Irene Liddowe
December 03, 2006 4:11 PM
First year girls dorm. by Irene Liddowe
Irene was in the firt year girls' dorm trying to organize her things. She knew there was no hope in keeping them that way for more than a week, but might as well try, right?After stuffing her school books in her bag, Irene put her favorite touch to the wall above the headboard of her bed. She carefully tacked a poster of her favorite Keeper, Meaghan McCormack of the Pride of Portree, performing a spectacular save. One thing she did know before she came here was Quidditch.
Irene liked to reflect upon the summer where Uncle Mike had thought her how to play...
{flashback}
The sun felt nice on Irene's face as she lay on the grass beside the pond. Uncle Mike was inside cleaning up after a very large lunch. He wouldn't let her lift a finger to help.
She had only been there a week, and the Michigan Cottage already felt more like home than her actual home had in many years. She had already explored the small wood beside the house and swam the length of the pond, twice. Irene was running out of adventures.
"Hey, kiddo."
She sat up and looked around. Uncle Mike was standing there with a big bright red ball in his hands. She eyed it curiously. He spotted her questioning glances and tossed the ball to her.
"What's this for?" She asked as her uncle sat on the spot of grass next to her.
"That, right there, is a Quaffle," he said, taking the Quaffle and tossing it in the air once, and catching it again. Irene furrowed her eyebrows, still wondering why he was explaining this.
"What does it do? Sprout legs and do back flips?" She said, lifting it out of her uncle’s hands and examining it. Uncle Mike laughed ruffling her hair.
"Do you know what Quidditch is?" She shook her head.
"Well, get comfy, because you're about to sit through the explanation of this wonderful game we wizards call Quidditch," Uncle Mike launched into the topic, making sure she listened to every word.
"So the Chasers score with the Quaffle, but the Keeper tries to block the Quaffle going through the three hoops. The Beaters hit around the Bludgers and the Seeker tries to catch the snitch?" She rambled over all of the positions she could remember. Uncle Mike gave her light punch on the shoulder.
"You're quick, kid." She grinned back at him.
"I try."
{end flashback}
That was one week after he had found her at home, six years old and starving while Dad was passed out on the couch with the stench of alchohol overtaking the air around him. She had clung to Uncle Mike as he carried her out to his car while Damon tried to pull her back to the house. And the thing that really worries her is the annual surprise visits the come every summer. Its funny how he never really cared about her after Mom died, but when she was leaving, suddenly he couldn't live without her.
Irene sighed out loud. Just leave me alone. She thought as if talking to him. Irene turned around as the door opened and smiled brightly as the person came in.\n\n
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Irene Liddowe
First year girls dorm.
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Nathalie
December 04, 2006 1:18 PM
Heya Irene! by Nathalie
Nathalie wandered upstairs from the Common Room, rubbing her eyes sleepily. It had been a long day. When she pushed open the door, she saw there was a girl already in there, tacking up a poster of a Quidditch player. The girl smiled and Nath twitched her lips in response, before heading over to the bed that was loaded with her things. On top of the trunk and soft bag were a large owl cage, containing a disgruntled-looking owl, a big wicker basket and a smaller one."You aren't allergic to cats or anything are you? No owls, rats etcetera?" Without waiting for a response she undid the leather buckles on the baskets and let out a tiny Siamese cat and an enormous Maine Coon that was nearly as big as the Siamese, despite obviously being a kitten. She rubbed their heads and crooned to them in Italian. When the older cat had curled up at the foot of the bed and the kitten had bounced merrily off to explore, Nathalie turned her attention to the trunk and bag.
From the bag she extracted photographs, which she propped carefully beside her bed and books, which went under the bed. The trunk she unpacked less carefully. Finally, she pinned a long length of golden gauzy material on her headboard.
She turned around and said to the other girl in the room; "So really, no allergies or anything? Because feathers or fur, and we've got a problem."\n\n
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Nathalie
Heya Irene!
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Irene Liddowe
December 04, 2006 6:04 PM
Hi Nathalie! What's happenin? by Irene Liddowe
Irene couldn't help but grinning to herself as a small cat hopped out of a basket. With a jolt of guilt she smacked her forehead and pulled a small red basket onto her bed."I am so sorry, Gatita!" She murmured pulling her out of the basket, stroking her fuzzy orange fur.
"Nope, no allergies here," She said holding Gatita up, watching as the girl busied herself with her trunk. Irene saw the photographs she extracted from her trunk. She made a mental note to dig in her trunk for her pictures as well.
Pouring a bit of food into a bowl for Gati she said, "I'm Irene Liddowe. Look's like we're roommates, huh?" \n\n
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Irene Liddowe
Hi Nathalie! What's happenin?
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Nathalie
December 05, 2006 4:12 PM
I'm in the dorm, talking to a stranger. You? by Nathalie
"Hi, I'm Nathalie Grant, Nath Grant." Nathalie was painfully aware of her mishmash accent, a bizarre mixture of French, Italian and Welsh, with a hint of American creeping through despite her best efforts. It felt strange ot be talking in English again, and she said so without really realising it.Quickly, she turned back to her trunk and dug out a pair of pyjamas. Where would they change? In her Italian school they had all just changed in front of each other, but they'd been friends for years and the older girls they shared with hadn't cared really. Now she was in a new school, in a new country, Nathalie found she was suddenly, painfully, missing her home, whether that was the farm in Wales or school in Italy, or even the new ranch in Montana.\n\n
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Nathalie
I'm in the dorm, talking to a stranger. You?
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Irene Liddowe
December 05, 2006 7:12 PM
*shrugs* eh, pretty much the same. by Irene Liddowe
Irene looked up from her previous task of digging in her trunk for Uncle Mike's last letter as the girl introduced herself as Nathalie Grant."Nice to meet you," Irene said. Today, for reason obvious to herself, Irene just couldn't stop smiling. She hoped she didn't come off as a weirdo, but, to be honest, she didn't care about that. At least, not that much.
Nathalie mentioned her mixed accent. Irene chuckled slightly.
"It's not bad. Actually, I think its fun. Not too many people can say that they've been to all those places," she said pulling out a pair of pajamas as Nath did. Nathalie looked slightly uneasy.
"I'm pretty sure we change right here," Irene said looking around. Her eyes fell on the pile of letter sitting on her bed, but there was something there that she had never seen before.
Sinking down onto her bed, Irene pick up the piece of paper and turned it over to the right side. The smile slid from her face and she sucked in her breath. Staring back at her was an old moving photograph of what looked like herself, but she knew it was her mother. She squeezed her eyes shut and shoved the picture under her pillow. She had a sudden urge to run up to Uncle Mike and hug him tightly. Plastering a smile back on her face she stood back up.
"Having roommates is going to be fun. I've never had a brother or sister, or cousins for that matter," Irene said smiling. "I think this is going to be a nice change."\n\n
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Irene Liddowe
*shrugs* eh, pretty much the same.
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Nathalie
December 06, 2006 1:21 PM
Now I'm wondering where Cissy is... by Nathalie
"Really?" Nathalie asked in response to the Irene's comment about roommates. "I went to a boarding school in Italy for a few years, and I really prefer my own room. I'm an only child too, by the way. Have you learnt any magic before now?" Waiting for the girl to answer, Nathalie noticed that Irene was looking through some letters, and turned her attention to her own bulky envelope. Tearing it open, she realised that her cousin had made every one of her old friends write something. She pulled away the first sheet of parchment and scanned the top quickly.She realised that Irene had mentioned her accent, and wondered if the girl was making fun of her. Perhaps she was just being paranoid, but even still..."Yeah, it is pretty nice having lived everywhere. I've got family in three countries - Italy, France and Wales. So, sorry if I slip into French or Italian or something. I don't really speak English at home, it's so odd to be speaking it again."\n\n
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Nathalie
Now I'm wondering where Cissy is...
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Irene Liddowe
December 06, 2006 3:39 PM
Hmm...Good point. by Irene Liddowe
Irene looked up from her letters as Nath mentioned roommates. learning about magic."No. When I was six I got a 'Irene you're a witch; the magic kind' and that was about it. I live with my Uncle but he mostly just taught me about Quidditch." Irene remembered Nath saying she had gone to a boarding school for a few yeas and felt that was definitely something worth commenting on. Really, a boarding school in Italy? That's amazing!
"Wow. So you really went to school in Italy? Where abouts? I've heard that Rome is gorgous and I would love to visit," Irene paused as Gati hopped onto the bed. "I know what you mean about having your own room. I really appreciate having my own room at home when I live with my Uncle who think knocking is myth. Not really, but you know what I mean."
Nathalie mentioned all of the places she lived and the different languages she spoke. Irene thought that was intersting. She knew bits of Italian, but only because her mother use to sing to her in Italian.
"Yeah, I only know a few things in Italian. I'll let you know if your languages get mixed," she said with a grin.
"So where do you get your magic from?"\n\n
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Irene Liddowe
Hmm...Good point.
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Irene Liddowe
December 06, 2006 3:41 PM
ooc: oops by Irene Liddowe
Irene looked up from her letters as Nath mentioned roommates. learning about magic.That was suppose to be
Irene looked up from her letters as Nath mentioned learning about magic.
I can't type today...haha =]\n\n
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Irene Liddowe
ooc: oops
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Nathalie
December 07, 2006 12:08 PM
Let's hope three's not a crowd in here! by Nathalie
"It wasn't actually in Rome," Nath answered, "but my Italian family like near Rome, so I've been once or twice. My cousin took me there this summer, though, it's good." She pulled off her robes, revealing a polo shirt and a pair of tatty jeans with a stripy patch on the outside of the left leg. She wriggled out of the polo shirt and pulled on the pyjama top quickly, before changing her bottoms too."Thanks." She said as Irene promised to let her know if she accidentally spoke another language. She'd grown up speaking all three at once, and even now she still thought in what her mother and father called 'Frantalish', a bizarre mix of French, English and Italian. "If I get over-excited or angry or anything I forget, it'd stupid but...well, it's annoying anyway." Nathalie played with her letter again, hoping that someone else would turn up soon and she'd be able to excuse herself politely. She wanted to give it her full attention.
"My Nonna, I think. She's a Squib, but all my Italian family is magical. Not that I knew before a few years ago! It's really odd, being told that not only are you a witch, your whole family is! You're lucky you've known for so long. My school in Italy was magical, actually, so I got to find out when I was eight."\n\n
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Nathalie
Let's hope three's not a crowd in here!
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Irene Liddowe
December 07, 2006 3:59 PM
How many Pecc firstie girls are there? by Irene Liddowe
Irene followed suit and pulled off her robes as Nath changed into her pajamas. She had on a plain green shirt and pair of old jeans that had ripped at one knee a few weeks ago. She had attempted to climb the apple tree in the backyard of the cottage and... well, she's not exactly graceful.Irene listened as Nath told her about her Italian magical family. A family of witches and wizards would be amazing...
"My mom had the magic on her side," Irene noticed her use of past tense and mentally slapped herself.
"She died when I was seven in a fire. Everyone tells me I look just like her." She said picking at her pajama bottoms so she would not have to look Nathalie in the eye. She hated it when people gave her, what she had come to know as, "pity stares."
"My dad didn't like the magic stuff so we never really talked about it at all."
"But that was a long time ago. Uncle Mike is great. He's got enough character for the both of us!" She said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood that usually went plumeting down whenever she mentioned Mom.
Irene gave a suddering yawn. It had been an exaughsting day. She didn't want to just to just turn away and flop onto her bed, but her mind was screaming for sleep.
"I'm entirely exaughsted. I need to get some sleep if I going to make it to any class tomorrow!" Irene said climbing into her bed.
"Good night!" She said, pulling the warm blankets over her head. Before her eyes drooped down. Irene pulled out the picture of her mom from under her pillow. The figure waved merrily back, grinning. Irene stared at the small photo before replacing it back under the pillow and falling asleep.\n\n
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Irene Liddowe
How many Pecc firstie girls are there?
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Nathalie
December 08, 2006 1:28 PM
Just three, I think. by Nathalie
Irene's eyes avoided Nathalie as she told her about her mother. Nath could see she felt awkward, and wished she hadn't wanted to bring it up in the first place, so she didn't pursue the subject but just smiled sympathetically. She filed it away in a cabinet in her brain, and reminded herself not to complain about her mother in front of Irene, knowing it would be insensitive.Thankfully, Irene seemed to have finally run out of questions and was snuggling down in bed. Nathalie was having trouble keeping her own eyes open, and so crawled into her bed. Orlando's letter would keep for another day. She looked across at the last empty bed, and wondered if she should try and stay awake until its owner arrived, but even as she thought that, her eyes slipped shut.\n\n
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Nathalie
Just three, I think.
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