Sept. 1, '78: I Feel Home

[Bridget Applebee]

Bridget, Morgan, Emmeline, Bennett, Mary, Danick

▶︎ with the crack of a smile we all stay a while
we know from home there ain't nothing above
well in the end we can all call a friend
well that's something i know as true

"C'mon now, we can't skimp on dessert tonight," Bridget teased her brother, flicking a pinch of flour his way. Not that it made too much of an impact, seeing as Ben somehow had more than a little bit of everything on his apron already, but it was too hard to resist. "I'm sure we've got a backup bag! Keep mixing, we'll find it." Running short on sugar on any night wouldn't do, but when it was Danick's first night here? Tragic, immeasurably, if they failed to make things special. They deserved a nice full meal as a house, its preparation responsibilities divvied up nicely of course. Maybe later they could venture out into the village together, hit one of the pubs!

Bridge hadn't gotten much of his story yet, having spent the day at Zonko's, and was excited to learn about their new housemate and what brought him their way. Friend of a friend of Mary's, was that it? She'd said a quick hello at his door upon learning he was there, and it turned out he had the most beautiful voice, almost sounding like Willa's surprise not-a-date at graduation. If she'd had her space more put together, Bridget would've very happily stayed to chat, but alas - her half of the top floor was a disaster zone after the work week, and there was only a narrow window of time to get it together before her girlfriend came over. Who she was so very proud of, by the way - Mo was already kicking ass and taking names in training, as Bridget would tell anybody who wasn't tired of listening to her sing the other's praises. Add that to them quickly coming up on a year of togetherness, if you could believe it - Bridget hardly could - and the Hufflepuff graduate was more happy than ever for the times they got to share these days. 

Speaking of - "Aha! Reach that for us, babe?" 

While Bridget was just as thrilled about magic as she had ever been, she'd learned that using it in the kitchen to summon food products often didn't end so well. Cleaning? Sure! Chopping? Not there yet! But the few inches of height Morgan had over her would hopefully be enough for her to get the sugar at the back of the cupboard, and Bridget perked up as the oven chimed. Properly heated up now, not long now until the dessert was put in! That in mind, the young woman scampered across the ground floor, sliding a bit in her sock feet, to stick her head into the opposite stairwell. "Mary! Danick! Getting ours in the oven soon, kitchen's almost yours!" 

[Morgan Bletchley]

She had known this day would be strange, not going back to school on the first of the month. But life was good, and she found that she didn’t miss school as much as she had thought she would. Not when her life outside was so good. She had just started Auror training, she was in a real committed relationship with the most beautiful and wonderful woman, and Mo and Viola had a kickass place in Chelsea where she’d met some fun local muggles. Kyra and Liz were fantastic to party with, always had a good story to share about their younger days. She even met a Mr. Fabian Prewett, whose name she had learned not only through work but through listening to purebloods chatter over the years. It wasn’t strange to her, to hang out with muggles. Her dad was one and he was one the greatest people in the world to her. Viola was used to being around people who had muggles backgrounds, but how did Prewett fit in the picture? It was a mystery to be solved for another day, because tonight was dinner with her girlfriend and her newer found friends.

Mo let herself into the house without knocking, calling an ‘hello!’ up the stairs before she followed a lovely familiar voice to the kitchen. Bridget looked stunning as always, and she gave Bennett a wave as she walked in. “Hey babe, looking good as usual,” she said, laughing as her girlfriend asked her to reach something from the top shelf. Sugar, it appeared, and Mo handed it over with a grin and a snarky comment. What exactly were they making with all this sugar? Something fantastic she knew for sure, the twins were great with sweets. She stopped by the fridge to grab something to drink for all of them, setting the cans on the counter with care. “And what exactly are we making here tonight?”

Before she could get an answer, Bridget was calling up the stairs for Mary and...Danick? Had they gotten another roommate without telling her? She knew Clarissa was working tonight, but she hadn’t heard of this Danick before. “So who's  Danick? Mary’s boyfriend? I didn’t know she was dating anyone.” Not to mention moving someone into the house! It had to be one of her friends, because she was confident if Mary was moving in with a boyfriend, they would have talked about it. Mary was one of her guiding lights in the drama that had been Sirius and Guin. It wasn’t too long before she would be meeting this Danick herself, if the footfalls on the stairs meant anything, and so she leaned up against the wall to observe.

[Bennett Applebee]

“Keep on mixing, mix, mix, mixing. Bake, bake, baking. Mixing, baking. Making dessert!” Bennett finished with a flourish, soprano voice, and extravagant arm motioning and all. His sister plucking flour at him had made him laugh as if she could do any worse than he had done himself! He was covered in all manner of ingredients, as usual, a little flour was hardly a big addition. She left him with the bowl and went in search of more sugar, they could always use more sugar he always said, and he was set to whisking up their portion of the house dinner. His favorite. Dessert!
It had to be the best and B and Ben had done their upmost to ensure it was.

After all, it wasn’t just any night in their still new-to-him digs -he had finally finished unpacked his attic room, but still hadn’t managed to make it feel like home just yet- they had a new roommate. A hunk of a Brazilian man that Ben was all too eager to get to know better. He thought they were going to be great friends. Especially if the foreigner enjoyed he and Bridget’s baking prowess. Maybe a few years ago this would not have helped his case, he thought he had always been an excellent baker, others did not agree. Thankfully, Willa had taken pity on him, and he had much improved in his baking skills since. Working at Honeydukes helped quite a bit too, though that was less baking and more candy making. Bennett had no complaints in that department, candy was the sweet joy of life. He loved sweets and he thought it showed in his work. So, Danick was going to love their creation, he was sure!

Glancing over his shoulder as Mo arrived, Ben gave her a welcoming smile. “Hey, hey, hey.” he greeted, waving a whisk her way and successfully flinging batter everywhere. “This? You’ll just have to wait and see what this masterpiece is.” It would be the sweet ending to their lovely roommate’s sup...hopefully. Hopefully, that lost eggshell didn’t make an appearance in someone’s mouth later. Bridget called up to said roommates and Ben turned at Mo’s question, exchanging a look with his twin as she returned to the kitchen. “Nah,” he said, leaving the rest of that discussion to the couple to get on with. Honestly, he wasn’t entirely sure if the vivacious red-head and the dashing new addition to their Hogsmead house were an item. He suspected they weren’t though and went with that idea for now. Mary, an old flame and a very good friend of his would have said something before, right? Shaking his head he smiled, either way, it was going to be a grand time. “Alright. It’s ready for the baking ladies.”

[Mary Macdonald]

September first had so long been her most meaningful day of the year - besides her birthday - that when she woke to see her daily calendar this morning, it brought more feelings than a date usually did. This was a special day. One for reuniting with friends and going home to Hogwarts, for riding the train and swapping stories with unparalleled excitement, for a late night of unpacking and secrets. Thankfully, the disappointment that she felt at thinking all of that was in the past hadn't lasted all day.

It was a special day.

While Mary wasn't on the train, she heard it arrive from her post at Puddifoot's, and it brought the warmth of nostalgia along with its whistle. And while she would've loved to see Daisy and other friends who were now so close, their return to the castle was their time, and she had her own new group of friends to spend her time with. Living with Em, Clarissa and the Applebee twins for the past few months had been a riot, and as luck would have it, she did get the opportunity to make a new friend today.

Emmeline had brought Danick Amor to their house in the hopes he could stay with them, and Mary couldn't get the handsome wizard connected with their landlady fast enough. The rest of the day had passed in a bit of a blur, with parts of stories shared with housemates as they returned home, wonderings about what had brought Danick to them and what he was like, dinner plans in the works, and before she knew it - "Coming!" Mary called back with a laugh, swinging out of her room to meet Danick on the landing.

"I'd tell you it's not always like this, but..." She shrugged, grinning over at him. "We're an excitable lot, what can I say. I hope you'll like it here with us, Danick, I really do." Mary turned and started down the stairs, grin broadening when she saw another familiar face in the kitchen. "Mo! So glad you're here, honey - this is our new housemate, Danick," she introduced, playfully bumping Bennett with her hip on her way to check their groceries. "I love this vest Benny, can't wait to try your newest creation!" She had to chuckle at the state of the place, still not accustomed to the method of baking the twins had - much different than the kitchen at the teashop, but she couldn't argue with the results - and began pulling vegetables out of the fridge. "I think we've got what we need for pasta and a fun salad, does that sound good to everyone?"

[Danick Amor]

Today had been a day full of unexpected events. The first he had expected, Eddie returning to Hogwarts, had happened without him while he nursed a drink at the Leaky Cauldron, feeling helpless. He had told Eddie this would be the day he returned to Brazil, and then he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Which is how he’d wound up sitting at the Leaky, and how he had met Emmeline. She’d arrived early for a brunch with her friends, and apparently took pity on him and his sad not having a home story. After a very strange meal with people he knew and didn’t know, she’d insisted that she was going to find him the perfect home in Scotland, and he’d figured why the hell not, he loved Scotland.

That’s how he’d met Mary, Emmeline had brought him to her doorstep and asked dear Mary if he could stay in their house, in Hogsmeade of all places! It was so close to Hogwarts that it actually hurt, but maybe this would be a good thing for him. They’d gotten in touch with the landlady, and then suddenly he had a come again. Just not far away in Brazil like he had expected. But he wasn’t complaining, the only thing bringing him back to Brazil was Hugo, and Hugo would understand why Danick didn’t want to return. Later he’d met the lovely Applebee twins as they had returned from work, and Clarissa had left to go to work, and all in all he was quite pleased. He’d decided a nap was in Order, and he’d been half awake when he’d heard his name being called from downstairs.

Coming out of his room he met Mary on the landing, and he grinned at her as they headed downstairs. He hoped everyone was always this exciting, because that would make for a fun time living together. He himself was an excitable person, and he followed her down the stairs to help make dinner. There was a new face in the kitchen, and he gave Mo a quick ‘Olá’ as he stepped in. She looked cool, and he wondered if she was another roommate he would get to know. He felt a little silly, just standing there while Mary gathered ingredients, but while this was his house now too, it didn’t feel like home quite yet. Maybe he would get his guitar out later and sing them a song! “Sounds perfeito, let me help with chopping vegetables, yes?”

[Bridget Applebee]

She had to give an appreciative whoop at her brother's high note - while she was prone to singing herself, she was hardly ever so daring - and popped a finger into the mixture to get a preview of the taste. It was coming together, Ben really was improving by leaps and bounds, and the evening only got better at the sound of Morgan's hello. Bridget grinned at her girlfriend's infectious laugh, giving her shoulders a little shimmy to show off the new purchase just a bit more. "Thank you, thank you - being down the road from Gladrags is as much a blessing as it is a curse, I'll tell you," she said with a laugh of her own, quickly ducking to avoid the newest splatters as she slid the bag of sugar across the messy countertop to Ben. 

"He's taking one of the spare rooms! I don't think they're together, but I could be wrong," Bridget said as she returned to the kitchen, slipping the baking dish into the oven at Ben's declaration. That done, she took out her wand to get the dishes started in the sink - Mary was a good sport, but one didn't have to be a mind reader to know that a clean kitchen was high on her priority list - and popped open a can, settling against the wall beside Mo with a happy sigh. She supposed they could head into the common area since the kitchen was about to get more crowded, but...nice to be all together. And we couldn't miss out on anything from Danick! She popped up with a smile to give her a belated kiss hello, not terribly uncommon as it was rare for her to not be running around, and leaned her shoulder to the wall with a broader smile than before.

"I know it's not the castle," she said quietly as Mary and Danick made their way down, "but I'm glad you're with me today. If I'd been on top of things, I would've gotten the rest of the girls here tonight too...we could owl for an October first teatime? I volunteer the house, Vi can bring everything she wants to make Madame Viola comfortable." She had a new flutter in her chest at the thought, all of them together again in one month, especially when the date was an important one. It'd been after that tea with Madame Viola that she and Mo had realized that their feelings weren't one-sided after all, and how lovely would it be to commemorate that moment with the others who had been there for them? To do a new reading now that things were so different for everyone? Surely her new housemates would be keen to join in on the fun, and when was the last time she'd been with all of her Hufflepuff roommates - had it really been that last night in the castle? Morgan and Vi had each other's company in Chelsea, Willa was all alone in Teddington, and Maggie - she was with her parents, unless the situation had changed. Even with almost a decade of living primarily within the wizarding world under her belt, Bridget still wasn't entirely clear about all of the traditions and rules her pureblooded friend had to adhere to. Owls are most definitely in order.

She gave smiles of hello to the others as they joined them in the cozy kitchen, calling out a - "Sounds perfect!" - before addressing their newest resident. "Thank you! Cutting board is right there - we'll do a full house tour this weekend to get you acquainted, how does that sound? Speaking of getting acquainted, this lovely here is my girlfriend Morgan, and Mo, this is - this is our Danick," Bridget said with a bit of a laugh, hoping the bloke wouldn't mind being claimed as one of their own so early on. "How are you finding Hogsmeade?"

[Morgan Bletchley]

In her earlier school years, she’d never been serious about dating. She flirted, she had fun, she didn’t date. And then she had dated two people at once, and while it had been fun and sexy at first, Sirius’ distraction from them had ended things there, and her and Guin had decided they were better off as good friends. She hadn’t expected anything going into seventh year, but she’d found the best thing. She loved being able to say that Bridget was her girlfriend, that the beautiful woman shimming her shoulders was hers. And Morgan was so in love with Bridget, Mo couldn’t help but smile whenever she was around. Plus she loved nights like this, being around her girlfriend and their friends. Bennett wasn’t about to spoil the surprise of desert, so Mo grinned as she settled against the wall with her drink.

It seemed the general agreement was that Danick was not dating Mary, and Morgan had to wonder why the name sounded so familiar as her girlfriend settled into the wall next to her. She smiled into the kiss, happy to be here on this day. It was strange, not going back to the castle, after seven years of being there. She didn’t miss the school work, or the curfew, but there were things about the school that she did miss. Like watching the first years get sorted and welcoming them to the house. Sneaking to alcoves out of sight with Bridget to snog, and getting caught by their friends. And here she was, so close to the castle but not actually there.

She smiled at Bridget’s words, “I’m glad you’re here with me, I can’t imagine not seeing you on this day.” And she’d find a way to make it up to Viola somehow, plus Bridget had such a good plan going already. “I’m sure Vi would love that, and it’d be great if Willa and Maggie could make it. It’s strange we won’t all be going to sleep in our dorm tonight,” she said, only looking away from her girlfriend when Mary and Danick entered the room. And that’s when it clicked, because she’d seen this mysterious man before when he and a friend had shown up at their graduation just months ago! “Your Danick? No B, this is Viola’s Danick for sure, how are you man? Didn’t know you stuck around after our graduation.”

[Bennett Applebee]

Bennett ran a hand over his stylish new vest, bobbing his head back and forth and sending Mary a pleased grin at her compliment. I am one jive cat in this, I knew it! It didn’t take much to bolster his confidence, clearly. “Thanks Mary Mary.” He said, giving a little spin on his heels as his other two roommates made themselves comfortable in the kitchen. Speaking off, they really had made a big mess of it all. Drawing his wand he gave an extravagant wave of his arm, tidying up what B’s magic had not in a quiet hush of magic. “Still love this stuff,” he said with a sigh, glancing over to his sister and remembering how in awe they both were when they discovered their magic, how amazed they still were. And how amazed he was with her. His big sis was phenomenal, and he was so glad she had snagged someone phenomenal for her.

“Pasta!” Ben said by way of agreeing, clapping at the dinner development. Food, in general, got him excited, eating was a favorite hobby of his. He found a place to hold up the wall as he watched Mary and Danick move about the kitchen, pots and pans and chopping boards coming to play. If Clarissa got off early and joined them, it would be well and truly crowded but Ben liked that, the feel of all his dear friends near. Danick seemed to be on the fast track to that status. Particularly when Mo spoke up about who he really was.

“That’s you. I mean it’s you? You’re really you?” Bennett could barely believe their luck and the disbelief in his voice showed it, a slow smile split his face as he exchanged a look with his twin. What perfect happenstance! That Danick Amor should end up in England and their roommate. He had heard the girls talk about him enough to feel like they were all friends already and happily gave the chap a clap on the back. “Vi, or Wills even, should have told us you were hanging around. We could have done this sooner!”

[Mary Macdonald]

Mary exchanged a grin with Bennett, giving an excited clap of her hands as he spun on a heel, and she sent him a mouthed thank you as he discreetly tidied up the counter tops. She was glad that the house was onboard with the idea for the meal, and headed to the refrigerator to collect vegetables for Danick, happy too that he was keen to jump right in. They were finding their house's rhythm, and Mary was finding it a fun thing to develop after living with the same group of girls for so long! They were still dear to her, but the changes that they had each found after graduation seemed to suit. She handed over a colorful assortment - the house garden was lush, and the rainbow carrots and peppers would give the twins' ensembles a fair competition for the title of brightest in the room - as the puzzle of their newest housemate started being put together.

Viola's Danick? Wills - Willa's Danick? She emerged from the refrigerator, still processing the surprising news. But how in the world did Viola and Willa and Danick know each other? And how had she missed seeing him at the dance? She vaguely remembered Willa dancing with someone other than her date, but that hadn't been Danick...or maybe it had? But how did Viola and Willa know Danick? The badgers in the room all seemed to be in on the history, and ecstatically so, which was a wonderful thing! Their energy was contagious enough that Mary found herself smiling despite her confusion. When she'd sat under the Hat all those years ago, it had debated joining her lot with those here, and if she hadn't protested, Mary was sure she would've been in on the connections too. But as it was...

"Your resident Gryffindor is playing catch-up here, slow down!" she plead with a laugh, levitating down a large pot that she proceeded to fill from the tap. Keeping an eye on it, Mary half-turned to the group from her post, a bemused smile on her face. "You know I love a good story, and I'm sensing some kismet here which makes it even better - but what is going on?"

[Danick Amor]

This was not the first time he had been a stranger trying to find a new place to call home. When he had first left his home in Colombia to go to school in Brazil, he had spent so long practicing his Portuguese so that it would be just right. And he’d gotten help with his English from his dear friend Willa and Viola over the years, and made himself a home in Scotland where he’d fallen in love with spent time with Eddie. Here he was again, in a new place, with people who had taken him in when he had nowhere else to go. He wanted to fit in with them, and be a part of the community they had together here. Cooking together was a great way to get to know someone, his abuela had taught him that. So he took the cutting board from Bridget with a smile, taking the vegetables given to him to the sink to wash.

He was being introduced to their guest for the evening, and he gave her a nod and a smile. It was comforting to discover that Bridget had a girlfriend, a pretty one who was giving him a wicked grin. He soon discovered why, and he had to laugh because he should have known this situation could arise with Hogwarts graduates around. He sat the food down on the cutting board, giving Bennett a grin, “I am really me, it is true. I do not know if Willa or Vi actually knows that I am here still, it was a very last minute decision to stay.” It’d hardly even been a full 24 hour decision yet, but he was already thinking that he enjoyed this place. Mary spoke up, and he sent her an apologetic smile, unsure entirely a Gryffindor was. It sounded familiar, like something Willa had told him about before.

“Mi cielito, many apologies,” he said, and with a few wand movements vegetables starting chopping. “Many years ago dear Willa came to Castelobruxo as an exchange student, and while she was there I borrowed a letter from Viola. The two of us wrote to each other all year,” he remembered those letters fondly, it had been so fun to write to someone so far away and yet feel such strong feelings, “We dated for two months that next summer, but I did not see her after that again until I saw all of you graduate.”

[Bridget Applebee]

Bridget had always - stubbornly, naively, impossibly - believed that the best would come. That if she worked for it, that if she remained open to it, that she would live in happiness and love through her days. There would be trials, there would be falterings, but peace and joy weren't ever as out of reach as they sometimes seemed to be. The steadiness of their relationship and the evolution of their new lives and the love of this house - Bridget felt at her absolute best these days, and living these treasured moments of love with Mo right here in the kitchen was a huge part of it. She'd never given up on finding love, but after she and Mick called it quits, she did wonder where the one she was supposed to be with was hiding out, and how she would find her. If she could tell her younger self to be patient, that her someone was so close and that they would find each other properly before school was done...Well, that would have ruined the surprise, and there were too many time-travel rules to permit something like that - but knowing that she wasn't foolish to simply believe would have been a wonderful reassurance.

And so Bridget happily nodded along to her girlfriend's sweet words and suggestions, not stopping a laugh from tumbling out of her at Mo's last, though. "True, but that's the one part I'm not so sad about," she quietly replied in cheek - while the house wasn't private, at least they had a room to themselves these days. Mary and Danick's arrival gave her yet another reason to smile, but she looked to Mo in confusion as her statement was amended. Viola's Danick?!

"Oh. My. Merlin," Bridget said in awe as the truth came out, exchanging a look with Bennett and happily laughing anew as the pieces fell into place. The Danick who had stolen Vi's letter to Willa all those years ago? The Danick who Vi had become infatuated with over their exchange of letters? The Danick who she had finally met in person while traveling? Now they had even more of a reason to invite Viola over - how would she take the news - were they both single - if one of them used the Floo now they could have her here tonight - Shhh, get the story first! She turned her wonder-filled eyes onto Danick as he explained, loving the renewed energy in the room at the undeniably magical twist of fate. "This is incredible," she breathed excitedly, gesturing around the group as she continued. "Mo and I roomed with Vi and Willa at school, Danick, Benny here was just down the hall." Grinning at Mary, Bridget continued in tease, "Sorry little lion, we'll get you all caught up - we had our own drama in our House, believe it or not."

[Morgan Bletchley]

Mo had been so sure, for so very long, that she didn’t believe in love. She thought you could love people with your whole heart, but being in love? True love? That was the stuff of fairytales. Her parents had loved each other with their whole hearts, and yet magic had driven them apart. It had always seemed strange to her, that something so cool that she was blessed with had driven her father away. At times, she’d blamed herself for it, maybe if she’d been a squib it wouldn’t have happened. She knew now that she had nothing to do with it, that under the surface of the perfect world she saw as a child there were other things happening. She also knew now that love was a real and beautiful thing, and she felt it every time she looked at Bridget.

Like now, when her girlfriend was being cheeky and Mo laughed with her, she felt so loved. She felt like no matter what was happening in their world outside, there was peace here. Maybe it was because they were so close to the castle that had shielded them from reality, but it felt like home here. And Mo felt that was because of Bridget. She wanted a lifetime with Bridget, and she could see their future so clearly. One day they would be accepted, and they’d get married, and maybe they’d have some magical kids who’d go to Hogwarts and be sorted in Hufflepuff.

There was no time for daydreaming though, not with Danick’s arrival and the realization that Viola was going to love this. Danick was explaining everything to the one who was left out of the loop, and Mo shot Mary an apologetic grin. There were years of experiences that Mary hadn’t been a part of between the three badgers in the room, and sometimes Mo forgot that her new found friend hadn’t been around for somethings. “Admittedly, I feel like I was often causing more drama than I was resolving. Not as much as Maggie did with the things she’d write in the school paper though.”

[Emmeline Vance]

“I’m late, and I know I’m late - but it really wasn’t my fault,” she called into the house as she opened the door, dropping her bag on the floor as she headed into the kitchen, “But as an apology, I managed to convince Tom to let me take home some new wizards brew, so drinks on me.” She had to grin when she got into the kitchen, where there was flour spread about and most of her roommates. She hadn'thought she would be living in Hogsmeade after school, but when Mary had approached her with it, it had just made sense. She didn't know the twins that well, or Mo, but she had grown to love them all. And being in Hogsmeade had the added benefit of being close to her boyfriend, who she'd seen off on the train today before brunch with the Marauders and Co.

That's where she had found Danick, drinking by himself in the morning. She'd felt bad for him, listening to his story about not wanting to return home to Brazil. Well, she figured if they were taking in strays an attractive man from South America wouldn't be a bad one, and she had brought him home prior to the start of her shift at the Leaky. Mary had been most accepting of the idea, and Emmeline was glad to see he seemed to be settling in amongst them, helping with dinner. “Did you all know there's a way into Hogwarts through the cellar of Honeydukes? Had to solemnly swear I would only use this knowledge from the Marauders for good.” The boys were serious about their secrets, which had to be respected. She was sure the only reason they'd been willing to let his one slip was because there were better passages into the school they weren't going to share.

“Catch me up, what were you all talking about?” she asked, leaning against the counter.

[Bennett Applebee]

Revelations had Bennett grinning that a cat that got the cream. The way everything seemed to be coming to light, about Dan, about the girls, and their house. He was quiet as the others began explaining to the lion among them how it all connected, not being central enough to the plot to add any really juicy details but enough to be on the up and up on the basics. He knew about the letters and the summer that followed, Vi was always very expressive when in conversation, she rarely held much back. Danick’s explanation was much more straightforward and lacked the excitement his counterpart had in regaling their time together. His accent made up for it though. Ben could listen to it at length and not get bored. At his twin's remark to Mary, he chuckled, pushing off of the wall to give the redhead a one-armed hug around her neck. “Whoever said Hufflepuffs had no fun?”

Bennett left Mary to cooking and approached his sister, giving her a knowing grin. “It was the best. We had our fair share of fun and drama. Sometimes they were one and the same.” Pulling a sweet from his pocket, otherwise known as his never-ending stash, he offered one to Bridge before turning to Morgan and taking up the wall next to her that her girlfriend wasn’t occupying. “You could never compete with her, she liked stirring the pot.” Sure, there were times when they were in school when things had gotten…tense on Mo’s end, but they were nothing compared to the issues the articles in the paper caused. Not just with their house either.

The sound of the door caught his attention and he turned at the sound of it, catching Em’s voice as she made her way to them, drinking in hand! “Hey hey hey!” Ben said in equal parts greeting and appreciation. Old friends, new friends, good food, and now boozes? Tonight was going to be golden. He could tell. At the newcomer's admission about a secret passage under the sweetshop, his dark brows shot up. “Marauders going around handing out secrets are they? I’ve got a few things I’ve always wondered about.” Bennett tapped his chin thoughtfully. That band of boys had always been good for a laugh, but they were also wicked smart and Ben knew they had more secrets and tricks up their sleeves that may never make the light of day. He was drawn from his musing at Em’s question. “Ah, we were just catching Mary Mac up on how our good friend Manny Danny here is connected to the lovely ladies Robins Bobbins and…oh, I’ve got it. Grander Ollivander!”

[Mary Macdonald]

It wasn't often that she felt out of the loop, but it was bound to happen sometimes in this group, especially when the twins got going. They were all so darling, though, experiencing their own excitement at the revelations and catching her up in the same breaths. Mary let out a gasp of surprise herself as Benny pulled her into a hug, clapping his back as he left - him to settle in beside his sister and Mo, her to fix her braid. What they were saying about their school years was true - Maggie had enjoyed little more than pulling strings, and there had been times of incredible drama. "Won't argue with you there," Mary said with a knowing laugh. "We all made plenty of messes, with our without help." She was glad that things had settled the way they had, with Mick and Dorcas finding each other not too long after Bee and Mo did, the second half of their last school year passing more amicably than the first among their friend groups. Just a few months ago, there would've been no way she could've imagined living here with Bee, as she hadn't felt particularly forgiving towards Mick's ex. But the times and circumstances had changed for the better...and now this?

Danick and Viola's love story was something for the ages - falling for each other over letters? Across an ocean? Finally meeting and solidifying their relationship, only to be lost to each other again? She had to hear all about the reunion at graduation, and perhaps it was her recent reconnecting with Roderick that was rose-coloring her world, but she felt that the fates had to have had their hands in the makings of today! For from Danick choosing to start his day at the Leaky, where he'd met Em, who had invited him here, where he was now surrounded by those who knew his dearests from Hogwarts best, besides the girls themselves - Mary couldn't think of a better place for him to land. For a friend of a friend was a friend, indeed! And what was that endearment? What a sweetheart!

Em entered as she was still gathering her wits - so much history! - and she beamed in welcome. Mary busied herself, levitating the the full pot of water to the stove and lighting a burner underneath, as Em spoke of her day. Jaw dropping at another secret revealed, Mary exclaimed, "That's how they managed to sneak here all the time? Those boys...And now you've got a way into the castle, how generous of them." She grinned in tease, looking forward to hearing how brunch had gone - Arnie and Charlotte and Daisy off to school, their partners seeing them off, sweet things. She was proud of them all for trying, but quietly so happy for Em that she was here in the village, just down the road - or secret passage, evidently - from her beau. She had to chuckle at Benny's recap, and turned to their newest housemate, stars in her eyes.

"Danick, that might just be the most romantic thing I've ever heard. Don't hate me for prying," she plead, grinning, "but have the two of you kept up with each other this summer? And I've got to know more about these letters! You borrowed one that Vi sent Willa? Daring of you!"