Allegra Thornton
Hogwarts Staff
Administrative Assistant Witch
^it's just me^
Posts: 2,420
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Post by Allegra Thornton on Feb 18, 2006 0:52:40 GMT -5
It was still early morning and while the rest of the school made their way to breakfast, the Thorntons were standing in front of Professor Raynor's door, hoping to catch her before she started her day.
"Go on," Drew prompted her, nodding to the door.
"You do it," Allegra hissed back, still not sure they were going about this the right way. "She likes you better."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 18, 2006 0:55:01 GMT -5
"She does not," Drew answered back, looking at his siter like she had lost her marbles. And even though she was older, she had still stepped behind him, letting him take the lead he didn't really want right now.
So he did the one thing he rarely ever did.
He knocked on Professor Raynor's door.
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Post by Tamis Raynor on Feb 18, 2006 21:47:16 GMT -5
At the current time of day, Tamis Raynor was not usually behind the door that had been knocked upon, however, today, but pure chance, she was. Many issues had clouded the Professor's mind; increasingly disturbing Prophet articles, Brodie's surprise visit and what that meant for Hogwarts, Fiona trying to burn up Rufus' portrait (she had actually spotted the woman torturing the portrait-Rufus around in his portrait with a flame at the end of her wand), and the general welfare of the students.
Thus, she had stayed up late in her office, pouring over official documents and newspaper articles, and wound up in her current position; head pressed against the papers with a small amount of drool in between.
However, at the knock, Raynor bolted upright, her heart racing and wand almost at ready before realizing what it had been. Sighing, she rubbed at her eyes and gathered herself before sounding her reply.
"Come in! Come in!"
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Allegra Thornton
Hogwarts Staff
Administrative Assistant Witch
^it's just me^
Posts: 2,420
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Post by Allegra Thornton on Feb 19, 2006 1:28:58 GMT -5
Allegra pushed at her brother to open the door and she followed him inside. Her eyes were probably still a little red from crying that morning, but she had taken the time to wash the tear streaks off of her face. She smiled nervously at the woman before finding her voice.
"Professor Raynor?" she started and then faltered. She wasn't sure where to go from there.
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Post by Tamis Raynor on Feb 20, 2006 15:28:29 GMT -5
The first body to enter her room came as a surprise -- well, rather a surprise that he had bother knocking and awaiting her word before allowing himself in. That was enough to rouse Raynor's suspicion. But then, the elder of the Thorntons followed after, eyes slightly blood-shot and her lids brimmed in red.
Her brows furrowed slightly and half-rose from her seat and then thought better of it and lowered herself back down.
"Miss Thornton, Mr. Thornton," she replied carefully.
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 20, 2006 15:37:08 GMT -5
"Professor Raynor?" Drew started, standing in front of the woman's desk with his shoulders slightly hunched and feeling much smaller than his six-foot frame would allow. It was an odd request they were going to make and he didn't know how it would be taken.
"We want to call home." It had to be a phone call and the Thorntons knew it. The floo network didn't cross the Atlantic very well.
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Post by Tamis Raynor on Feb 23, 2006 17:02:18 GMT -5
Now she was worried. The Professor once again debated rising and once more chose to remain seated. The only time she ever saw Drew with his shoulders hunched (well, hunched lower than from the already problematic American posture) was when he had sulked from getting in trouble. Something he had not done melodramatically since about second year.
Her eyebrows furrowed at the 'call home' theory. Did he want to try and talk to his parents through the fireplace? It was rather testy across oceans, and she doubted he was referring to owling, as he very well did not need her permission to do that.
"Call home, Drew?" she looked from one face to another. The tension could have been cut with a knife. "Both of you, sit down now, and tell me why you both look as if you've just witnessed the re-resurrection of You-Know-Who and what this 'call' is."
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Allegra Thornton
Hogwarts Staff
Administrative Assistant Witch
^it's just me^
Posts: 2,420
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Post by Allegra Thornton on Feb 23, 2006 20:07:24 GMT -5
"Papi... our grandfather... died last night," Allegra answered in a small voice. With Professor Raynor likening it to the return of Voldemort, it seemed so trivial. They had both been living away from home for years now yet the one thing they both wanted at that moment was to call their parents. "We're just ... we're worried about our mother. We just want to talk to her and make sure she's okay."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Feb 23, 2006 20:09:10 GMT -5
"Our Aunt Abigail has a telephone... in London," Drew added, just as softly, watching his Head of House carefully. Because there was the main point of the request. They would need to go to London for the day.
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Post by Tamis Raynor on Feb 26, 2006 21:09:42 GMT -5
"I see," the professor stated thickly, not sure how else to respond to such an issue.
Tamis personally could not relate to such a loss or remember how one feels about such things. After all, her family had been massacred when she was a wee-one and hardly remembered them. But she had watched Banks after the loss of his father, as criticizing as the man had been about Banks being magical and after so long of excommunication, it had still been a blow to him.
Ending her private debate, Raynor finally stood up, now feeling too ill-at-ease to remain the only one sitting as the chairs went ignored.
Instead of addressing the proposed question, she half-moved around her desk.
"Are you two all right? Break is almost here, but if you wish to return home early instead of --calling--...."
The Professors eyebrows furrowed again, but this time for a different reason. What in the name of Merlin was a telofone? Perhaps she should have paid more attention in muggle studies...
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Allegra Thornton
Hogwarts Staff
Administrative Assistant Witch
^it's just me^
Posts: 2,420
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Post by Allegra Thornton on Feb 26, 2006 21:34:07 GMT -5
"We're... we're okay," Allegra answered carefully, looking over at her brother to make sure she could speak for the both of them. He gave her a crooked smile back so she felt confident in continuing. "We're just kind of concerned aboout how our mom is doing is all. I mean, Daddy's there, but... " she paused at this point and heaved a heavy sigh. "I just want to hear her voice right now."
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Post by Tamis Raynor on Mar 2, 2006 13:12:14 GMT -5
Raynors gaze drifted between the two of them to make sure this was indeed true and finally nodded her agreement on the issue. As okay as they could be. It still made the Professor want to shift her feet awkwardly, death was not the friendliest of topics.
"And you can hear your mother's voice over this... tell-o-fone?"
She asked, pronouncing the word carefully. It felt strange on her lips and the concept of a device making you able to hear another person clear across an ocean was absurd. Muggles! What would they come up with next?
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Mar 3, 2006 0:26:02 GMT -5
Drew nodded solemnly in response. "Can't see her though," he answered. "Well, I guess we could if Aunt Abigail had a computer and a web cam, but she's not that into the whole Muggle thing. We're kind of lucky she has a phone even."
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Post by Tamis Raynor on Mar 8, 2006 18:04:08 GMT -5
Well, to say the least the expression that now encompassed the Professor's face was priceless. It was not the tight, thin-lipped feature that expressed disapproval or irritation, nor the common quizzical one accompanied by an arched eyebrow. Nay, it was something completely different. The muscles in face were slack, lips ever-so-slightly touching, and her eyelids closed and reopened several times.
Webcham? Compoter? And fone.... short for telofone perhaps. Well, one out of three at least.
"Erm, yes, yes. Pity that you don't have a comepoter or a wecham," she stated after coming back to herself, as if she knew exactly what she was talking about and butchering the words in between.
She cleared her throat and reclaimed an somber air. "If you need to talk to her, then I am not going to stop that. It is a family matter after all." She paused. "However, times are -- not as they could be, and I will most certainly not allow you to go to your Aunt Abigail without an adult chaperon. For your safety."
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Drew Thornton
Ministry of Magic
Auror-in-Training
I didn't do it and you can't prove otherwise...
Posts: 14,114
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Post by Drew Thornton on Mar 8, 2006 22:25:16 GMT -5
Drew kept a straight face while Professor Raynor butchered the Muggle words. After years of having to hear Nana do the same (along with the accompanying raps on the head when he giggled or rolled his eyes) it wasn't all that hard to do.
"Our Aunt is a witch. We can floo to her place from Hogsmede, can't we?" Drew asked. It seemed silly to have a chaperone when kids went back and forth between school and Hogsmede all of the time.
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