The Last Station

I didn't want to say anything until the final t has been crossed and the last i dotted, but that happened today. The Nott Estate has been sold to a lovely elderly Muggle couple with far too much money to spend on homes they only live in one-tenth of the year. I suppose they needed to have a second home to bequeath their fifth grandchild when they finally pass on from this world.

They're calling it Elm Manor, which is what they think it's been called all this time. I've never understood why people cling to traditions so desperately, even though it isn't their own, but at least I can count on it. I ought to send the signed deed to my father.

Well at least I know where my 7 galleons, 7 sickles, and 17 knuts will go. Draco's just bought 7 galleons' worth of pistachios and chocolates and Turkish delight.

Private to Foxglove

How did we do? I hope you missed us, but if you won, well, I'll only be slightly miffed.

Private to Merrill

Sex on the beach has been supplanted by sex in a hot tub overlooking the Turkish sunset. How's your weekend going?

The weather's getting warmer and it's terrible. How else am I supposed to keep this skin pasty white?

Private to Millicent

Would you mind taking over the shop for a couple of days beginning Saturday? Draco and I are going away for his birthday.

Private to Zacharias and Foxglove

Did anything ever come out of those back-ups you were looking for? Because you'll be short two players this Sunday.

Private to Merrill

Merrill, dearest. How are you doing?

Another week, another win. I will never get tired of winning.

Friends

My wonderful and brilliant husband has been offered-- and accepted-- the position of Slytherin's Head of House. Come by this Friday evening at 7pm for a dinner gathering at our place to celebrate?

Private

Hopefully by then Draco would be in a celebratory mood as well.

Four and a half experimental brews later and I'm no closer to figuring out how to turn the effects of that drink back. We tried to use Polyjuice as a temporary fix but it didn't even take at all.

Private to Lavender Brown

I hope you're enjoying his body. He's being surprisingly careful about yours, if it helps your peace of mind. Won't even let me kiss him.

Bear does not like his little doggy bed, so he's appropriated ours with his new friend, Bear Jr.



And Draco's letting him.

I wish I could say that'll teach me to be nicer to anyone and everyone who walks into the Eye of Newt, but I can't say it did. If you come into my shop and ask me inane questions, you will deserve the treatment you get.

Especially Even if you work for the Ministry.

Last week Draco returned home raving mad about some kind of monster on a leash that he ran into.

Today he came home with him.

The monster in question?

A truly fearsome ball of fur behemoth named Bear.

If you teach at Hogwarts and you have students presenting unexplained cat ears, you're welcome. They were meant to be the victims of love potions, but that's not what we actually sold.

Warded to Foxglove

Anyone know what the protocol is for getting ourselves a new Seeker? Smith? Turns out that bludger's gonna cost us Draco for a few matches.

Warded to Pansy and Hermione

Would you girls mind terribly if we moved our dinner date to later this week? Say, Thursday? Draco's still feeling poorly after yesterday's match.

Whatever's in the water has, as it turns out, affected me and Draco as well. It's a little bit more intentional, of course, as we couldn't just get pregnant by accident-- for obvious reasons-- but Millicent has agreed to carry our child to term.

Today she told us we will be parents in seven months' time.

Out of curiosity and scientific research and my husband's desire to petition for a re-Sorting, would you all kindly fill out this poll for me:

"I am from [House] and I am shagging/seeing/interested in a witch/wizard from [House]."

You may ward your replies to only me.

If anything else, humour me.

To the genius who created chocolate-flavoured condoms, you have made my husband-- and me, by extension-- very happy tonight.

[Warded to all Slytherins]

Right, it has been decided: party at mine and Draco's this Saturday evening. Bring a dish or drinks, we'll provide the music and actual cups. Plus-ones are welcome, even if they didn't have the good sense to be a snake to start.

Oh, no, a dastardly plot has come to my attention. There I was, peddling my ware as I am wont to do to make my living, introducing a mild line of love potions since those often seem to sell well around this time of year, when what should I hear but the plotting of two sinister-like characters (and in case their intentions were pure, let me not name them here).

By then they'd already bought out my stock, and while I thought nothing of it at the time of the sale, I did hear them very clearly state they couldn't wait to see what it would do when poured all at once for just one person.

Now, let me warn you this: the effects of such a deed will not be pretty. On their own, the potions in their current dosage will induce nothing but mild affection, but altogether, who knows what they might do? I would have stopped these nefarious figures had I not been hindered by the counter before me, and they were deceptively quick and Apparated to lairs unknown as soon as they stepped out of my shop, leaving me to shoulder the burden of this knowledge.

Guilt-ridden as I was at possibly unleashing some kind of evil plot meant to seduce some unsuspecting soul, I set to work immediately after to find a way to right my wrongs.

The product of hours of hard work and research and the use of rare ingredients is The Dealbreaker, a potion that touches anything love-potion-imbued and turns it a bright, garish orange-and-green concoction. Never doubt what's in your drink again! A phial of The Dealbreaker should last you through this coming weekend, and it's only at the incredibly, steeply discounted price of three galleons apiece. They'll be available at the shop beginning tomorrow, though I can't guarantee how long supplies will last.

My love potions have been selling remarkably well this week. I wonder why.

Private to Draco

There appears to be some kind of public holiday this Friday. Have you heard of it?

Well, Hogsmeade, it was nice knowing you.

But before we go, here's a fun fact for you: given enough speed and force, a journal can dent your typical Hogsmeade residence wall.

Warded Private to Slytherins except Draco

Code Double Red

Red as in Weasley

Double as in there are now two of them in Hogsmeade

I may need to sedate Draco somehow. I haven't enough chocolates in the house to distract him.

My dear Draco,

Is it just me, or has Millicent has been especially pleasant lately? And I don't mean pleasant as she is with us, because clearly we're her favourites, but I could have sworn I heard her humming in the stock room. Humming.

Something's afoot.

Yours,
Theodore

PS. I think she's getting shagged proper, finally.

There ought to be a rule about hibernating in the wintertime. I don't mind the snow but I can only stand it for so long.

Private to Harry Potter

For the record, it was I who threw the snowballs at your window. I was practicing my chasing.

Private to Roger

How is Merrill doing with the potions? Any side effects I should try to adjust the potions for?

Private to Ernie Macmillan

I've been told you were a Charms expert. Have you ever done any work on Unplottable charms?

In shocking but not entirely surprising developments, picnicking now apparently warrants citations. Citations. For eating sandwiches.

This is the world we live in.

What a tragedy.

Clearly a new reign of terror is upon us-- if you'll excuse me, I'll be growing an orphan in my least used cupboard. I hear that always ends well.

Someone's rearranged the potions again.

Took out the labels, fixed it alphabetically by primary country of origin, then by shade, with a note to say it's a surprise quiz and good luck.

I suppose now my Sunday's covered.

Private to Millicent

Care to join me tomorrow? Draco will treat us to dinner after, as I imagine it will take the full day.

Private to Draco

If I hadn't married you I would have had to kill you.