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Cassirin · 06-13-2004, 05:38 AM

After Ginny finishes her final year at Hogwarts, she's stunned to learn that Harry, who's been out of school a year, is engaged. Not wanting to return to the Burrow, which will be full of wedding planning and activity, Ginny escapes to Diagon Alley for a bit of independent living. The twins kindly take Ginny in and offer her a job, and she drags Neville and Luna along as flatmates. Who knows what will happen now that they are living independently?

This is a VERY loose storyline so far, but we want to have the chance to explore these characters as rising adults. I have all of the main characters filled at this point. If you are interested, go ahead and post your character idea. To be honest, I'd prefer HP characters (but not necesarily HRH) rather than made-ups... although a quality made-up is always welcome. If I don't feel your character will add to the story, I probably won't say yes. Also, we're quite serious about RPing, so if you aren't on at night EST, CST, or you will only post very sporadically, don't bother. This is advanced RPing, so YES, your posts need to be longer and more detailed and we DO care about your spelling and grammar.

Ginny - Cassirin
Neville - Spots
Luna - Biochemkris
Fred - tylert_28
George - Cassirin
Ron - Poirot
Hermione - Lumos299
Harry - Lumos299
Elizabeth - Kirstie McGonagall
Guinevere - Jennifer_w
Dobby- Spots

BG · 09-29-2004, 04:42 PM

Snape was so disconcerted by the child who had embraced him so freely that he was having trouble thinking. Tara was forced to deal with the situation while he collected himself. He cleared his throat after seeing Tara's pleading look. "Yes, when I went to get your mother, she had to finish a few things before she could come down to dinner. So, I sat in the fragranced room while I waited for her," he said, collaborating Tara's story.

Tara rolled her eyes at their pathetic story. Surely they weren't fooling anyone, but Dani just smiled and came back to her mother, unconcerned with the excuse. If only Draco hadn't been witness to the whole sorry show, Tara moaned internally. She only fixed a smile on her face and let Dani pull her to the table, excited about the meal she and Draco had ordered up. Tara took a seat, avoiding eye contact with Snape.

Snape was relieved when the girl finally sat back down at the other end of the table. He was breathing a lot easier and managed to eat some more of his food, though he was still trying to get over the shock of the child innocently wrapping her arms around him.

Draco nearly choked on his food at Danika's comment. Her comment WAS true and seeing the looks being passed between the two adults, he knew his seemingly absurd notion was more than likely true. He had never seen the Potions Master so disconcerted before and he decided to say something.

"Hey Danika, you should try some berries with your ice cream when you get it. The raspberries and blackberries are particularly delightful this time of the year." He interjected with a smooth drawl, his once-wide eyes veiled under a heavy sweep of eyelashes as he fought to keep the amusement out of the silver depths.

Dani attacked her meal with renewed enthusiasm, wanting to get through the meat and potatoes so she could enjoy ice cream and berries as Draco had suggested. Her mother put a hand on her arm, and Dani slowed a bit, smiling at Draco across the table.

Tara caught the smile Dani gave to Draco, and her own eyes went to his face. She had noticed his distraction and it was appreciated, although completely unexpected. It was more than Snape had done, at least. She studied him with a thoughtful expression on her face for several long moments before she gave him a grateful look and turned to her own food. She wondered what Snape was thinking - whether he was displeased or angry or... She tightened her grip on her fork and turned her thoughts towards Dani. They would need to go into Diagon Alley soon for more clothes and some supplies.

Draco grinned back at Dani and realized her mother - his former Astronomy professor - was looking at him and he returned the look and lightly inclined his head in a greeting in a polite fashion. He returned his attention to the food and found himself also looking forward to the ice cream with berries.

Snape ate his food slowly, thinking about the events of the day. Realizing that they hadn't properly packed any of Danika's things he decided to speak up. "Perhaps a trip to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley would be in order. I don't recall bringing many of Danika's things with us from her former home," he said, casually.

Tara nodded, her eyes on the top of Dani's head. "Yes, I was considering that very thing. I suppose we can go tomorrow or later in the week, but I need to speak with Dumbledore first and arrange... some things." Tara put her hand on the girl's head and tilted it up a bit so that she was looking at her mother. "Would you like to go shopping tomorrow?" Dani nodded.

Draco coughed a little and shot the Potions Master a raised eyebrow at the mention of Diagon Alley, the spot of the most recent DE attack. A bolt of pain spidered out from his left shoulder at that moment and shot through his arm and he clamped down on his mental shields and nearly knocked his goblet of juice over as his arm jerked away.

Luckily, a spider scampered across the tabletop next to him at that same moment and disappeared off the table and he gestured in its direction with a quiet snort. "Sorry, it startled me."

He bit down on his lip and finished his potatoes, keeping his arm by his side with his hand jammed into his pocket.

Snape caught Malfoy's look and his arm jerk. Just as Malfoy hadn't believed Tara's and his excuse, Snape did not believe Malfoy's. He would have to have a little chat with the boy later.

Harry got up and chose a patch of weeds near Ginny, and started magicking the dead plants out of the ground. "Okay, then, queen of seduction, your honor," Harry said, bowing a little bit to her.

Fred nodded and followed Hermione over to his bed. He sat down facing her....he just had to ask her...he had never been nervous around girls..."Comfortable?" Hermione seemed to be. Fred messed with his hands-they were sweaty..he could feel his heartbeat...he wanted to run away, but that wouldn't solve anything. Taking a deep breath he said, "Hermione...I have to ask you something...and I want you to be totally honest with me..no lies and no sparing ole Fred's feelings...can you do that?"

Hermione was surprised. He looked all nervous and strange and so un-Fred like. She was expect him to ask something about another product of theirs or something of the sort, but that shouldn't have to do with hurting Fred's feelings. "Okay, Fred..." She said, awaiting his question.

Ginny grinned at him and waved regally. "That's much better. I'm finally getting the attention I deserve. But I wouldn't say I'm the queen of seduction. I've only seduced five or six boys in my time," Ginny teased Harry, before turning back to her patch of ground. The weeds were gone, but the plant life was dying and gloomy, so she ripped it up as well. She wondered if Harry would rise to the bait.

This was much harder than Fred anticipated. Maybe it was the fear of rejection..maybe it was the fear of what George would think...or Ron for that matter...or maybe Hermione was just out of his league...Fred took another deep breath and wiped his moist hands off on his jeans...."Well, Hermione...I ...." But a loud clatter on the flat just outside his room put his question to Hermione on hold. George was here now...Fred got up to greet him. "Hi George ole boy!" Fred said cheerfully, and secretly glad that George had interupted...

BG · 09-29-2004, 04:51 PM

George finally gave up on his grovelling when he got no response from Guin other than her ignoring him. He shrugged and determined to try again later, stumbling off to find his room. A loud clatter from downstairs awoke Mrs. Black, and George popped his head into the room. "Hey, Fred... the portrait is awake and I... hello," he looked with confusion at the way the two of them were sitting, Hermione looking as if they had been interrupted and Fred turning an interesting shade of red. "What's going on in here?" he asked lightly.

Harry stopped working and looked at Ginny. Was she serious? He couldn't really tell. "Five or six?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her. He had never thought of Ginny as that type, bu then again, why would Ginny tell him about her love life?

Ginny turned her head and could read the question in his eyes, but he would never know unless he showed enough initiative to ask. "Well, it could have been as many as eight, but I lost count. I'm just a male magnet, Harry. I can't help it." He continued to stare at her, and she took pity on him, sticking out her tongue to show she was teasing him.

Dani was aware of some of the undercurrents at the table, feeling the tension but not necessarily understanding what was going on. Her mum seemed to be upset with Professor Snape about something, and Snape was looking at Draco a bit suspiciously, but she was just lost. Shopping, though... that was something she could hold on to. "What's diagonally?" she asked the two men, content to lean against her mother for the moment.

Harry grinned, but was quite relieved to see she was just kidding. He picked up a clod of dirt, just like she had done to him, and threw it at her, playfully, knowing he would start something, seeing as how this was Ginny Weasley.

"Nothing....nothing....we just wanted to get out of the stuff kitchen for a bit,"Fred said..not completly lying. "George....you know, you and I are going to be in massive debt before this is all over,"Fred said trying to change the subject and get the attention off himself and Hermione..

A clod of dirt hit Ginny in the side of the head and she shrieked. Reaching up, she could feel the dirt and weeds tangled with her long red hair, and she cast an outraged glance at Harry. "Potter! I've got dirt in my hair!" She pouted at him and turned her back, humping her shoulders a bit. "Why'd you have to go and throw dirt at me anyway?"

George cocked his head and listened to see if anyone had moved to take care of Mrs. Black's shrieking. No, she was still going strong. Something about mutants, which meant that either Tonks or Lupin had just showed up. "Why's that? Because the store is closed or because you've been reckless with our savings again?" George asked good-naturedly. He wasn't certain, but he felt he had good timing walking in when he had.

"Dia-gon Alley," Snape annunciated. "It is a hidden street in London where wizards go. There is the wizard bank and numerous shops that carry all sorts of supplies from clothing to potions ingredients, food to magical pets."

Harry laughed, even though he had expected Ginny to react differntly. "You started it," He told her, wiping the side of his face where a bunch of dirt had hit him a few minutes before. "And it's not like you're not going to get dirty doing this job, you know." He picked up some more dirt and shifted it between his hands.

Dani's mouth fell open into a perfect O, her eyes wide. "And we're going there tomorrow? To buy things? Where are we going first, Professor Snape?"

Tara opened her mouth to insert that Professor Snape was certainly busy and probably didn't have time to come with them to Diagon Alley, but she snapped it closed and nodded at him to continue. She had covered the last time. He could certainly make his own excuses to Dani if he so desired. Besides, maybe he DID want to come... Tara shook her head. Snape desiring to spend his day with an eight-year-old and her mother didn't really sound quite in-character to her.

Tonks apologized profusely to the House Elf... Dobby, she thought his name was and moved to try and cover up Mrs. Black before Molly Weasley came out to add to the admonitions. "Old Hag!" TOnks shot back at the portrait after she had called the current inhabitants several fould names and then, called her a mutant.

Finally, Mrs. Black was quiet and Tonks, once again, straightened her robes. But, not that she was here, with no one around to greet her, she was unsure what to do next. Dumbledore had told her to pack her things and go live at Grimmauld Place for a spell but, he hadn't told her which room she should use or how long she'd be here.

Snape never ceased to be amazed at how much this child seemed to like him. Either he had lost his touch or there was something wrong with the girl. Children did not touch or want to spend time with Severus Snape. "I'm afraid I have other obligations tomorrow," he said, simply.

Ginny waved her wand while her back was to Harry, creating a mudpuddle of sorts. "You're right," she turned back to him and saw that he was fiddling on the ground with another clod of dirt. "I did start it. And I'm going to finish it." Ginny launched herself at Harry, a handful of the thick mud in tow. She latched herself to his back and smeared it in his hair and down the reachable side of his face, laughing her head off.

"George...think about it. Dobby is opening and closing the store...we're in trouble here. I'll be pleasantly surprised if we even sold one thing while he's in charge...always telling everyone they should be careful with this..or that will bite...But, what can you do? I do have to admit I'm enjoying the time off though...So George...you get anything else out of Guin? She's something else....refusing personal slaves and flowers...."

BG · 09-29-2004, 04:55 PM

Dani's face fell and she realizes she was keenly disappointed that all of the new important people in her life couldn't come along with them. "What are you doing tomorrow? Maybe we can go the next day. When can you go?" Dani looked up at her mother, who gave her a helpless look.

Tara found that one of her greatest fears had been realized. She was worried that Dani would get attached to Snape, which was why SHE hadn't wanted to get attached to him. And now the girl had gone and fallen for a man who could get himself killed at any time, who didn't like anyone, and who had no interest in being a father figure in Dani's lonely little life. "I think, darling, that we will make our plans, and if Professor Snape can come, we'll be glad to have him, alright?" Her tone was gentle, but as she made eye contact with Snape, she knew she was begging him not to hurt the little girl.

George waved his hand at Fred. Fred wasn't the worrier in the family, so why was he acting like one? "No worries, Fred. Besides, I just saw Dobby a bit ago, and I think he's staying here with us too." George entered the room, the noise downstairs finally stopping. He jumped onto the bed between Fred and Hermione, spreading out. "She's determined to hate me, Fred. But I think she's really starting to take a shine to you. The flowers were an inspired choice."

Snape was flummoxed but, it wasn't at the situation; it was his emotional reaction to the situation. Normally, he wouldn't care one bit about hurting anyone's feelings and would probably not have realized he was doing it in this type of situation where that wasn't his intention. But, here he was, feeling guilty for having caused the crestfallen look on the girls face which had resulted in a pleading look directed at him from her mother, the woman he wasn't supposed to be getting close to. The woman with whom he was maintaining a strict professional relationship with a strictly physical relationship on the side. He cringed as he heard himself answer, "Perhaps I could make it on Thursday. There are some items I need to pick up, anyway."

Tara watched a light switch on in Dani's face, and she felt the sudden and insane urge to drag Snape off to a dark corner and thank him more appropriately. She restrained herself, instead giving him a heated look and then smiling down at Dani, who was thanking Snape profusely and then inviting Draco to come with them. "Is Diagon Alley even safe to visit at this point?" Tara finally thought to ask

Fred shrugged. He didn't care if she liked him or not..she was weird and too fiesty for Fred's liking..."Yeah, she just loved the flowers. I could tell when she threw back at me. I prefer nice girls, George...like Hermione here...even Ginny appreciated the soft flower picking side of Fred.."

Snape caught Tara's eye and became intensely interested in his dessert for a few minutes. He looked up again at her question. "It should be perfectly safe. I am not aware of any more activity in Diagon Alley. Though, I would suggest staying away from Weasley Wizard Wheezes."

Tara almost had to smirk in a very Snapesque style when she managed to unsettle him just by looking at him. It was strange to think of her powers as a woman when they'd lain dormant for so long. This was a good life she had, all of a sudden, with her daughter with her again and a man who... well, a man. That was something. "Well, while it would be fun to take Dani into a joke shop, it certainly isn't the most pressing of issues. Perhaps we should go into Hogsmeade instead. It would be more convenient, and they have many of the same shops."

Hermione was having mixed feelings about George's sudden appearance. She wanted to hear what Fred was going to say, but George seemed to have broken the awkwardness that had been hanging over them. Hermione blushed when Fred mentioned something about nice girls like Hermione. She wasn't exactly sure what the twins were talking about, but by the sounds of it, their apologizing to Guin didn't go so well.

Harry felt Ginny jump on his back and he fell to the ground, he had only been supported by the backs of his feet which he was leaning on. He felt mud on the back of his neck and the side of his face. Where had she gotten mud from? Harry then spotted the puddle she had made and he reached his arm, grabbing as much as he could in his hand and reaching back to hit Ginny whereever he could with it

Harry managed to get a handful of mud smeared on Ginny's shirt before she rolled the two of them farther from the pile. She shoved the rest of her own handful down his shirt and made sure it was well squished in. Although she was much smaller than him, Ginny had wrestled with her brothers, and she distributed her weight so that Harry was pretty well pinned. If he put up a fight, he could probably overtake her, but Ginny was pretty sure he wouldn't mind having her pin him to the ground. "Now there's mud in my hair, Potter," Ginny made a growly face and put one muddy hand on his cheek.

George laughed. "Nice girls? No one but you would claim that Ginny was any kind of nice, and Hermione here has a Gryffindor streak a mile wide. But beyond that... nice girls are boring, Fred. You dated Angelina. You know what kind of fun a girl with a bit of spunk can be."

"Uh huh....you can't even compare Angelina and Guin. Angelina was pleasant and fun...well, when she wasn't barking orders or pucnhing me in the stomach for trying to kiss her...Guin...we've bent over backwards trying to be nice to her. ANd it's not my fault I soaked that night in the Flat. What did she want me to do...let her skin get eaten off by some of our experiments? Hermione was there.."Fred said touching her leg momentarily. "I was just trying to help....she's a bit on evil side. I bet Snape likes her alright though.."

Tonks waved her wand to levitate her trunk, yet one more time, as she ascended the stairs to find herself a room. The first room she looked into contained a girl... the one Bill had brought back from Egypt. Tonks apologized and continued to the next room, which was a bathroom. She continued going down the hall, finding rooms full of trunks and clothing. "Alright, let's see what's on the other side of the hallway, she said, turning around to begin opening doors on the other side.

"Don't be ridiculous. Snape doesn't like anyone. In fact, I bet he's never had a girlfriend, which is sad, but it happens. Maybe if he HAD a girlfriend he'd be a whole lot more pleasent. We should look into that possibility." George considered the fun that chaos would be briefly before he turned back to the topic at hand. "I think you're selling Guin short. Bill likes her, and he's got reasonably good taste in people. He nearly married Fleur, and she was the most perfect female speciman ever." He was about to continue on this line of thinking when the door opened and Tonk stuck her head in. "Wotcher, Tonks."

Tonks opened the next door and sighed as she saw people. She was about to slip back out when she was greeted by one of the red-haired Weasleys. "Oh," Tonks said, pushing the door open a little bit. "Wotcher... uh... Bob, is it? Or, are you Fred?" she said, blushing a little at having forgotten their names.

George grinned at the absent-minded girl. There was no telling how she'd managed to get into the Aurors with her clumsiness and occasional forgetfulness. "Actually, its neither. George." He gestured for her to take a seat on the end of the bed near Hermione. "What are you doing?" He nodded at her trunk.

BG · 09-29-2004, 04:59 PM

Harry looked up and Ginny and smiled, trying to catch his breath. "Yes, there is, Weasley," He said, putting his hands on her hair, making it even dirtier. "And now there's more. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well," Tonks said, flicking her wand to drop the trunk and tripping over her robes as she moved to sit on the bed, nearly collapsing on Hermione, rather than next to her.

"Dumbeldore thought it would be good to have a member of the Order... An older member of the Order," she corrected herself, remembering that Fred and George had just been initiated. "Living here full time to keep an eye on things. Arthur and Molly have been so busy with their own assignments that they haven't really been around so... I guess he thought I should spend some time here. I was just trying to find an empty room but, it seems every one has been taken already. And here I thought Sirius had grown up in a mansion."

Ginny lowered her head and gave Harry a brief, tantalizing kiss before she rolled to the side and stood up. "I'm going to finish weeding the garden. Then I'm going to go and take a nice long shower. Then I'm going to figure out a way to get you back." She smiled wickedly at him and resumed her work of removing the plantlife from one of the beds.

George levelled his gaze at her, not missing the implication. "So... you're our babysitter? That's rich, considering you're only about three years older than Fred and I and not one of us is still in school." George looked significantly at Fred, but then reconsidered starting off on teh wrong foot with Tonks. "Well, regardless, its good to have you with us, Tonks. Can I call you Tonks? You know, you're welcome to share a room with Fred and I."

Tonks shrugged at George's accusation of having her as a babysitter. "Dunno. Of course, Dumbledore could have just told me that cause he found out I was getting evicted from my flat and didn't want me to think he was asking me to come here out of charity," she replied.

She smiled at George's last comments. "Of course you can call me Tonks. In fact, I would prefer it if you did not call me by my given name and just stuck to Tonks. And, do you really mean it about bunking in with you guys?" she asked, her currently brown eyes sparkling in delight

Harry remained lying on the ground, watching the sky above him and lsitening to Ginny mention a shower and getting him back. He watched the clouds moving around for a few minutes and remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He continued helping Ginny with the plants. "You still need help?" He asked when most of the dead plants were gone.

Hermione felt Fred's hand on her leg and for a moment, she seemed to stop breathing, until Tonks came in and explained her situation and almost sat on her. "I don't think your mother would approve of a girl staying with you, George," Hermione told him.

Ginny studied the yard. They'd actually managed to remove the weeds from the salvageable beds and remove some of the dead or dying plants from the other beds. It was ready for planting, but Ginny wasn't in the mood for more gardening, considering they'd been out there several hours already. She gave him a crooked grin and fingered her mud-plastered hair. "All that's left on my schedule is snuggling with you, but I'm just too dirty right now." Ginny rose to her feet and stretched, the crouching position needed for weeding had made her back ache.

"Well, Mione...as much as I hate to admit, Tonks is probably here specifically for us. Though.."he said as he tugged on Hermione so she wouldn't get sit on by Tonks..."we might have a time convincing Mom. We'll tell her it's Order business or something. Welcome to our rooms Tonks!"Fred waved around the room. Their joke things were everywhere, the neon bowlers shining on the bedposts, a huge pile of clothes in the corner. It was anything but neat or tidy, but something told Fred that Tonk's flat would of been twice as bad as their room.

"Actually, I have some things on order at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley, so I would prefer that we go there," Snape replied. "Perhaps I could meet you there at abour 10 o'clock."

When they finished their meals, Snape went back to his quarters while Tara took Danika to settle in the tower and Malfoy went back to the Hospital Wing. Snape had watched the young wizard until he disappeared up the stairs before heading back to his rooms for some peace and quiet... some time alone with his thoughts.

Tonks smiled, delightedly and waved her wand to create another bed on top of one of the twins' beds; she wasn't sure whose it was. Spotting a lime green bowler hat, she picked it up and scrunched up her nose in concentration. Her hair turned a bright, royal blue and she placed the hat on top of her head. "What do you think?" she asked, looking around for a mirror.

Tonks spent a little while going through some of the various props the twins had laying around before it was time for bed. She magically changed into her purple pajamas and slipped beneath the covers, happy she had had some company other than the stuffy aurors at the office that day.

"That you are," Harry told Ginny. "Once you're nice and clean... maybe I'll let you snuggle with me... or seduce me..." He laughed and walked into this house, heading for the bathroom near his bedroom.

Ginny grinned at Harry's retreating form. "You wish, Potter," she laughed to herself before taking the steps two at a time and jumping into the other shower upstairs. When her hair was mud-free and clean, she wound it around her head and rejoined the large group in the kitchen for a quick dinner. The day in the sun had drained Ginny, and she gladly made an early night of it, although she missed her chance to snuggle a bit with Harry. Well, chalk that up as step one in her revenge, she mused as she slipped off to sleep.

Dani was wearing the only t-shirt her mother owned and was snuggled into a grand canopy bed tucked into one corner of her new room. It was a great room too, with a bookshelf already stocked with some interesting books and a huge window seat that overlooked the grounds below. She even had a door leading out onto the balcony, but her mum had requested she not go out there alone yet. The door leading into her mother's room was still open, and a bit of light trickled in. Her mother would stay up most of the night working, Dani knew, but she looked forward to the day they'd spend together on Thursday. Dani was a bit surprised she wasn't more scared, being dragged off from Alanna and thrust into this totally new world, but she liked it so far.

It was getting late, and a big yawn from Hermione told him it was time for bed. Touching her back again, Fred motioned towards the door. "I'm going to walk Hermione down to her room. I'll be right back." Fred left with Hermione just in front of him and they went down the stairs. At the landing Fred said, "Here we are..." Fred wanted to finish the conversation from earlier....ask her his question...but he just couldn't form the words. He thought about just kissing her..then seeing how that went..but he couldn't do that either. He hesitated then said, "Umm...Night Hermione..."And Fred went back up the stairs, changed and climbed into bed. Tonks already seemed to be out, so Fred nodded to George and hit the lights.

BG · 09-29-2004, 05:00 PM

Draco winced inwardly as he noticed Snape's scrutiny at his knee-jerk reflex reaction. He didn't say anything though and pretended that all was well even though his shoulder was throbbing like something terrible.

With the trip being planned for Diagon Alley, he realized he would have to make a decision as to what he was planning to do and where he was planning to go.

He became lost in thought as everyone finished their meal and afterwards, he had given Danika a wave and a grin before heading back to the Hospital Wing.

When he was out of sight of everyone, his face contorted and he allowed a hiss of discomfort and pain to escape his lips and when he was back in his room in the infirmary, he stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower.

With the taps turned to freezing cold, the icy water eased the burn into a dull throb and he leaned against the stall with his eyes closed.

"What am I going to do?" His voice echoed surprisingly well in the confines of the shower stall and he scrubbed himself clean as he thought.

Briefly, he wondered what would have happened if he had never deflected to the good side. Certainly, he wouldn't be having the problem he was having right now - being put under constant scrutiny by the DEs - but he would probably be having problems of a different sort.

"Not that that would matter, anyhow." He muttered.

He was under the constant scrutiny of EVERYONE it seemed, though grudgingly, he had to admit that there had been good reason for it. Had been.

Part of the reason there was so much scrutiny was because he was and had been very vague in his actions, taking a cue from his former HoH and presenting himself as an go-between and spy. The good side suspected him to be a DE and the DEs suspected he had deflected, though ironically, the fact that he was a Malfoy earned him greater trust from the DEs, but he was sure that would be changing very soon if it hadn't already.

He sighed and finished washing up and turned off the taps. He wrapped a towel around his middle and headed to the sink to brush his teeth. With a 'fweep' sound, he wiped the steam off the mirror and for a moment, he stared at his own reflection.

Already endowed with pale skin, the last year or so had made him paler than before. His cheekbones and jawline were clearly defined and right now, the skin on his face was gaunt with worry and fatigue. The grey eyes that stared back at him had a guarded and weary look, the depths dangerously rippling like quicksilver beneath a veneer of gunmetal.

He ran a hand through his near-shoulder-length hair - hair which he was certain was turning white - and collected the bundle into one hand and pushed it to the side as he looked at his shoulder in the mirror. The Dark Mark stood out in stark contrast to his alabaster pale body, an ever-present reminder of his past and present.

Even paler lines snaked around various parts of his slender Quidditch-toned body like a tangle of slender vines and he traced one line that ran diagonally down his entire back with a feeling of detachment, the the emotions associated with it long since frozen and buried.

Potter might have paid the price with the loss of his parents before he could remember them... but sometimes... It's better to never have known them at all.

A stray drop of salty and bitter liquid streaked down his cheek and he closed his eyes momentarily to block out the images.

Having enough of self-reflections, he dried himself off and changed clothes and got ready for bed. Sleep, however, was the last thing on his mind. His mind was filled with too many memories and his heart ached from the associated memories. He knew if he went to sleep in this state, he'd be sure to have nightmares.

Recalling what he had told Danika earlier about star gazing on the Quidditch field at night, he decided upon a perfect way to occupy his time.

He changed clothes again, grabbed a broom and something else he had borrowed from the Quidditch supply closet, a bag full of various items he had pilfered from classrooms - mostly pieces of parchment and quills, shrugged into his cloak, and slipped out of the school and headed to the Field.

Once outside the school, he mounted the broom and soared off towards the Field, unable to constrain the quiet laugh of delight and elation at the sensation of flying and freedom.

He paued in his flying to drop off his supplies in the middle of the field and then took off again for the skies. It had been a little while since he had had the chance to really fly, seeing as how the Manor's backyard wasn't very big, and he was a little rusty. But it wasn't long before the broom became an extension of himself - regardless of the fact that it was old and out-of-date - and his old Seeker senses were reawakened.

Hovering in the middle of the field, he grinned and dug into his pocket and pulled out a practice Snitch and released it to the air. The Snitch hovered in front of him in an almost curious manner as if sizing him up, then as if recognizing him, it shot off and away like a streak of golden lightning.

Grey eyes hardening into a smoky silver as they narrowed, he smirked and took off after the golden Snitch. The Snitch would be his once again.

At least some things were worth remembering...

Fred woke up to Tonks loud snores. He kept his eyes closed trying his best to tune her out...no luck. THen the door bell rang downstairs and Fred's curiosity of who was calling that early in the morning over took his need for sleep. Jumping up, he ran out to the landing. His father answered the door...."Good Morning Severus.." Fred grinned big and ran back inside. "George..get up get up...."he said shaking his brother. "Sevvy baby is downstairs....and you know what that means..." George seemed to be awake now...so Fred started dressing quickly.

George rolled out of bed much more quickly than normal and began to get dressed. He pulled out a set of fairly new black robes, knowing they were about his best bet for matching any DE. Casting a look at the still sleeping Tonks, George quickly stuffed his bed to look as if he were still there, then made sure that Fred had done the same. "I hope you have an idea for a mask later," George grunted at his brother before hurrying out of the room and down the hall. They needed to time this right, or Snape would know to look for them.

BG · 09-29-2004, 05:04 PM

Snape explained to Arthur Weasley about needing some texts which Dumbledore had thought he could find in the attic of the old mansion which had formerly housed a family of Dark Wizards. Snape noted the man trying to hide a slightly suspicious expression but, was used to such things and didn't pay it much mind. Even the members of the Order who trusted the information he fed them did not believe he had fully given up his Dark ways. Moody was just looking for an excuse to kick him out of the Order, though his friendship with Dumbledore and appreciation for his exploits as a spy had softened the old auror's view of him over the years.

"We'll figure it out....we'll figure it out..."Fred said cuting George off about the masks. Both dressed in their finest black robes and boots, they slowly and carefully made their way down the stairs. Snape's and their father's voices were getting louder though....Fred grabbed a hold of George's robes and stuffed him and himself in a nearby broom closet just as Snape started up the stairs.

"....yes Weasley...10 o'clock...."came Snape's voice through the cracks of the rickety door. Fred gave George a significant look, both boys knowing that today was their day to start some revenge....

Snape and Weasley walked up the stairs and up to the dark, dusty, bat-ridden, attic. Snape was telling Weasley about his need for haste as he had to meet some people (he refused to admit who) in Diagon Alley at 10 o'clock. it took a lot longer to sort through the books but, Snape finally found the two he was looking for. They were especially dusty and both sported large locks; very dark magicks were contained within the pages of these books.

Snape and Weasley descended back down the stairs, their robes covered in dust and their shoes in guano. Molly Weasley began shouting at them for trambling the mess all over the house and insisted they both stand in the middle of the hallway while she cleaned them off.

George shoved Fred against the wall of the closet. "If you ripped my dress robes, we'll never get in," he muttered, but his tone belied his words. He was excited, and they both knew it. This was masterful mischief. Finally the sound of their tromping feet came past again, and the twins cracked the closet door. "We need to go to Diagon Alley. I suppose it doesn't matter if we get there before he does," George motioned to the stairs behind him. "One way or another, we go. We can slip out the backdoor now while everyone is in the hallway."

There was an ice cream shop on Diagon Alley that had every flavor imaginable, plus many that weren't. Dani never would have assumed that her mother would let her have two scoops so early in the day, but there they sat in front of Florean Fortescue's. Florean himself was flirting with her mother, but Tara seemed to be ignoring him while she looked anxiously up and down the street and glanced at her weirdo wristwatch. Florean changed his tactic, trying to warm up to Dani, all the while watching Tara's reaction. Dani was pleased by the attention, and asked a million questions about how he made his ice cream and about the flavors he had. Tara only sighed heavily and glanced up the street again.

Fred grinned and tore out of the closet, only stopping in the kitchen to grab an apple..and orange...and a banana...and muffin. They were out the back door and safe from the house. Fred took a deep breath and checked his robes. All seemed in order. "Let's apparate...just outside the Leaky Cauldron...on three...one..two...three..."and they apparated to Diagon Alley to await Snape..

Draco had managed to get to bed around 3 in the morning after a refreshing flight in the Quidditch field. He slept soundly the rest of the morning and somehow managed to wake up bright and early as well.

Realizing he didn't have any newer clothes to wear, he slipped out of the infirmary and took the stairs to to the floor with the Room of Requirement. He conjured up an image of a new outfit appropriate for an outing and walked past the wall 3 times.

He opened the door and found himself facing a simple room with a wardrobe. He opened it and found... Sets of his own clothes?!

He blinked a moment, then shrugged and selected a pair of black slacks, a white ruffled-collared button down Renaissance shirt with cufflinks, and a black cloak edged with green and silver.

He dressed and tied back his hair and packed his money pouch and wand. Upon realizing he was running late, he hurried out the room and headed down the stairs and ducked into the closest working fireplace.

With an enunciated "Diagon Alley," he poofed out in a spark of green and appeared in one of the fireplaces in Diagon Alley.

Keeping his eye out for either professor or Dani and wearing an indifferent and even cold look on his face, he headed to the ice cream shop.

Upon his arrival, he hesitated at the door and looked in to see if they were there yet.

Professor Sinistra was there with Dani and she was looking a bit concerned. He glanced at his watch.

Professor Snape was late.

He opened the door and sat down at the counter.

"Raspberry sundae with extra toasted almonds," he drawled and pushed a few coins across the counter.

George looked around to see if anyone was paying much attention to their appearance. They seemed to be pretty much ignored, which on a normal day would be bad. Today, however, George was glad they weren't looking his way. "Where do you want to wait? We could stay here, or we could go up to the curve in the street to see better. That's right by the shop, though... and you know how that went last time. I hope we don't get shot at today..."

Dani looked over at the sound of Draco's voice and threw her arms around him. "Draco!" Her voice was a shout, but she immediately looked apologetic and cast her eyes to her mother. "I'm sorry. But look... Draco's here." Tara nodded at her, and Dani watched Florean take Draco's money and go off to make the sundae with a scowl. He returned a moment later and placed it in front of the young man, hovering around the table. There weren't any customers in the shop, and Dani wondered if he wasn't a bit lonely. "We're waiting for Professor Snape," she informed him. "But he isn't my mum's boyfriend." Tara blushed and put her head in her hands.

Snape looked down at his watch after submitting to Molly Weasley's cleaning charms and saw that he was now running over half an hour late. He cursed at the Weasleys under his breath after excusing himself from them, turning his back and disapparating to his usual apparation point down Knockturn Alley. It was an apparation point he had been using since his youth and, out of habit more than out of trying to maintain his cover, he always apparated to this point.

Snape strode down the street, nodding to those who had greeted him and ignoring the rest of the foul souls down the dark alley. When he came up onto the bright street of Diagon Alley, a part of him longed to go back to the comfort of the alley which he had just emerged from but, he took a deep breath and began to wind his way between the pedestrians. Finally, he arrived outside the ice cream shop. But, before he entered, he was suddenly aware of the books he was carrying which had not escaped Molly Weasley's cleaning. He had nothing to put them in and he didn't fancy flashing them around so, he quickly diverted to a shop across the street, got a bag, and slipped the books inside before opening the door to Florean Fortescue's nearly an hour behind schedule.

Both Dani and Draco were finished with their ice cream and Florean had pretty much given up and wandered behind the counter. Tara was about to move them all to their shopping venture when Snape finally showed up. The bell over the door jingled and Tara watched him enter with mixed feelings. There was a bit of excitement at the way he moved and the danger in his aura, but she was also keenly disappointed that he cared so little for them as to be on time. The bag in his hand simply made her angry. He was late because he'd done a bit of shopping on his own. Tara bit her tongue and rose to her feet. "Shall we go then?" Her voice was cold and distant. She needed to remember that there was nothing here and she had no right to ask him to be considerate.

Cassirin · 09-29-2004, 05:05 PM

ooc: Thanks to Kris and Erin for getting us all up to date. I loves you guys! *huggles*

BG · 09-29-2004, 05:06 PM

"I apologize for my tardiness," Snape said, noting the annoyance in Tara's expression and the coldness in her voice. "I had a slight run in with Molly Weasley while picking some things up."

He wasn't sure why he was making excuses but, it was too late to take them back. It irked him that he never thought before he spoke with Tara. "Yes, let's go," he said, turning back to the door.

Tara stepped ahead of Draco, who was helping Dani gather her belongings. "I've been held up by Molly myself," Tara responded, the note of apology in her voice all she had to offer. "I need to get robes for Dani, as well as some other clothing. If you would be bored by that, you could take Draco to retrieve your supplies?"

Snape looked over at Dani who appeared to be having a good time with Malfoy. "That sounds like a good a plan," he said, wondering why she had pleaded with him to come when she was just pushing him out of their way.

Dani caught the end of their conversation, pulling Draco along by the hand. "But... I would like to see the shop they're going to. And they can help us pick out some new clothes. Mum said she'd buy me robes, but they aren't like bathrobes. They're like... someting differerent. I don't know. Like the clothes you wear, but she said I don't have to wear black all the time." Dani made a face. "So come with us... please?"

Snape frowned a little but, nodded at Danika. "I suppose I could accompany you," he replied, casting a look toward Tara to be certain she was ok with this change of plans and secretly hoping she wasn't.

Draco's eyebrow arched at Danika's insistence and at the exchange that had happened earlier. He really could care less where they went or what they decided to do seeing as how doing anything was infinitely preferable to doing nothing.

And if there was one thing he secretly enjoyed doing, it was shopping. He cast a look at his former Head of House in question as to what their plans would be.

Tara watched Dani skip on ahead. She was glad Snape was staying with them, but she knew he didn't want to be. Her life was too complicated. Feel one thing. Act another way. Pretend she didn't care. It was all pretense and it was getting too hard. Something was going to have to give, and thus far, the only real thing in her life was her daughter. Dani was all honesty.

"Perhaps it makes me a bad mother, but I just can't deny her the things she wants right now. Not when they are harmless and I'm trying to make up for lost time. I know you don't want to come with us, but I'm glad you are. For Dani."

Snape felt the need to confide his feelings on this matter to Tara but, for once, he managed to keep those thoughts to himself. For some reason, whatever it was that drew him out of himself when he was around Tara, stopped short of him actually expressing his true feelings toward her. Perhaps it was because he hadn't truly admitted them to himself. "Yes, well, I was coming here, anyway," Snape replied, looking ahead at Dani who kept stopping to look around in wonder before running on ahead again.

Biochemkris · 09-30-2004, 02:47 AM

Tonks woke up the next morning alone in the messy room. She made her way to the bathroom, got cleaned up and dressed in some clean robes before heading downstairs, wondering what was for breakfast. She flicked back her currently, long straight black hair, which she wore down as she opened the door. No one else seemed to be around. Where did those twins run off to? Shrugging, thinking they must be up to some sort of mischief about the house, she began to light to stove to make some pancakes.

Cassirin · 09-30-2004, 03:33 AM

George climbed the street with Fred at his side, each of them silently looking for Snape and listening for the pop of apparation. When they reached the curve in teh street, right across from their store, George spotted a little girl skipping alongside Draco Malfoy. He elbowed Fred and pointed to her, only to discover a moment later that she was followed by Professors Snape and Sinistra. George gave a look to Fred that needed no words. It said quite clearly, "Snape was in a hurry to come here to meet those three? And what's up with that odd group?"

Mad Eye Touz · 09-30-2004, 11:06 PM

Fred narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the group, but slid back with George so that they wouldn't be seen. "I have an idea...." And Fred darted off to the back of the Joke Shop to the back door. He had his wand out just in case the shop was still being watched. But, no one was in site. Fred darted down to the lab, grabbed what he was looking for, and tucked it down in his robes.

Fred knew that he was taking his chances being back in the shop, but he needed just one more thing...he got down on all fours and crawled through the aisles to the mask section of the shop. Picking out two that could easily be changed to DE masks, he crawled back out of the shop and ran back out to where George was. He tossed him a mask, then pulled out the thing he'd retrieved from the Lab, the map...

"Ole Snape can't get away from us with this.."Fred said tapping the corner of it, and the whole of Diagon Alley and its inhabitants popping up before their eyes.

Cassirin · 09-30-2004, 11:59 PM

"You got it to work?" George asked with interest, tucking the mask inside his robes for the time being. He took it from Fred, studying the moving dots in awe. This was something the two of them had been working on for a while, and George took pride in knowing his twin had finally figured it out. "Brilliant, Fred... really." He checked for Snape, and found that Sitara Sinistra and Draco Malfoy weren't far off. There was another Sinistra listed however, the little girl. "Does Professor Sinistra have a niece?"

Ginny tumbled down the stairs, still sleepy despite the long hours of sleep. She was more than a little surprised to find Tonks in the kitchen with her wand, prodding at the gas range. "Morning, Tonks. I didn't know you were here. What are you doing?"

Biochemkris · 10-01-2004, 12:35 AM

Tonks was leaning over the stove with her wand pointed at one of the burners, her tongue just barely poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration; she was determined not to blow anything up this time. After successfully lighting the stove she stood up straight and beamed at Ginny. "Wotcher Ginny!" she greeted the youngest Weasley.

Her name was a lot easier to remember than the 7 boy's (or how ever many of them there were) names. "I just thought I'd cook up some breakfast. Have you seen Fred and... George around? They weren't in the room when I woke up...."

Cassirin · 10-01-2004, 12:43 AM

"I'm sure they're off pulling a mischievious prank involving someone's underwear again," Ginny dismissed their absence out of hand. "Wait.. you're staying here? And you're sleeping with the twins?" Ginny gave her a pitying glance. "Bad luck! Why didn't you bunk in with Bill at least? He's cleaner and he doesn't like to blow up or otherwise harm roommates."

Biochemkris · 10-01-2004, 01:36 AM

Tonks laughed. "The twins are great and I don't mind a little mess," she said. "And besides, I had already found all the other rooms occupied and the twins offerred."

She turned and, with a flick of her wand, had pancake batter squirting out the end. Unfortunately, she had forgotten the pan and the batter merely extinguished the flame and made a mess of the stove.

Cassirin · 10-01-2004, 02:14 AM

Ginny laughed at the mess Tonks was making before she rose and helped clean it up. "Evanesco!" The batter disappeared, and Ginny relit the flame. "Let me help. I'm an old pro at pancakes." She hoped she wasn't being too pushy, considering it was Tonks' idea to make them, but the woman was a bit of a menace. "So... what's new in teh world, Tonks?"

Mad Eye Touz · 10-01-2004, 02:47 AM

"Of course it works, " Fred said tooking everything in and moving slowly down the street with the map in front of him. "I got a little help on it...,"he added off-handedly.

Fred looked down at the small dot that was labeled, Dani. "Not sure George...I guess so, because I know that kid isn't with Snape.."

Biochemkris · 10-01-2004, 02:50 AM

Tonks stepped back and let Ginny take over. She was a lot like her mother and Tonks didn't really fancy having it out if the youngest Weasley woman was of the same opinion about her as the oldest Weasley woman. "Well, I've been asked to come and stay here for a while because your parents are the only 'adults' living here and they seem to be rather busy. But, don't tell your brothers that because I don't think they really fancy me being here as a more senior order member. I mean, I'm not that much older than either of them and I tend to be a bit clumsy," Tonks said, sounding rather depressed as she slumped into a chair.

Cassirin · 10-01-2004, 02:59 AM

"Well, I think that's brilliant," Ginny turned to tell Tonks over her shoulder and flipped a pancake at the same time, sending it straight out the window. Standing on tiptoes, Ginny peered into the garden, then shrugged and poured more batter. "We all need someone a bit more responsible around, especially me. Did you know that those Death Eaters who killed Luna were trying to kill me?" She kept her back to Tonks, trying to appear busy at the stove, but it also helped to hide the look of stark grief on her face.

Biochemkris · 10-01-2004, 03:06 AM

"Yeah, I heard about that. The Ministry wasn't aware of it but, Dumbledore informed us at a meeting," Tonks said, smiling as she noticed the pancake fly out the window but, also noticing the slump to Ginny's shoulders.

She stood up and walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "The Order aren't the only ones looking for the killer, Ginny. Kingsley's got us working extra hard on this case. In fact, we already know who the killers were, thanks to Professor Snape. It's just a matter of using that information to gather enough evidence for the Ministry to bring them down. We don't want to compromise Professor Snape's position, afterall."

Cassirin · 10-01-2004, 03:15 AM

Ginny stared at Tonks for a moment before flipping the next pancake too fast and dropping it on the floor. She growled and poured more batter. "Well, what good is that, though? You arrest them, and Voldemort sends more men after Harry and I. And maybe one day they'll finally succeed. We have to go to the root of the problem." She sighed heavily. "I don't mean to be pessimistic."

Biochemkris · 10-01-2004, 03:23 AM

"Well, it's a start. At least the people responsible for Luna's death will get what's coming to them," she shrugged. "And the whole point of forming the Order is to get to the root of the problem. But, there's only so much we can do right now. We have one spy within the ranks of the Death Eaters and we have several people within the Ministry keeping an eye on things but... If You-Know-Who isn't openly planning anything, we don't have anything to go on. At this point, it's still a matter of getting people on our side, keeping people away from his side, and trying to keep everyone safe."

Cassirin · 10-01-2004, 03:43 AM

"Well, it says Sinistra after her name, so unless you're implying..." George shivered at the thought that Snape had ever had contact with any woman and that a woman as lovely as Sinistra would consider such an option. "Anyway, let's see where they're heading. Who helped you with it?" George tried to wrack his brain for someone clever enough and wicked enough to help them.

Cassirin · 10-01-2004, 03:48 AM

"I know you're right, I just hate hiding here and waiting for something to happen. Harry can't get on with his life until this is all behind us, and I can't get on with my life without Harry." In frustration, Ginny completely destroyed a third pancake. "You know, maybe you should do this again. I"m hopeless."

Mad Eye Touz · 10-01-2004, 04:06 AM

Ducking down an alley to follow them through the stores, Fred said, "Hermione. She fixed the bugs one night down in the lab. That was the night that I soaked Guin...I swear I was only trying to help. But, it was hysterical nonetheless." Fred wasn't in the mood to discuss Guin or Hermione at the moment, so he quickly changed the subject, "Um..George. Are you nervous about what we're about to do. If we get caught...maybe we should of left a note somewhere...you know, just in case..."Fred said, sitting down, waiting on the dots to move on.

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