OoC: LMAO I love you Nabsy.

To be absolutely, perfectly honest, Ashlie was starting to wonder if she'd made a mistake. Having Jamie stay the summer was one thing. But inviting his three friends? His three female friends? Not only was that four kids but she had completely forgotten all about where they'd sleep. Apparently, in her high to have company, she forgot that kids required sleep.

The couch pulled out into a bed, and she figured two of them could share a bed. Ohh... they weren't afraid of cooties were they? She hoped they wouldn't throw a fit, sleeping on the floor would be bad. The other one could sleep on the smaller couch, she supposed.

And she wouldn't have even been thinking this had she not had to be in to work at eight am. Darn Aero, pawning off all the hours she didn't want to work on Ashlie. She had to bring Jamie in to Diagon Alley at EIGHT am so she could work and pick up his friends.

Harem, Peony had called them.

She tugged at the ankle length skirt. She hated skirts. And long sleeves. And here she was. She might as well be back at high school (which she wouldn't have minded)

----------------------------

Jamie couldn't think of a single place to go so early in the morning. Ashlie had told him not to go eat any ice cream so early so he was sitting in the back of the pub, eating a plate of french toast, tea, and some apple slices. His second plate, that is. EIGHT am! It was too early to be up. He wanted to curl up in his chair and just fall asleep. Right there. He pushed out a loose strand of curls from his eyes, pushing back his bangs.

They fell back into his eyes anyway. They always did.

Buuuuuuttt.... TODAY HE WAS MEETING UP WITH BUCKY AND JENZY AND MADDI!!!!

YAY!

--------------------

Aero honestly hadn't wanted to get up early. So, of course, she owled Ashlie. She was... a diligent worker? Something of the sort. She was a year younger and eager to make money, so why not? Besides, Tyler wasn't due in until noon. When she would take the shift over.

She rolled over in her bed and smiled. How nice to not be plagued by millions of little kids.

OOC: I know you do, I love you more


Mrs. Blotts was up and as energetic as a 63 year old woman could be without giving herself heart failure. There was half an hour to go before she would open the doors to the scores of children who would be on their summer holidays.

She flitted around the shop, humming to herself as she dusted the shelves and wiped down the surfaces of some books.

-------------------------------------------

Nikolai Vannacutt was standing in front of the fireplace of his home in Bulgaria. In his hand was a short note from his father, the Count, telling him to go to Diagon Alley in London and that he would be joined by the useless man in a week or so.

"Goodbye Bulgaria." He said to the vast emptiness that was his father's study.

Ooc: I totally forgot about Fate. >.>
Add her too if you can please.Thankies.Fate Lancer - 15

The Family Estate
----------------------------

Roiben,who was partially half asleep,walked down the stairs of the Family Estate he was staying at with his two cousins,Fate and Eternal.He rubbed his closed eyes and bumped into the wall on the first landing.He cursed under his breathe and continued to walk,but this time,hold onto the railing and keep one silver eye open,but barely.

He crossed over the family room that was dirty thanks to Fate's thrashing the night before and headed to the Kitchen to get some breakfast.Lately,he had been spending to much time at the court and needed to take a break.Especially with all the Nucklelavee's running a secret war to attack on both kingdoms.Something to really weary a Seventeen year old Faerie King.

Lies danced around his ankles,which was bad because he was still stumbling around,glass cereal bowl in hand and a box of Chex in the other.He deffinatly was going to need more sleep.
--------------------------

Le Faerey was a faithful pet.Her main never got tangled by the piskies that lurked in the estates gardens and field.Fate ran a brush through her hair and put a fresh picked garland of rosemary and rue on the horses head.

Fate sighed and petted the gentle creature.She really wished to go back to school.But she couldn't."Listen, Ma Cherie..." She whispered into the horses ear.Le Faerey's ears shot up to the sound and her the wind whisp gently across the morning rising sun.
---------------------------

So,it was morning,and Eternal was so not ready to wake up.She curled up into a ball and then realized,though in her blissful sleep of the beautiful dream where a pony she found turned into a Unicorn and whisped her off her feet to a magical land,she remembered what she was supposed to do today.

Her eyes snapped open,the silver shimmering because she just opened her eyes to her curtains wide open and the sun rising in ful view.She closed them shut again and started to squeal in agony."My eyes!" She said in a squirming high piped voice.

She got up from her lace and bow bed and headed toward her dresser and started to pick an outfit out for the day."Black and white lace with black socks and petticoats?Maybe I should add a cute..," She ran over to her nightstand and opened the drawer and pulled out a small black headband with a white ribbon danling off the side of it."My cute headband to match."

She smiled in delight and got changed,happy with her pick.

A woman sat by a candle reading a letter that arrived by owl post at the break of dawn. Her dark brown hair was plaited into a single braid which lay over the shoulder of her burgundy dressing gown. Her blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of square spectacles and they raced over each line of the letter which was held by a heavily scarred hand. Leaning back in her chair, Luciana McLaggen let out a sigh and thought about the reply she would need to write to the Ministry . Reaching for the quill, she dipped it into the ink and began to write her reply. The sound of the quill scratching across the surface of the parchment echoed throughout the room. Little did her neices know how busy her life truly was and how much danger there was lurking in the wizarding world.

_________________________________________

An hour later, Kay woke up to the sound of an owl pecking at her bedroom window. Sleepily, she got up out of her warm bed and wandered over to the window, opening it so that the tawny owl could come inside. These Hogwarts owls come earlier each year, she thought as she untied the bulky letters from its leg. "Mine and Katrina's," she yawned and watched as the owl swooped back out the window.

She placed both letters on her writing desk that was located by the window. So far, no letters from Elijah, she thought as she looked longingly out the window hoping to will an owl to deliver her the letter he had promised to send. She sat there by the window until she fell back asleep.

___________________________________________
Maximus finished hanging up the last of his many portraits of himself in his shop. Several months ago, he had officially retired from playing Quidditch after 20 glorious years. He had grown bored playing the sport and wanted to focus more on his lucrative business ventures, most of which involved Quidditch product endorsements. Now he could make thousands of galleons in a few measley hours without facing injury to life or limb. And joining the family business with his twin brother Marcus and his father was an added bonus.

His attention was soon drawn to the sound of an owl tapping on the window. He watched as his house elf Pippin opened the window and the owl swooped in, depositing a red envelope on the counter. The owl left the store as soon as it entered, and Pippin closed the window.

"Oh, great. I think I know who this is from," he mumbled as the howler exploded. A woman's shrill voice echoed throughout the store. How dare you, Max! My own sister. What do you mean you couldn't tell the difference between us! We're finished! Max chuckled as the howler chewed itself up. "Women. Can't live with them, can't live without them."

OOC: Max is adorable. I mean that. A ***, but adorable. Oh, and I'm adding in Andi Mao-Macdougal Zizhen, the Charms prof. You might as well get to know her.

***

Peony woke up.

Well, technically she woke up. That is, if you left out the part where Grimwald nearly bit her toe off, Boreas overate on her stash of chocolate and went on a hooting sugar-high while her sisters danced around below him, treading on pictures, letters and socks on the floor. Peony littered her room like a mouse, to make it warmer and save money on heating. That was her excuse anyway.

"OUT!" she bellowed, groping for her wand.

"She's having a wobbly again," observed one of her sisters.

"I mean it, Jad. Get outta here or I'm using your guts for Christmas tinsel!" she snarled, grabbing a pointy stick of wood.

"Christmas is about six months away."

"OUUTT!!"

Two exclamation marks. My. Way to make your point.

"And shut up too!" She wasn't talking entirely just to her sisters.

Peony tumbled out of bed, ripping open the curtains. Bright yellow sunlight streamed in, falling on her black hair and dark eyes. Gaahhh, wasn't she supposed to meet Ashlie today? Stay over or something?

I can't quite remember... ah well. Something will come up.

She shrugged and attempted to kick Grimwald as she swished from the room in her nightgown with a towel over one shoulder. The sound of running water rippled, and then a loud "JEEZUS! It's COLD!"

Peony came out looking considerably more awake than when she had gone in. Brushing her wet hair with one hand and struggling into a pair of jeans with the other, she flung a few things into a bag and started to walk out.

Cough.

Eh?

Put on a t-shirt, please.

Oops.

***

Andi Mao-Macdougal Zizhen woke up.

Her waking up, however, did not involve hyper owls, homicidal cats, or siblings of any sort. Which was probably a good thing because she would have shot them dead without a second thought. She merely got out of bed, shrugging on a nightgown and went to bathe.

Andi tried to relax her mouth, but it had been tight with tension for so many months that this was difficult. She'd had only one last nerve left when the owl from Hogwarts had come, telling her the application had been accepted. Curses on that frigid old cow. Andi looked out at the ruins of the old MacDougal house - charms had held them together. Strong charms, old charms - and they had snapped at her thirty-first birthday, recognizing the fact that there were no heirs, but a half-Chinese, half-blood.

Andi smiled grimly at her reflection in the mirror, pulling back heavy black hair into a bun. She was going to Gringott's today, to... convince them to reopen the Macdougal bank account. Goblins weren't easily intimidated, but if anyone could do it, then Andi Mao-Macdougal could.

There wasn't much money left, she'd spent it all on obscure Charms books, some of them dating from .BC. Now the money she could wrangle out of Gringotts would go to buying her ticket to Hogwarts, and a few other necessities.

Being poor reeked.

OOC: Ashlie, don't forget to change Elena's age. She's 18, remember?

Jen awoke to the sound of dishes clanging and loud voices. Such was life. She rubbed her eyes and clambered out of bed. It had been her cousin's idea to head to Diagon Alley early that day. She had claimed it was because she wanted to help Jen get her school supplies before the rush, but Jen knew better. Elena just wanted to hang out with the cute shopkeepers. Not that Jen could blame her, but it was not necessary to be there before nine o'clock.

Slowly she went through her ritual of getting ready. First, brushing her teeth and washing her face. Hygeine was very important after all. To dress herself, Jen simply reached into her closet and grabbed the first objects that felt like clothing. Taking a cursory glance to make sure her outfit was appropriate, she quickly dressed and headed downstairs to wait for her cousin.
__________________________________________

Unlike the rest of her family, Elena was not a morning person. Staying with her relatives only exaggerated that fact. She rolled over with a growl and to her surprise, felt the bed end. With a soft thud she landed on the floor.

That'll probably bruise, she thought, clutching her pillow to her chest. Groaning, she slowly rose and attempted to walk down the hall to the bathroom. It took her several minutes but when she finally made it to the bathroom, luckily for her it was empty. Punching family members first thing in the morning always made Elena cranky.

She quickly performed all the required hygeine and headed back to her room to get dressed. Unlike her younger cousins, Elena took her time choosing her outfit. It took her at least ten minutes to settle on a pair of light jeans and a red tank top. After all, it was summer and regardless of what the weather was like, Elena would dress for summer.

Satisfied with her appearance, she slowly descended the stairs to find her cousin waiting.

"Get some breakfast. Then we'll head out," she commanded as she proceeded to find herself something edible.
_____________________________________________

It wasn't even eight o'clock and Tyler was already up and ready to start his day. He almost felt bad about leaving Ashlie to work the morning shift which was usually his, but Aero was the one making the schedule.

He had decided to use this morning to shop for his mother's birthday present. Each year he was continually forgetting her birthday and he was determined to make this year different. After locking his room, he headed downstairs to the main area of the pub. Ashlie was already there and with a puppy it seemed.

He waved in her direction and was about to go over when he thought the better of it. If he remembered correctly, Ashlie wasn't a morning person and he did not want to have his head bitten off so early in the day. Choosing the safer route, he merely pushed open the door to the pub and headed down the street.

OoC: Awww Nabsy. How can you say that? I love you MORE! And Leeah, that was soooo cute.

Pee-O-Nee. I love Boreas. Probably because he loves me and Ashlie-IC but I do love him. =D

---------------------------------------------

Ashlie glanced up at Tyler as he walked through and she nodded him a hello. If she were awake and a morning person, which, she wasn't, she'd have at least smiled. WHY did Aero insist on puttinng her on the morning staff? It was absolutely terrible to the customers.

She was about to wander off when to the back to talk to Chef when Mr. Ollivander entered. Chef was always there, and thank Merlin too. He was the best cook in Diagon Alley anyway. But, Mr. Ollivander was approaching her so she decided to wait on him. Might as well, there was nothing more to do. And, besides, he remembered he name last summer. Anyone who remembered her name was worth speaking with.

"I'll get that to you in a few moments, Mr. Ollivander," the girl said, taking the money and putting it in the register.

She walked to the door in the back and poked her head through. "Chef, we need a roll of sausage. Make it hearty, Mr. Ollivander has paid a visit."

She liked her corny lines. If she had to be a waitress-slash-bartendress, she might as well use the corny movie lines. It made for amusment.

Cook just grunted in agreement.

------------------------------------------

Jamie, naturally, watched all the people walking through the Pub with a bit of interest. He swung his feet below him as he ate his french toast. It wasn't his usual breakfast, but he'd gotten used to it. Cook always put extra powdered sugar on it for him and, in some cases, like this, he drizzled chocolate syrup over it.

Mr. Ollivander was a bit of an odd man. And old man. Jamie kind of feared old people, he regretted to admit. It wasn't that he was TRULY terrified of them, but he'd never really been around them so they kind of alarmed him and made him feel... weird? That was the only way to describe it.

He watched Ashlie peak back to Cook and deliver the order. That meant Mr. Ollivander was staying... Eep.

"Emergency meeting of the Wizengamot," Luciana mumbled under her breath as she stormed up the stairs to her bedroom. She didn't care if she was loud and woke up the girls because she'd be waking them up within an hour or two.

"The Ministry had better have a good excuse for such short of a notice," she hissed as she pulled out the black robes that she would wear that day and lay them on a bed which had already been made up by one of the house elves. She quickly changed into them and sat down at her dressing table. For a few minutes she focused her attention on braiding and twisting her hair into an intricate bun.

A tapping noise on a window garnered her attention and she turned around, looking directly at a foe glass placed to the right of the window. Her eyes darted over to the other foe glass located to the left of the door. "Post owl," she whispered and rushed over to the window and opened it quietly. She leaned out of the window and saw that it was a Hogwarts owl. Smiling triumphantly, she swept out of her room and down to the kitchen where the aromas of a hearty breakfast filled the air.

The house elves had already set the table up for breakfast and several newspapers were lying neatly on the table, awaiting for their mistress to read them. Luciana settled herself down at the table and helped herself to breakfast.
_________________________________________
The inviting aroma of breakfast wafted through the air and Kay woke with a start. As she rubbed her eyes, she noticed that a house elf had already made up her bed and that Katrina's letter was no longer on her desk. She wandered over to her wardrobe and picked out a casual ensemble of jeans and a blue and white striped rugby shirt. "There's no reason for me to dress to impress," she whispered as she got dressed and plaited her brown hair into a simple braid, tying it with a blue ribbon. A few strands of hair worked their way loose, but her hair always did that. She stepped into a pair of brown loafers and slipped on a pair of small silver hoop earrings as she walked out of her room. "Kat? Breakfast is ready," she said as she knocked lightly on her sister's door. Not getting an answer, she shrugged her shoulders and quietly made her way down to the kitchen.
_________________________________________

"Good morning, Auntie," Kay said warmly as she entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. She doesn't look pleased today, she thought and helped herself to some breakfast. She ate silently and observed her aunt's twitchy motions at the other end of the table. "Um . . . our Hogwarts letters came today and I, uh, was wondering when we could, um, go to Diagon Alley," she asked hesitantly. Kay had this gut feeling that her aunt never liked her.

Luciana put the paper down that she was reading and gave her niece a cold stare. She reminds me of that good-for-nothing father of hers. Same eyes, same hair, same talent for that awful sport that Father loves. She's just as sneaky too. But not my darling Katrina - she's perfect. "You are in luck, child. The Wizengamot has been called into sesson and you and your sister will be able to spend your days doing whatever you do in Diagon Alley." She paused and noticed Kay's pleased reaction which irritated her immeasurably. " I would leave the two of you with your grandparents, but I think that your Grandfather tells you enough stories to inflate that ego of yours," she said with a chill in her voice. Let's watch her squirm, she thought and her eyes sparkled. "I hope that you will start heeding my warnings, dear girl, because they're for your own good. You seem to have forgotten that strange owls are not permitted near this house."

Kay's spirits briefly rose as she heard her aunt say that they could go, but then a chill ran down her spine. Her nostrils flared as she listened to her aunt lecture her. Why does she do this to me? All I said was that our letters came today! "How would I know if any 'strange' owls came to this house? You seem to have forgotten that I've been away the last two weeks," she haughtily replied and returned the same icy stare her aunt was giving her. Go ahead and hex me, you old bat!

OCC: I'm bringing out Fatima to play as well. She's 17 for all of you who haven't RPed with me/her before. Whatever. =P

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Amaris tossed and turned in her bed. Sunlight was peeking in between the curtains and it was annoying her. Soon, there will be noise about. And happy people. OOoo happy happy morning people. How dreadful. She groaned and threw the cover over her head.

It was just too early to be out and social. Maybe, ten more minutes...or fifteen. Nah, make that forty-five more. Just forty-five. No one needs to know.

"Penguins," she muttered half-asleep and began to snore.

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Diagon Alley was already buzzing with conversation. You would think people would sleep in during vacation. Apparently, not. Celestina yawned as she stood outside Flourish & Blotts. Her intention was to buy her school books before actually meeting up with Jamie but she had steered, as usual, from her goal. Once more, she had Rosemary on a leash. For a tortoise, Rosemary was unusually quick and had a rebellious streak. Sometimes, Bucky wondered if Professor Dainsie had given the four legged creature something to eat she shouldn't have.

Her trusty camera hanging around her neck, Celestina ran a small hand through her boyishly short auburn hair and sighed. It wasn't easy being a twelve year old in Diagon Alley. Especially when you were by yourself. With this thoughts, Miss Warbuck proceeded to march towards The Leaky Cauldron at a quick pace. Perhaps, that way, she would avoid collision with a sweaty old man this time around.

------

It was amazing how The Leaky Cauldron was empty early in the morning. It wouldn't last long though, Fatima knew, it never did. Soon, dozens of snotty kids and bratty girls would enter the premises and start acting all...well, snotty and brat like. Fatima had a thing words, it was them who disliked her. It was the reason she didn't talk much.

She was never good at expressing herself and she didn't think that now, at the age of 17, she would start to change that. It was just the way she was. Odd, quiet, and perhaps a bit slow. But it wasn't her fault, afterall, the ninjas did try to kill her once.

Fatima walked slowly towards a corner of the Leaky Cauldron and sat on an empty seat. It had been a bland summer with no Elena and no Taylon. Her mother, Ana Maria Gutierrez, muggle super model, had been busy doing dozens of photo shoots this summer meaning it was only Fatima and her father, Rodrigo DiMaggio, a star in foreign films as well as a director in the villa in Spain for the past month and a half. Fatima had nothing in common with her father who was loud and a dreamer. Well, Fatima used to be a dreamer but she learned a long time ago that dreamers get their hearts broken more often than mended and that it was better to not dream and live with reality. Reality never lied. It was honest. Honesty was always something very important for the young woman and it would remain so.

Roiben walked down the Street of Diagon Alley.Fate and Eternal holding hand's behind him.He decided to leave Lies at home,seeing as the little kitten would most likey follow a bug somewhere and get lost.He didn't want to loose his cat he just got last term.

"Where should we head to?" He asked,turning a bit to look at his cousins.They didn't saying anything to him,but Eternal was busy looking at all the Shops,eyes huge while Fate was looking down at the ground,eyes downcast.

He sighed,so much for his plan to go get some books at Blotts."Nevermind.." He mummbled under his breathe.

"Let's split up!" Eternal piped,finally recognizing her cosusin's sad looks."Me and Fatey will go to the Leaky cauldron to get a drink and you can go wherever!" She thought it was a good idea,Fate even looked up at her,thankfully.

Roiben shook his head slightly."What kind of drinks will you two be getting?" He asked questioningly.He didn't want them to get drunk.Plus he was responsible for them.

Fate opened her mouth to say something,but closed it.Hope fading from her eyes."Oh nothing BAD Roiben.You think so ill of me sometimes." Eternal huffed in defiance."Maybe some iced water,is that fine with you?" She shot at him.

He laughed.His little cousin was like a small adorable puppy,but when you push her buttons she snaps her fangs at you."That's fine.I'll come and check up on you later.

He waved and started to walk towards the Flourish and Blotts,leaving his two cousins standing in the street,oogling at the stores windows.
-------------------------

Eternal pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron and smelt the first smell of the pub.Fate squeezed her hand tihgtly and Eternal nodded,looking back at her and smiling."We're ok Fatey.Let's find a table."

She started to weave her way through the tables,not that many people were here.She found a nice table with two chairs nearing the middle of everything.She hoped it was a good choice,she didn't want to regret it later.

"Eternal,why do you carry that plush cat everywhere?" Fate asked in a light hearted tone.A tone much softer than the shrill one she had last night.Her eyes wavered over to the plushie her cousin was clinging to for probably dear life.What's so special about it?

Eternal smiled widely."You mean my favorite plushie in the whole world!He's almost like..a safety blanket!I love him because maman gave it to me back home in Brittany when I was little." She snuggled her face into the cat's.The bell around his collar started to jingle and she giggled."See!Taky likes it!"

Fate shrugged.She never really understood the happiness that flowed through her cousin's veins.But who could blame her,she was so cute and innocent."What should we get to..drink?" Her throat was getting dry and her mouth pasty.She needed something.

"Don't you dare speak to me in that tone you ungrateful child," Luciana seethed. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Kayleen." Her left eye twitched nervously. That twitching eye was always a sure sign that she was trying to control her nasty temper.

Kay's jaw tightened as she listened to the warning. "I can associate with whomever I choose," she retorted but stopped when she heard her sister pull up a chair and greet everyone. "Good morning, Kat," she said with a smidgen of cheer in her voice. Her aunt had put her into a foul mood and it wasn't even 8am!


Luciana bristled at Kay's impertinence and was tempted sting her with a hex. However, her demeanor changed slightly as she saw her perfect niece, Katrina, sit down at the table. "Good morning, my dear," she replied in a sugary sweet voice. "I hope that you slept well last night because today you and your sister will be going to Diagon Alley." She smiled sweetly at Katrina. Oh, she is so perfect and so unlike her horrible sister. "You will travel by floo powder and Kayleen will help you with all of your purchases." She shot a smug look at her older niece.


Kay slumped in her chair at this piece of news. She knew that Katrina would do exactly as she was told. There was no use arguing now and that look her aunt just gave her proved it. "Let me know when you're ready to go, Kat," she said in a flat voice as she grabbed her purse and wand.