Look What the Magpie Found

Ursula wants to surprise Emily. Usually she's only ever taken holidays on her own- after all they were holidays to take away stress, not induce more. Also, because she's not actually had anyone that's stayed in her life for that long. Which sounds a little melodramatic but it really isn't as bad as it sounds, honest.

At the crack of dawn, or approximately thirty minutes later than that, Ursula prepares something really quick to eat for Emily, and saves something in her bag for her to eat later with her light reading. She's gotten Emily's wardrobe packed with bits of everything from last night as she checked in on her. They're making good time.

She transfigures a silver spoon into a cat and bobs down to pat the slight grey cat as the feline does a mexican wave under her touch with it's back. She pushes it in the direction of the stairs and the cat obediently trots up to Emily's room, to wake her up.

Emily had somehoe managed to fall asleep just as the sky was beging to lighten. She was not fast asleep on her bed. That however, could only last so long. As she was woken up by something furry next to her face. She woke up and looked behind her to see a grey cat sitting on her pillow it's tail gently resting on her cheek. She simled a little at the cat but then the memories of last night came back. She pushed them out her mind as she climbed out her bed and picked up the cat before it ould make itself comfy on her bed.

She stroked the cat gently as she walked downsatairs. "good morning" she greeted her aunt with a smile on her face. She had to act like everything was normal until she could work out exactly what was going on. "you kitty cat found it's way to my room and onto my face" she grinned, placing the cat down on the floor waiting for ursula to transfigure it back into what it had been orginally.

The cat was carried by Emily downstairs, trying to paw at her wrists as she went down each step, her claws always so close to her skin but never quite making it.
Her face lit up as her niece came through the kitchen door, looking more alive than Ursula had expected at this time of the day. It was quite early for the girl, after all.

"Have a surprise for you," she said as she turned the cat back into the spoon, stirring her tea with it, and taking a sip. "But in the mean time, eat your pancakes. I left the sauces out on the side," she said, pointing to her left as she turned to face the counter and turned open Witch Weekly, skipping to the crossword.

Emily smiled, a suprise? She onwdered what it was but she guessed she would find out soon enough but her curiosity began to kick in and all her thoughs of the night before, well really the early morning, floo conversation. She happily took the pancakes and put some of the sauces onto the pancakes. She was so hungry she wasn't bothered about what it was. Porbably because she had been all set for a midnight snack when her thoughts of food had been interupted. She yawned a little as she munched happily on the pancakes. After she was done she left the plate on the counter before going to sit down waiting for her aunt to finish her crossword and tell her what the suprise was.

The first clue had stumped her, and it was a true tradition for Ursula to go through the clues manually rather than jump to the ones she actually knew, and for that, Ursula had finished the crossword for now. Stretching, as she was still getting out of her rigid sleep pattern, she patted Emily's shoulder and went to sit opposite the class table, holding the cappucino in her hands to keep them warm.

"I've got you a little present for doing so well in your first year, you see," she said uneasily, never liking talking about being proud of Emily. It wasn't a natural thing. She wasn't maternal, only protective.

She smiled at what her aunt said a small sparkle in her eyes, but it was not the though of the present that had set it off it was the fact that Ursula had got her something not because she felt the need to spoil her but because she thought she had done well. Her aunt didn't get her presensts hat often so when she did Emily knew she must have done soething well. She though it was her aunt's way of telling her she was proud. "you didn't have to get me anything" she grinned. She hoped Ursula realised that she didn't except to be spoilt. She didn't want to be either.

She looked at her aunt "so what did you get me?" she asked, as always in the young girl her curiousity always got the better of her.

"Oh, nothing. Just a few tickets to go somewhere..." she said vaguely. "Actually, we're going to The Bahamas! How about that, eh? Bet you've never been to The Bahamas before have you?" she smiles warmly, her hand movements over the top as she tries to sell the idea to Emily.

"And then," she begins hastily, "we're going to go to backpack the rest of Europe, and find a place to live. Maybe for a while, maybe not. I think we need a change of pacing, don't you?"
All this she says very quickly, almost as if it's a bad idea.

"Which is why I've packed a few of your things. But I'll leave the rest to you. I can magic the house things. You can do yours once you've had something to eat. And keep in mind of a country in Europe you'd like to live in for a spell!" At this, Ursula puts her mug in the sink and goes to the living room near the fire, and swallows a sob.

She grinned "really? no I haven't" she grinned. She mouthed formed a little O as Ursula said the next part. Her voice suggetsed she was unsure of the idea, she was talking really quickly. It was sudden but Emily was excited, she loved the idea. "aweosome" she grinned. She was about to ask if anything had happened, to make them leave so suddenly as far as she was aware her aunt had never spoke of moving abroad. She opened her mouth to speak but Ursula put her mug in the sink and left the room.

Emily bit her lip, why were th eleaving so suddnely? It wasn't like she didn't wnat to go or she wans't excited she was. But she wondered what had happened to make her aunt decided that and to tell her that morning. The girl was pretty sure that they would be leaving today if not tomorrow. SHe decided she would ask later but for now she decided she beter get dressed and packed so she got up and walked to her room. She pulled on some muggle clothing, she always did prefer it to wizard robes, and began to get all of her things together.

Ursula watched the fire for a bit, looking every bit the human form of tranquility. Inside, however, there was a storm of thoughts barraging into her calm. This was only going to get worse before it was going to get better.

She eventually puts the fire out, and checks this room- one of the last to check- for any things she might want to take with her. Or indeed, anything that would tell anyone should they come looking for her where she has gone to.

The pictures she had initially left on the mantle till last so she could decide in the meantime what she would do about them. Family outings with her father, mother, Ariel, Ariadne, Persephone, Minerva and herself of course. Mostly pictures of Emily's mother Ariel and herself. Eventually, she takes them out of their frame, a faint outline of some of the faces in the glass and folds them into one of the pockets she has on her person.

Back to the kitchen. She checks this room too. Nothing seems to be here apart from the table set, the counters, witch weekly, an errant tea spoon and the remainder of Emily's breakfast, which she deals with accordingly.

"Emily?" she says quietly, as she comes up the stairs, checking on each step and removing photographs as she goes.

It didn't take Emily long to sort out her things, packing her clothes, shoes, books, photos and other personal possesions (junk) she was pretty much ready to go. She ran a brush through her wavy hair and tied it up into a bun. She put on her shoes and looked round the room once more. She still wondered why they were leaving but she knew she could always ask her aunt later, once they got to wherever they were going. She was checking drawers and cupboard, making sure she hadn't left anything when she heard Ursula shout on her. "Yeah?" She called back before scanning the room again, there was pretty much no trace of the girl left. The room which was once a clutter of her things was now empty and bare. She sighed as she headed for the door to see what her aunt wanted.

"Are you ready?" she asks simply, a small grin showing through. This stance she was in, leaning on the banister and putting the other and on her hip was just how her Mother did for her when she was young. The day before back to Hogwarts and she'd be waiting like this. It made her smile.

"I'm ready, so you should be too." In a quieter voice, she tells Emily to say goodbye to the house, but she won't hear that in her room.

Emily stepped outside her room to see her aunt leaning on the banister a hand on her hip, something was different about her today but the girl couldn't quite place her finger on what exactly it was. "yeah I'm ready" she replied, putting a starnd of her hair behind her ear, the piece that never seemened to stay in the bun she placed in her hair. She smiled a little at her aunt's comment. She wnated to ask why they were elaving but she didn't think that she should not yet. SHe heard her aunt say something quitely and softly but she couldn't make it out. "I'll go and check downstairs incase you issed anything" she said starting to walk dowstairs. She didn't think Ursula would have mised anything, she just wnated to say goodbye to the place that had become her home. Not that she woudl tell her aunt that.

Biting down on her lip, Ursula let Emily past her and did the very last minute check of the top floor. The bathroom, white and crystalline as ever-- the cleanest room of all of them-- her room, very very quickly, and back to Emily's room.

She bit on her lip, once again. This had been her room when she was small. It was odd how leaving had given her so much nostalgia. It hadn't hit her before. Infact, she wasn't ever the type to be sad. But this was different. Off kilter.

And then in the corner of her eye, she saw something, just on top of Emily's bag. It looked like a gemstone of some sort, only ragged and pulsating with light in the middle of the embers.
What was this?

Cautioning a glance behind her to see if Emily was here any time soon, she reached out to touch it. Her fingers touched the smooth surface and nothing happened, which was a gasp in itself. Panic over.

However, as she put it around and around in her hands, something odd happened. The light lessened somewhat and she could feel a few of her fingers tingling. And her quickening heart beat wasn't because of fear, or adrenaline. It feels more like, more like the crystal or what ever it was was doing it, and it made her panic.
She couldn't help but panic.

So panicking, she lets go of the crystal and it drops to the floor, sadly not cracking. She kicks it under the bd, but not before she sees an engraving, shining brighter than anything on the foot of the crystal.

Borgin and Burkes.

Emily walked down the stairs slowly her hand running along the banister. She reached the bottom as she walked to the kitchen first. She looked round the room as she walked to the window. From there she had often watched the world outside. She sighed a little as she left the room, closign the door behnd her. She walked in and out of the other rooms on that floor. Her light footsteps seemend to echo in the house. She found it starnge to be leavng again, it had seemend like only yesterday when she had arrived on her auts doorstep. Ursula had been more than kind to her taking her into her home. That's why she knew that her aunt had a good reason to take them away from their home. But there was a samll doubt in her mind. The words from the conversation she had oerheard still echoed in her mind. She slwoly walked back upstairs to find her aunt. "are we going now?" she asked as she reached the top of the stairs.

Ursula froze and twisted on the spot. At least the incriminating evidence isn't in her hands now. It's well out of the way. Finally, she can let out a sigh of relief and get her and Emily out of that house. She doesn't think they're waiting outside, not anymore, but just in case, she wants them to think that she is suspecting nothing. That is why they'll disapparate outside of the doorstep, with the element of surprise.

They won't go near her. They've been doing it for two weeks to no avail. Today for them would be as plain as their meals of bread and butter.

"Yes, Emily, we're ready," said a voice of iron. Time to go.
Ursula headed downstairs and summoned all of the belonging she was going to carry to her.

Emily sighed a little as she quickly stepped inside her bedroom, or what was, and quickly scanned it. It was empty, as far as she could see. She turned around and walked downstairs behind her aunt. "where are we going again?" she asked her aunt. She stood next to the front door twirling a strand of her hair round her finger. She was just waiting for her aunt to tell her what to do and how the were actually getting to where ever they were going to. She humned a little to herself, under her breath waiting to leave the house that had become her home in the past year or so she had stayed there.