A name on that list Bill had was Briar. I struggled to stay awake to think about this more but my last conscious thought is that even though Briar isn't a common name, it's all got to be coincidence.
Making Another
Move
Author: Prof. Sorcha
Date: 07-26-02 23:56
The Hogsmeade trip earlier in the day provided the perfect means of scouting out the house. It wasn't that hard to sneak into it. Dierna's house was more of a challenge, for how easy it was to get in.
This time, the main goal wasn't any inanimate objects. This time, the main goal was the owner of the house, Tennille Dumbledore.
The granddaughter to the fool, Albus Dumbledore. The shadowy figure moved next to the still sleeping Tennille. A blur of movement, Tennille woke up, but slowly fell back to sleep.
A note was throne on the bed. The writing had been done on a muggle typewriter, as to be untraceable. The note read:
Dierna,
I came into your home. I went into your office. I took paper, and books. I have now taken a friend of yours. Nothing of yours is safe from me. You will be hearing from me again.
The old hag
Sorcha picked up Tennille, and started trudging out of the house.
Strike Three
Author: Dierna ní Cíaran
Date: 07-27-02 19:14
"Tennille, oscial an doras*, it's me, Dierna!" I hammered at the door of my friends house. Suddenly, it swings open, which is the first sign that something is wrong. Tennille doesn't keep a charm on her home like I do, but nor does she keep the door unlocked either.
I step inside, the house: no dirty dishes from breakfast, not a note saying that anything has come up, and she'll meet me at the castle. It was like she hadn't even woken up.. Yet at this time of day there is no way she'd be sleeping still. Growing more uneasy I head towards her room. On the bed was a typed note. I pick it up and promptly feel the blood drain from my face.
Dierna,
I came into your home. I went into your office. I took paper, and books. I have now taken a friend of yours. Nothing of yours is safe from me. You will be hearing from me again.
The old hag
This Cailleach Beara has captured Tennille. Without a fight, it seems, as the house is fairly tidy. I see the wand on the floor, missed or dropped. I pick it up, "Prior Incantato a faint, smoky image emerged from Tennille's wand. "Deletrius" I say, the last spell cast from this wand was a perfectly normal one. Either she hadn't had the chance to fight, was caught sleeping, or some had lured her away disguised as a friend or someone known to her.
Suddenly, perversely, what I really want to do more than anything is play a really rough game of Quidditch, preferably against Slytherin. Hitting a bludgers at vile snakes is VERY stress relieving. And with the disappearance of one group of my undercover aurors, the raid on my office and home, and now Tennille capture, I could use that. Especially since all those I normally confide in are unavailable. Remus chasing after Wormtail, Catherine on duty and Tennile in the clutches of a modern Cailleach Beara, or Voldemort (neither of which thought is comforting). None of which would have happened had I chosen the easier path and bread and trained Winged Horses like my father did. But then again, I never did do the easy thing. And to be honest with myself, nor would to.
I take Tennille's wand, the anonymous typed note and walk to Hogwarts. There is someone else who needs to know about Tennille's captured - her grandfather, Albus Dumbledore.
-----
* = open the door.
