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"Beatrice Holly York, what are you doing?" her mother hissed. Beatrice jumped and a bit of the potion went flying out of the phial. "Mama! You scared me!" she said, clutching her free hand to her heart, which was meating madly in her chest. "What are you doing?" she repeated. "Making... a potion. For... Nina." "What kind of potion?" "Er.. it's just a little boost. For her mood. Just to perk her up." "I thought all of my pepperming had mysteriously disappeared." "Not all of it. I only needed a sprig. Mama, she's so depressed. I just want her happy." |
"Your trunk isn't big enough, Bea," Nina said. "What are you taking anyway?" "Oh," Beatrice replied with a sigh, "The usual... my books, my lollies, stuff for the cat..." "What about clothes? Bea, you've hardly packed any of your clothes!" "I know. I need an undetenctable extension charm." "No, you just... look, if you take the non-essential stuff out, mum can owl it to you next week. Take your school stuff, and leave the rest." "But I need the other stuff. Lollies and books for the train, and down time, and cat stuff for the cat. I can't leave it." |
"Why are we doing that Professor B?" "It's an exercise. Do you remember in our other lesson? You need to warm up your tongue." "Our TONGUE?" Beatrice laughed. "Yes, you need your jaw, your tongue, your cheeks warm so that when you speak the incantation, you say it clearly." Most of the class rolled their eyes, and mumbled, but soon enough the room was echoing with the yodeling of her students. Beatrice walked around, between the students, a smile on her face. It didn't take long before she gave in, joining in with the students and belting out her yodel. |
Dear Nina, I miss you! I'm enjoying my first year of uni, but they're making us learn about history. It's sort of like History of Magic, but it's transfiguration specific. Obviously. I mean, that is what we're studying. It's just boring! You know I dropped it as soon as I could. Can you help me? I'm going to send you a copy of our upcoming assignment, I'm just struggling with it. Anyway... How is Australia? You have to tell me all about it, and I want to see photos. Where are you off to next? See you soon, Love Bea. |
"Stop mooching, Beatrice! You need to get a job." Beatrice crossed her legs, glaring at her mother. "You think I'm not trying? Do you think I enjoy mooching off you and dad?" "I don't know. Are you trying? How many jobs have you applied for?" Beatrice sighed, pulling out a folded piece of parchment. "I applied at the local pre-school, and I applied at some shops down in the village. Mum I want to tutor. I just... I just need a room to set up as a classroom." Her mother's smile disappeared. "Ah.. you need a room in my house?" |
Oh no. Beatrice put her morning mug of hot chocolate down to re-read the latest article in The Daily Prophet. The Headmaster, the one who had offered Beatrice the post of Transfiguration Professor, was ill. She let the paper fall from her hands, and reached a finger up to her mouth. Chewing on her finger, she thought back to the last time she had seen the dear man. He was.. yes, he was confused. He had thought the previous Head of Hogwarts, Annie, was there. She wiped a tear from her eye at the thought of Hogwarts without Abraham Botros. |
"I CAN HEAR THE HOOT! IT'S HERE NINA, WAKE UP!" Nina woke up with a loud snort. "WHO WHAT?" "The owl! Come on!" Beatrice ripped the blankets off and yanked her sister out of bed. They ran downstairs, taking two at a time. And there it was. A Hogwarts owl, hooting outside, tapping on the window. Beatrice let it in, and took the letters from its beak. "Here," she gave Nina her letter, and ripped her own open. "An A, three E's and three O's! That's... that's pretty good, isn't it? Isn't it?" Only one A, that wasn't bad, right? |
Beatrice did not like camping. Especially when she had to share a tent with her daddy. "SHH!" It made no difference. "SHHHHH!" Nope, still nothing. He inhaled like a chainsaw and exhaled like a snake. It was very annoying, and this little five-year-old needed her beauty sleep. "DADDY! SHHHHHHOSH!" She sat up and whacked him in the face with her pillow. He woke up with a ginormous snort. She was too cross with him to giggle. Even though Nina did that all the time. "What?" he asked, disorientated, being ripped from his dreams. "SHOOSH DADDY! You sound like a parseltongue!" |
"Oh rubbish, Bea, I'm not pureblood." "What does that matter? It doesn't, daddy, you know that the... Voldemort man, he wasn't pureblood. And he could speak to snakes." "Beatrice, I'm not a parseltongue." "I know. But you're snoring." He shook his head. He couldn't quite understand what being parseltongue had to do with anything. "Beatrice, go back to sleep honey. It's not time to wake up." "DADDY I'm not trying to wake up. YOU woke me up with your snoring." "Oh," he sighed. "Come on. You can sleep in with your mother and sister." Beatrice nodded, picking up her pillow. |
"I'm thinking of getting a car." "Why do you need a car? Pass the carrots." Beatrice waved her wand at them, and the knife commenced its work to chop them. "Well... it's getting hard travelling with all of the kids. It's not easy being a family with five kids and no car. People are starting to ask. 'Oh your poor dears they have to walk everywhere', or 'oh you must catch the bus everywhere', well I'm sick of it." "Why? Who cares what they think!" "I do, Beatrice. I do." "Sorry. Why don't you move on to a wizarding village?" |
"Oh, sorry, she's not home." "Oh come on Beatrice, I saw her peeking through the window when I knocked!" "No... no, Jeremy, you didn't. She's... she's not home." Jeremy grabbed his hair in fists. "I. SAW. HER." Beatrice shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, well..." she exhaled slowly and noisily, "She... just... had to pop out for something." "Right, so she saw me and realised she needed to go and buy milk? JUST TELL HER I WANT TO SEE HER." "You don't need to yell," Beatrice hissed. "You're just vexing her. Just go away and give her time to process everything." |
"Why do I have to do more homework? THIS is my homework." Bea tried not to giggle. "I want you to revise over what we have studied. You don't have to think of it as homework, but... practice. You need to keep practicing the spells we're learning. Okay?" He rolled his eyes, "Fiinnneeeeeee." "Right, so let's see your last homework assignment. What did they want you to do?" "Um... Draconifors." "Excellent!" She waited with a smile. "Well... I ned to see how you're going. It's a very practical subject, I need to see it." Her student sighed, lifting his wand. |
"It's a snappish sound..." "Snappish? Is that even a word?" Beatrice shrugged, trying to be quiet so that Nina could hear the snappish sounds. It was getting closer, and closer. "ARRRRGH," they yelled, noticing the little, snappish dog running towards them. The girls turned and ran as fast as they could. "Why... is... the... dog.. following... us...?" "I... don't... knowwwww....." The girls leapt over the fence, and into thir yard, the quickest they had ever done before. It took a while to recover, both of them doubled over trying to catch their breath. "Stupid dog," Nina muttered. "It was deranged!" |
"Eugh!" Beatrice spat out the contents of her mouth in a napkin. "What is that?" "It's a liquorice wand... I thought you might have liked it." Beatrice put the liquorice wand and the soggy napkin in the bin. "I'm sorry. I... just thought... you might like liquorice." "Uh.. apparently not. I need a drink." She gulped down a glass and a half of water, still wearing a disgusted look. "I thought it was chocolate. I'm sorry, dad. I know you meant well." Her dad nodded, and bit into his own. "Well at least I can have them all to myself." |
Dear Bea, How is university going? Can you believe it's finally your last year? I got back home last month, I was going to write to you sooner but it just got a bit awkward. I didn't know what to say, whether I should say it, or wait until I actually saw you. I think mum and dad are fighting, and it's really bad. Mum has been ignoring dad for ages, and dad keeps trying to talk to her. I'm telling you because I don't know how to deal with it. What should I do? I miss you, Love Nina. |
"NINA! NINA!" Beatrice squealed, running through the snow to get to her sister. The siblings embraced, standing in the cold. "Oh it's been too long," Nina said, trying to hold back from crying. "It has. Okay, so I have a lot to tell you but it's bloody cold out here. Where d'you want to go? The Three Broomsticks?" "Sure," Nina said, turning and leading the way down through Hogsmeade. "So... tell me about this Angelica you keep writing about." She didn't even have to look over at her sister to know that a big grin was plastered on her face. |
"It's a willow," Beatrice and Nina said together. What was so special about a willow? "Yes, it is a willow. I thought you girls would have been happier." Their grandmother looked upset. "Well, sure, it's a great tree, Grandma. Thanks..." They exchanged a quick glance. "What?" Grandma asked. "Well it's just..." "It's just that there's a willow at Hogwarts. It's... you know, it's a magical willow tree." "Magic Schmagic. What makes it so magical?" Nina giggled. "It... well, it's a whomping willow." "I beg your pardon?" "A whomping willow. It's a bit... well... violent. We can't go near it, actually." |
Beatrice heaved herself off her reading chair and turned off the reading lamp. She slowly made her way up the stairs, to check on the children. Her grandchildren. Well, her sister's grandchildren, but for all intents and purposes, they were hers as well. They were sound asleep. The sight of their little bodies took her back to a time, many years ago, when she and Nina were small. They would have sleepovers at their own grandmother's house, and she probably looked at them the way Beatrice was looking at her own right now. Those times were in the past, though. |
Light and sound filled the sky. The lightning went ZAP, and the thunder went RUMBLE. The two little girls were lying backwards on the grass, watching the performance of the sky. Until their mother noticed them outside. "GIRLS! What do you think you're doing outside in a thunderstorm?" she shrieked with worry, dragging them back inside. "We were just watching the performance, mama." "And what if the lightning had zapped you? HMM? What then?" They looked at each other. "The lightning? Zap us?" "Yes! Sometimes the bolt of lightning hits the ground. What if you had been in its way?" |
Dearest Nina, I just got your last letter. I'll send the rest of the reply later, but I'm fearful to leave this reply too late. Get them together over a cup of tea and some biscuits. The chocolate type. Cry if you have to, even mother's heart can't resist warming up at the sight of tears. You just have to get them to talk to each other. Find out what they were fighting for initially. Why mum is all of a sudden ignoring dad. I think it's the only thing you can do to help them. Miss you, From Bea |
"Wh-what is this?" Hank asked. Beatrice looked up, her face freezing in horror. "Uh... uhhh... tha-that's uhhh... my... my grandmother's. She.. she used to, uhh, used to... to... study naturopathy." Her heart was racing. THUMPING in her chest like a hammer. Hank raised his eyebrows and let out a laugh. "A cauldron though? What did she used to do?" "Uh.. brew home po- uh.. remedies, of course. You know, like..." what was one? COME ON, Beatrice, think! "chicken soup." "Chicken soup? In a cauldron?" he started laughing. "Your family are weird, Bea" He turned away and Beatrice relaxed in relief. |
"Oh blimey that's hot!" Beatrice cried out to nobody. Nobody. She was in her new house alone. And in the oven was her dinner. The first dinner that this kitchen would be cooking. The only problem was that the pan was too hot. Beatrice ran her hand under the cold water. Meanwhile, the dinner was probably going to start burning. She looked around for an ovenmit but couldn't see one. The teatowels were too thin. But ahh... Right at the top of her 'accessories' box was a pair of dragonhide gloves. Slipping her hands into them, she retrieved her dinner. |
"Thank you dear," Beatrice said to her student. A final goodbye, and with it, a Chocolate Frog. She served them tea, and opened the box. The frog was never as quick as a sweet-loving Beatrice. She halved the frog, sharing it with her student, "What card did you get, Miss B?" he asked. She retrieved the card from the box and read, "Bathilda Bagshot. Do you know who that is?" Her student thought about it, "Yeah... wasn't she the one who wrote that history book?" "Which one?" "On Hogwarts... a History of Hogwarts, or something?" "You mean Hogwarts: a History?" |
Mini challenge 2: Tangy http://i969.photobucket.com/albums/a...rs/tangy-1.jpg "Hi Diggly." That house elf was so... weird. Nothing at all like the house elves at Hogwarts. This one... well, it would belong in Gryffindor if it were a student. "HELLO MISS BEATRICE! Can Diggly get you some teas? Well, Diggly knews that you would likes to haves some teas, so Diggly mades some teas for you." He thrust a mug into her hands and she smiled rather awkwardly at her grandparent's house elf. "Th-thanks Diggly..." she took a sip and scrunched her face up. No, she wouldn't spit it back into the mug. That was uncouth. "Bit uhh... tangy." |
"Be careful," Beatrice whispered, her head swivelling around. She was the watch, but she was also worried that Nina would fall backwards, hit her head, and go into a coma! "Shh, just keep watching." Up she went, onto the counter, and opening the highest cupboard. Beatrice could see them, right up the top. The packet of biscuits she and Nina were craving. A REAL craving! Like, almost woman cravings. "SHH! It's crinkling too much," she hissed. "Beatrice, shush! I'm being as careful as I can." Indeed, the wrapping was so loud in the kitchen at this time of the night. |
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