Comments | stoatshead_hill: RP: Moving On

shh_caradoc in stoatshead_hill

RP: Moving On

Mar 26, 2007 09:55

Date: 26 March 2005
Characters: Caradoc Dearborn [Cai], Arabella Figg, Marietta Edgecomb
Location: Little Whinging, Exeter, Stoatshead Hill
Status: Private
Summary: Arabella makes her move with a little help from Cai and Caradoc.
Completion: Complete

( Say goodbye to the old and hello to the new )

arabella figg, place: the ministry, caradoc dearborn, place: around shh, place: outside shh, march 2005

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shh_arabella March 26 2007, 16:21:29 UTC

This was the day. Arabella Doreen Figg was leaving the house she'd lived in almost 50 years and moving to Stoatshead Hill. Arabella had barely been able to sleep last night due to anticipation and wanting to make sure her house was ready for the new owners, Richard and Katherine Pattinson. They were such a lovely young couple, with an adorable 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. At 3 o'clock she would sign the papers deeding the house to its new owners and leave Little Whinging for good. In the meantime, though, Arabella still had to pack her belongings in the magical way, which she couldn't do on her own, and do the last bit of cleaning up, which she could do on her own but didn't have to because Caradoc was sending his house elf to help.

So when a little elf in a pink chintz pinafore popped into the sitting room at 10 o'clock, Arabella wasn't at all surprised.

"Hello, Cai. I'm Arabella Figg. Thank you for coming."

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 18:45:07 UTC

"Cai is liking to help, Mizzes."

The little old elf looked about. "Furnitures is not all fitting, Cai thinks, Mizzes. What is Mizzes wanting dones with furnitures?"

shh_arabella March 26 2007, 18:54:18 UTC

Arabella smiled. Cai was, indeed, very much like Bissie, Arabella's parents' house elf.

"Oh, you don't think all my furniture will fit in the new house?" Arabella pondered that a moment. The elf was probably right, and Arabella actually loved some of the furniture in the cottage. "Would you be able to shrink all of it and put some pieces aside so they can go to storage, while keeping other pieces together to move to the new place?"

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 19:04:38 UTC

"Master is having room in Wales for any extras, Mizzes. But shrinkings is good. All shrinkings fit." The elf raised her chin and said softly as if about to deliver a great secret. "Cai is very good at shrinkings and movings, Mizzes."

The elf looked about, "Is Mizzes liking boxes all in sitting room or in same rooms in new house? Is easy to put all bedroom in bedroom ands all kitchens in kitchen, if Mizzes likes."

shh_arabella March 26 2007, 19:18:17 UTC

"That house in Wales must be stuffed full of extra furniture," she said absently, then to Cai, "but of course we can send any extra things to Wales, as he wishes."

She thought a moment on Cai's proposal. "If you don't mind, I'd like all the boxes to go to their proper rooms." Cai was not only bossy but also thorough.

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 19:29:51 UTC

"Is good, Mizzes. Cai is thinking Mizzes should be leaving room. Elf magics is strong. Not wanting pack Mizzes or Mizzes' kitty on accident." The house elf snickered at the joke.

"Cai is good packer, Mizzes. Cai comes and goes and says when done, Mizzes." With that the elf surveyed the room and began her work as Arabella took herself off to the kitchen.

shh_arabella March 26 2007, 19:52:54 UTC

"Oh! Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Arabella resisted chuckling at Cai's seriousness; she really did not want herself or Tufty to end up in any boxes.

"As you wish, Cai," she said, retreating to the kitchen. She spent the next two-plus hours wrestling with the morning paper as she played Sudoku and worked the crossword puzzle. She was good at crosswords, so she'd hoped to master Sudoku quickly. Unfortunately she wasn't good at logic puzzles, so she'd spent many hours cursing the number puzzle under her breath. This morning was no exception.

"Bloody... stupid puzzle!" she fretted, breaking the point of her pencil as she stabbed at the paper in frustration. Suddenly Cai appeared in the doorway.

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 20:08:06 UTC

"Mizzes, Cai is ready for kitchen and Master is coming." The elf had no sooner finished telling than there was a knock on the front door.

Cai quickly shrunk what was in the kitchen and took herself off with the last of the furnishings as the nice lady went to let in her guest.

"Good afternoon, Arabella! All finished?"

shh_arabella March 26 2007, 20:57:45 UTC

Arabella opened the front door and found Caradoc awaiting her. "Good afternoon, dearie!" she said cheerily, letting him into the house. The weather seemed quite pleasant, and Arabella was quite hungry. "I'm ready for lunch if you are. Cai has been such a marvel, packing everything up."

Glancing around quickly, Arabella realised that almost all of her possesions were -- "They're gone! She's sent them away somewhere. Goodness," she put a hand to her heart, more than a bit shocked. "I'd forgot how powerful elf magic is." All that remained in the sitting room was Arabella's hat, coat and handbag and Tufty's carrier with the cat inside. "Well, shall we have lunch, nephew?"

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 21:03:19 UTC

Caradoc grew concerned when she paled a bit at finding her house empty. Didn't Cai explain what she was doing? Luckily Arabella was in excellent health for her age and recovered rapidly.

"Of course, Auntie. Where are we off to today? As I recall this is your treat."

Caradoc considered the cat for a moment. "Do we need to take Tufty to your new home first? I am unsure if cats are allowed in eating establishments in England or not."

shh_arabella March 26 2007, 21:20:04 UTC

"You know, I suppose we should take Tufty to the new house before we have lunch," she said thoughtfully. "Oh dear, so many details and we've not even left the house yet. Very well, let's get started."

With that she put on her coat and hat, grabbed her handbag in one hand and Tufty's carrier in the other and gave Caradoc an expectant look.

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 21:39:34 UTC

Caradoc offered his arm. "I think it best if I hold the carrier. Tufty is probably not going to like this very much, but the only..." He broke off for a moment and thought. "Arabella, may I cast a charm on your cat? It won't hurt him, just put him to sleep for the trip."

shh_arabella March 26 2007, 21:41:49 UTC

She nodded at his suggestions. "Oh, could you, dearie? Tufty doesn't travel well even in the normal Muggle way. It's best, I think, if he's unaware that he's being taken somewhere."

shh_caradoc March 26 2007, 22:52:04 UTC

"Asleep it is then." Caradoc cast a gentle calming charm, then a sleep spell he had used numerous times on his kid's familiars.

The couple and the cat apparated just outside Arabella's claim. He thought that she might want to enter through the door of her new home for the first time.

"Welcome home, Arabella." He handed her the key. He had gone to Exeter to obtain a new muggle lock for the door, then charmed it to only unlock for the two keys he just gave her. "Don't copy the keys. They're enchanted and have to be duplicated in a special way. I didn't want anyone to be able to use magic to open your door, but I needed a way for you to come and go without having magic yourself. Give it a try and make sure the key works."

shh_arabella March 27 2007, 04:08:47 UTC

Holding onto Caradoc's arm, with Tufty asleep and calm in his carrier, Arabella felt the squeezing sensation of side-along Apparition. Arriving just outside the cottage she'd claimed in Stoatshead Hill, she smiled as Caradoc welcomed her to her new home.

"OH!" She was almost overcome with excitement. "It's really true! I'm going to live here!" She took one of the keys from Caradoc and fitted it into the lock, which turned easily and allowed her to enter. She carried Tufty, still asleep in his carrier, into the sitting room and set him down. "I do hope Tufty won't wake up while we're gone," she told Caradoc. "He might be upset when he doesn't recognize the house." She sighed. "Well, he'll just have to make do while we have lunch and visit the Ministry."

shh_caradoc March 27 2007, 06:26:25 UTC

Caradoc really did adore Arabella. He had so little family left, none in England, and none anywhere older than he, that it was not only a novelty, but nice to have her about. He watched her giddiness at having a new home. If there was one thing he could say for Arabella Figg, it was that trying new things was not a problem. The lady may be old, but she was not so set in her ways that she couldn't enjoy a bit of adventure and excitement.

When she mentioned the cat, Caradoc told her, "he should sleep for a while yet. Cai?"

"Yes, Master?" The little elf appeared.

"If the kitty starts to wake up, could you put him back to sleep until we return?"

"Cai is doing that, Master. Mizzes, is Cai to unpack?"

"It's up to you Arabella. She'll do as much or as little..." here Caradoc stared at his elf seriously "as you'd like."

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