|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2018 21:35:39 GMT
Surprise Surprise 'Cause no matter how far away you roam
For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!
“ Artemis lifted her wrist watch once again to check the time. “Anytime Leif.” She said, the excitement slipping through. She hadn’t been to the farm in ages, well she hadn’t been there since last Christmas anyway, and it had been so difficult to leave once more. But her work with Damocles had been important to her, and misguidedly she thought the hospital and her life in the Big Easy had been just as important. It wasn't. Not that she didn't love the city and the music, the artwork and jazz. There was always something to be done, New Orleans was a different world entirely. Because of her passion for the place, she thought she should have been able to find a purpose there, but that wasn’t the case. Whatever had pulled her so strongly to New Orleans after graduation was no longer keeping her there, and now she felt the wind shift in a different direction. Now, after Damocles left, the hospital and the Big Easy seemed almost oppressive, she wasn’t useful anymore. Not like she wanted to be, not like she knew she could be. She wasn't running away. There was nothing to run away from. New Orleans would be with her in her heart and in her memories, but it was time to move on. It was time to come home. She wrote ahead to St. Mungos to see if there were even any positions open at the time. She wasn’t expecting a reply so soon, but apparently, they were eager to have her. She later found out Damocles had raved about her to his associates many of whom worked in key positions at St. Mungos. They hadn’t been expecting an inquiry from her, but when she wrote to them they were all but rolling out the proverbial welcome mat. Even if she wasn’t tempted to leave on her own, the promised salary and option of what department she wanted to work in was more than enough incentive. And she’d be home again. She’d see Leif, and her parents, Flora, Skye, Jasper! She’s be back at the farm with her animals. Home. When had New Orleans stopped meaning home for her? When Damocles left? When he took the most fascinating project she had ever worked on away from her? It wasn’t intentionally a slight, Artemis knew that. He wanted her to branch out, make her own discoveries, work on her own projects. He had told her that she was too brilliant to be his intern any longer, she was too humble to agree with him, but she had surpassed the title of intern long ago. But what project could she work on? What was she passionate about? These were the big questions. The ones she’d have to ask herself now that she was back in the UK. Luckily there was no rush. She had a job, and she could stay with her parents until she found her own place, it was exactly what she needed. Time to reinvent herself, to find a purpose once more. Right now, however, she wasn’t too concerned with purpose. Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest in excitement. Maybe she should have owled everyone and let them know she was coming. She knew they all would have bombarded her at the station, and being surrounded by their love would have been amazing, but also slightly overwhelming. She knew if she took that route it would be days before she had a private moment with Leif, and she wanted to drill him about being named Headboy. She was so proud of her younger brother. He had been so unsure when attending Hogwarts at first, and for those first years he never let go of her side (not that she minded in the least) and now to be named Headboy! Leif had come so far, and she was so proud of him. She could see the post owl that she had used to send her letter to Leif finally return. She would have used her own owl, Hermes, but she was recognizable, and Artemis didn’t want to spoil the surprise that she was back home. The owl returning meant Leif would likely be on his way soon. Her excitement grew as she sat to wait for him an eager smile resting on her lips. “Best Christmas Ever.” ” |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 16:15:16 GMT
 Surprise Surprise
The owl had made Leif curious, but not curious enough to rush getting ready to run into Hogsmeade and visit the post office. School was finished for the holidays, and he felt like he had only just gotten used to the idea of being home for a few weeks, when he ended up back in the same old place. Whatever it was that made Artemis tell him to go to the post office was probably good, he reasoned, she wouldn't waste his time if it wasn't important, and she'd made the effort to have something sent from America, so the least he could do was go and get said item. Of course, he finished eating his breakfast first, which was difficult with a niffler in the kitchen, trying to steal your spoon while you were eating. He gave up in the end and gave the shiny object up, rinsing his bowl and deciding he should probably get the trip over with. It wouldn't take long, though he hoped whatever it was wasn't too heavy for him to carry, he was definitely stronger than an owl, but bringing this gift back with him might prove problematic.
Buttoning up his coat, he pulled on his Hufflepuff scarf and fastened it tightly around his neck as he stepped out into the cold, accidentally apparating to the residential area of Hogsmeade, not used to getting there by any other means than walking. The journey into the village was a short one though, but still long enough to give a person frostbite if they weren't sufficiently wrapped up. The walk was spent wondering what on earth his sister could have sent him that was too big for an owl to carry, and worrying if it was something he would struggle to take back home with him. It had to be an inanimate object, whatever it was, since he'd never be allowed some sort of large exotic creature as a pet, much as he would adore having a thunderbird sleeping in his dorm with him, he couldn't see that happening, Head Boy or not. His trainers left footprints on the snowy path as he finally entered the outskirts of Hogsmeade, blue eyes scanning the faces of shoppers as they passed him. It wasn't a busy day in the village, so it was easy to spot her as he rounded the corner and the post office came into sight.
Leif stopped in his tracks, staring for a minute in disbelief as though she might disappear if he took his eyes away for even half a second. Artemis. She was there, at the post office. In England. Scotland. Not America. The important part was that she was not in America. Why wasn't she in America? Eyebrows raising in disbelief, Leif's face broke into a smile, and he began to jog towards his sister, closing the gap between them, grinning like an idiot, and sweeping her up in a spinning hug, her feet coming off the ground. "Are you kidding me?" he asked her, squeezing her a bit too tight. "How are you here?" And more importantly, how did she manage to keep it a secret from him with such a huge family. Surely one of them would have slipped up if they'd known Artemis was coming back for Christmas. The only logical answer was that they didn't know either. He set her down carefully on her feet, leaning back to look at her, her golden hair, green eyes, pretty face, all the same as he remembered from last time he saw her. His grin had now reached cheshire cat levels, but Leif couldn't stop it, nor did he want to. "Do we get you for Christmas?" he heard himself asking, sounding like a worried child wanting to double check that they were still going to the park tomorrow. If she was staying for the whole holidays, it would be the best Christmas in a long time!
_______________________
tag: @artemis
notes: <3
[googlefont="Kristi"] |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2018 20:59:15 GMT
Surprise Surprise 'Cause no matter how far away you roam
For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!
“ To be sure, Artemis loved her family. Her whole family. She didn’t play favorites, not really. But she was closest to Leif, and the family knew it. For the majority of her childhood she was the “baby”. Even after Leif was born she was still the “baby girl”, and the one that had an affinity for softer things, healing, plants, care of creatures and so on. Leif was the one person in her family that she could baby, and at the same time, she understood the “pain” of being the youngest and was careful not to baby him too much, or let her parents do the same.Jasper was the worst at it. He was just as bad, if not more so than their father at being overprotective. But Artemis had taken it in stride. Really it was Skye that probably felt the most left out. Jasper leaned primarily on Flora, while Artemis and Leif had their close relationship too. On the whole though, the family was close knit as any other, more so really. They had their fights, but if any outsider even looked at them sideways the whole crew banded together, and seven angry Scamanders was terrifying.Still tapping her feet in anticipation, she sensed as much as she heard Leif jogging up to her, she turned just in time to smile fondly before he swept her up into a hug. Exuberance was also a Scamander family trait.
Her mouth fell open a little. When had he gotten so big? He was going to give Jasper and Skye a run for their money if Leif was so tall and strong at only seventeen. Artemis felt the ground leave her as she twirled like a rag doll in a child’s embrace. She was laughing and nearly crying, and then struggling to breathe as his embrace was threatening to crush her ribcage, but she didn’t care, she’d fix it later. She was just so happy to see him.“Portkey.” She answered, though she was more or less teasing him about how she got there. She had left by portkey and without a single thing packed. Having made up her mind to leave she wasted no time in getting back home. She’d send for her things later and sort it out at another time, but her priority was getting home and seeing her family.When Leif asked if she was staying for Christmas she only smiled, “I think I could be persuaded.” she said enigmatically.She didn’t reveal that she was home for good. Not yet. She wanted to save that for Christmas when everyone was there, she was only just getting used to the idea herself. But she was dedicated to the idea. She was even looking at cottages.“Merlin’s beard Leif. You must have grown a foot since I saw you last! And Head Boy?!” she squealed, “Mum and dad must be beside themselves.”They had so much catching up to do. She wanted to know everything and all at the same time. Even though they had sent owls back and forth it was different seeing him and talking face to face. ” [/quote] |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2018 16:21:46 GMT
Surprise Surprise
Portkey. Leif snorted. He'd missed that humour, and even though it didn't elicit a laugh from him, it amused him greatly, just like it used to when Em was home all of the time. "Don't be cryptic, Em," he told her with a roll of his eyes, still staring at her in case she was some sort of vision and he'd lost his mind. If she was teasing about possibly being persuaded to stay for the holidays, then that meant she was definitely staying. She wouldn't be mean enough to lead him on if she wasn't. Em didn't have a mean bone in her body, but apparently she had just as many excitable ones as Leif did, and the questions and the pride and the wow of the moment all came spilling out of his sister's mouth at once. They had owled so much while she'd been away, but it wasn't the same as seeing the pride on her face as she mentioned him being Head Boy, and the impressed smile at how tall he'd gotten. Had he really grown that much? He hadn't noticed, it wasn't exactly something he looked out for when he glanced in the mirror each morning, though he supposed it had gotten a little bit lower down on the wall over the past year. It wasn't unusual for the Scamander boys to be overly tall, though, Jasper and Sky were pretty impressive as far as towering over people went, it was about time Leif caught up.
He glanced around Artemis at the bench that ran along the outside wall of the post office, happy to see it unoccupied, and gave her a quick tug by the arm to sit with him. The wood was cold through his jeans as soon as his backside touched the seat, but it was better than standing in the middle of the street blocking the post office door, and it also helped to settle the jittery nerves that were making his hands shake just a tad. Adrenaline and excitement were rushing through him at this incredible surprise, and he wondered if Em knew how much she actually meant to him. It was a wonder he wasn't crying with happiness, though he'd managed to gain control of his emotions a bit in recent years, so crying in Hogsmeade wouldn't be an issue for him today. "Mum was pleased as punch," he agreed with a nod, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process what was happening and figure out what to say. "Did you get the picture of Wizz I sent you?" he asked, referring to the snap he'd taken of his bowtruckle sitting on his Head Boy badge. He'd sent it to Em a few weeks ago. "It's his new favourite seat." Because of course the best perk about having a shiny badge of honour to wear on your uniform was that the tiny plant-like pet that you weren't supposed to have fitted perfectly on it like a perch. "Are you staying at the farm?" he asked, slight panic in his voice at the thought of her staying anywhere else.
_______________________
tag: @artemis
notes: <3
[googlefont="Kristi"] |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2018 5:36:00 GMT
Surprise Surprise 'Cause no matter how far away you roam
For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!
“ Artemis was in a daze. Being back home was so surreal, like Leif, she wasn’t sure if everything she was seeing was just a vision and at any moment she could wake up and be back in the states. Of course, she’d just portkey back to home. Her mind was made up and every moment she spent in the exceedingly cold country told her she was where she was meant to be. She thought it was odd how time could change a person like that. A few years ago, the wind had shifted toward New Orleans and she had followed that wind. America became her home, and she loved it here, but the wind had shifted back. She was eager to see what new challenges her life would hold, but she was happy to have her family so close this time around.She wasn’t being cryptic on purpose, though it was a bit delightful to tease her younger brother. At least she wasn’t trying to give him the impression that she’d soon be gone again, rather she didn’t know how to tell him or the rest of her family that she intended to stay – indefinitely.She would have thought the words would be easy to say. She knew Leif would be thrilled, as well as the rest of her family, but something held her back. The truth would come out sooner or later, maybe she was just waiting for the perfect moment.She didn’t have much time to contemplate her reasons for not telling Leif she was staying as he quickly filled the silence with conversation.The questions and comments blurred together in excitement, but it was beautiful to watch Leif speak so excitedly. He was young and full of joy, and every inch of that joy was displayed on his face for the world to see. She hoped he was always joyful in that way.Finally, when she could fit an answer in she grinned, “For a little while.” she said in reference to whether or not she’d be staying at the farm.Her stomach rumbled fiercely as though to remind her that she hadn't eaten in 12 hours. Artemis had quite literally finished the last shift left in her two weeks notice before going to her flat, changing clothes and securing a portkey to get back home. She hadn't slept or eaten for quite a while, but her excitement was too great to put off, even for food. But now that she had met up with Leif, she was starving.“I’m hungry, are you hungry?” ” |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2018 13:57:02 GMT
Surprise Surprise
A little while? What did that mean? He sighed at the lack of a straight answer from his sister, and tried his best not to feel irritated by it. He didn't like not knowing what was going to happen and what to expect from her visit. He wanted to be able to get excited and maybe plan something, a trip, a day out, a family meal or... something! Anything, but not knowing how long she was staying made that difficult. A little while could be a few weeks or a few days. He didn't like to think that he'd only get to see her for a day or two, that was definitely the worst case scenario, but still, he'd take it, he just wanted to know what it was he was taking so he could get things straight in his head. "You know I'm going to keep asking you until you give me a proper answer," he told her, blue eyes piercing through her as though he could read her mind. He couldn't. It was terribly disappointing, and since Legilimency was not on his list of interests, he'd just have to get over it.
The mention of food perked him up a bit, but he felt bad that he'd already eaten. It didn't make a difference to his answer, he always had room for more food, he was a growing lad, he had hollow legs to store it all, or so his mum said. Once again, if he'd known to expect his sister this morning he'd have held off and made plans to get breakfast with her. It was fine, it really didn't matter that he'd eaten. "I already had breakfast, but you know me," he said with a light laugh. "There's always room for seconds. And thirds." And pudding. And then a snack. He really didn't know how his parents coped with his appetite when he was home for school breaks, the house elves in the castle kitchens had no problem providing as much food as was wanted and more, but his parents had to actually go out and buy it and cook for him. He was learning to cook. Slowly. Very slowly. He'd nearly burned the kitchen down when he'd tried to make a roast dinner over the summer holidays, but he was making improvements. Artemis' stomach was getting rowdy, and Leif glanced down at it, a frown on his face. "Dragon in your pocket, or should we be running to the Three Broomsticks for a full english breakfast?" he teased.
_______________________
tag: @artemis
notes: <3
[googlefont="Kristi"] |
|
