Jim opened the letter and stuffed the envelope into his pocket to hide the foreign stamps from Amy. Glancing over it quickly while gathering paper plates and napkins for the pizza, he read Kyle's first impressions of the school and how the shopping had been an experience as well. He then read his son's encounter with Liz on the back staircase of the tavern and the silent treatment he got on the train.
He shook his head, marveling at how much his son was like him. He wanted to solve things to make them better, but women liked to talk about things, then solve then on their own without assistance from the men. Unfortunately, it looked like Kyle needed a crash course on dealing with women and attempting to interpret their body language. Or maybe he'd just had one. Regardless, he'd ticked Liz off.
When he looked back up Jim noticed Amy staring intently at the letter. She shook her head a little bit and took the plates from him, carrying them to the coffee table.
He folded the letter back up and shoved it into the same pocket as the envelope. He'd ponder his son's predicament later. For now there was a "firecracker" waiting for her dinner.
Tess was fuming. It had been a struggle earlier in the day at the Crashdown to remain calm enough to stay invisible while watching Max and Maria. He had been groveling, the king GROVELING, just to find out where his precious Liz was staying this summer.
She had smiled as Maria told him she couldn't give him that information, but then angry panic set in as she had offered to include a letter from him with the one she was sending tomorrow.
If he thinks he is going to get away with sending her a letter, he'd better think again! Then an idea broke through the anger. She'd write her own letter and make sure it was sent too. She rushed to her desk and wrote several drafts before settling on which one to include. Then she drove to the Evans' and snuck through his window.
On his desk sat the sealed envelope containing the letter he'd written to Liz. With a wave of her hand she unsealed it and slipped hers in too. She considered destroying his, but nixed that idea in case he decided to include more. She used her powers to tune her letter to the specific physiological signature of Liz. This would make her message appear to be part of Max's own letter unless Liz was holding it.
She sealed it back and snuck back through the window, thinking evilly, That ought to take care of her.
Granger Residence, England
Mrs. Granger untied the parchment from the leg of the post owl before giving it a piece of the breakfast sausage. She then walked to the foot of the stairs and yelled up them to her husband. "Honey, there's a letter from Hermione."
Mr. Granger, who was still getting dressed, yelled back, "I'll be right down."
She had returned to the kitchen and taken her seat by the time he came into the room straightening his tie. He kissed her on the check and asked, "How is she doing?"
"She's fine. But she does have some information that she wants you to send her," she answered.
"Information, eh? What is it on this time, reptile care? Forestry? Chemistry?" he asked.
"Actually, it seems she is looking for information on Roswell, New Mexico in the United States. Oh, and aliens. It seems the American girl she tutoring this summer is from there. So Hermione is following her natural curiosity and is asking for you to send what ever you can. She has apparently exhausted all the references at the library. Honestly, I think Crookshanks has less curiosity than Hermione."
"Hmm. Does she give any specifics?" he asked absently.
"Actually, she does. Here, I'll let you read it," she said handing over the parchment.
"The Crashdown Café…hmm, I seem to remember something about that," he said.
He looked up to see the owl, still waiting to carry back their reply, stooped over his plate and scooping up the last of his breakfast. He gave the bird a withering look then pulled letters they had written the evening before out of his pocket.
Taking a pencil from the can on the table he added, Will gather requested info for next week, to the back of the envelope before tying it to the owl's leg. He then got up and let the bird out, returning a moment later to scavenge food from his wife's half empty plate.
Hogwarts
Journal Entry- Liz Parker
This weekend we've worked hard on transfiguration and potions practice, as well as the essay for potions class. I also studied the first three chapters from both the Herbology and Charms texts in case either one of those professors believes in giving pop quizzes.
I felt my first real twinges of homesickness this week when I realized that I wouldn't be home for the "Independence Day Bash." I've always loved that one. I also miss Alex, Maria, mom and dad. Of course if I'm honest with myself, I miss Max too. I'm not really sure that I did the right thing when I took all his options away that afternoon in the desert, but I can't back down now just because I feel a little lonely.
Oh cool, Fred and George and the others are taking us out to see a quidditch demo. I can't wait. It will be interesting to see how high those brooms can go and watch them maneuver. Maybe I'll learn some new moves.
Hermione seems a little frustrated. Probably because Harry and Ron threatened to hex her if she even thought about the library this weekend. When she was telling Ginny about the conversation in the common room Friday night they chimed in and said, 'Why do you need to go to the library anyway? You already finished all the summer holiday's homework about 3 weeks ago. What are you going to do? Rewrite them 50 times?' So she gave up her quest for library time, for the weekend at least.
Oh I also got my first glimpse of the effects of 'canary cremes' today. Kyle forgot to be careful and turned into this big yellow bird. He looked like he belonged on Sesame Street. Then he molted back into himself and started congratulation the twins.
Harry may have gotten some bad news today. He got an owl at breakfast and then turned all quiet and pensive. I hope he's ok. Ginny said he's been through a lot lately. Ron and Hermione seem to close up ranks around him in that 'best friends protect each other' fashion. After a little while of the quiet, Ron coaxed him into playing chess, which he does only slightly better than Maria
After Harry's players (which move!) begged for mercy for the second time, the twins came up with the quidditch idea. Harry's face brightened considerably. So in about ten minutes I'll see what this 'madness' is all about. I'd better go get my broom in case I get to practice flying too. I'll write more, later.
Liz.
Kyle watched the demo from the stand sitting beside Ginny Weasley as she explained the various aspects of the game. After a few minutes of watching, he was itching to try it out.
Ginny noticed his hands flexing and subtle shifting and realized he wanted to play too. She suddenly stood up and shouted, "Oi, Fred, I think he's ready to try."
Fred flew over and looked at Kyle. "You want to play?" he asked.
Kyle nodded excitedly as he said, "Oh yeah."
"Well then, grab your broom and come on. Gin, you want to play too?" Fred asked turning back to Ginny, but she wasn't there. She was already in the air.
Half an hour later, Kyle was playing a chaser like he'd been born on a broom and Fred was wondering how he could get him on the house team for the upcoming school year.