The Last Station

Sent to: Stewart Ackerly, Katie Bell, Lucian Bole, Dan Bradley, Lavender Brown, James Cadwallader, Serena Capper, Asher Chambers, Merrill Davies-Urquhart, Roger Davies-Urquhart, Maxwell Derrick, Julian Dorny, Fera Dunstan, Marietta Edgecombe, Marcus Flint, Victoria Frobisher, Hermione Granger, Astoria Greengrass, Angelina Johnson, Megan Jones, Viktor Krum, Alexei Levski, Aidan Lynch, Morag MacDougal-Levski, Draco Malfoy, Theodore Malfoy, Cormac McLaggen, Eloise Midgen, Graham Montague, Gwendolyn Montgomery, Isabel Moon, Pansy Parkinson, Jimmy Peakes, Harry Potter, Adrian Pucey, Orla Quirke, Jack Sloper, Zacharias Smith, Alicia Spinnet, Sebastien Summerby, Lisa Turpin, Jacob Vaisey, Romilda Vane, Myron Wagtail, Ginny Weasley, Blaise Zabini



When the envelope is opened, a burst of magic fireworks and all-too-real glitter explodes from within. The illustrated flames on the invitation itself are charmed to flicker with light, hissing and popping like a real campfire.

Who: Dan and Stewart on holiday!

What: A holiday

When: This weekend

Where: Cabo San Lucas

Rating: ?

Status: Ongoing

"Finally," Dan exhaled, dropping his duffel bag on the floor of their hotel room. The sun was bright and the air warm and smelling of the sea, a marked contrast from the dreary spring that Hogsmeade was going through right now. Though Stewart and Dan had talked about going weeks ago, they hadn't actually gotten around to the trip until Dan, plagued with playoff scouting meetings and team planning meetings and agent meetings, had finally said screw it and decided to block off the weekend for him and Stewart.

He turned to him now with a bright smile. They had literally, absolutely nothing on their schedule except the beach or the pool, whichever they preferred at a given time. There might be a few activities they could sign up to do but Dan was more than happy to do just nothing, too. "What do you think?"

Who: Dan, Stewart, Lucy
What: Dinner!
When: Saturday evening
Where: Dan's flat
Rating: Low
Status: Ongoing

"She should be here any moment now," Dan said, turning to beam at Stewart. The food was ready, the drinks were out, the table was ready. Everything had a warming or cooling charm on, depending on what they needed, and Dan even charmed music to play softly in the background. "You're going to love her."

Who: Dan and Stewart

What: A mini-celebration for the end of the season

When: Wednesday evening

Where: Stewart's flat

Rating: ?

Status: Ongoing

Things were still a little busy in the Hydras office, what with the exit interviews and the prospect of looking forward coming up. Dan had strategy meetings scheduled and scouting reports to discuss with the manager, and players that they'd all agreed they wanted to bring back.

But the season was over and nothing had blown up. In Dan's mind that was worth celebrating, so he swung by one of the wine shops he spotted in Inverness and picked a nice vintage, dropped by Fromage to pick up food to go, then headed over to Stewart's.

"Surprise!" he said, grinning. "Only so far as you're actually available to hang out, though. But I did bring you dinner in case you hadn't had any yet."

Who: Emma and Stewart
What: Lunch!
When: Backdated to Tuesday, April 8
Where: The Three Broomsticks
Rating: Low
Status: Ongoing

Emma's schedule was pretty open and flexible during the day, so she'd agreed to meet Stewart for lunch when he asked. As long as Isla got her play time (which she did, that morning) and lunch (which they would have soon) and naptime afterward (which Emma planned to do, Emma could run errands for herself or for Alicia, visit the town shops, even go on field trips elsewhere if Isla wanted. On top of that, the weather was improving and that meant more outdoor activities for the two of them. Just that morning they'd gone to The Barkery and the Catfe to look at the dogs and take one of them out for a walk, a habit the pair of them had fallen into doing.

Today's pet was an exuberant little beagle, and by lunch, the two of them were famished. So they headed to The Three Broomsticks and picked out a booth, with Emma telling Isla they had to wait to order because she was waiting for a friend.

Who: Dan and Stewart

What: Quiet

When: Tonight, right around the time of the Myron Wagtail comeback concert

Where: Stewart's flat

Rating: NSFW

Status: Ongoing

Any other day, Dan would have been at the concert along with the rest of his friends, and actually, he'd have wanted to see Andrew's gig too. But now and then Dan was also the kind of person who enjoyed some peace and quiet, and he knew that he invited Stewart enough to parties and social events- who indulged him, because he was a saint- that surely some days the two of them could use some time alone. The concert just seemed to be the perfect time to do that, since everyone else in the village was keen on attending it, if not for Wagtail then for Gulliver's Dragons.

But Dan had no idea just how much he'd been waiting for the evening until it finally arrived. Ducking from work a little earlier- the stadium had been humming and buzzing with all kinds of concert preparations all day- he headed out to Inverness to grab a bottle of red and white wine and showed up at Stewart's doorstep when a few early concert-goers were just heading out to the stadium.

"Hi," he said with a smile. "Whatever you made smells really good."

Left on the doors of Orla Quirke, Bailey Dunstan, Blaise Zabini, Jack Sloper, Serena Capper, Cormac McLaggen, James Cadwallader, Caleb Warrington, Lisa Turpin, Aidan Lynch, Lucian Bole, Stewart Ackerley, Angelina Johnson, and Viktor Krum.

( Dear [Full name of each resident of 23 High Street] )

Who: Roger, Merrill, Dan, and Stewart

What: Dinner

When: Tonight

Where: Next

Rating: Low

Status: Ongoing

Roger had been so surprised when Merrill had asked if he was free for dinner outside- Merrill hadn't had an appetite in a while, and even though they'd spent a few days in the ski resort just last weekend, he felt as though Merrill was still easily exhausted- that he said yes without asking for more details. It wasn't until Merrill mentioned his match-making service skills that he realized what was going on, or who they were going with. He shared a house with Dan and Stewart, and he remembered having shagged Dan at one point- there were few men in the village he hadn't- but beyond that, he couldn't say he was very familiar with either. All he knew was that Merrill had set them both up and they were only too happy to buy Merrill and Roger dinner.

Roger was more than happy to oblige.

"Ready?" he asked Merrill, offering him his arm to Apparate them both to Next, the restaurant Merrill had chosen. With Violet at her grandmother's for the evening, they had all evening to make new friends.

Who: Dan and Stewart

What: Movies

When: Sunday morning

Where: Dan's dad's house in London

Rating: NSFW

Status: Ongoing

Dan didn't always get up so early on Sundays, unless there was a game for some reason or work that he had to do, but he and Stewart had planned to watch some of the movies he'd been given for his birthday, and there were a few things Dan had to make sure were in order, so as soon as he showered and got himself a cup of coffee he Apparated over to his dad's place, making sure his dad was ready to go meet his Inverness realtor. They Apparated to a breakfast place in Inverness that Dan made sure to remember, where a man about his dad's age was waiting in a suit and tie. After pleasantries were exchanged, Dan reminded his dad to call the house phone when he wanted to be picked up, then waved goodbye at the two of them. He'd been interested in helping his father find a flat in Inverness, and would come if asked, but he did also think that in this part of the process maybe his father just needed to see what was around without his son trying to sell him on the merits of it all.

After that, he Apparated back to London, where he spent a good half hour tidying up- running the dishwasher, getting the popcorn machine ready, putting the movies in place and gathering the random discs and knick-knacks lying around. He popped out for a second to get to the bakery around the corner, buying an assortment of croissants and Danishes, then set them on the living room table using some of his dad's best silverware. He headed to the kitchen and took out their best blends of tea, setting that on the table as well, with a teapot and two cups.

Who: Open
What: Harpies at Hydras
When: Tonight at 7pm
Where: Bertie Botts Stadium
Rating: ?
Status: Ongoing

( Harpies at Hydras )

Who: Dan and Stewart

What: Blind Date

When: 7:00 pm tonight

Where: Blackbird (1 Selfridge Court, London)

Rating: ?

Status: Ongoing

Dan did not wear eagle feathers. He was tempted, but he also knew at this moment his judgment was pretty much shot, so maybe he should be listening to his friends instead of his instincts. So he didn't wear eagle feathers, even though that would have made it really easy to scare off his mystery date and relieve Dan of having to explain that no, sorry, he wasn't really interested, he just wanted to see who Merrill had thought was his match, and he just wanted to meet, to explain that things had changed, or that he just wasn't in the right spot for anything right now.

Instead he'd picked up a navy blue suit with a striped tie that could pass for Ravenclaw colors, if you squinted, and he hoped that was enough. Blackbird had seemed like one of those places that dressed up, not down, which is a terrible place for a blind non-date, but Merrill wouldn't respond to his owls and so here he was. He had gone through two glasses of water already, having arrived much earlier than the stipulated 7:00 pm, with his body facing the door. There was soft music and the light tinkling of utensils against expensive plates, but Dan couldn't stop moving. His foot tapped restlessly against the floor, and when he tried to stop that, his fingers started tapping a rhythm on the table.

What if his date didn't show up? What if he couldn't recognize him? Merrill had said the match would be wearing similar, but similar as in their own house colors, or similar as in they were also in Ravenclaw? Dan chewed on his lower lip and took another sip of his drink. He glanced up at the clock: it was only 7:00 o'clock.

This could be a very long night.

Owl to Stewart Ackerley

Dear Mr. Ackerley:

Thank you for your interest in Merrill Urquhart Match-Making Services. After thorough review of your survey responses, as well as charms-supported data analysis, we are pleased to inform you of a potential match.

To meet your match and begin your journey to Happily Ever After good gods, man, please respond to this Owl with your continued interest. A response with a meeting date, time, and place will be forwarded to you within 24 hours of receipt.

Best of luck in matters of the heart!
Merrill Urquhart Match-Making Services


Owl to Daniel Bradley

Dear Mr. Bradley:

Thank you for your interest in Merrill Urquhart Match-Making Services. After thorough review of your survey responses, as well as charms-supported data analysis, we are pleased to inform you of a potential match.

To meet your match and begin your journey to Happily Ever After good gods, man, please respond to this Owl with your continued interest. A response with a meeting date, time, and place will be forwarded to you within 24 hours of receipt.

Best of luck in matters of the heart!
Merrill Urquhart Match-Making Services

Who: Dan and Stewart

What: Exploring

When: Friday afternoon

Where: Inverness

Rating: Low

Status: Ongoing

Dan stopped outside Stewart's flat early Friday afternoon, having taken work off early and wrapped in multiple layers of clothing, immediately regretting giving his father the idea of moving closer to him while they were still in the middle of winter. But he was curious about the Muggle town that was close to Hogsmeade, and it came with the added bonus of an afternoon spent getting to know Stewart more.

His conversation with Millicent was still on his mind, and even though she said she thought having feelings for more than one person was fine, he was still trying to come to terms with the guilt that came with it. Being around Ginny the other night was still a little odd, but not- it wasn't as bad as he thought it could be. She was a professional and she acted like one, and he would always admire and be grateful for that. It was in the past, whatever happens, and today, anyway, was just about a friendly little outing.

"I hear there are some nice, warm coffee shops in Inverness," he said when Stewart opened the door. "It's, um, I think it's gonna be cold, so I'm just saying, I'm not intending for either of us to turn into frozen blocks of ice. Hi."

Who: Romilda and Stewart
Where: Qualitea
When: January 22, during siesta
What: Talking about prospective opportunities for employment
Rating: SFW
Status: Ongoing

( Read more... )

Dear Mr. Urquhart,

Recently I completed a survey that you'd distributed (well, I made an honest attempt anyway). But now I'm curious (perhaps I cannot help it as I am a through and through Ravenclaw), do you have any thoughts or insights?

Sincerely,

Stewart Ackerley

Who: Stewart and Dan

What: Drinks/Dinner/Talking

When: Friday night

Where: The Three Broomsticks

Rating: ?

Status: Ongoing

Dan arrived probably too early. He got himself a booth in the corner and ordered a pint, liquid courage, just in case things went- well, he had no idea where they were going to go. He hoped not in a fiery mess, just to set his standards low enough that at least he won't be disappointed. But it hadn't really been a week for good things, really- nothing this week had really made Dan feel like a decent person, in all honesty.

He should ask Millicent to smack him. He was due one.

The pint was half-done before he realized what he was doing, so he pushed it back and glanced at his watch again. Only five minutes had passed.

WHO: Stewart & Michael
WHEN: Thursday, January 9th
WHERE: Michael's office
WHAT: Catching up; and Stewart needs someone to talk to
RATING: General
STATUS: Complete

( There were many things that made Stewart nervous )

Michael,

You free anytime soon? I feel like it's been forever. (And in addition to friendly conversation, I think I'm in need of some of your more professional advice, as well.)

Stewart

All delivered by owl on Christmas Day.

Cards for Alexei/Morag, Dan, Draco/Theodore, Luna, Marcus, Stewart and Susan.

( Silent night, holy night )
Gifts for Isabel, Serena and Zacharias.

( All is calm, all is bright )

Who: Stewart & Julian
What: Stewart has some questions...maybe...
When: Wednesday
Where: Town Hall, Julian's Office
Rating: Low
Status: On-going

( He never considered himself much of an investigative reporter... )