Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself.
Wednesday, July 25th - Afternoon

---

He'd been held for questioning for a few days, something Colin didn't blame anyone for. Someone had made sure a Healer from St. Mungo's had looked in on him, and that he was treated alright - he suspected it might have been Auror Tonks who had been responsible for that.

"Under the influence of a magical creature, not responsible for his actions" was the final verdict.

Colin wasn't sure he'd agreed with it, really. If he wasn't responsible for what he'd done, he didn't know who was. It was his fault he'd fallen into Rose's hands, and ultimately into the clutches of the Master vampire. That had to make him responsible for something, surely?

He'd avoided Izabel and Remus since his release, staying hidden away in his rooms at the castle as much as possible and letting one of the house-elves bring him meals. At some point he was going to have to find them and apologize and hope they could eventually forgive him, but he wasn't ready for that yet.

Instead, he slipped out of the castle and hurried down the lane into Hogsmeade, searching for the office of Anne Perks. Maybe if he talked it over with someone who wasn't involved, who he hadn't hurt, maybe it would make more sense.

WWN Broadcast
Friday, June 29th ~ Evening

---

"- I had know that was all it would take to keep that hag Witherpool off my case and away from my stories, I would have volunteered to bring lunch for everyone before. It is not my fault she's got a thing for chicken salad. How was I supposed to know you aren't supposed to use the entire - What? - What do you mean I'm on the air? Already? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"This is Rita Skeeter live in the gardens of the Black Orchid Hotel - which is the closest I can get thanks to security and that restraining order. That sound you hear is an almost tribal rhythm emanating from the hotel ballroom."

The noise grew momentarily louder before being drowned out by the unmistakable sounds of snapping twigs and a whispered curse. "They nearly saw me that time."

"Almost a primal beat, primal enough to remind this reporter of the events that occurred in that very ballroom just a few short months ago. Will tonight's festivities end in yet another veil of silence, much like the day after the Valentine's Ball and the rumored, yet sadly unsubstantiated, orgy that may or may not have taken place?"

"As always, ladies and gentlemen, WWN is always interested in the comments and concerns of our listeners. More importantly, if you personally witnessed a sensational bit of scandal, owl me, Rita Skeeter, care of the WWN. The Wizarding Wireless Network now returns you to our regularly scheduled programing."

When it is not necessary to make a decision, it is necessary not to make a decision.
~ Lord Falkland

Monday, June 18th ~ Morning

---

Almost a week had gone by since Anne had been out jogging and had had the misfortune to make the acquaintance of Bellatrix Lestrange. Anne understood the woman was dead and was no longer a threat, but that didn't stop the images that kept replaying in her mind through the potion induced haze of medication the healers insisted she take. Once or twice they'd been busy enough she'd received it a little late and there was no argument about taking it after that. Whatever hex it was the dead woman had managed to hit her with - hurt! Anne's left arm and shoulder still weren't responding the way they should, ( but the healers had assured her they would in time.Collapse )

I got my mob scene in my eyes
You can ignore the voices of the people,
This is the beginning.

They say no consequence.
This is the beginning of the end.
Monday, June 11 :: Morning

---

"This is to be a precision operation. Secure the area, retrieve Lestrange and bring her back to Azkaban for interrogation."

Scrimgeour steepled his hands and looked across his desk at the hand-picked group of Aurors listening attentively to every one of his words.

Kingsley Shacklebolt wasn't among them. The Minister had wanted disciplined, obedient officers on this mission, and while he respected the Head of the Auror Office, Scrimgeour didn't trust Shacklebolt to see what was best in this case.

For instance, Kingsley would probably think it necessary to inform the Hogsmeade office of what was about to go down in their town, and that couldn't be allowed.

This is the night, it's a beautiful night and they call it Bella Notte
May 18th, Early Evening

---

One thing he could say with certainty, Charlie preferred going out on Friday night with Anne to working in the club. The club owner was sorry to see him go but Charlie no longer needed the money since Chauncy wasn't in the equation.

Charlie smiled down at Anne as he opened the door for her, thrilled that she was giving him a chance to make amends although it would be a bit hard to revert to hands off after their one morning together but he could do that. She was worth doing that.

If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.
- Abraham Sutzkever
Saturday, May 5th ~ Afternoon

---

Roger grabbed a bottle of ale and set the broom he had just dismounted carefully aside. Looking around he couldn't keep the grin off his face. Some friends, a picnic, a few rounds of Quidditch, and a cold ale to drink - there was no better way to celebrate your birthday in his opinion.

And the best was yet to come.

Roger made his way over to Vera, thinking of the surprise he had enlisted the house elves help in setting up back in his quarters. Roger couldn't stop smiling as he plopped down next to his - hopefully - future wife and gave her a kiss.

"And what have you been up to?"

I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair...
Monday, April 16th ~ Late Afternoon

---

Anne was by nature a patient sort. You had to be in order to counsel people. Improvements didn't occur overnight and if they did - she wouldn't have trusted them. When a couple of weeks had gone by with no word from Charlie, she'd refrained from tracking him down again and decided if she still hadn't heard anything from him in another week - she'd consider it a lesson well learned. That had been over a week ago. Today made it a month since she'd shown up on his doorstep and fallen into his bed.

( That'll teach me.Collapse )

It's a piece of cake to make a pretty cake
Tuesday, March 6 • Evening

---

There comes a time in every man’s life, no matter how health conscious he is, to have this craving for food that will clog the arteries and shorten the life span. Greg had entered Hog’s Head for the purpose of giving into that calling. Completely skipping the main dishes Greg gave into his desire to have a meal comprised completely of appetizers and desserts. Greasy chips and onion rings, Chicken wings, cake and pie. Oh yes, he was going to pass out tonight from carb overload.

Since he was sitting alone in a restaurant he found it rather awkward. There was no one to talk to. One could only stare at the fire so long before a person wondered if Greg had forgotten how to turn his head. Reaching into his coat pocket he found a pack of cards he kept there and began to entertain himself by shuffling them.

The only reason I would take up jogging
is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.
~ Erma Bombeck

Friday, March 16th ~ Morning

---

While Anne had been quite busy getting her practice set up, not to mention the office itself and the flat, she'd been unable to push Charlie that far out of her thoughts. Especially since the first consultation with Percy. Biting her tongue not to ask Percy if Charlie was gay too, had been very difficult. Asking herself why it mattered so much - found an answer she wasn't sure she liked.

( Which was why she was currently walking towards the cabin he and Bill lived in.Collapse )

I've walked sometimes confused sometimes ready to crack open wide.
Sometimes indignant, sometimes raw.
Can you imagine I pay him 75 dollars an hour sometimes?
It feels like highway robbery.
And sometimes it's peanuts.
I wish it could last a couple more hours.
-- Alanis Morissette, "The Couch"

Thursday, March 1 - Morning

---

From the waist up, Percy was the picture of perfection and professionalism: immaculately groomed, waiting attentively and reading a magazine. From the waist down, however, his knees jiggled and his feet tapped out a little tune over and over again.

What the bloody hell are you nervous about? It's Anne. Your friend. What are you afraid of? What could be worse than coming to terms with being gay in the first place?

The problem was, he didn't know the answer, and was nearly terrified to find out.

Remember, it's for Greg, and your family, and yourself too. You owe it to all of them to get your ass in there and get some help. You're long overdue, and you know it.

An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.
~ Nicholas Murray Butler
Tuesday, February 13th ~ Morning

---

She'd put off the interview she needed to have with Minerva for a day and her time was running out.

Who am I kidding.

I don't know my own mind, so how in the hell am I supposed to help anyone else find out what's rolling around in theirs?

London is safe. I'll go back to - doing what I did before.

"And hate every minute of it," Anne said with a sigh as she sat down in a chair and looked around the office that had been hers for such a short time. It hadn't take long to box up the things that she'd be taking with her.

"It was fun?" she questioned the quiet air around her before she rose and headed toward the stairway that would take her to the headmistress' office.

They keep saying the right person will come along;
I think the knight bus hit mine a few years ago.
Friday, January 19th ~ Late Afternoon

---

Sitting down at her desk with a sigh, Anne pulled the top, right hand drawer open to find the latest forms the Ministry office had sent her to fill out.

"If I could spend as much time actually talking to the students as I do having to fill out the latest most comprehensive and efficient forms they send..." Anne was grumbling to herself as she lifted a stack of folders onto the desk top and leafed through them quickly. "Where the hell-oo. What's this?" Anne asked as one of the folders knocked over the pile of mail she hadn't taken care of yet. A colorful brochure caught her eye as it was revealed.

Pulling out the shiny foldout, her eyebrows rose at the images.

( Hellloooo, handsome.Collapse )

WWN News Update
Saturday, January 6 ~ Evening

---

"... And as parents across the commonwealth well know, this weekend the Hogwarts Express will speed across the land to bring the students back to their books.

"Tonight, though, the members of the Board of Governors and select members of the Hogsmeade community were welcomed to the castle ahead of the start of second term by the staff.

"Percy Weasley, the director of the Hogsmeade Ministry office, spoke at length and quite knowlegeably about traditional and non-traditional spellcasting methods.

"So, students, take comfort in this as you head back to class: even over the holidays, your teachers went in for a little learning themselves."

"Never too old, eh?"

The sound of a door creaking open floated over the airwaves, and if one listened closely, a fiercely whispered exchange could be heard:

"Tell them about the after-party! The drunken debauchery! Tell them what really happened!"

"Rita, get the hell out of here! You don't have any sources, we'll get sued ..."

"Some greedy witch got engaged before I could have a fair crack at the groom-to-be! That's injustice! I should write an editorial ..."

A fierce rustling was heard, and the original voice returned.

"This has been Ezekiel Brunderbluss with your evening news and as always ladies and gentlemen WWN is interested in the comments and concerns of our listeners. If you have one, please contact us by owl or floo. We appreciate the interest shown and will respond as soon as possible. The Wizarding Wireless Network now returns you to our regularly scheduled programing."

A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.
~ Thomas Carruthers
Saturday, December 22nd ~ Afternoon

---

Anne hadn't realized how quickly she would become used to having the students milling around everywhere she went. Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were both - so quiet since the majority had departed for the holidays and it made her almost uneasy. While she wasn't a professor - she had volunteered to remain 'behind', so to speak, so that those with family close by could spend it with their relatives. Anne could have made arrangements to travel to the States to see her parents, but she knew they had planned a vacation of sorts in a warmer climate. Rather than disrupt their plans for what Anne suspected was a second honeymoon, she'd elected to stay.

Her thoughts about Vera and to some extent Hermione were broken when she noticed a very large dog and then another in her peripheral vision. She turned her head to watch and had to smile. Their master was apparently taking advantage of the open grounds to give them a little exercise. Her hand rose in a little wave of greeting. She hadn't actually talked to the Flying Master, but she knew of him of course and had seen him occasionally during the mid-day meals. Her smile grew a little larger when she remembered the confessions of true love that had poured out of the mouths of a few of the students.

I wonder if the poor man realizes how many dreams he stars in every night?

The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
~ John Stuart Mill
Thursday, December 21st ~ The Dawn of the Winter Solstice

---

Snow swirled in the fury of the wind, blinding all but those with the keenest sight. For those few fortunate ones, a glimpse of a moving shadow now and then could be caught. It bestowed a gift of unusual sculpture in the form free of kingly coverings. Exuberant, almost crackling with magic, Finvar embraced the heart of Winter. For this was the Unseelie's day - his day to wrest from Summer that which should have been theirs all along. The dance of power was a celebration of sorts. In anticipation of the glorious battle to come when the sun was allowed to rise.

( We will knock upon Summer's door with a fist unable to be denied.Collapse )

If you disturb the patient at such times, he may break into tears or become violent.
And, if you shake him - he bites.
~ Robert A. Heinlein
Thursday, December 14th ~ Late Afternoon

---

Instead of heading home after her 'office hours' were over, Anne wanted to explore the castle a bit and found herself totally lost. She hadn't thought to bring the helpful little map Izabel had given her, mostly because she hadn't planned on leaving the floor her office was located on.

I never should have gone up to look at that portrait.

Moving staircases - bloody difficult things.

Going off and leaving you on a landing with no way back down.

Now, she wasn't even sure what floor she was on. She'd taken 'back' stairs up and down several times, sure that the door in one of the corridors would lead back to the main staircase, but if there was one - Anne sure wasn't finding it. A small noise behind her had her turning, wand in hand. A few spirits had startled her and while she wasn't exactly afraid, she wasn't calm either.

If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it.
~ Erma Bombeck
Wednesday, December 6th ~ Early Evening

---

Anne knew that Percy had been teasing about her 'intentions' toward Charlie, but it still concerned her that maybe he and therefore his family were reading something into their few contacts. Since she didn't live at Hogwarts, Anne ate breakfast and dinner at her flat normally and decided the excuse of a meal would do to 'drop in' on Charlie and feel out the situation. Pushing open the door of The Three Broomsticks, Anne looked around and when she didn't seen him right away shrugged her shoulders and chose a table that gave her a view of the bar.

Sunday morning
It's all the streets you crossed, not so long ago
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
-- "Sunday Morning", Velvet Underground
Sunday, December 3, 10am

---

After Anne's reply, Percy had gone out for a quick, invigorating run - after all, he had to make room for breakfast. After getting home, he quickly dressed in a lavender button-down shirt and navy slacks, then rushed out of his apartment to make it to the restaurant in time.

He had been getting a little lonely lately, what with Greg's pronounced absences due to poker tournaments, and other things he wouldn't disclose even to Percy. He had begun wondering... but worked hard to put his suspicions aside. This brunch was exactly what he needed - a new friend to take his mind off his worries, and to simply enjoy a lovely day with some Ministry speak, or even some 'girl-talk' - for while he had no romantic or sexual interest in the 'fairer sex', he always enjoyed the chance to talk about important matters such as the latest styles and the hottest men around.

In fact, he someday hoped to have a hag of his very own.

Upon entering the restaurant, he was escorted to a table by a young lady named Becky. He took one of the profferred menus and scanned his options as he waited for Anne.

When you are in trouble, people who call to sympathize are really looking for the particulars.

~Edgar Watson Howe, Country Town Sayings, 1911

Wednesday, November 22nd

---

One last delicious dish to share with you today, dear listeners.

After her sudden and mysterious disappearance a year ago, the delicate flower and socialite Pansy Parkinson has returned. One has to wonder what could have drawn her back.

Or who.

My sources tell me this perfect Pansy has been spreading her petals for not one but two of Hogsmeade's hunkiest catches. Men who were supposedly already off the market, at least as far as their girlfriend and fiance - yes, fiance - were probably concerned.

These two tasty testosterone packed men fought over her on Monday at the Phoenix according to eye witnesses. The photos are to die for. Not as gorgeous as the Streak, but still something to warm my -

RITA!

What? I was going to say heart. We can talk about warming something else later, Zeke, now run along. Rita's working.

( Where was I?Collapse )

By doing just a little every day, I can gradually let the task overwhelm me.
~ Ashleigh Brilliant
Wednesday, November 9th ~ Afternoon

---

Dusting her hands off, Anne sat back on her heels and looked at the bookshelf in front of her. She'd lined up what few real books she was willing to loan out to the students if needed and wondered about getting some pamphlets made up with the pertinent points. The Minister might see her 'job' here at Hogwarts as merely a cover for his own agenda, but Anne had enough of a conscience and a dedication to her craft that she wanted to do a good job.

Although if I don't find something fairly soon, I may get yanked back to the office in London.

Glancing around Anne winced while comparing the little hole in the wall in the Ministry she claimed was an 'office' to this - huge room. Not for the first time, Anne was glad that she'd been sent here.

A real chance to do what I've been trained to do. In a decent space, with decent material to work with...

As long as I don't screw up a few young lives in the process that is.

"Tea. I think it's time for tea," she said to herself as she rose and walked over to the floo and ordered some.

Yes, yes, there's history involved. The important thing is that you get to make a really big fire!

Sunday, November 5th - Evening

---

It had taken a bit of finagling but Colin had managed to convince Minerva that having a bonfire would be an educational experience for the children. Of course it meant that now he'd have to actually try to teach them something, but with any luck the actual learning could be over and done with quickly.

That was the plan anyway.

( Right, so - Guy FawkesCollapse )

You wouldn't believe
On All Hallow Eve
What lots of fun we can make,
With apples to bob,
And nuts on the hob,
And a ring-and-thimble cake.
~ Carolyn Wells
Tuesday, October 31st ~ Late Evening

---

As Minerva closed the door of her quarters a smile lingered on her lips. The annual Halloween feast had gone well and only three students had had to visit Poppy before heading to bed. She missed Albus the most on this day. His love of sweets had been legendary and while most of the teaching staff indulged a little, she'd always wondered if he hadn't indulged a lot.

I should see about having his portrait moved to the Great Hall for - Who am I kidding, she decided with an small laugh. He was probably peeking out from one of the other portraits the whole night.

A spider crawled across my face,
Spreading its web on the human race …
Mama Loi, Papa Loi
I see fire in the dead man's eye
Saturday, Oct. 28 ~ Nightfall to dawn

---

"... Get your fun in while you can, because a cold front will be settling in tomorrow. Tonight will be a busy night across the land, with pubs packed and parties in full swing.

"And why do you think it is, my dear listeners? Just because the holiday proper falls on a weekday? Oh, no, I hardly think it's that simple.

"Hallowe'en is Tuesday. All Hallows' Eve, Samhain, the night when spirits may breech the barrier between their world and ours with ease.

"Let all the good little witches and wizards have their fun tonight. Make it your own. For Hallowe'en ... does not belong to us."