ForgotPassword?
Sign Up
Coming Soon
Week of April 13-19, 1987Easter Holiday: On CampusGryffindor vs. Hufflepuff:March 15
Daily Hogwarts Schedule
WeatherFull sunSnow 5 feet deep and melting slowlyHighs: Mid 60s FLows: High 40s Sunrise: 5:54 a.m. Sunset: 8:39 p.m.
Current Classes:
DADA NEWT Level Friday, 2/20; 12:45-1:45 PM OWL Level Friday, 2/20; 10:30-1:30 PM ASTRONOMY 1st & 2nd Years Thursday, 2/19; 11:59 PM toFriday, 2/20; 1:30 AM
Class Rosters
Student Handbook
House Points
Slytherin:876 Ravenclaw:576 Gryffindor: 407 Hufflepuff:310
Quidditch Cup
January-March Patrols Ashby and Jane Halle and Jessica Millie and Tessa Cora and Chase Phoebe and Tucker Callum and Ivy Patrol Routes/Guidelines
1 Galleon = $3 = £ 1.50 1 Sickle = $0.20 = £ 0.13 1 Knut = $0.01 = £ 0.01 Inflation Calculator
1987 Information Muggle Movie Release Dates United Kingdom Headlines Top Music Chart Hits Cost of Things and Pop Culture Other PI Family Tree Yuku Support Forum
Search this Topic:
Forum Jump
Posts: 5411
Member Since: 04/26/04
Sep 24 13 8:15 PM
Jessica Fear Sixth Year GryffindorGryffindor PrefectOh. My. Stars.
Caitlin Williams Gryffindor-1984 Newlywed FeverRaven Jezebel SinclairRavenclaw - 1976Curator The British Museumof Wizarding AntiquitiesKarina Rheese Hufflepuff-1967Werewolf Private Investigator Collier and RheeseHead AdminMagic In Sincere Forgiveness
Posts: 1813
Member Since: 10/17/08
Sep 25 13 10:08 AM
Carol Alicia “Cas” ScrivenerSecond Year RavenclawDo You Know What’s Funny?
Jane Scrivener Fifth Year Ravenclaw Ravenclaw PrefectRavenclaw CaptainRavenclaw Chaser Don't Bother Me.
Millicent Helen Skrumpkin Seventh Year Gryffindor Gryffindor Prefect Gryffindor Captain Gryffindor Seeker Wear Pink and Carry a Wand
Lizzie Jane Grimm Seventh Year Gryffindor Quidditch Commentator Magical Creatures Club Raggle Taggle Gipsy-o
Sabrina Sorelli Slytherin-1982 Fashion Student Head in the Clouds Character of the Month June 2009
Rita Skeeter Slytherin-1969Daily Prophet Ace Reporter "And how did you feel when they all died?" Character of the Month January 2009 Maid of All Work
The one thing Sabrina hadn’t expected was to be greeted by a fawning idiot. Where did these men come from? It must be a result of living in the backwoods of Wales, she though as Caitlin came to her rescue. Clearly not a family retainer; probably an older brother.
Still, there was a kind of crude flattery implied by his oafish lechery. Perhaps she was spoiled by the boys on the fashion Degree course. Half were gay and the other half ambivalent, to say the least. When they said ‘nice dress’ they were complimenting your taste, not making crude advances. This lout was clearly coming on to her, which was nice, in a way. But mostly boorish. Caitlin’s arrival was a relief.
And clearly Sabrina was a welcome visitor. Or mostly welcome. The smile fell, and Sabrina’s heart dropped with it. But then, her duty was clear. The girl was obviously devastated by her affliction, and Sabrina must cheer her up! Even though, frankly, she was just embarrassed now.
She nodded as Caitlin mouthed something (Sorry?) at her and catching on that she was saying something about the presumptive brother, said lightly, “Never mind. I get that a lot these days.” Not strictly true, but it let Caitlin (and her brother) off the hook.
She followed Caitlin into the room, wracking her brains for some way to make this easier for Caitlin. Too much sympathy wouldn’t be good; Caitlin was always a stand-on-her-own-feet kind of girl. Oh, well, jump in with both feet and hope for the best.
“Bit of a nuisance when it comes to having a nice chat,” Sabrina said, trying for a light touch. “But we won’t let that stop us, will we? Sioni sends his love, and says he’ll come around and visit when he gets some free time. Apparently the manager is pushing the team pretty hard, so free time is at a premium. And to tell the truth,” She glanced around as if they might be overheard, “I think he may be involved pretty seriously with someone right now. I’ll name no names, but it’s somebody he really shouldn’t be seeing at all!”
There, some good gossip, and the ice broken. Now for the hard part. “It was Sioni told me about your problem.” She paused, lost for anything more to add. Looking down she said, “It must be bloody for you. I would have come sooner, but I just got back from Italy… and…” Even the Wizard Gossip Mill ground slowly sometimes.
“Well, anyway, here I am. So how are we going to make things better?”
Sep 25 13 9:03 PM
Sep 26 13 9:18 AM
Once the kettle went on, Sabrina relaxed. The good old ceremony of British solidarity, fellowship and comfort. Cat run over by a lorry? Make a cup of tea. Boyfriend dissert you for another? Make a cup of tea. Permanent loss of voice? Definitely make a cup of tea. You knew where you were with a cuppa.
She didn’t miss the emotions flashing across Caitlin’s face, but, being English didn’t comment on them. Not yet. That would come later. (Probabaly over the third biscuit and second cup.) Clearly, however, the fact that Sabrina was here was welcomed, and the fact that she didn’t need an explanation a comfort. Good old Sioni, thought Sabrina. He might be a fool in his love life, but he was a good friend.
In the familiar comfort of the kitchen, the tea ritual underway, Sabrina chattered, leading, she hoped to finding out what had been the cause of Caitlin’s disability. Not so much how had she lost her voice, but why had she been attacked, if that was in fact the story. Sioni had been unclear, mostly because he didn’t have first-hand information and was unwilling to speculate.
In the meantime, however, Caitlin was smiling and pointing to her.
“Me? What have I been up to? Oh, Caitlin, you wouldn’t believe it! Milan is so wonderful! You remember I’m doing Fashion at Norwich? Well, one of my Italian cousins knows somebody who has this design house….”
Two cups and four biscuits later, Sabrina smiled and dabbed her mouth with her napkin.
“Right. This is where I say, ‘Enough about me, what have you been up to?’ Only that’s going to be a bit difficult, isn’t it?” She held up her hand. “I asked before, what were we going to do about your problem. I think we need a little positive, Sorelli style thinking. Yes, no and maybe are easy, of course. Head shakes, shrugs, you do all that already. Now, until I can find time to learn the deaf-and-dumb hand language thing, we’ll have to make do with what we can make up ourselves.”
She wasn’t sure how much thought Caitlin had put to communicating without speech. Very likely the poor girl was just worn out having to come to terms with the whole problem Chances were Sabrina’s interference would not be welcomed, but by golly, she wasn’t going to let her friend go down without a fight! This called for the old Hogwarts’ try!
Or something like that.
“So, do you have any special hand-signs you use with your family? Thumbs up? Bunny-hover? That kind of thing? ‘Cause if not, you and I are going to invent some.”
Sep 29 13 9:01 PM
Sep 30 13 8:32 PM
Sabrina watched Caitlin, smiling. Surely the girl must have made some attempt at communication? Even if the condition was short-lived, how could she survive without expressing herself? Sabrina’s memories of Caitlin as a Prefect was of a girl who had an opinion on everything, and wasn’t afraid to voice it.
The listless little shrug surprised her. Setting down her teacup, she reached across the table to take Caitlin’s hand. “I know it must be terribly difficult. Now, I know I don’t know anything about the circumstances, and Sioni couldn’t tell me anything. But Caitlin, sweetheart, you mustn’t give in. Whatever happened, you can’t just lie back and think of England! That’s not the Caitlin I knew in Hogwarts!”
Standing up she walked to an open space and turned to face her friend.
“I just spent the summer in Italy, mostly with family members, but with a lot of strangers, too. And though I speak a fair amount of Italian my grammar isn’t perfect and I don’t know all the idioms. Besides, there are as many regional forms of Italian as there are of English in the British Isles. Just think of Scotts, Welsh and Londoners and you’ll get what I mean.”
While she had been speaking she had deliberately kept her hands clasped behind her back. Now she brought them out and pointed both her fore-fingers at Caitlin. “But all Italians speak one common dialect. Can you guess what it is?”
As she said this, she pinched the first two fingers of her right hand together with her thumb, and made a little pecking gesture toward her smiling mouth. At the same time she shrugged slightly.
“Hands, sweetie. You can’t speak Italian with your hands in your pockets. It’s not possible. That little gesture? It means what, why or where.” She held up her thumb in the universal hand sign for approval. “Get it?” She asked. “Nobody asks why or what without the gesture. It’s automatic. It’s been going on forever.” Sabrina added to this statement with a quick gesture of her thumb over her shoulder. “That means long time ago. See?”
Walking over to Caitlin, she held out her hands. “Come on, let’s just have a little fun, shall we?” Bunching together all of her fingers except her little finger, she made a quick ‘J’ shape with it. “That means let’s go. Come on, something like that.” She flicked her fingers at herself, without speaking, encouraging Caitlin to respond. It wasn’t sign language, after all. It was more like acting with your fingers.
Oct 2 13 8:50 PM
Oct 31 13 1:55 PM
Sabrina shrugged. She smiled, waggled her fingers in the “so-so” sign and watched as Caitlin signed that she was tired. Sabrina nodded. Smiled and pointed to the teapot. Raising an eyebrow she waggled her hand, fingers splayed, palm down. More tea? Well she would put on the kettle, she was gasping.
Smiling wanly, she settled opposite her silent friend. No doubt about it, it was hard work. But most things worth doing turned out to be hard.
“You know, when I first started at Norwich, I felt so completely out of my depth. Not just because the girls all talked about pop groups I hadn’t heard of and films I hadn’t seen, but because they all could sew. I mean, I made a few dresses for my dollies when I was little, but my mother had to finish them. And there wasn’t any use for that at Hogwarts. After second year I could fix most tears and rips with Reparo, and alterations were just two or three simple transformations. I mean, who needs to sew?” She stood up and went to pour the boiling water on the tea. Over her shoulder she continued. “I’ll tell you who. Fashion designers do.”
Putting down the teapot she shook her head. “Strictly speaking you don’t have to be good at sewing to design, but it helps to know how things are put together. And when it comes to making up samples, you just have to be able to operate a sewing machine and finish things by hand. Though, of course, I worked out a spell for doing button holes. I mean, nobody can actually do decent button holes without magic. But all the other girls and most of the boys were zipping away with their machines and putting on buttons while they watched telly. I could barely pick up a needle without stabbing myself somewhere. But the thing is, I wanted to learn how. I had to learn how, or get left behind. Shall I be mother?” She added picking up the pot.
Holding her cup in both hands she looked at Caitlin through the steam.
“The thing is, sweet, you don’t stop learning when you finish at Hogwarts. And most of the things you have to learn are things you don’t really want to learn. How to fill out Muggle forms for college. How to sew. How to.. I don’t know, work for a living I suppose. And maybe you just have to learn how to sign. Because, Caitlin, it’s sink or swim. And I just don’t see you as a sinker. Sure, you’ll get your voice back. I’m sure you will. But just waiting won’t help you. Like frelying on magic didn’t help me at college.” She giggled and grinned.
“Because I tried to fake all my sewing at first. I mean, my mother showed me a few good spells, but. honestly, in the end I do a better job with a needle. Ok, sometimes when I’m tired I mark the beginning and the end of a seam and let the needle do the rest, but, I couldn’t do that if I didn’t know the basics.”
She was about to ask if Caitlin had any biscuits when the sound of steps in the hallway made her turn her head. It wasn’t going to be Caitlin’s awful brother come to leer at her again was it?
Nov 1 13 12:17 PM
Nov 5 13 5:01 PM
To Sabrina’s mind, Caitlin’s position — and her condition — couldn’t possibly be worse. She’d felt a sense of disconnection after she’d left Hogwarts. There she had had structure, routine, and in the end, as Head Girl, some status. As a freshly graduated witch she was… well, basically, nothing. And even though she had been thinking about going to college to learn fashion design, it had come as an enormous relief to get her letter of acceptance. It meant she basically could put off having to be something. And after the summer in Milan, she was confident she could succeed.
But Caitlin? One day, Head Girl, and a few weeks later, knocked right through the hoop without a voice. She had to feel lost. Whatever plans she had would have to be on hold, until she sorted out something to enable her to communicate again. And although Sabrina could understand her depression, her apparent reluctance to work at a solution was baffling.
Still they were having fun, and as far as Sabrina could tell, Caitlin was perking up a bit. Maybe, with a bit more encouragement, she could be persuaded to learn sign language. Sabrina was just about to suggest coming back to take Caitlin out to the nearest market town, or even up to London, to get her out and doing when Caitlin’s brother appeared.
"Didn't know you had company,"
“Old school chum, would you believe?” Sabrina said brightly.
"You're not letting the chatterbox hog the conversation, I hope," he teased.
“I think I’m keeping my end up,” Said Sabrina, smiling back. He was a good looking fellow. You could certainly see the family resemblance, and there was a relaxed, confident air about him. Nice. “We were about to compare notes on the joys of being Head Girl,” She added, half truthfully, because she had been about to raise the subject, and it did make a link between Caitlin and her.
"Name's Gavin; I don't believe we've met."
“Sabrina Sorelli. And no, this is my first time at the family estate. A mutual friend… Sioni ap Emerys told me how to winkle out this little recluse. I suppose you’ve met Sioni?” Not that it was important. Just trying to establish a link.
“Anyway, why don’t you join us? Tea has been provided, and you can help me convince Caitlin that she should come shopping with me next week. It will be good for her to get out, I’m sure, and we can practice hand signals.” She glanced over at Caitlin in the hope of a positive response. “I’m sure I’ll know beforehand what you want to say, and I can just say it for you, if you feel shy. After all, shopping is just… shopping.”
And she was pretty certain that Caitlin could do with a dose of retail therapy.
Posts: 13903
Member Since: 07/05/04
Nov 8 13 10:08 PM
Leathan Collier Gryffindor-1960 Private Investigator Collier & Rheese Character of the Month August 2007
Gavin Vennegoor of Hesselink Manager of The Blue Pig pub Hope on the Rocks Head Admin People Are Stupid TYPHOID MIRI
Nov 20 13 10:31 AM
"Another woman of power. I'll be sure to watch my move.”
Sabrina arched an eyebrow at him, suspecting that he was being facetious. Except for the boys on her course at Norwich, most men didn’t like women with any kind of sense of self-worth. Let alone real power.
Which hardly described being Head Girl, when all was said and done.
Still he wasn’t trying to look down her blouse, and that was worth another smile. She would take Gavin at face value until further notice, she decided.
"Sioni's a good lad. Upstanding sort and all of that."
“We used to call him the Prince of Hufflepuff,” Sabrina giggled. “Fair play was his middle name, I think. Like most ‘Puffs, terribly serious about doing the right thing.” Excepting where Esperanza was concerned, of course. But that secret she wasn’t allowed to share.
Sabrina poured the tea as Gavin joined them.
"She's right, you know. Moping about here isn't going to help you out in the least."
“Oh, I wouldn’t ever say Caitlin was moping,” Said Sabrina, leaping to her defense. “It can’t be easy.”
"Hands signals? Like that signing language?”
“Sort of. I’ve just got back from Italy, and you can more or less follow a conversation there by watching their hands as much as understanding the Italian. I just thought something similar could… well you know. Be a beginning?”
“Quite brill, really, seeing as this one," he gave Caitlin a nudge with his shoulder, "is too stubborn to write things out.”
“Be fair, how would you like to have to write a note, every time you wanted a biscuit?” Said Sabrina firmly. She was sure Caitlin’s brother was just teasing, but seriously! Didn’t he understand how upset she was?
“We'll see if she's any less stubborn this way," he laughed, reaching for a biscuit.
“Hold on, Mister. You can’t call her a woman of power and then bring it down to stubbornness! You do understand how hard it is to do silent spells, I hope? How would you like it if you were… I don’t know… struck blind? Would you think it a laughing matter? Or… well if your arm was suddenly paralyzed, so you couldn’t grab a biscuit every time you wanted one?” She was tempted to put a body bind on the fellow, just to give him something to laugh about!
Instead, she frowned at her tea as she said, “It isn’t being stubborn, Gavin, it’s learning how to cope.”
Nov 21 13 4:57 PM
Nov 25 13 6:38 PM
Maybe she was being hard on Gavin, coming in off the street, so to speak, and laying down the law on how he should treat his sister, but Sabrina had a sister herself, (albeit a younger one) and knew what sibling teasing could feel like. And in her limited experience, men could be very insensitive about this kind of thing.
She was surprised when Gavin acquiesced, though.
"No. You're right. I probably could go a bit lighter on the teasing."
Sabrina looked at him; reassessing this young man.
He looked down into his teacup, both hands wrapped loosely around it. "So, former Head Girl, then? I can see why,"
This line also took Sabrina by surprise. There was definitely more to Caitlin’s brother than she had thought. Her other brother, mind you, Sabrina would gladly forgo seeing again.
"Were you this tough on those in your charge back at Hogwarts?" he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I shouldn’t think you are the kind to be stricken by a gentle rebuke to be kinder,” Said Sabrina, smiling. “You don’t strike me as the kind who gets his feeling hurt by some plain speaking.”
"And just what does a former Head Girl find to do in the world with school behind her?"
That had Sabrina laughing out loud. “Sadly, there is no career path based on being Head Girl, is there, Caitlin?” She shrugged at her friend and then gave a wobbly thumbs up, to demonstrate an uncertain approval of her own words.
“This particular ex-Head Girl is in college. Art school as it happens, in Norwich. I’m doing fashion.” She tried to downplay her educational efforts, because there was nothing after Hogwarts for most witches. “I was just telling Caitlin earlier about working for a friend of my cousin in Milan over the summer. That was fabulous! So interesting, and I learned such a lot! Hard work, mind you. The Milanese are not your stereotyped fun loving Italians. At least not my boss!” She smiled broadly at the memory of staying behind to get some pattern grading done in time for the end of the week meeting. “I won’t pretend I was suffering, though. I loved every minute.”
Sabrina sipped her tea and chatted on. “The plan is to get my degree, and maybe work a couple of years in Milan after that. Of course, I’d love to go to Paris and New York, to see what the fashion scene is like there, but the goal of all this is to have a little design house of my own. To make something more modern but still to the taste of your well to do English witch.” She smiled over at Caitlin. “Special rates for former Head Girls, of course.”
Nov 26 13 8:06 PM
Nov 27 13 11:33 AM
"A world traveler, is it? That's ambitious.”
“Well, hardly that,” Said Sabrina, smiling. “I mean, I’ve been going to visit my Nonna in Italy since I was tiny. Italy barely counts. And since my cousin got me the internship that hardly makes me a high-flyer. But, yes, I do want to travel. Especially to see the big designers’ work up close. Mind you, that won’t be easy. They treat their new lines like the latest defense plans from the MOD, or something. But..” She smiled over at Caitlin. “It’s surprising what you can do with a little judicious wand work. Anyway,” She picked up a biscuit and studied it. “I’ve got to get through the next couple of years and get a first. And that depends on my Degree Show.” She looked over at Caitlin, a new idea come to mind.
“They hold it in a big hotel ballroom down in London. It’s ever-so glam. I’ll send you a ticket, shall I? I mean, always presuming I have anything to show!”
Gavin clearly wanted to be included in the discussion, which both surprised and pleased Sabrina.
"What about the well to do English bloke? Got any good designs considered out for them?"
“Men’s lines are always difficult,” Sabrina said slowly, “The thing is, menswear is generally so conservative. Suits haven’t really altered that much since 1900. Not really. I mean, wide lapels, narrow lapels, double breasted, single breasted, one vent, two vents, no vent, … but they are still all just suit jackets. And trousers! The biggest thing that’s happened in the past two hundred years is bell-bottoms! I mean, seriously? Bell-bottoms? There was the hippy thing, and polyester knits and all of those horrible, horrible prints, but that was just a mistake! And the Wizarding world is even more conservative. Most of the things worn by wizard are hold overs from the middle ages, and the most up-to-date fashions you see on Diagon Alley or at a Quidditch match are Dickensian. (Which I have to say I rather like. It’s better than the floppy not really trying kind of things you see on most Muggle men.” She glanced over at Gavin. “I don’t mean you, of course. You are at least neat. But spandex trousers? Why not just paint your legs bright pink and have done with?” Realizing that she had started on to one of her favorite rants (Usually one she had with David and Rupert, who both loved spandex) Sabrina stopped and shook her head.
“Sorry, Gavin, you get a designer talking about design and they never shut up. Your turn. What are your Great Plans for the Future? What do you do now, come to that? I should know, but this girl,’ She pointed at Caitlin, “Hasn’t said a word about you.”
It was a lame joke, she knew, but she hoped Caitlin would know she was trying to be funny, not hurtful.
Nov 28 13 12:46 PM
Nov 28 13 1:54 PM
"Even if she weren't all clammed up lately, she wouldn't talk much about me.”
Sabrina chuckled. “Maybe not but her face speaks volumes,” She teased. Actually Sabrina had been watching the byplay between brother and sister. Clearly they were close, and that made her envious and happy at the same time.
“I had grand dreams of playing football for England at some point.”
“Ah, the sports thing. No wonder you and Sioni get along.” Sabrina had no interest in Quidditch beyond her friends, and Football was a closed, Muggle book.
“Weren't all that lousy out on the pitch, either. Bum knee,"
“I’m sure you were quite brilliant. Sorry about your injury, you must have been terribly disappointed.” He must have gotten over it, though. Gavin seemed happy enough here at the kitchen table.
"Right now I'm managing a nearby pub. Not exactly the grandest of dreams, is it?" he commented.
“Oh, I don’t know. You have to be a certain kind of person to run a business… and a pub, after all, is just that… There’s so much to consider. Stocks, supplies, employees..” She gave a little mock shiver. “It’s the one thing that worries me about having my own couturier house. Running the business side.”
"Caitlin thinks it's brilliant, but then I think she's just taken with one of my employees," he said, gaining a hard kick to his leg and a look from his sister.
Sabrina’s eyebrows shot up and she glanced over at Caitlin. “Oh, really?” She said in her best gossip’s tones. “I must know all. Tell Sister Sorelli all about this mystery man who works in a pub.” She looked over at Gavin and warned, “But I’d move your legs out of range, if I were you. One injured knee is enough, I feel sure.”
Reaching across the table she gave Caitlin’s hand a squeeze. “I’m only teasing, love. If your brother isn’t making all this up just to be difficult, I’m glad for you. I hope he’s good enough is all.” She grinned mischievously. “We ex-Head Girls have high standards, you know. You mustn’t let down the side.” Her eyes stole over to Gavin.
“But if he’s good enough for your brother to hire, I suppose that’s some kind of recommendation.”
Nov 30 13 6:40 PM
Nov 30 13 9:49 PM
There was a certain… something in Gavin’s face that Sabrina saw, just exactly what she couldn’t say, but a lack of enthusiasm for Caitlin’s new boyfriend that led her to believe that he didn’t wholly approve. Was this just being protective, or did he genuinely not like the mystery employee?
Before the conversation could go any further, though, a call from the front of the house caught Caitlin’s attention. As Caitlin silently excused herself, Sabrina smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
That left her and Gavin, and a bit of a suddenly awkward silence. Which Gavin promptly demolished by pouring tea all over the table, and then wrecking the table in his attempts to mop up scalding water with his hands.
"Not gonna win any awards for being smooth, am I?" he asked.
“I didn’t know there was a contest,” Said Sabrina, scooting out of her seat and pulling out her wand. The water she disappeared as a matter of course, but what worried her more was Gavin’s hands.
“I hope this isn’t the way you clean the bar in your pub,” She said. “I think maybe Caitlin needs to teach you some basic housekeeping if it is.” She had stepped to the sink, found a dish rag and turned the water on full cold.
“Come on, let’s have a look at your hands,” She said, taking Gavin by the forearm. “You’ll end up with second degree burns if you’re not careful.”
Wishing she had her reading glasses on hand so she could see better, she peered dimly at his hands and shook her head. “Idiot,’ She said gently, and soaking the dish cloth she gently wrapped it around his left hand. Holding it gently in place she looked up at Gavin’s face.
“Beer is cold. Tea is hot. Something I should have thought they taught you in… what? Chemistry? Physics?” She almost made a remark about Muggle schools but caught herself. After all, what did she know?
“ I learned that much in the kitchen before I was ten,” She said, peeling back the cloth and looking at his hand again. “That’s got to hurt,” She said. She looked vaguely around the kitchen.
“I don’t suppose you have any birch-bark and toad’s heads around? I could make you a potion to take care of this in a jiffy…”
Share This