Shopping Trip!

Ok well Jordan is officially brainwashed, and won't be posting for a bit, I don't think. I'm debating trying to post enough to catch her up, but that's...work. - -'

Anywho, she still had to go to Diagon Alley and pick up some stuff. And I wanted to show some of it off!

First, she bought an owl and a kitten. The kitten wasn't part of the plan, but she walked into the menagerie and changed her mind when she saw them. - -' And I'm a big softie. So here is Pohjola:



And Louhi:



And she got a set of Rune Stones for my Basic Runes class, made out of Moonstone;



And, finally, she got a wand:



9 inches, Beech, Pogrebin Hair, Golem Dust, and Bowtruckle Toenail, or Fingernail, or something like that. I can't *really* remember. - -'

That's all for now!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Lookie. :)

I have something to show you! It's my friend banner; Annabelle Leigh made it for me and Lily. :)

017 -- Loki's Birthday

The rest of that weekend was a blurry, miserable haze for me. I obviously had come down with something worse than a cold, because my body ached and I was never satisfied with its' temperature. I ended up blowing my nose more times than I can count, but somehow, there was also a new stock of tissues waiting in the dorm when I awoke. I spent most of this time shivering, and occasionally feeling well enough to read.

After two days, I woke again, very weak, and starving. I hadn't been able to leave for food during my illness, and had only rarely gotten out of bed for water. I decided it was time to get up and make myself better. My head felt cleared, at least. And my nose wasn't runny. And, I noticed with some happiness, I felt exactly the right temperature. Warm and snuggled under blankets.

Climbing out of the bunk, I wobbled into my desk and held onto it, breathing heavily, while I remembered how to stand properly, and instructed my legs to hold onto some strength. I was determined to make it up to the Cafe, since I didn't want to pass germs around the Great Hall, if I was still sick enough to. I tried to clear some of the fog from my mind as I dug through my trunk for a pair of comfortable sweatpants and another hooded sweatshirt. It seemed to be always cold out here. I tugged the new clothing on, and deposited the sick clothing in a heap by my desk. This stuff really needed to be washed, along with my bedsheets, but I wasn't sure how to do it. I wanted to rip the bedsheets off of my bunk then, but it was night time and I would be coming back to bed soon enough. So I cleared all the used tissues off of it, and threw them away, and tidied up as best I could, before deciding that the first thing I'd ask Ness when she was awake was where we washed laundry at. Or if there was a laundry day. Something like that.

I gathered up my journal and the loose sheets of paper that were supposed to become letters to my parents, and left the dorm.

The walk up through the castle wore me out big time. Several times on the way up to the fourth floor, I had to stop and sit against the wall, breathing deeply and forcing myself not to feel dizzy or faint, or sick. It was colder here in the corridors, and my feet were only in slippers, which weren't keeping them very warm. At least the Cafe had a hearth. I vowed to sit next to that no matter who was in there, and got back up to continue my journey.

After what seemed like an eternity of stone walls and moving staircases, I made my way back into the library. I smiled and sighed with relief when I walked in, enjoying the aroma of baking bread and the smell of coffee. I grabbed a spot by the fire, and sat down, spreading my journal and papers before me. I needed to clear my head and really think about what I would write. So much to tell my Mom and Dad--how could I ever choose the right words? I told myself there didn't need to be as much detail about my everyday life; surely that would come with this journal when it was full. But once again my mind was drawing blanks. I was also still very hungry, but now I was unsure of what my stomach could handle. I thought about Patrick and that specialty soup. It still sounded very, very good. But I had no way of finding him or getting ahold of him.

I gave up and walked to the counter to order myself a hot chocolate. As I waited, I noticed that Ally was here, talking to an older boy I didn't know, and I she and I smiled at each other. I didn't want to interrupt their conversation, so I took my chocolate back to my chosen seat by the fire and sat down, inhaling the sugary sweet smell from the steam. It made my stomach rumble. Still, I wasn't sure I could handle any food just yet. I stared down at the empty sheets of paper and chewed on my pen.

It was a few minutes before I noticed that Loki had once again entered the cafe, but this time, he didn't take a seat next to me. When I looked up, I saw him sitting by himself, dejectedly staring down at a card in front of him. In one hand he was holding a deflated balloon. He looked angry and bitter. The balloon and morose attitude sparked my curiosity and made me forget my letters, and I stood, leaving my journal and bag behind and walked over to him, warming my hands on the hot chocolate.

"What's this?" I asked, leaning over his shoulder to read the card. It was from his parents, wishing him a happy birthday. More confused now, I frowned at the balloon, and attempted to cheer him up with a friendly nudge and a grin. "Your birthday? "

My heart was sinking as I realized his birthday must have been over the weekend, while I was sick. And I had missed it. No wonder he was so sad.

He jumped when I nudged him, and gave me a shaky laugh. "Geez, that woke me up," he said, before glancing back at his card. "My father got mad because I sent him a letter by owl. It arrived while he was at work, and he said it's ruining his reputation." He sighed heavily. "And this," he said, holding up the balloon, "is my wonderful birthday gift from my parents. Best birthday gift I've ever gotten." He clenched his fist around the scrap of red rubber and tried to control himself. Composing his face, he turned a worried eye on me and appraised my shabby dress. "But how are you doing? You had me worried."

We both jumped then, as a hand shot out and ruffled Loki's already mussy hair. "'Ello there lad, 'ow've you been?" Marius said with a laugh as he invited himself to our table. I grinned again. Marius had a way of brightening up any situation. He also sized up my state of clothing and shook his head. "You feeling better, lass?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I'm much better, both of you, thanks." I said, not wanting to go into any more detail about being sick. I was embarrassed still, and still mad that I had gotten sick during my best friend's birthday. It seemed unfair somehow.

Tired. Writer more later. --Abby

016 -- Still in the Goblet of Fire Cafe

I heard a giggle behind me, and turned, expecting to see a Professor; expecting to see that we weren't allowed after all, and that we were in trouble. The boy looked up, too. But then my confusion turned into a blissful smile. It was my friend Loki!

"I've found you!" he said, walking into the Cafe and stepping up to the counter to order a drink. He returned with a goblet of Pumpkin Juice and sat beside me, raking his eyes over the blanket on my shoulders and the tissues on the table, before finally settling them on my runny red nose. He looked concerned, but didn't say anything, choosing instead to take a drink of his juice. I sipped at my hot tea, grateful.

The boy had noticed us giggling at him, and rolled his eyes at us, looking a little exasperated. "Do you usually stare at strangers so diligently?" he stated suddenly, narrowing his eyes at us. "A bit rude, don't you think?"

I was feeling too tired to be confrontational, and I sneezed before I could say anything. "We're not staring, are we, Loki?" I joked for them both. The boy looked agitated enough, though, that I didn't say anything more to egg him on. "Sorry," I offered, trying to soothe down his ruffled feathers, "I've just never seen anyone stare so intently at a muffin. What were you looking for?"

Beside me, Loki was also apologizing, and while he did so, I took the opportunity to choke down more of my tea. I decided it needed more honey, so I grabbed a small container off the table and poured a generous amount of it into the teacup.

The kid's eyes were still narrowed. He seemed to be sizing us up. He folded his hands upon the table and smirked across the room at us.

"Well, have you heard what's been happening recently?" He asked us in a hushed tone. He leaned forward, as though this was something he didn't want to be overheard.

"Apparently several of the older Slytherin students have taken it upon themselves to spike the food here with...odd things. The House Elves are terrified of them and won't stop them from doing it. In fact.." He leaned forward even more, and smiled a twisted sort of smile that suggested to me he was rather enjoying himself. "I heard there was a 'Claw student the other day whose ears got so big they almost broke his neck. They put something in the food that powerful." He leaned back and attempted to look very serious. The corners of his mouth were twitching.

"And just this morning, a Gryffindor girl was drinking tea to calm her nerves, and she blew up like a helium balloon," he added, taking a glance at my teacup. I had been a little nervous up to this point, and was almost unsure about drinking the rest of my tea, if food was being spiked, but I suddenly realized he couldn't be telling the truth. Still, I wasn't sure..

"Wouldn't the teachers put a stop to that?" I asked him, skeptical. It was my belief that adults could do anything. I didn't think a teacher would just stand by and watch while students were poisoned by their food. "Surely they wouldn't think it was funny?"

I shot another glance down at my tea. I really didn't want the story to be true; I didn't feel like blowing up. I decided to take my chances and took another sip of my tea. Besides, I had already swallowed half of it--if I was going to fill with air, I may as well feel better first, before floating up to the ceiling. I took another sip.

"I'll take my chances." I told him, more confidently than I felt. I tried to redirect the conversation. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm Jordan and this here is my friend Loki."

Loki let me introduce him, but when I looked over I noticed he was glaring across the room at the kid. I was surprised. Loki really had been rather dour lately, it seemed. He obviously disliked Joellen, and I didn't really blame him for that, but we'd only been talking to this kid for five minutes and he already hated him? I sat silent and Loki spoke up.

"You know, with that kind of scare tactic, you're no better than most of the Slytherins," he practically growled.

The boy smirked. "And I say with that kind of attitude, you can't really take a joke," he retorted. His eyes seemed a little cold, but he turned back to me, mischievous once again. "Hey Jordan, I'm Patrick, the Claw who cried wolf," he joked at me.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure what he was talking about, and I was confused, but at least it was now fairly obvious he was teasing. I could handle that. Still, there wasn't as yet positive proof the tea wouldn't blow me up, and I was wary of it. But I didn't want to look like a fool, either. I decided to call his bluff. With a swift movement, I gulped down the rest of the tea, which had cooled by this point, and set the cup down with a small clunk.

I stood. The blanket fell from my shoulders and landed on the chair. Turning, I flashed a grin at Loki, who was watching me closely, before I took a few steps towards Patrick and extended my arms out to the sides. I looked up at the ceiling.

"Hmmm.." I mused, looking back at Patrick with a raised eyebrow. "It doesn't seem to be getting any closer." I proceeded to make a small show of checking over my thin arms, to see if they were getting any fatter, and pulling on my clothing to see if it was all still fitting, and then smirked back at the Claw. "Guess I got a safe cup," I told him.

I leaned on the edge of our table and crossed my arms across my chest. Lord, but that little escapade had made me dizzy. I was still getting sick, and shouldn't be playing around. I was only here for the tea, after all. But I was having fun. And I needed to keep Loki from getting into a fight.

"So," I continued, watching the boy smile in return for me, "what exactly do the Slytherins do to muffins? And how would you be able to tell, just by staring at it? Surely the pranksters would hide it better?"

"Actually," he teased back, "Your head seems to be about two sizes larger than it was before you took your last sip," he said, his smile a little wider. He glanced at Loki for affirmation. "Loki, was it? Don't you agree? I guess the Slytherins got her after all."

Geez, my head certainly felt two sizes larger. I reached up to feel my head, intending to joke back, and sneezed. My head was hurting. "Maybe you're right," I conceded, turning to retake my place at the table. "But it needs to be large enough to handle all the mess this cold is making of it." Changing my mind, I headed up to the counter to grab a napkin and blew my nose. "What year are you?" I asked, almost directly. I was dying to know how long it took a person to really get used to this castle. I still had so much to learn. I retreated back to the table and bundled back up in my blanket, throwing a small smile at Loki. "Thanks for standing up for me," I whispered to him.

He however, stood up. His face was a little softer now, but he still looked agitated. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go look around the library. And let you two talk. " His voice faltered on that last bit, and I shot him a searching look. Realizing this, he pasted a hasty smile on his face. "It was nice to meet you, Patrick," he added, in what seemed to me to be a sort of..forced politeness. He nodded to me and took his leave.

I watched him leave, noticing now that the lights in the library were back on. There must be other people about, then. As I was thinking this, another student entered, one I'd never seen before. He was sort of cute, I thought, and he flashed me a small smile of his own, before walking up to the counter and ordering three butterbeers. He didn't stop to talk as he gathered the three mugs in his hands and quickly walked back out. Patrick was frowning at me.

"You know, you really should be in bed, resting, if you have a cold," he said, sounding concerned. I was touched and hoped his worry was genuine. "You should eat soup, and lots of it. The elves have this really good specialty soup to relieve head congestion, if that's what you're feeling." He paused, and seemed to think a moment, before realizing he hadn't answered my question before Loki left. "I'm a first year, by the way," he told me, "and by the looks of you, you are, too." I nodded assent.

"You know," he said suddenly, standing, "I'm pretty hungry, myself, and this muffin didn't do much for me. Are you in the mood for some specialty-guaranteed-to-make-you-feel-brand-new-soup?"

I almost giggled again. Whatever Loki thought, I liked Patrick. He made me feel like it was okay to tease and joke and laugh and mess around. Loki was special to me, but he was quiet and reserved. I wasn't sure where the boy wanted to lead me, though, and my head really was aching. As good as that soup sounded, tonight didn't seem to be the right time for it.

"Thanks Patrick, but could we go get it tomorrow? That bed sounds too good tonight, after all." I stood and bundled the blanket up around me again, adjusting it so I wouldn't trip on it on my way back to the dorms. He nodded and turned back to the table to clean up his mess, and I stepped back out into the Library. I just wanted to check for Loki, so I walked between most of the shelves. In the process, I spotted the unknown boy, huddled with Darla and someone else. The three were drinking their butterbeers, and I would have approached them, save that they seemed extremely serious and private. So I walked back toward the door and left the library, seeking my warm bed.

More Real Life

Goodness! I'm so sorry! I really, really need to get back on this, but not tonight, it's already 2:30 am and I'm absolutely exhausted. I just wanted to get online and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Man, Jordan and I have some interesting stories to tell when I get back online! A lot has been happening at Hogwarts, and Jordan doesn't even know if she'll live to see her first year of school. (And I confess, I'm starting to get a little worried, myself.) She may have a scar or two when this is over, but the tale should be very exciting to tell!

So, please continue to be patient! I still have to get through Patrick's story, and then there are a couple others that happened in there, too. Jordan's met a lot of newer friends, and I couldn't be happier for her!

There is one more bit of news...I've applied for a Prof. Position. I don't know if I'll get it (in fact I doubt it) but if I don't, I'll just reapply next Term. Should be fun, and then I'd have another character! Of course Ryan would have her own journal, since all of my characters will keep them. It's an easy way for me to keep up with what's happening to them.

For now though, you'll just have to wait! Since I should have a day or two, during which I'll be playing a waiting game, myself, I will definitely hunt up some of these rp's and try and get this journal caught up, finally.

So, Happy Thanksgiving!

Long Live Hogwarts!

-Abby

Real Life, For a Moment

Hi guys. Sorry about my recent absence! I've been kept quite preoccupied by what I thought was my mundane boring life. We had a concert last weekend where my friends were playing, and that included a four hour car trip from Indiana over to Cleveland, Ohio. There's a BIG surprise in the works for early December in my family. :) I won't say any more here about that, but because of it, I've found myself on the phone with several people during the day, making chore lists and grocery lists, and surfing for good deals on Ebay and Craigslist. I need to get this apartment clean, because there's another concert in Chicago coming up here soon and we'll have guests over that weekend. I have bills to catch up on, a husband to keep happy. And with Harvest Feast coming up next week, I have shirts to mend and hems to sew and some embroidery to finish up, so my husband will look like a proper viking with a proper wife in a week's time. :)

So you see, between all of that, I've been sleeping a lot, and when I am online, I've been checking Hogwarts mostly, and then going back to Facebook, where I can play addicting little flash games while I wait for my sister to email me. But since today *is* Jordan's 11th birthday (and a Friday the 13th! I hadn't planned that one out), I'm thinking about sitting around today. I'll work on that embroidery so I don't feel useless, and roleplay. I'll also try and put a couple more entries in this thing. :) I STILL haven't caught it up.

So for those of you who are my friends and Jordan's friends, thanks for being so patient with me! Don't give up, first term starts so soon now! We're going to have a blast!

Thanks a bunch guys,

Abby

015 -- The Flu and Patrick

I didn't know I had been asleep all day, but I woke up at some point, feeling very sick now. I would feel extremely hot one moment, and throw the covers off, tossing and turning, and then, the next, freezing cold. I would then yank the covers back over myself in frustration. There seemed no reason for it.

When I woke up, my nose was running and I was sneezing every few minutes. Not wanting to wake my roommate, I wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and climbed down out of bed. I grabbed a few tissues out of the washroom in our dorm before donning slippers and leaving the Common Room.

I didn't know where to go, but hot tea sounded good. Knowing the Great Hall closed down at night, I decided to go try and find the Library. I had seen the cafe it held when I was exploring, and hoped to find it open for late-night studiers. I wasn't sure whether we had a curfew here or not, but since I rarely ran into any of the Professors in the halls, I wasn't too concerned about getting into trouble.

As I slipped through the giant Library doors, I faltered my step, feeling nervous. The library was mostly dark, with dim lights on tables dotting it here and there. But as I stepped in, the lights brightened suddenly, nearly blinding me. I reached up to shade my eyes, and when they adjusted, I almost laughed aloud. They were like motion sensor lights! But I doubted I'd find any sensors. Smiling to myself I tip-toed through to the back of the library, where I found the Cafe well-lit already. I slowed again, wondering if these lights were just "attached" to the lights in the library, or if there were other people awake. When I entered the Cafe anyway, I noticed two things. One, that the lights in the Library dimmed again with my departure, throwing my theory away. Two, that the Cafe was preoccupied--by a single student.

He was wearing black robes trimmed in blue--a Ravenclaw, and he had already been up to the counter. I knew the Cafe must be open, because he was holding a muffin in his hand. He had yet to retake his chosen seat, but rather, he'd carefully spread a napkin across the table to use as a place mat, centering it on the table perfectly in front of his chair. He lifted his goblet off the tray and gave it a place on the table, and then picked up the muffin. With incredible scrutiny, he began studying it.

I thought this display was so funny as I was carrying my tea back to my own table, that I giggled. I put my tray down and lifted my hand to cover my mouth, but he noticed.

"Just like grandma used to make?" He said aloud, before taking a bite. He made a face. "No, definitely not. Mediocre at best."

---Sorry..Alex just came downstairs and wants to talk. More later!