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Post by Stockmon on Oct 8, 2007 20:20:21 GMT -6
Gamekeeper, what a strange title. What games did she have? She hadn’t seen any. She was getting an urge to march right up to Brigitta Corwin and demand to see some monopoly. Stephanie Harm gagged. Monopoly? Stupid American game. She’d been living in America too long. What had it been? Seven years? Maybe, give or take a year. She cracked her neck, America wasn’t that bad. It was better than home. She groaned, she had to come “home” each time she came to Hogwarts. England. Stupid country. Worse than stupid America.
Stephanie cracked her knuckles, savoring the odd noise that drove quite a large number of people crazy. She often performed that habit in crowds, sometimes even on purpose. She skipped from her wooden table to a dresser in the corner. When she opened it up she saw a picture of her and Dany smiling at the camera in Central Park. Next to it was a picture of her and her two cousins on a merry-go-round. And finally there was a picture of her in her mother’s arms, her mother was happy, smiling, alive. Stephanie ignored the pictures. Past. They were from her past. The picture with Dany had been taken in July of that year, but the one with Clair and Belle was from ten years ago, and the one with her mother was from nineteen years ago.
Stephanie pulled a dress from the wardrobe. Actually it was one of only three dresses, where the rest were either robes or casual clothes. She closed the door quickly, holding the dress up to herself; she did a poor job of imagining it on her body, so she thought of squirrels. She had once met a man who claimed to have eaten squirrel for breakfast that morning. She smiled, Dany had held her back from punching the man. That was a good day. Stephanie tossed the dress on her queen sized bed, wondering over to a box in the corner of the room. Once she had found her mall red jewel hanging down, she grabbed her brown shoes.
Stephanie made short work dressing, pulling the light blue and brown and very vibrant dress on over her slim figure. She slid her feet into the half-inch-lace-up heels.. She had already adorned the necklace, which she poked now. She frowned. She wouldn’t even be wearing it had Dany not begged her to wear it. Dany, that weird guy. He had made a profound point of convincing Stephanie to wear their mother’s necklace, and she had agreed, eventually. She didn’t really think it went with her outfit, she was more in favor of neon green lace at this moment, but she didn’t usually argue with Dany.
Once Stephanie was fully dressed, looking as if she were about to go out for a fine night of ball room dancing, or something like that, she made a face. What else? She grabbed for the light purple mask, a face with leaves for hair. She liked it. And Stephanie didn’t like a lot of things. She found Pathos wrapped around her waist, reminding her that she did in fact like other things, just not a lot of them.
“Oh, dearie. What is the matter? I have fed you. I have given you a nice house here… you simply can not come to the mask aid. I won’t allow it, hush, hush. Don’t fuss, dearie. Dany would throw a royal fit.” Stephanie giggled, stroking the six foot stripped snake. She managed to place him down on her bed, positioning the mask against her face before the left the house.
It took almost no time at all to make it into the castle. She kept patting her head, feeling the strange curls and waves now made by her brown hair. The slight bun in the back, held up with floral wire. She thought she must look amazing. A goddess, if a midget goddess. Armed with this thought she grinned openly, giving anyone she passed the privilege of seeing her all dolled up. But one naïve little thirteenth year, or whatever year they wear supposed to be in at fourteen years old, Stephanie no longer cared, had made a mistake. He, wearing a hoodie and some jeans, obviously didn’t understand the concept of beauty. He stared.
“What’s wrong with you?! Don’t you know how lucky you are?!” Stephanie barked, poking the father tall fourteen year old in the chest, ignoring the fact that he was taller than her. When he failed to come up with an adequate reply, Stephanie laughed, “That’s alright, all will be forgiven after you carry me up to the Hufflepuff common room.”
“B-but I’m a Ravenclaw!” The boy stammered. Stephanie shot him an evil glare, causing him to change his game plan. “I can’t carry you up that far! Are you kidding me?”
“Kidding?!” Stephanie gasped, slapping a hand to her chest in sincere shock. “No.” She said, simply shaking her head.
Eventually the poor boy conceded to carry the gamekeeper up to the hallway that she designated. He ran, or stumbled, off in the opposite direction that Stephanie danced. At this point she was doing the waltz, with herself. Humming a song that sounded as if it might fit the steps. “Dun, dun, dun… dun, dun, dun… dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun…” She hummed, spinning around with her arms out, as if she had a dance partner. She had apparently decided that this was the appointed location of the masquerade, despite any logical reasoning otherwise.
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Post by Gin on Oct 14, 2007 15:25:26 GMT -6
"Phineas Wicke. Witch Extrodinaire. Fear me!"
Phin spun around to face her Poodle who was giving her his normal bored expression. Phin extended her arm and shoved her Maple wand up against his wet nose with a wild chuckle. Chidori snorted and blew what Phin assumed to be mystical wetness of doom and destruction all over the girl. She could only return it with a gasp and "Chi, no! Why!?" as she sank to the floor with a fake squeal and raspy breath.
When Phin didn't move after a few seconds, the dog whined and slipped down to the floor to sniff at her ear. Phin stiffled a giggle and shot straight up yelling "Fear me!" Chidori barked and skipped back to glare at her.
"Silly boy, Chi." Her delicate attention was caught by the golden dress laying over her crimson arm chair. The colours definitly didn't match and Phin crinkled her nose at the thought. She pranced happily over to the chair and whisked the gold cloth up to hold it in front of her. "What 'chu think, Chi?" He yipped and jumped back up on the bed to stare at her. "Me too."
With the hours dwindling down until the Masquerade began, Phin began her beautifying process: shower, dress, hair, make-up, mask. She finished in record time, straightening the multi-layered dress as she danced out the door. Chi tried to follow but got the heavy wooden door slammed on his nose.
Phin was so close to the exit of the castle when a faint humming and swirl of blue cloth in the corner of her eye caught her attention. The fifth year swirled and entered the hallway that seemed to have produced its own dancing woman in longing for the Masquerade. Silly hallway. But maybe the woman wanted to go to the real Masquerade instead of filling the hallway's fantasies.
"Excuse me!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify the sound. "Why don't you come and dance with me!" Phineas let her hands fall to her sides and she grinned at the woman who was shorter than Phin herself.
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Post by Stockmon on Oct 15, 2007 21:58:39 GMT -6
Stephanie was in the process of being dipped, a very difficult act for anyone who acknowledged their lack of dance partner, but Stephanie, on the other hand, bent her back quite gracefully, given the circumstances.
“Excuse me!” someone shouted. Stephanie straightened up and glared harshly at the girl who had just interrupted her. One of her eyes twitched and she gave a look that nearly shouted for itself, “Silence!”
But the girl continued undeterred. “Why don’t you come and dance with me!”
Come and dance with her? Was this to imply that the dance might take place someplace else? Pfft… the girl was inane. But she had nice dark hair, and she had a pretty dress… Stephanie decided to tolerate her, despite the six inch height differential, in Phin’s favor.
“Alright, random girl! I shall fulfill that desire! We shall dance! Take me to your magical palace… or whatever…” Stephanie said… he words were thick with a British accent, more so than usual, and she was sounding more annoyed with each word. But then her mood perked back up as she walked over to Phin, who she bowed to and said, “I’m Stephanie Harm.”
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Post by Gin on Oct 16, 2007 19:10:51 GMT -6
The glare Phin was recieving seemed only to ecourage the young girl. She treated Stephanie with a wide-toothed grin and a happy head tilt. That look was shouting out something that Phin immediatly took to mean how exstatic the woman was at being asked to dance with Phin. This was obvious.
“Alright, random girl! I shall fulfill that desire! We shall dance! Take me to your magical palace… or whatever… I’m Stephanie Harm.” Her dark eyes turned down with her head, her hair falling over her cheeks so she could properly see the owner of the voice. She had short brown hair and brownish eyes. The dress she wore was perhaps a little too form fitting to look stunning on Stephanie and the slit was cut so high that Phin was sure, had she been shorter than Stephanie, she would have been able to see the older woman's underwear.
Fashion emergency if I ever saw one. This woman needs wooooork. Frew. Phin smiled encouragingly and pushed her arm up in a fold against her side for Stephanie to grab. Realizing that Stephanie may not be able to reach without jumping, she lowered the triangle shape to it was more elongated.
"Shall we, m'dear?" Phin bobbed her head cheerfully and strutted off toward the large wooden doors.
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Post by Stockmon on Oct 16, 2007 20:27:56 GMT -6
Stephanie watched the girl. She did not seem to be afraid of Stephanie, nor did she seem distraught by the random glaring. She might last longer than most. Stephanie took her arm as it was offered.
“Shall we, m'dear?” The girl asked. Stephanie felt intensely short next to Phin, but she had little concern. She didn’t even acknowledge it, talking forward as if Phin were her own height.
“Of course, duchess…” She said, trotting along. Had she cared that she was getting a nasty look from a young Ravenclaw boy who passed by… she’d have been in her rights. Instead she gave him a smirk, nodding in Phin’s direction, as if she were shoving off a trophy wife.
“So why, might I ask… are you not attached to the arm of someone… else.” Stephanie asked… finding her question a bit strange, when applied to the situation. She did not believe for a moment that she herself was not the most appropriate escort in the world, but she felt like saying something. She was feeling quite chatty, despite not knowing Phin’s name. “How old are you, you must be eight feet tall.”
While waiting for a response, Stephanie considered the option of wearing pink elevator shoes to the next formal. She would certainly dress up… maybe something fluffy. Fluffy was nice, Dany had always told her she looked good in modest gowns. Her dress was, obviously, not modest at all, but she liked the color, and was short enough for it to matter less, so she didn’t care all that much; not that she would have cared going to the masquerade in a bikini.
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Post by Gin on Oct 20, 2007 11:34:34 GMT -6
“Of course, duchess…” Phin nodded and walked for the doors, flashing the staring boy a flirty grin. “So why, might I ask… are you not attached to the arm of someone… else.”
"You may ask, of course, my Queen. If you want an answer, I could give you that too. There is none but you in the perfect place I call my world. You are perfection come to call on me to whisk you away to this ball. Give me your shoe and you shall be my Cinderella." Phin sighed for emphasis and looked down at the woman who appeared like she wanted to say something else. Before Phin could ask what it was, Stephanie told her.
“How old are you, you must be eight feet tall.”
"I am 15 and only 7'11", Love. I'll be 8 feet by tomorrow though," she joked. It was easy to be herself with this woman. The pair just smacked. Or was it clicked? Either way, they fit together.
The air was cool and nippy as Phin led her escort out into the cool night toward the Masquerade. When they had just passed the gates of Hogwarts, Phin looked at the woman.
"I am sorry but I can't apparate yet. Do you mind?" She waited a few seconds before realizing that the woman probably didn't know what place to imagine. "Do you remember that huge building right beside the Ministry? That's the place you have to imagine." She hugged her partner's arm tighter to her for the warmth, waiting for the unfamiliar tug and pull of the apparating sensation.
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Post by Stockmon on Oct 21, 2007 23:11:04 GMT -6
“You may ask, of course, my Queen.” Said the girl. Stephanie was liking this girl more and more. Because you could never go wrong calling Stephanie your Queen. You just couldn’t. “If you want an answer, I could give you that too. There is none but you in the perfect place I call my world. You are perfection come to call on me to whisk you away to this ball. Give me your shoe and you shall be my Cinderella.”
Stephanie glanced down at her shoes, feeling as though Phin might try to steal them away from her at any moment. “No. My shoes shall remain with me, forever more.” She said, her eyes shifting around in distrust.
“I am 15 and only 7’11”, Love. I’ll be 8 feet by tomorrow though.” Phin said. Stephanie gasped.
“Well aren’t you a giant.” She mumbled, totally oblivious to her companions jokes.
"I am sorry but I can't apparate yet. Do you mind? Do you remember that huge building right beside the Ministry? That's the place you have to imagine.” Said Phin, squeezing Stephanie’s arm.
Stephanie was cold, she didn’t like cold. Now the fact that she really didn’t know what building Phin was talking about, would have discouraged other people. But not Stephanie. She envisioned the Ministry, which she’d only ever seen in archives, and she envisioned a mask. And somehow, because Stephanie was having the luckiest night of her life, there is was. Now of course, she’d just landed on top of a young boy, wearing the same type of mask Stephanie’d envisioned, but after shouting at him for being in her way, and watching him run, she was fine.
“Now, Duchess… what first?” Stephanie asked, deciding that “Duchess” was a fine name for any gigantic oriental girl.
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Post by Gin on Oct 22, 2007 11:12:11 GMT -6
Something seemed very odd about the location the woman had chosen to apparate to. They had landed on a young Hufflepuff, Bartleby, if memory served. Phin chuckled at his pain--his pain was always just so funny--and waltzed forward, dragging the woman on her arm. The woman needed a name and since Phin was just not the kind of person who cared about names, she would call her Smurfette. Phin really liked the Smurfs and this woman on her arm was surely short enough.
“Now, Duchess… what first?”
"I say we dance the night away, floating in eachother's arms for eternity." Phin's eyes moved up to the ceiling and she gave a wistful sigh. "Or we could just get down and boogie," she suggested, giving Smurfette a playful grin. If you were creative enough you might have been able to imagine a teasing growl coming from those twisted lips but that would take real imagination.
Phin spun herself and Smurfette into the crowd, bowing low to her partner. She looked up, still smiling behind the dark golden hair that fell in her face.
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Post by Stockmon on Oct 27, 2007 0:24:18 GMT -6
"I say we dance the night away, floating in each other's arms for eternity. Or we could just get down and boogie,” said Duchess.
They began to spin into the crowd, Stephanie grinned when Duchess bowed. Stephanie did a sort of nod type thing, just for the sake of it, and then began to spin Duchess, quite quickly in fact, around the room.
Stephanie found it her place to dutifully show the rest of the room how to dance, making sure they got a good look at her amazing dance partner. “Have to taken dance lessons, Duchess?” Stephanie asked.
Not waiting for the reply, she dipped her dance partner. Stephanie, knowing more than would be expected of her, in the realm of dancing at least, executed skillful technique herself, but it seems to appear as if she might drop Phin at any time, just for the sake of it.
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Post by Gin on Nov 10, 2007 13:17:17 GMT -6
Phin recieved a small chuckle and nod at her bow to which she smiled and dipped her own head. Then they began swirling. For such a small woman, Smurfette seemed to have a skill at dancing. She spun the younger girl around the room with ease, making the movements quick and smooth.
“Have to taken dance lessons, Duchess?”
Smurfette apparently didn't care about Phin's answer because she quickly dipped Phin onto her back and pulled her back up. Phin smiled and sighed.
"You are very skilled, mademoiselle. Have you ever considered this as a career?" He question was not meant to be answered either because Stephanie spun her into another twirl. Phin managed to catch sight of another young couple staring at them, gaping. She waved a hand at them.
"Lucky, am I not?" she called at them but Phin and Stephanie had already moved far across the floor.
When the song ended, Phin took Smurfette's hand and led her over to the refreshments. She bent her head and brushed her lips over the other woman's hand before dropping it for a plastic glass of punch that had been spiked with a few cases of firewhiskey by a few clever Slytherins; such a crafty bunch, and always trying to find a way to get the first years drunk. Why were 11 year old kids so much fun to watch when they--or the viewer--are drunk?
Phin also picked up a sugar cookie, choosing one that had been covered in an orange frosting and poked with black sprinkles to make it look like a jack-o-lantern. Phin thought it looked more like her Aunt Mathilda but that was just her opinion.
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Post by Stockmon on Nov 10, 2007 17:38:16 GMT -6
“You are very skilled, mademoiselle. Have you ever considered this as a career?” Duchess asked. Stephanie gave that some thought. Career? She had never thought about any career, including the one she was in. She just sort of… found a position needing to be filled, and applied. Apparently no one else applied, because that’s the only logical reason that Stephanie could have gotten the job. She did he dues, don’t get me wrong. But who would hire a moody-psycho-former-student when there were other options?
“Lucky, am I not?” Stephanie heard Duchess tell a jealous young couple near by. Stephanie tilted her head towards Duchess as if in agreement. Then Duchess moved them over to the food when the song ended. She kissed Stephanie hand and grabbed punch and a cookie.
Stephanie was totally against the idea of eating something with tiny black dots on it, so she steered clear of the cookies, grabbing a carrot in the shape of a broom instead. She nibbled on it, grabbing a cup of punch. Stephanie downed her third class of punch, quite gracefully, before turning to see the dance floor.
She recognized a few teachers dancing, and some supervising. A few students she’d yelled at, and some people she had never seen before. Most people fell into the latter category. She licked her teeth, noticing that the punch tasted a bit strange, but she took another sip anyway.
“Duchess, why do you think they call it gamekeeper? There are no games.” Stephanie asked, still facing the dance floor, amused to see a man nearly drop his dance partner attempting the same sort of move Stephanie had just executed with Duchess.
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Post by Gin on Nov 23, 2007 0:15:28 GMT -6
On sip. Four sip. Eightysixty si--Oh my Zeus, that was a green fairy. Or was it two? Phin's thoughts were, to say the least, a bit shimmied. Even one plastic cup of spiked punch seemed bad news for the little Hufflepuff. She just couldn't hold her liqiour.
She looked over to her date, her focus doing cute little swirls and twists that didn't seem too bad until you tried to walk. Phin tried to walk. She smiled at Smurfette, mumbling something that may have been Smurfette but sounded much like "Stuff in it." Only a few older Slytherins turned to look at her and chuckle to themselves. But it was with that first step that Phin took her own life. Nah, just kidding. She only fainted.
Her knees buckled under her and she fell, the gold dress flaring out along the floor around her and revealing a good portion of her thigh. The Slytherins stopped laughing and inched closer but got smacked over the head by an angry librarian.
"Back back," he commanded to no one in particular, since no one seemed to care that a young girl had just collapsed on the floor.
“Duchess, why do you think they call it gamekeeper? There are no games.”
Beau looked up to see a fellow professor-but-not-quite, the new Gameskeeper, Stephanie. He cleared his throat before turning back to the girl. She was out cold, her body more than just warm. She was sweating and mumbling something, twitching every now and then. He frowned. Well, Ever wasn't going to come anyway. He sighed and scopped Phin up into his arms, carrying her out of the hall. The evening he had planned on spending dancing with Ever Morgan was now going to be spent explaining to the nurses at St. Mungos why a 15 year old girl was unconscious and pouring sweat. Not the best evening he had had.
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