June 23rd, 1891 - Pennyworth
Edison Moony

Ever since Ned had given Sloane the handmade book of tips and tricks for metamorphmagi, she'd been making huge strides in her skills. She could do easy things to her appearance, hair color, facial features, but she wanted to be able to really control it from head to toe and that meant she needed some actual instruction. She was not a natural student and could therefore only get so much from a book.

"You don't have to help, you know." Sloane looked over the garden they were currently weeding at Ned pointedly. "I'm the one who wants the lessons, I can do the work." It was a pretty fair trade, do some odd jobs for the woman and she would get a few lessons in her skills. Weeding a garden was something she did for fun with Calla at her house, it wasn't like this was hard.

Sloane yanked a stubborn plant from the soil and tossed it onto the pile. Not that she didn't mind spending time with Ned, in fact she quite enjoyed it. Like Hatch, he was easy to be around, more so than just about everyone else these days. Sisse, Alice, Cam, even Calla, they all had restrictions around the relationship, things that couldn't be discussed or mentioned, no matter how much they weighed on her mind. Poor Hatch was burdened with all of her problems and Ned, none of them. Here nothing was wrong and she could just be herself and pretend the problems didn't exist.

In the spirit of that though, she tossed the next weed she pulled up at him playfully, grinning mischievously.

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"I do not mind helping," Ned retorted, calmly. In truth, it helped keep him busy enough to not think about the impending OWL results. He would soon learn whether his future aspirations were for naught, or if he'd need to buckle down even harder in the coming two years. Both outcomes would be trying, but he wished for the latter. "Besides, the sooner the work is done, the sooner you can get to lessons."

Ned was a bit clumsier at weeding than Sloane, proving once again that gardening wasn't his forte. However, he had improved greatly from earlier years and only certain people would notice his mediocre skills. Just as he pulled a weed from the ground, he felt another collide with the side of his face. "Oy!" He exclaimed, shaking the plant he held, so that some of the dirt flew off in Sloane's direction. "Watch it, or I might accidentally tip one of Anne's experiments into your morning pumpkin juice." He wouldn't ever; he didn't want to accidentally murder his friend.

"What are you to learn from Mrs. MacNiven this time?"

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Of course he didn't mind, he was Ned, but she still felt a little guilty. It was nice to spend time with him though. Sloane made a noncommittal noise at his expected logical reason, but smiled anyway.

Squealing in delight as he tossed some dirt back in her direction, she uttered a, "Sorry!" Mid-laugh. She hadn't meant to hit him in the face. That was why she didn't play chaser. Or hadn't anyway. "What's Anne up to these days anyway?" The little Slytherin could give Sloane a run for her money in the mischief-making category.

"Something along the lines of full body transformations. I can do all things facial features and hair related, even the length now. I can even do my eyes, it's weird to watch." She concentrated for a moment and her eyes shifted color from brown to purple to green and back to blue. "Being a little taller would be nice, Mother seems to think I'm done growing." She hadn't even made it to five feet!

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"Oh, she's just working on turning our mother's hair white, no doubt," he answered with a snort. In truth, Ned wasn't completely sure of all the activities his sister had gotten herself up to so far this summer. He, of course, hadn't been neglecting her, but he had followed her less closely than in other years.

He turned to concentrate on the shifting colors of her eyes, his own growing a bit more round in response. "That is somewhat unnerving. Do that to an unsuspecting muggle, and they might just faint!" He joked with a light smirk, hoping he hadn't inadvertently given her any ideas about tricks she could play on incoming muggleborns. Very useful, however!"

Ned tried his hardest to appear shocked that Sloane wouldn't grow anymore, hoping it would hide the mirth in his eyes at the thought. "Done growing? Merlin, I know third years taller than you." He teased and then continued. "Your height is beneficial to your future quidditch career, however, but I can see the appeal."

  

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"Sounds about right," Sloane laughed, thinking her mother had said that about her as well at some point in her life.

Shrugging sheepishly Sloane cast Ned a grin. "It is strange to watch, I practice in the looking glass and it's startling to see me with brown eyes or something else. Some of my brothers have brown eyes, but I'm quite used to the blue." It was both intriguing and hilarious sometimes.

"Most third years are taller than me," She laughed as she threw another weed aimlessly in his direction. "Yeah yeah yeah, seeker-sized I know." Not that she planned to pursue that anymore, but she wasn't going to get into that with Ned today. "When will you hear about OWLs?" She thought the end of the month sounded right, based on her brothers in the past, but she didn't much care about their grades, but she did care about her friends'.

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Ned dodged the weed this time and laughed as it went sailing past him and splat into a heap. It was probably for the best that Sloane didn't mention that quidditch wasn't in her future anymore, or he would have launched into twenty questions. He was well-meaning, of course, but he couldn't help that he'd somehow become an excitable father without ever having actual children of his own.

"Sometime in July. I assume around when we receive our letters," he remarked with a groan. It was only June. How was he expected to wait until an unknown date in July?

"Do you have any exciting plans for the summer? Aside from weeding and lessons?" He smiled at her again and set about ripping more stubborn plants from the ground.

  

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

"Makes sense," She replied, laughing as Moony dodged the weed. Sloane very nearly tossed another but refrained. It would be good for his future auror training though!

"We're heading to the Aran Islands tomorrow to see family on my mum's side. I think we'll be gone near a week. It'll be fun though, all quidditch and swimming, the fun stuff. I've got quite a few cousins over there." It would be a lot of fun, certainly.

Tossing a stubborn root into the pile she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, effectively smudging dirt across her skin. "What about you? Keeping busy?"

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"Oh that sounds like an interesting trip! I've heard the Aran Islands are beautiful." He let out a good-natured laugh when Sloane mentioned quidditch and swimming, all activities he wasn't surprised she was excited about. "I hope you have a fun, and safe, trip." The safe part was said in his best Dad voice, recalling last year's swimming adventure where they all nearly drowned.

Ned wiped a bit of stray dirt on his pants and moved a little bit to the left to continue yanking out weeds. He tried not to smirk at the dirt smudge on Sloane's face, but he couldn't rein it in. "Yes, mostly taking odd jobs here and there and looking after Anne." He paused, then, a small smile forming on his face, remembering the letters he had been writing back and forth with Alice. "And we shall be paying Ms. Dawson a visit come July."

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   Alice Dawson

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Pretties by Bee <3 <3

Sloane caught his meaning behind safe and rolled her eyes at him for effect. "I am a very good swimmer thank you very much! When I am not being pulled on by a squid!" As far as she was aware, there weren't any in the ocean near her cousins' home.

"I could use some more odd jobs myself," She supposed anyway, though it wasn't exactly something a girl in her position in life should be wont to do, she supposed she wasn't exactly normal in many regards. "Oh will you? I must admit I'm jealous, I rarely get to see her in the summer, though we did see one another shortly after term ended and got caught in that mysterious hedge maze." They had made it out fine, but it had marred their outing for sure.

"I hope you have fun as well then, and are quite safe." Alice lived on a farm after all! It was notably peculiar though, that Ned was making the trip, but Sloane chose to let her thoughts die there, lest she get ahead of herself on any notions she ought not to. Just because she was harboring crushes and the like at this age, did not mean everyone else had lost their minds too.

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   Alice Dawson

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Ned snorted in response to Sloane's rolled eyes, "Yes, well, let's hope there aren't any other giant squids or killer...fish about." He wasn't all that well-versed when it came to ocean animals, so he selected an option he figured encompassed many creatures.

"Well, if you're even in need of an odd job, I can help you find more. There's always folks needing an extra hand." At least in the poorer parts of town, but he was certain that wealthier witches might like assistance from the likes of Sloane since she came from a more respectable background than himself.

An amused smile graced his lips when he heard mention of the hedge maze, "Yes, Miss Dawson mentioned that you had that misadventure. I am grateful you both made it out with all of your limbs attached. It seems we just can't trust mazes anymore. First that terrible corn maze at school, now that hedge maze."

A funny sort of smile then crossed his face, one that Ned didn't typically wear. "I'm sure we will have fun and be safe. Anne and I visited last summer, and we both returned alive." Even if they did end up in mild peril, it would be worth seeing Alice.

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   Alice Dawson, Sloane Bixby

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Sloane tried to keep the smirk off her features and barely succeeded. This all sounded slightly... suspicious. It went against what she had told herself about not jumping to conclusions, but now she couldn't help but try to connect the dots. "Oh I would like that," She said on the subject of odd jobs instead, choosing to be less of a nuisance than usual. She didn't want Ned to give her his best Disapproving Dad look anyway.

She pulled up a couple more weeds in silence and tossed them into the pile. She could ruminate over the interactions of Ned and Alice later when she was by herself and unable to say anything stupid to anyone else. "I do expect to hear all about it when you return." She came up with finally, thinking that to be a safe sentiment, at least. "Let's take a break, mum sent me with cookies and lemonade."  Fiona Bixby never sent her children anywhere without a snack; she was far too smart for her own good. Not to mention every single one of her children, petite Sloane included, ate more than anyone their size should. She sighed as she dusted off her hands and stood from where her legs protested from being on the ground for so long. Apparently she had some thinking to do later, but for now she would monopolize Ned's steady friendship for as long as he allowed her to.

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