Chrissy Mathers
April 22, 2005 4:58 PM
Astronomy...for the loonies by Chrissy Mathers
Chrissy followed her best friend, Tally, into the classroom. She was chattering in quite tones while her brown eyes swept the large classroom. It was definitely different than the other classrooms her classes were in. The one was dark with dozens of posters and diagrams on it.She studied the professor too while she settled herself in one of the desks. She had gained weight over the summer and she now had an obnoxious pouch that she sub-consciously sucked in everytime she sat down. This time was no different. Their professor reminded Chrissy of a Vampire with her pale skin and dark features. She wouldn't have been surprised if the woman had opened her mouth and revealed fangs. In face, Chrissy was more surprised when Professor did open her mouth and no fangs were seen.
She sighed though at the mention of a pre-test. This professor would be no different from the rest. Chrissy pulled out a parchment and quill, her blonde curls falling over her face, and set to work.
1. Name the nine planets in order starting with the one closest to the sun. She didn't even need to think about this one.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
2. Which is the smallest planet in our solar system? Which is the largest? Chrissy looked up at the model momentarily before making a final decision,
Pluto is the smallest and Jupiter is the largest.
3. What shape are the planets' orbits? Again, Chrissy raised her eyes to the model for confirmation.
It seems to be orbiting in a circular motion.
4. Which planet has the hottest temperatures and why? She wasn't really enjoying this test because it seemed to make her out to be stupid. She kept having to refer to the model for the answers. It's not like she ever had a class in this before though.
Mercury because it's by the sun and the sun is a bright burning blob of fire.
5. Name the Galilean moons and name which planet they orbit. A Galilean moon? Chrissy paused here and looked around the room for some sort of epiphany. Her eyes wondered to those around her and a slight frown came upon her fair face. Everyone else seemed to be fine. She leaned over to Tally to see what she might have written, but couldn't see so she returned her attention back to her paper.
I have no idea what Galilean means or what planet they orbit. Except, I'm fair certain, if not entirely so, that it is not Earth.
6. Which planet is known for the Great Red Spot? Her eyes rested on Jupiter and after that other question, she smiled again,
Jupiter, but I don't know why.
7. True or False: The Sun is larger than all of the planets put together.
True.
8. Most of Uranus' moons are named after characters of what famous Muggle playwright? Huh? Muggle playwright? How the heck was she to know?
Don't know any muggle playwrights.
9. Name three differences between terrestrial planets and jovian planets. She must be joking. First Galilean moons and now terrestrial planets. Call her snobby, but she didn't feel this test was being very fair.
Erm, terrestrial have people living on them and Jovian planets don't. I don't know any other differences. Though, it might help if I knew what they meant...
10. What does it mean when a planet has a retrograde rotation? She sighed loudly at this last question. Retrograde...retrograde...retrograde...It sounded like something from way back in her parents childhood. Like vintage or something.
I don't know...it has an old, slow sort of rotation.
Bonus: Who was the witch who studied the use of phases of the moon in potion making? Clue: She is on a Famous Wizard Card. OOOO, she knew this one. She collected Chocolate Frog cards as a hobby.
Hesper Starkey.
She placed her parchment flat on her desk and her quill beside it. Her mood greatly lowered from having done this stupid pre-test.
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Chrissy Mathers
Astronomy...for the loonies
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Chrissy Mathers
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Mia
April 22, 2005 5:23 PM
Not my best start... by Mia
Mia hurried to the third floor of the school so as not to be late for class. Her brown boots were only half laced up and her hair was out but not neatly as it would have normally been. She had slept later than she usually would and she wasn't feeling her best that day. She had a major head ache so that's what she blamed for her sleeping in. She tended to sleep late when she was sick even if it was a little cold which is probably what she had. She hadn't dawdled in Cascade Hall either. She just grabbed an apple really fast and made her way to class.Mia was really glad that she wasn't so incredibly late. Maybe only a minute or two. She slipped into a seat near the back just as the professor introduced herself. As the professor continued to talk, Mia continued to doubt how much she'd like this teacher. She spoke strictly and her stare seemed to freeze the very air. She just looked plain creepy but perhaps that was the lighting of the room.
Mia had a strong urge to roll her hazel eyes at the new professor. She had gained a bit of nerve over the summer. She only restrained herself out of fear of making her head ache worse. Mia just rested her head in her left hand as she leaned her elbows on the desk she was sitting at.
The assignment seemed easy enough. Answer some questions about the solar system. Mia could do that… well she could try. She couldn't concentrate too well. She tried to focus her attention on the questions that appeared on the board.
Mia opened her new black bag with all of her friends' signatures on it in bright ink to contrast with the black. It truly was her favorite bag ever. Mia pulled out some parchment, her quill and ink which she became accustomed to using, and labeled her paper as Professor Dione said. She then attempted to answer the questions despite her pounding head.
~Mia Kerova~
1. Name the nine planets in order starting with the one closest to the sun.
Mia knew that one. She had an awesome science teacher who taught her class by making them into a scaled down version of the solar system that went the length of one of the giant halls of her large school.
1. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
'Easy enough. Next question.' Mia thought and looked back up at the board.
2. Which is the smallest planet in our solar system? Which is the largest?
Another easy one.
2.The smallest planet is Pluto. The largest planet is Jupiter. Mia's neat cursive scratched into the parchment before getting the third question.
3. What shape are the planets' orbits?
Mia stopped and thought for a moment but kept her head in her left hand. Her right hand was tapping the quill silently on the desk. She shrugged and put her answer down.
3. The planets orbit in an oval.
4. Which planet has the hottest temperatures and why?
4. Venus
That's all Mia put because she forgot why Venus was the hottest. She remembered Mrs. Tripp saying something about it but she couldn't and wouldn't work her brain to think about it. Not before she got some advil or something.
5. Name the Galilean moons and name which planet they orbit.
‘Pass.’ Mia thought simply and went on.
6. Which planet is known for the Great Red Spot?
6. Jupiter is known for the Great Red Spot.
7. True or False: The Sun is larger than all of the planets put together.
7. True.
Mia took a somewhat educated guess. It might have been one of those trick questions where the obvious answer was wrong but she didn’t think about that and put down her instincts choice. Plus, it was a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right no matter what.
8. Most of Uranus' moons are named after characters of what famous Muggle playwright?
Playwright? The first one that popped to mind was William Shakespeare. He’s pretty famous so that’s the answer Mia put.
8. William Shakespeare
9. Name three differences between terrestrial planets and jovian planets.
It might’ve helped if Mia knew what the professor was talking about with this question but instead of getting aggravated or even asking the professor, she passed over it and went to the tenth question.
10. What does it mean when a planet has a retrograde rotation?
Mia was tempted to write ‘How in gods name should I know?!’ but she simply put nothing next to that question either. Usually her teacher would tell her to go on and try the questions and she would but not when she felt like her head was splitting in half. Mia didn’t even waste her time on the bonus. She didn’t know what the famous wizard cards even were. She just pushed her parchment in front of her, put her quill down and laid her head on top of her now folded arms. Her wavy, brown hair spilled over either side of her arms. She half didn't realize she laid her head down.
Mia didn't even take in the cool sights of the room around her. She simply tried to remember what it felt like to have her head in one piece like it had been the day before.\n\n
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Mia
Not my best start...
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Mia
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Bella Santoro
April 22, 2005 6:28 PM
Easy class, I read my stuff. by Bella Santoro
Bella walked into the classroom huddling to herself as much as she could. She felt intimidated with the older students and she worried about making a fool of herself. Hell, she worried about making a fool of herself when no one was even around, let alone a classroom full of her peers.Her black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her dark eyes were downcasted. She looked up a total of three times; once to find a seat, another time to find her brother or Adam, and lastly to watch the professor. She always knew professors were suppose to be somewhat demeaning, so this professor's attitude wasn't much of a surprise.
Her eyes flicked through the questions on the board, a small satisfied smile placed firmly on her lips. She could answer these no problem. It helped since Jake had left for Sonora the previous year, Bella had taken up to reading just about everything around her. That included during this past summer when he had been busy playing Quidditch. She opted for reading her school books so that she didn't fall behind during the up and coming year.
Taking out a quill and parchment, Bella began the test.
1. Name the nine planets in order starting with the one closest to the sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
2. Which is the smallest planet in our solar system? Which is the largest?
Jupiter is the largest and Pluto is the smallest of the planets.
3. What shape are the planets' orbits?
They orbit in a elliptical motion.
4. Which planet has the hottest temperatures and why?
Venus is the hottest planet because of the cloudy atmosphere that keeps the heat within the planets own atmosphere.
5. Name the Galilean moons and name which planet they orbit.
The Galilean moons consist of Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io. They orbit the planet Jupiter.
6. Which planet is known for the Great Red Spot?
Jupiter What was this professor's obsession with Jupiter?
7. True or False: The Sun is larger than all of the planets put together. This one could be a trick question, but Bella opted for the obvious answer.
True
8. Most of Uranus' moons are named after characters of what famous Muggle playwright? This one she didn't know. She was never informed of any Muggle playwright to be able to answer this.
I am unaware that Uranus' moons are named after any famous Muggle Playwright.
9. Name three differences between terrestrial planets and jovian planets.
Let's see...Jovian planets are far more moons than terrestrial planets. Terrestrial planets have a rocky surface. And the Jovian planets are gigantic compared to Earth.
10. What does it mean when a planet has a retrograde rotation?
Retrograde can mean many things. For instance, it can mean moving or tending backwards. It can also mean reverting to an inferior or earlier condition.
Bonus: Who was the witch who studied the use of phases of the moon in potion making? Clue: She is on a Famous Wizard Card.
Hesper Starkey\n\n
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Bella Santoro
Easy class, I read my stuff.
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Bella Santoro
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Dalila
April 22, 2005 6:37 PM
Star light star bright by Dalila
The girl was shocked, Dalila could tell. It was funny. She liked shocking people. They made the fuuniest faces. Dalila grinned broadly at the girl's answer before sticking her hand in her face."I'm Dalila Bastet, first year, Teppenpaw, half-blood. If there's anything else you wanna know, I'll be happy to spill my heart out. Did you finish already too?"
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Dalila
Star light star bright
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Dalila
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Earl Valentine
April 22, 2005 6:45 PM
Anything's possible by Earl Valentine
A shadow fell across Earl's desk. It was the professor. She scared him a little. Looked more like a vampire than a teacher. Earl didn't like her. She was leaning over his desk, studying the answers he had written down, her hair fallinginto Earl's face. He stifled a sneeze.She stood up abruptly with a small smile on her face. "I didn't know vampires could smile," he thought to himself.
"I wish I would have been able to make such a discovery, but no. But you are correct in your guess that I happen to like the planet Jupiter. It's my favorite planet actually, for various reasons."
Earl hoped she wasn't about to go into her reasons. but was thankful that he found some of his answers funny and not rude like Mrs. Thornton, his third grade teacher...that was not a fun year.
"Ummm...that's cool." He said without much conviction to none of her statements in particular." Earl could swear she was looking at him weird.
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Earl Valentine
Anything's possible
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Earl Valentine
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Earl
April 22, 2005 9:29 PM
Oh...I have enough nerve by Earl
The paper ball hit Earl squarely in the ear. He turned towards Robbie with a grin. "I guess whatever we want," he sighed and looked around the room for inspiration, finally settling his eys on the crumpled piece of paper lying on the floor near his black converse peaking out from under his bottle green robes.He picked it up and stared at it for a second before tossing it up in the air and catching it. "Maybe we could throw this at someone...got any targets?" he grinned mischieviously.
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Earl
Oh...I have enough nerve
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Earl
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Professor Dione
April 22, 2005 10:15 PM
That's right, but it is believed to be mythology-based by Professor Dione
Professor Dione had indeed heard Asher's comment, but simply rolled her eyes and kept moving. She wasn't going to argue. She wasn't only anal, but cold, blunt in her opinions, and fairly apathetic when it came to anything other than astronomy.Since she was far from personable, she had only a few close friends, and was all too accustomed to the insults directed to her while her back was turned. It didn't matter. The last thing she cared about was what any of the students thought of her. In fact, it was stated that classes that evoked the emotions, whether they be positive or negative, helped increase learning, so maybe it was better that way.\n\n
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Professor Dione
That's right, but it is believed to be mythology-based
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Professor Dione
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Professor Dione
April 22, 2005 10:56 PM
It's a whole bunch of other worlds by Professor Dione
She continued her own little orbit around the class, looking over at the different pieces of parchment to see how each student was faring with the pretest. Eventually, she reached Tally's paper and read over the answers to herself.The first two answers were right, but those were meant to be easy, just to make sure that the students knew the easiest of the basics. The third...hmmm, she was looking for elliptical, but as long as she didn't but round, she would accept it. Number four was wrong, but a common wrong answer. Looking over the rest of the answers, Dione was content with Tally's progress overall. The questions she had wrong were at least attempted.
"Good effort. We'll be self-checking the pretest shortly, so make corrections to any you had wrong."\n\n
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Professor Dione
It's a whole bunch of other worlds
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Professor Dione
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Professor Dione
April 22, 2005 11:18 PM
At lest you know the order of the planets... by Professor Dione
As she walked about the room, she looked over the students' shoulders to peer at their answers. The whole point of the pretest was to see how much of the basics she would have to review. So far, it looked like she could start from describing the properties of each planet, since almost everyone at least got the first two right.Looking over Marcus' paper, she could see the common thread through almost all of the pretests; the first two were exactly correct. After that, however, those who were more experienced with the subject became more apparent, as well as those who were not familiar with it at all. This one was more of an example of the latter...but those things would be fixed in time. The class had just started, after all, and there was plenty of time to learn the material and correct mistakes.\n\n
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Professor Dione
At lest you know the order of the planets...
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Professor Dione
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Jennifer
December 18, 2006 2:54 PM
What he said by Jennifer
The only good thing about the fight she and Jake had had, Jennifer thought to herself as she stared at the screen Zack was showing her, was that if it had to happen, at least it had happened in a class where it wouldn’t be as widely noticed. With some of the other classes, there would bound to have been lots of people who noticed, and, of course, their entire grade would have been there. Here, with most people off in their own little worlds with their muggle toys, it had escaped notice almost entirely, although Lily did seem to realize something was up, if the frown she’d given the two was any indication.
Still, even in the doubtful scenario that the majority of the class had noticed what was occurring in their midst, at least what it was about would probably remain quiet. She at least had been careful to whisper, and Jake had spoken at least the last part relatively softly. Besides, it wasn’t like she had to tell anyone what had happened, even if they did ask.
As she pretended to listen to Zack, Jennifer considered Jake’s parting comment. It was almost funny, if one had that kind of morbid and sick sense of humor. It was without a doubt the best thing for both of him that they both left the other before anything else could be said, because the only response she could think of to that was, if she really was her mother’s puppet, the person she was most likely to be dating him, the only ‘acceptable’ boy she saw on a regular basis.
"How about you watch how it works while I finish level two - I just need three more rows - then you can give it a try?"
Startled, even though Zack had been talking the entire time she’d been thinking, she looked first at him, then back at the screen. She’d completely missed whatever instructions she’d been given about the thing, but that wasn’t really something she wanted to admit. Besides, while it looked interesting, it really didn’t seem like something she’d want to try.
“No, it’s alright. I’m fine just watching,” she replied, making an effort to focus back on the coursework, if one could call it that, and off everything else. “It’s probably more educational to just watch you do it. You seem to be very good at it.”
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Jennifer
What he said
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Jennifer
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Briony
December 18, 2006 5:33 PM
I wouldn't say that by Briony
'Oh my gosh!', she thought. He was coming over here! Why was he coming over here? It was bad enough that he had caught her staring. Would he yell at her? She hoped not.From what she understood, he was more known as being a quiet boy, but quiet people sometimes yelled too. Ignoring her object now, she entwined her fingers in nervous gesture.
"Um, excuse me? I seem to have dropped part of my object. Can I please get it? It's down by your foot."
Briony blinked at him for a minute, as she pulled herself back into the reality of the situation.
"Oh, um, yeah," she said, reaching down quickly to grab the piece. "I'm sorry. Um, so, here's the piece."
She went to hand the piece to him and in doing so brushed his fingers slightly with her own. Red came brazenly to her cheeks.\n\n
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Briony
I wouldn't say that
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Briony
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Anne Wright
December 24, 2006 11:25 PM
Not my prototype of a toy, but it'll do. by Anne Wright
Unlike most of her relatives, Anne had some knowledge of Muggles, the by-product of eleven years as the daughter of a political left-winger and a woman who found what she had called the "advanced barbarism" of nonmagicals amusing. That and an attempt to reassure her grandmother that they had no ideas about laying claim to St. Martin-hood had lead to Anne being stuck for five years in a Muggle elementary school. She had never really made friends with any of those half-forgotten Muggle classmates, but she had picked up on a few things along the way.Exactly enough, or so she was thinking as she walked into her first Muggle Studies class, to give her an advantage or make her crash and burn in the first week.
She had known more when she first came to Sonora - it was a strange feeling, remembering that she had known something she had forgotten - but some of it had faded over four entirely magical years. Most of what she had known and almost all of what she did know involved things that could be found in a public school: televisions, VHS videos, computers, electric pencil sharpeners, various school supplies, and so on, though she did think she had a good grasp of Muggle kitchen appliances. Using them was another matter, but that applied to feminine housework of any variety.
She decided she could get along with Professor Williams, which was a good thing considering that she wouldn't have even been able to gripe about being forced to take the class if the woman had proved unbearable. Her eyes followed the teacher's hands around the room until Williams reached the Muggle literature section, where they locked on the books. She'd read good Muggle authors before, and if they got to read novels for class, Williams would officially become her favorite teacher. Even if they didn't, she might, if she could ever find time between homework and Quidditch practices, offer to do an extra credit project over one.
She put away her note-taking materials along with everyone else when told they would be examining artifacts, half-hoping she would get something she hadn't seen before, or at least something she'd forgotten about. It would be hard to fake confusion over what an electric pencil sharpener did, and she didn't want to be mistaken for a Muggleborn taking the class for an easy grade. She didn't know if she'd be able to make a good impression or not - Geoff claimed she was too forward to ever really do so - but if she did, it would have to be early on. She caught the thing thrown to her automatically, trying to handle it like a Quaffle despite its odd shape.
The two metal prongs identified the plug, though the flat white thing with two buttons sticking out didn't look like the plastic part of the ones she had seen before. The cord looked right, though, and she was pretty sure the white shaft with two switches on it, labeled On/Off and Hi/Lo, was a handle. A French-looking word Anne recognized vaguely as the name of a make-up company was on the long, round part that sprouted from the handle and ended in what looked like a little round heating vent. The thing looked just familiar enough to tug at her memory, but no name was forthcoming. Maybe if she could see what it did...
Electricity and magic usually mixed badly, but the number of plug-oriented Muggle artifacts lead, logically, to the conclusion that something had been done to the room to allow the appliances to work. Pausing only to dump her bag onto her chair so no one would steal the desk before she could get back, she went over to one of the wall sockets and sat down cross-legged on the floor. It only took two tries to figure out which way the prongs had to be for the thing to plug in properly. She flipped one of the switches to On...and nothing happened.
She lifted it to eye level, the vent pointing away from her, and frowned crossly at it. If you hit a button or flipped a switch the word 'On' on it, something was supposed to happen. Even regular purebloods should be smart enough to figure that one out. She hit it, first with the flat of her hand and then against the floor, without achieving anything but making the heel of her hand smart a little. Professor Williams didn't strike her the type to start off her first class without making sure the artifacts worked. Maybe the plug wasn't tight enough in the wall. She gave the flat white thing a hard push and pressed in one of the buttons on it by accident. The thing made an odd sound, and then air began blasting out of the vent-end. A hand put up revealed that it was hot.
"I'll be Brian," she muttered, a saying she'd heard St. Martins use before. She thought it was similar to the Muggle "I'll be John Brown", but she had never heard anyone outside the family use it. She never had herself, but she was, however technically, a St. Martin. If they could swear by what she could only assume was one of her ancestors, then so could she. "A heater." It sounded logical, but something told her that she had run into an occasion where there was a distinct difference between what was logical and what was correct. \n\n
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Anne Wright
Not my prototype of a toy, but it'll do.
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Anne Wright
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Kaylie
January 02, 2007 7:35 PM
Re: *glowy happiness* by Kaylie
"Oh yea, I think Evan would love that. I wonder if it comes in other animals as well." A smile came to Kaylie's face when she imagined her little brother playing with it. She really loved children and her family. She hoped to have a big family of her own someday. Kaylie gazed at Chris, wondering if it would be him she was with. She really hoped so. Kaylie really liked him. She couldn't imagine she'd ever feel the same way about anyone else. How could anyone ever be any better than Chris? He was smart and sweet and attractive. She gave a little sigh and turned back to her object.Kaylie looked over towards those funny things on the wall, a small frown on her face. What would happen when she tried to plug this thing in? What if it hurt her somehow?
Grabbing the object, she walked over to one of the weird things and took the end of the Heating Pad that seemed like it would fit, uncertainly placing it into the socket. Kaylie was happy to see nothing blew up. One problem still remained however, what was she supposed to cook? "Anyone have any food that needs heating?" Kaylie asked of the group as a whole.
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Kaylie
Re: *glowy happiness*
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Kaylie
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Lily
January 02, 2007 9:29 PM
Well, yea but not a serious form of it.. by Lily
Lily looked over at the guy who'd spoken to her. Dillon Welsh, the least annoying guy in her class. "Eh, I'll pass. I don't have any bread either." She replied about the toaster. "Kind of a silly object, she should have known we wouldn't have any bread. It's not a thing people normally carry with them. I guess the class is more designed for purebloods who haven't a clue what any of this stuff is."She glanced over at the teacher, just as she heard her cousin call out asking if anyone had anything to cook. Lily snickered a bit. Kaylie's object wasn't even used for that. "Perhaps we can ask Professor Williams if she has any bread?" She suggested. "Then we can make ourselves some toast, that is if you want any toast, and we can...share my 8 Ball, even if there's no bread."\n\n
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Lily
Well, yea but not a serious form of it..
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Lily
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Lily
January 07, 2007 10:38 PM
Mmmm....bread...... by Lily
Lily listened to Dillon with interest. He seemed quite intelligent which was more than she could say for some. He also had a nice grin, she noted."Muggle history from a magical perspective sounds really interesting, actually." She'd always rather liked history. "Or maybe studies of muggle cultures. Even growing up in a muggle environment you don't know all of those." Lily didn't believe it was possible for someone to know everything on a topic. There was always more to learn. Therefore, even if you grew up with a topic, you could still pick up something new. "Maybe we'll even study contemporary muggle culture. Like watch T.V. or something. My father is a pureblood, my mother is a muggle and before my parents divorced, he saw television for the first time and thought a lot of it was real." Lily gave a small smile. She wasn't mocking him, she actually found it kind of sweet. "He thought the Flintstones was actually how people lived in prehistoric times."As Dillon asked for some bread and Professor Williams granted the request, a wide smile spread across Lily's face and her eyes lit up. She was impressed, not so much at the display of magic which she was used to by this time but just that the professor had gone above and beyond. Lily had been expecting merely a loaf of white bread or something not the spread that was in front of them. "Thank you," she said, a touch of awe in her voice. Professor Williams had now gained a few points with Lily. "Um, maybe some butter or spread or something." She replied to the question about needing something else. Not that she wanted to be greedy, she just liked butter on her toast.
Lily turned back to Dillon. "Well, the 8 ball basically gives yes or no answers though sometimes it tells you to ask again later. At which time, I wait a few seconds, declare that its later and ask again." She grinned at him, picked up the ball and offered it to Dillon. "Give it a try?" she asked.\n\n
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Lily
Mmmm....bread......
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Lily
0
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Dillon
January 08, 2007 10:00 PM
Well, every boy could use some bread... by Dillon
Dillon nodded, almost enthusiastically as Lily continued to go on the same topic as he had just been discussing. "Yeha, that's what I'm saying." Dillon agreed, his grin widening. "I think it'd be really cool to learn our-er-I mean, the muggle world from the eyes of the Magical. I can't even begin to understand what they take for something as simple as a camcorder." Dillon said, continuing on with the subject."I'm a muggleborn, so my parents have a hard time understand how we can change a cup into a raccoon or whatever-well, so do I, but anyway-as a muggleborn, I've always taken everything for granted, including electricity." Dillon responded. "Now that I've been living without electricity but am perfectly okay with candlelight, it's amazing how different it is for me when I go home for breaks." Dillon said, looking at his toaster for a moment. He laughed at the thought of someone thinking the Flintstones was based off of reality. "I-uh-don't quite understand how can think that, but I sure do hope you set him straight." Dillon said, once he had calmed his chuckles.
He watched the Professor for a moment, considering perhaps he shouldn't have asked at all. "Welsh." He responded, before realizing that made him sound like his father, Mr. Welsh... "Or just Dillon." He added on almost sheepishly. He watched, half amazed, as the Professor made an assortment of bread and pastries seemingly appear out of nowhere. The sight of them made him grin even more. "Yes, Ma'am." Dillon answered her querry.
Dillon stared at the 8-ball for a moment. He was tempted to take it, but, he realized that he didn't really have anything to ask it. Sometimes it was better not to know the answers anyway. ""Nah, that's okay. I'm not so good with thinking on my toes." Dillon told her honestly.\n\n
6
Dillon
Well, every boy could use some bread...
44
Dillon
0
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Anne
January 15, 2007 12:35 PM
Good answer. by Anne
Anne was still congratulating herself on making the heater work when a voice informed her she didn't have a clue what she was talking about, if in nicer language. She turned towards the offender, ready to demand to know what he thought it was, when he supplied her with the information without prompting. Which made her feel like a big idiot, especially when she recognized him as the entity known to her as Gwen's Boyfriend, a supposed Muggleborn. It occurred to her that she hadn't seen them together recently, but dismissed it as none of her business."I'm beginning to agree with my relatives," she said, waving her hand in front of the hot-air vent again. "Muggles really don't make any sense. Your hair can't be straight and puffy at the same time." She put the hand not holding the dryer up to her head, running her fingers through the back of her hair. It grew back from a high hairline in thick, dense clumps of tight waves that spilled messily around her shoulders and took more effort to fix than she was willing to put into it. "I defy it to do either to mine, though," she added, half-smiling as if to suggest a joke.
Making jokes with Colin or whatever his name actually was wasn't something she did on a regular basis, or, for that matter, even something she could ever recall doing before. She tried her best to avoid people when they were with their "significant others" for the simple reason that the dependency aspect of it made her feel something between sick and angry. Since he'd spoken to her first, though, she had to talk to him, and irritating Gwen's boyfriend wasn't a good way to stay in good books with the only tolerable cousin she had. Being 'nice' to her cousin's 'friend' was one of the rules she wanted to break but didn't quite have the nerve to.
She noticed the CD player on his desk. "I'm going to assume you know what that is, too," she said, pointing. "So do I; my worst enemy in Muggle school got hers taken up two weeks into fifth grade, and I got to gloat about it for a month. Goody-two-shoes competition, you know." Good old Vanessa Hardigree. Anne wondered who had taken her place in the war against the little brat - or if anyone had. "Has it got any music in it?" \n\n
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Anne
Good answer.
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Anne
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Connor
January 15, 2007 12:53 PM
I aim to please. by Connor
"Don't blame us all for the sins of the girls," Connor said, trying to ignore the comment about her relatives. "I don't know how they do it, either. My little sister just told me about the time our older sister tried to explain it all to her. Kris used to be one of those cheerleader Barbie doll types, and she wanted Bev to follow in her footsteps. Didn't work out, though." It took a moment to realize that was probably the most he'd said at one time to anyone at Sonora besides Gwen in a couple of years. He laughed uncertainly at her quip about her hair, not sure if he was supposed to or not. Girls could be weird when it came to their looks.Now that he thought about it, there was something weird about just how little he knew about Anne. She had always been on the periphery of his friendship with Gwen, her failure to have that third-year Beater she always hung out with knock his head in signaling, or so he thought, her approval of that friendship, but outside of her being Gwen's cousin, all he had figured out in four years was that she liked Quidditch and music, was, like most Aladrens, too smart for her own good, and didn't have many friends outside the third year and the second year Connor thought was the third year's sister.
"Yeah," he said when she brought up the CD player. He'd always thought of her as looking a lot like a darker version of Gwen, but the resemblance, for some reason, didn't seem as strong as it had in first year. He hadn't really had much to do with her since, and hadn't really been looking at her then. He decided not to comment on her goody-two-shoes competition. Anne didn't strike him as the goody-two-shoes sort, though her Aladrenism meant something of that had to be there. "It's got a CD, but it's something old - like Mozart or something."\n\n
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Connor
I aim to please.
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Connor
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Anne
January 15, 2007 2:24 PM
In the right contexts. by Anne
Anne's eyes widened when Connor talked about his brother and sisters. "I'd go crazy," she said promptly. "I do bad enough with just my cousins, and I don't even have to fight them for parental attention." Not that she particularly wanted her parent to pay attention to her, anyway, but that wasn't an appropriate thing to say in this type of chat. If she knew anything about Careys, or at least about the Carey girls of Savannah, he already knew every sordid detail of her past as it was known to her family."Aren't those two old Country singers?" she asked, crossing her fingers under the desk in the hopes that she was right. A subject of little importance had never served to make her any happier about being wrong when she was. "My mother used to listen to that stuff, sometimes. She liked the themes or whatever." It was because of that that Anne considered it tolerable, though she still preferred instrumentals, without any words or story or ideas to dilute the emotion of the melody.
The song began to wind down as she looked at her hairdryer- friendly acquaintance again. "I guess you have to be used to rambling, with Gwen," she said. Fine. She admitted it. She was nosy. It was a genetic abnormality passed down in her mother's family, and there was nothing she could do about her genes. That the logic ran contrary to everything every science teacher all the way through elementary school had tried to teach her was ignored. "Haven't seen you guys around much this year. You have a fight or something?"\n\n
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Anne
In the right contexts.
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Anne
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Cecily Smythe
June 13, 2010 8:20 AM
My object tells the time... that's all by Cecily Smythe
Although Cecily enjoyed her divinations classes, she was certain she didn't have Sight, and the class was starting to seem more and more like the waste of time her father declared it to be. He was still happier with her taking the subject than if she'd taken potions or DADA, but he probably would prefer it still if she just studied charms like a good little potential-wife-to-be. Cecily was going to be seventeen soon and then her parents would start looking into betrothals. It was quite exciting. More exciting than this class, anyway. The Crotalus sixth year didn't complain too loudly as the work wasn't hard and she got to talk to Holly in class.Today cecily took notes on the lesson, and usual, and then turned her attention to the objects before her that she had no expectation of reading, but she was prepared to give it a go anyway. The first object she picked up was a small, wind-up mantle clock. It could have been magic, or Muggle - it was difficult to tell just by appearance. The wood grain was smooth and polished, and the face was simple brushed metal with little brass hands. It hadn't been valuable in money terms, but it was quite attractive. Cecily could see it being owned by an elderly witch who'd bought it when she was young and poor to make her house look nice, and had kept it through sentimentality even as the rest of her possessions became grander. It was quite a lot to tell from a clock. Unsure whether she was reading or just being creative, Cecily wrote down her thoughts onto parchment anyway. She picked the clock up again and frowned at it while she thought more about it. She could see it on a white mantlepiece below in an airy room. Maybe somewhere southern. She wasn't getting a magic vibe, but then why would a southern home have a fire if it wasn't going to be used for Floo? Having been born and raised in Illinois, Cecily couldn't believe it ever got cold enough in the South for them to have a proper fire. She turned the object over in her hands, trying to find any other clues as to whether the object was magical or Muggle. There was an initial S.W. on the bottom of on of its feet, and it smelled of soot, sandalwood and honey. Cecily frowned.
"I'm absolutely hopeless at this," she said conversationally to the person adjacent. She didn't sound too disheratened because she just wasn't. "All I can tell for sure is that it's a clock." She glanced at the stationary hands, and added, "And the person who owned it died at ten past four." She got a terrible shiver just as she said those words and hastily put the clock back on her desk with a noisy thud. "I'm deciding it belonged to a witch, though," she said, hastily adding to her notes.
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Cecily Smythe
My object tells the time... that's all
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Cecily Smythe
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Chelsea Brockert
June 14, 2010 6:13 PM
Mine is just...ugly. by Chelsea Brockert
As far as Chelsea was concerned, the best thing about Divinations aside from being able to gossip with Cecily and Holly, was that nobody particularly cared if she did more than pass it. Ever since Chelsea had been sorted into Aladren, her father expected better grades out of her than he did her siblings, even Adam who she grudgingly admitted was intelligent.Of course, her father wasn't about to put pressure on him . Their parents treated Adam as if he were psychologically fragile. Some future patriarch, some RA.Still, it wasn't fair for her father to pressure her to do well as she had so little interest in school even though she was pretty intelligent. Chelsea could probably be getting all Os if she applied herself...and cared.
However, Mr. Brockert didn't really care if Chelsea did well in Divinations. Nobody in their family had the sight currently-there was a long dead ancestor or two with it-and the sixth year was no exception.
After Professor Linn finished speaking, Chelsea turned her attention to the object on her desk. Her nose wrinkled in distaste for sitting there was the ugliest vase she had ever seen.
It was painted a revolting shade of green, one that matched the color of mucus. There were large, gaudy flowers on it that blinked colors and it also appeared to be covered in a fine layer of glittery stuff and many obviously fake jewels.
The vase had to be one of the most repulsive things Chelsea had ever seen. And she'd seen Alexis.
Maybe she should steal it and either destroy it, ask Marshall to transfigure it into something more attractive or give it to her cousin Fallon as a wedding present. Chelsea had had the pleasure of meeting her cousin's betrothed over break-he was well bred and attractive. It wasn't fair that Fallon got to have someone like that-and rub Chelsea's nose in it. Giving her a gift that was completely atrocious would make the Aladren feel warm and fuzzy inside.
It also made her feel warm and fuzzy inside that Fallon's betrothed had totally been checking Chelsea out. Not that she blamed him, she was so much prettier than her cousin.
When Cecily spoke, Chelsea responded. "Me too. All I can tell about my object is that it's excedingly ugly, so the owner must have had incredibly poor taste, been blind, or had some relative they wouldn't want to offend. Or had a relative that disliked them immensely." Okay, she didn't exactly dislike Fallon. They'd always gotten along when they were young but Chelsea was so annoyed with her right now.
It really made her appreciate the Ladies.
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Chelsea Brockert
Mine is just...ugly.
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Chelsea Brockert
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Jaeven Dimitri
June 17, 2010 11:04 AM
Good Morning, Cuddles! by Jaeven Dimitri
One of the madcoolest classes Jae had taken in his time at Sonora was Divinations. Comec was also pretty darn cool, but he kinda’ missed Professor K and all. Still, Jae liked Divinations and Comec, but if he went to college at all which he wasn’t too sure was a good idea, he would probably go for Comec. Jae thought it would be fun to be a teacher when he grew up, but wasn’t sure if he would be okay with that much more schoolwork. He had never been good at things like reading and taking tests, and his CATs scores had pretty much shown that. Even though he did pretty good in Potions class now, Jae wasn’t sure how he would do on the test, just ‘cause there was so much reading.But whatevs, it was Divinations time now, so the seventeen-year-old walked into Professor Linn’s classroom with his usual casual attitude. His robes were bunched in his bag, if the Professor felt like making him wear them, but by now Jae was pretty sure most of the professors didn’t mind when Jae just wore his cargos and t-shirts to class. It was probably because his t-shirts almost always had a positive message on them about human rights, animal rights, or peace. His aunts were big into protests and things like that, so Jaeven had grown up in a very accepting and positive environment, and he liked to show that on his t-shirts. They were all purchased from accepting, diverse companies who respected their employees, of course.
Professor Linn welcomed them back from Midterm, and the blonde-dreadlocked seventh year flashed him a peace sign and a grin. Professor Linn was cool, just a little awkward, but not everyone could dig people just like Jae really didn’t dig books too much. He loved the stories, but actually reading the words could get him all mixed up in the head about what was going on, and that just wasn’t cool.
But a stuffed puppy landed on his desk and Jae’s green eyes lit up. He loved animals, even when they were just the stuffed toys that little kids played with. That was why he understood how important it was for animals to be respected, just like people. Respect was important, but so was passing the class, and because there was a writing assignment involved...the Pecari looked around for someone who might be willing to be his partner. “Heyheyhey!” he greeted the person next to him, who was looking a bit out of it. “Wanna read the puppy with me?”
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Jaeven Dimitri
Good Morning, Cuddles!
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Jaeven Dimitri
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Thyme Barrington
June 17, 2010 5:05 PM
A new pet name? by Thyme Barrington
There were two reasons that Thyme had decided to take up Divinations this year. First of all,the obvious that Jae was taking it and she had done exactly what she had never wanted to do again after her sister died and become emotionally attached to someone. Thyme hated herself for it, and took her wrath out on herself in the usual way, but she hadn't been able to help herself.She also hated herself for feeling better. For occasionally feeling happy that she had Jae as a friend now. How could Thyme allow herself to feel even slightly good when her sister was gone. It made the Crotalus feel rather guilty. Guilty that she was alive and Tea was dead and Thyme had gotten on with things even the slightest bit. Her parents hadn't.
The other reason was that she got to be creative. Thyme did not have the Sight. Neither the Barringtons nor her mother's family, the Whitfields, had much for Seers, though her cousin Lysandra was an Empath.
That was another issue. Because of Tea's death, Thyme and her parents were not a happy bunch, (which was a perfectly normal reaction to losing a daughter or twin sister) Aunt Lila and Uncle Peter had decided that it was not a good idea for Lysandra to be around them. More people out of Thyme's life. She and Lysandra's older sister Lacey had always been kind of close.
It all fell apart, she didn't have Tea or Lacey (though she wrote Thyme occasionally) or Kitty or really her parents anymore. All she had was Jae.
She took her normal seat in Divination, next to Jae and tried to listen to Professor Linn. As soon as he was done speaking, Thyme turned her attention to the item on her desk, a silky red scarf. She touched, feeling its smoothness,but not much about the actual owner, except that Thyme could probably discern that the owner had been female and liked the color red. A former Crotalus maybe? That was a place to start. A woman for whom the color red held some signifcance for.
Wanna read the puppy with me?”
Thyme turned to Jae. "Sure." She smiled at her friend. The stuffed puppy was adorable and she could probably help Jae come up with something about its past. Thyme was already concocting a story about it was some child's treasured toy.
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Thyme Barrington
A new pet name?
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Thyme Barrington
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Cecily
June 24, 2010 5:42 AM
It should be destroyed by Cecily
"That truly is repulsive," Cecily agreed, eyeing Chelsea's vase with immense distaste. "It should be destroyed." She saw the appeal of Chelsea's suggestion that it could have been given as a present by someone who didn't like the recipient - the Ladies could maybe give it to Alexis - but she would be much happier to never see the vile thing again as long as she lived."This class is one of the more dismal variety," she concluded to Chelsea, studiously ignoring the other two items on her desk she was supposed to be analysing. "I mean, dead people's old belongings?" She could appreciate all the prettier forms of divination, but anything involving dead people or viscera held no interest at all for the sixth year. "Merlin save me."
Besides, Cecily had hoped Divination would explain something about her own future, not the past of people she neither knew nor cared about. She wanted to know if she'd marry someone rich and attractive (but not too tall, because she hadn't seemed to have grown at all over the past couple of years, a fact that seemed to amuse Amelia, who was now tall for her age) and bear an intelligent, polictically-minded heir who'd do her father proud. Furthermore, if she couldn't do these things, the family Headship would pass from her father's line to his younger brother, making Lucas Head of the family. Disaster.
Deciding these issues were far more pressing than passing a class, Cecily sighed, and said, "I need to start thinking about getting betothed." Technically it was her parents' job, and Cecily believed they would do good work of finding her a suitable spouse, but any help she could offer would surely be welcomed. Besides, it was driving her crazy not doing anything. "Why don't you have an eligible brother?" she asked Chelsea. Cecily considered she wouldn't mind being a Brockert. "We could have been sisters!"
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Cecily
It should be destroyed
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Cecily
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Chelsea
June 30, 2010 11:05 PM
As if it were the enemy by Chelsea
Chelsea nodded in agreement, briefly considering 'accidentally' pushing it off her desk and having it shatter on the floor. Of course, most methods of destruction had a convenient magical fix, something that Chelsea usually thought of as a good thing. "It would have to be destroyed by some means that could not be repaired." She replied, still giving the vase a look usually reserved for Alexis."I know. Why should I care about this ugly old thing?" Chelsea asked wrinkling her nose. "I can't imagine anyone worth talking about or associating with would own such a horrid thing."
She looked over as her friend mentioned betrothal. Chelsea sighed. If only her parents would find her one! But, no, they had to encourage their children to marry for love like they had.Chelsea couldn't imagine anything more dreadful than remaining single. The idea of having any kind of career almost made her want to vomit but that would not have been ladylike.
Before answering Cecily, Chelsea mind flicked briefly back to her cousin's fiance. She snickered softly. "Sorry about that." The idea of Cecily married to Adam was almost amusing. "My brother is completely devoted to Talitha. I may have some distant cousins for you but they are so far away from being head of our family-and at least seven years older than us." She looked back at Cecily. "It's too bad you don't have a brother or cousin for me." Chelsea couldn't see herself married to Lucas any more than she could see her friend with Adam.
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Chelsea
As if it were the enemy
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Chelsea
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Cecily
July 06, 2010 4:19 PM
Indeed by Cecily
"My brother is completely devoted to Talitha. I may have some distant cousins for you but they are so far away from being head of our family-and at least seven years older than us," Chelsea replied.Cecily groaned in response. Adam would have been totally ideal if he wasn't such ... she didn't want to be too mean about her friend's brother, but Adam was hardly what Cecily was looking for in a husband. Her own family didn't provide much for Chelsea, either - there was just Lucas who was... well, Lucas. Her mother's side were far too Southern, and her father's side had Jethro at its other end. Merlin help her. "We are doomed to never be sisters," Cecily summarised. It could be worse - in fact, it probably would be worse. Amelia seemed to be seriously thinking about marrying Ian Grimm, of all people. Of course he did come from a respectable family with ridiculously good connections, but he was just so... annoying. Cecily would simply not bear to ever visit them them, because she couldn't stand them on their own, let alone together.
"We should throw a ridiculously good party," she suggested to Chelsea, all pretence of working now dropped. "A coming of age ball over the summer, for the two of us. Then everyone can see how marvellous we are." She was only half-serious, but it didn't sound like a bad plan. "It will have to be disguised as a birthday party or something, so we don't look desperate," she considered.
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Cecily
Indeed
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Cecily
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Chelsea
July 12, 2010 8:48 PM
Re: Indeed by Chelsea
"It is tragic." Chelsea agreed. Merlin, she just had to get married as soon as she left Sonora. It was so unfortunate that there was a total lack of eligible men at this school or men in general. Out of the three in their class (by which she meant Thomas, Grayson and Raoul, Ian Grimm did not count, Chelsea refused to acknowledge him, Amelia and Jera as members of her year) only Grayson was even pure.And, much like Adam wouldn't be Cecily's ideal-aside from his wealth and background and standing in pureblood society-Grayson would not be Chelsea's. In fact, he was even less ideal, as he didn't even have the Brockert family's wealth and status.
As for the seventh years, well, Talen Dupree would have been ideal but there were rumors around that he preferred the company of men. Then there was Josiah Ashwood, but that would make Chelsea cousins with Alexis and Chelsea had enough relatives that she couldn't stand.
Still, she couldn't allow herself to be bested by Fallon with her porcine features. It was so not fair, Chelsea was so much prettier and classier than her cousin. Why should Fallon not only get to get married as soon as she graduated, but to such an ideal man?
"You know," Chelsea replied, considering Cecily's suggestion, "that's not a terrible idea. After all, who doesn't love a good party?" Aside from Adam, of course. . Chelsea's brother wasn't as excessively shy as he was as a child but he was still pretty introverted.
"I don't think we'd really look that desperate, either." Chelsea went on. "After all, coming of age parties happen all the time. Of course, we could wait until the summer after our seventh year and disguise it as a graduation party." The Aladren suggested. Disguising it as a birthday party wouldn't work for Chelsea, as her birthday was in November.
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Chelsea
Re: Indeed
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Chelsea
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Cecily
July 18, 2010 12:45 PM
Party Planning by Cecily
"You know," Chelsea replied, "that's not a terrible idea. After all, who doesn't love a good party?"Cecily smiled in response. It was true; maybe this wasn't such a crazy plan. Her parents held political and social gatherings all the time. She was sure it would be fairly easy to get them to hold a party for her. Graduation was a good excuse for a party, as Chelsea suggested, but Cecily wasn't sure she could wait that long. "It's my birthday in July," she reminded her friend, "so there would be enough time to plan for that." Plus that would make Cecily the centre of attention, which was her favorite place to be.
"We could have one next summer, too," she planned out loud. "Your parents could hold that one; that way we'll get two sets of guests and two party outfits!" Cecily's eyes began to shine with the promise of new robes, jewelry, and a suitable husband.
"Yes," she said to Chelsea, more determined than schoolwork had ever made her, "we have to do this. I'll hold a birthday party and invite every worthwhile guest in Illinois, and you can hold a graduation party next summer! What do you think?" Although she valued Chelsea's opinion above practically everyone else she knew, Cecily was planning on going ahead with her party whether or not her friend agreed it was a good idea.
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Cecily
Party Planning
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Cecily
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Chelsea
July 24, 2010 5:59 PM
Much better than working by Chelsea
"Of course." Chelsea had not forgotten her friend's birthday. In some ways, Cecily was lucky to have a summer birthday, as were Chelsea's two sisters. It meant they could have a big birthday party. Chelsea was always at school for hers.It could be worse though. Evan's was over midterm, and way too close to Yule. Fortunately for him, the Brockert family was wealthy enough to give Chelsea's younger brother two sets of presents.
"Naturally, two parties are better than one." Though a second wouldn't be as necessary if they both found husbands at Cecily's, Chelsea adored fancy parties, especially ones held in her honor. Besides, Adam had gotten one when he graduated, and she deserved one even more than he did. Especially given that she loved parties and her brother hated them.
"Do we really want to limit ourselves to just our home states? After all, we're probably related through either blood or marriage to all those people anyway. Why not invite anyone who happens to be from a good pureblood family?" Chelsea asked. She paused as another thought occurred to her. "And, should we invite Holly? She's our friend but..."
Chelsea hoped Cecily would get what she was saying. The Aladren loved her muggleborn friend really, and would rather have her as a sister than her biological sisters (especially Nina). However, if they were shown to be friends with a Muggleborn, eligible pureblood males might not go for them. Also, Holly might feel out of place.
Still, Chelsea would actually feel, well, guilty if she left her friend out. Not to mention that she would hate if the roles were reversed. " I think we should invite her, I kind of want her there." She was oddly sentimental when it came to the other Ladies and when it came down to it, Chelsea didn't really want a guy who didn't accept her friends.
So long as her own bloodline was kept pure, that was what mattered. It was why Chelsea couldn't tolerate abmoninations like Lily and...Quentin's cousin...Christina or something like that. Her name didn't matter, she was a nobody anyway.
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Chelsea
Much better than working
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Chelsea
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