Belated Pumpkin Pie 3
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE: Real World AU
Challenges: Pumpkin Pie 3 (potion), Papaya 29 (I wouldn’t miss it), Green Tea 9 (spring)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream, Chopped Nuts (RWAU)
Word Count: 908
Rating: PG
Summary: Jay has a brilliant idea.
Notes: Spring, 2006. I’m doing more research for these pieces than I ever do for my usual stuff :P Most of these are based on true events/conversations: My friends and I ghost hunted our way through college, I didn’t do a play in 3rd grade on the Salem Witch Trials but I did do one on the Erie Canal (complete with songs - 15 miles on the Erie Canal! Who knows it?), and this one is based on a program I ran for my day camp and conversations with my little cousins who all devoured HP at ages 7&8.
“I want to go to Hogwarts.”
“You’re not British and there’s no such thing as witches and wizards.”
“Your point being?”
Jez sighed. “Jay.”
“No, seriously, let’s just make our own.”
“Make our own?” Colin piped up, peering over his book. He was rereading a tattered copy of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince, which had come out the previous summer.
“Yeah! Some of us can be professors and some of us students and then we can rotate so everyone can do both.”
The siblings exchanged glances. “This’ll take everyone.”
Jay brightened. At the moment, he and Bri were the only two hanging out with the two youngest Lockholmes in their tree fort and Bri had run inside for snacks and juice boxes. “Yeah? You want to do it!”
Jez reached over and grabbed sheet of paper. “Only if we do it right. I wanna have a real Hogwarts.”
The nine-year-old Colin put down his book and scooted over, clearly interested as well. All of the gang had read through to the newest book with the exception of Stella and Ry. Ry’s reading skills weren’t up to the task, but Jessie had read the first two to her aloud. Stella had read the first three but wasn’t yet allowed to read past, on account of being too young for the ‘more serious nature of the later books.’
Once Bri returned, it took the foursome about an hour to plan out each of the activities. Since Ry had so enjoyed the first two books, they decided to do it as a special birthday surprise. Her birthday was in a week and a half. Jez made another list of all the supplies they would need. “We have to get Ren and Sorin to look up the stuff online and see if someone’s already thought of it.”
“We could do it if our dad watched us,” Bri said.
“Okay, so we’re agreed? It’s going to be a surprise for Ry?”
The other three nodded. “I’ll tell Stella,” Jay said.
“I’ve got the Highcastles if you’ll tell Jessie,” Colin said to Bri.
“Deal. I’ll also tell Ani or Sorin, whoever I see first.”
“And we’ll meet here on Tuesday, everyone but Ry, to make plans and pool our money.”
“Should we tell Ry’s foster parents?”
That stopped them for a moment for two reasons. First, the fresh knowledge that any day Ry could leave them and second, it wasn’t that her foster parents were bad, they were just a little absent-minded at times. They took very good care of Ry’s eighteen-month-old baby brother, Bernard or Bean, but the precocious, severely independent almost five-year-old seemed to leave them cold and so they left her to her own devices a lot. That was a large part of the reason she and Jessie were so close, despite a six year age gap. The other kids hadn’t been so sure of her until the Ghost Incident the previous year.
“No,” Colin said after a moment’s reflection. “They might accidentally tell her.”
***
It took them a week to get the supplies and costumes and everything together. Not surprisingly, the Dall family attic turned out to be a treasure trove of random little things to better decorate the Lockholme backyard. It was universally agreed by the kids that the Lockholmes, with their five kids, had by far the best backyard, so it was a unanimous vote to hold the event there. All that Ry had been told was that they were having her birthday party at Jez and Colin’s and she could invite whoever of her school friends that she wanted.
It took them most of the afternoon to set up and they only just got it done before Ry arrived, Jessie having brought her over. “We wanted you to see it first,” Jez told her proudly before ushering her into the backyard.
Rylia’s eyes went instantly wide as she gasped. “It’s Hogwarts!” she said, beaming.
“Happy birthday! We set up all the classes and everything,” Jay said, appearing at Jez’s shoulder. “You and your friends get to attend. And then we’ll do all the stuff too once we’re done being the professors.”
“What house do you want to be in?”
“Gryffindor,” Rylia said in a ‘don’t be stupid’ tone.
Jessie grinned and pinned on her badge. The rest of the kids would get sorted at random, using a system found online by the oldest boys.
“So what’re we doing at each?” Ry asked eagerly.
“Some of them were too hard, but we got most. Astronomy is up in the tree house,” Jay said pointing, “and Care of Magical Creature is make your own creature using paper bags.”
“Defense Against the Dark Arts is learning spells.”
“Bri’s going to do card tricks for Charms, and you also get to make and eat your own wands.”
“Jessie did research on reading palms for Divination.”
“We figured out how to play Quidditch and we’ve collected brooms from everyone’s houses.”
The three exchanged glances and then Jessie grinned. “The rest gets to be a surprise.”
Ry was already bouncing in place. “Quidditch? And Wands and and and…” the brand new five-year-old trailed off and beamed at them before throwing her arms around each in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. “You guys are the best,” she said happily.
Jez was fairly certain that alone was worth the time and effort, even if attending Hogwarts for a day would still be fun.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE: Real World AU
Challenges: Pumpkin Pie 3 (potion), Papaya 29 (I wouldn’t miss it), Green Tea 9 (spring)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream, Chopped Nuts (RWAU)
Word Count: 908
Rating: PG
Summary: Jay has a brilliant idea.
Notes: Spring, 2006. I’m doing more research for these pieces than I ever do for my usual stuff :P Most of these are based on true events/conversations: My friends and I ghost hunted our way through college, I didn’t do a play in 3rd grade on the Salem Witch Trials but I did do one on the Erie Canal (complete with songs - 15 miles on the Erie Canal! Who knows it?), and this one is based on a program I ran for my day camp and conversations with my little cousins who all devoured HP at ages 7&8.
“I want to go to Hogwarts.”
“You’re not British and there’s no such thing as witches and wizards.”
“Your point being?”
Jez sighed. “Jay.”
“No, seriously, let’s just make our own.”
“Make our own?” Colin piped up, peering over his book. He was rereading a tattered copy of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince, which had come out the previous summer.
“Yeah! Some of us can be professors and some of us students and then we can rotate so everyone can do both.”
The siblings exchanged glances. “This’ll take everyone.”
Jay brightened. At the moment, he and Bri were the only two hanging out with the two youngest Lockholmes in their tree fort and Bri had run inside for snacks and juice boxes. “Yeah? You want to do it!”
Jez reached over and grabbed sheet of paper. “Only if we do it right. I wanna have a real Hogwarts.”
The nine-year-old Colin put down his book and scooted over, clearly interested as well. All of the gang had read through to the newest book with the exception of Stella and Ry. Ry’s reading skills weren’t up to the task, but Jessie had read the first two to her aloud. Stella had read the first three but wasn’t yet allowed to read past, on account of being too young for the ‘more serious nature of the later books.’
Once Bri returned, it took the foursome about an hour to plan out each of the activities. Since Ry had so enjoyed the first two books, they decided to do it as a special birthday surprise. Her birthday was in a week and a half. Jez made another list of all the supplies they would need. “We have to get Ren and Sorin to look up the stuff online and see if someone’s already thought of it.”
“We could do it if our dad watched us,” Bri said.
“Okay, so we’re agreed? It’s going to be a surprise for Ry?”
The other three nodded. “I’ll tell Stella,” Jay said.
“I’ve got the Highcastles if you’ll tell Jessie,” Colin said to Bri.
“Deal. I’ll also tell Ani or Sorin, whoever I see first.”
“And we’ll meet here on Tuesday, everyone but Ry, to make plans and pool our money.”
“Should we tell Ry’s foster parents?”
That stopped them for a moment for two reasons. First, the fresh knowledge that any day Ry could leave them and second, it wasn’t that her foster parents were bad, they were just a little absent-minded at times. They took very good care of Ry’s eighteen-month-old baby brother, Bernard or Bean, but the precocious, severely independent almost five-year-old seemed to leave them cold and so they left her to her own devices a lot. That was a large part of the reason she and Jessie were so close, despite a six year age gap. The other kids hadn’t been so sure of her until the Ghost Incident the previous year.
“No,” Colin said after a moment’s reflection. “They might accidentally tell her.”
***
It took them a week to get the supplies and costumes and everything together. Not surprisingly, the Dall family attic turned out to be a treasure trove of random little things to better decorate the Lockholme backyard. It was universally agreed by the kids that the Lockholmes, with their five kids, had by far the best backyard, so it was a unanimous vote to hold the event there. All that Ry had been told was that they were having her birthday party at Jez and Colin’s and she could invite whoever of her school friends that she wanted.
It took them most of the afternoon to set up and they only just got it done before Ry arrived, Jessie having brought her over. “We wanted you to see it first,” Jez told her proudly before ushering her into the backyard.
Rylia’s eyes went instantly wide as she gasped. “It’s Hogwarts!” she said, beaming.
“Happy birthday! We set up all the classes and everything,” Jay said, appearing at Jez’s shoulder. “You and your friends get to attend. And then we’ll do all the stuff too once we’re done being the professors.”
“What house do you want to be in?”
“Gryffindor,” Rylia said in a ‘don’t be stupid’ tone.
Jessie grinned and pinned on her badge. The rest of the kids would get sorted at random, using a system found online by the oldest boys.
“So what’re we doing at each?” Ry asked eagerly.
“Some of them were too hard, but we got most. Astronomy is up in the tree house,” Jay said pointing, “and Care of Magical Creature is make your own creature using paper bags.”
“Defense Against the Dark Arts is learning spells.”
“Bri’s going to do card tricks for Charms, and you also get to make and eat your own wands.”
“Jessie did research on reading palms for Divination.”
“We figured out how to play Quidditch and we’ve collected brooms from everyone’s houses.”
The three exchanged glances and then Jessie grinned. “The rest gets to be a surprise.”
Ry was already bouncing in place. “Quidditch? And Wands and and and…” the brand new five-year-old trailed off and beamed at them before throwing her arms around each in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. “You guys are the best,” she said happily.
Jez was fairly certain that alone was worth the time and effort, even if attending Hogwarts for a day would still be fun.