slice of life [alphabet gang]

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

March Hogsmeade Weekend

The weather had taken a surprising turn for March, as an unseasonably warm sun beat down on the packs of students as they trod down the well beaten path to Hogsmeade. Addy, Brígh, Cheese, Dickie and Eggy wandered aimlessly down the lane, chattering idly as they followed the slew of students past the Hogwarts gates into the village. As graduation approached quickly for most of them, things seemed to keep changing. Brígh wasn't entirely certain of how Addy and Cheese were handling each others company, though it seemed to have improved from the trip to Hy-Brasil.

The group of friends made their way into the relatively new Blishwick pizza place at Cheese's recommendation. Brígh didn't hold much confidence in the whole love weaving thing - Jimmie hadn't really ever explained it either, despite sharing a dorm for seven years. Regardless, Cheese insisted that the pizza was good, and it was a change of pace from the Three Broomsticks, which they frequented. Brígh, the natural born leader she was, led the way to a table and nudged Cheese to take her normal perch by Addy, instead placing herself between Dickie and Eggy with a smile like a cheshire cat.

"Reckon it's too early for them to serve firewhisky?" asked Brígh to no one in particular, her gaze flicking through the menu as the rest of her friends settled into their seats. She glanced up, eyeing the way that Cheese and Addy interacted with one another, trying to decide if they were hiding anything else from her.

addilyn elara slater
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox
penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend

Having the option of getting pizza in Hogsmeade was nice, Penelope thought, though she had found it somewhat strange that the pizza parlor had turned out to be a Blishwick venture. Jimmie's father seemed keen to try things that sounded new and exciting if they brought him business, so Penelope was hesitant at first. From what she had heard, though, the pizza was actually good; it wasn't just some gimmick. Even better, in Penelope's opinion, was that she had the opportunity to go there with her friends.

Luckily, she and the four others didn't have to wait for a huge group of Ilvermorny transfer students to clear out before they were able to enter the place, or she probably would have suggested that they just go back to the Three Broomsticks as usual. As they took their seats at the table, Brígh plopped herself between her and Richie—or "Dicky", as he had become known, in the same way that she was "Egg" and Raphael "Cheese"—instead of sitting next to Addilyn, which would have been more usual for her. Penelope didn't mind the switch-up, and she laughed as Brígh questioned if they thought it was too early for them to serve firewhisky.

Penelope didn't really want to encourage day drinking, but at least four out of the five of them were of age. Plus, she had a feeling that she would be overruled. "At least get a fizzy drink to mix it?" she suggested, hoping that Brígh would at least go that route. She couldn't exactly picture drinking firewhisky along with pizza anyway, but maybe it was an acquired taste. "Have we got a menu?" she asked, knowing that that was really the first order of business for them. Were they going to do one pizza for the five of them? Two? Were personal pizzas an option?

Finding a copy of the menu and pulling it towards herself so that she could read it, she immediately started giggling. The names were absolutely absurd. "Merlin…" She shook her head in simultaneous disbelief and amusement. The pizza names weren't just cheesy; they were all puns of some variety, most of them to do with love in some form. "You’re the Missing Pizza," she read aloud to the others, still laughing as she spoke. "And underneath that… Left bracket. 'And I love every pizza you too!' Right bracket." She felt glad that she was there with friends and not on a date, though she glanced somewhat awkwardly at Addy and Cheese as the thought popped into her head.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
addilyn elara slater
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

[addilyn elara slater]

Turn my headphones up, real loud

I don't think I need them, now
'Cause you stop the noise

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

Whoever thought trying to act normal would be so difficult. Addy walked alongside Brígh and Eggy while the boys walked on the other side of the group. It had been an eventful week for all the seventh years, but all Addy could think about this past week was the tallest of the group who was staring off, looking at nothing in particular, the camera around his neck as always. Things had happened, many things had happened, and then they had finally talked or instead Cheese had forced her to talk to him, and despite all her previous fears, it had actually gone well. It had been a weight lifted off her shoulders, but now there was a new wait since they hadn’t told anyone they had spoken the previous day.

Cheese had raved about the new Pizza place in the village, and she was sure that Jimmie was tired of being asked about it. So when they went to sit down, Addy followed Brígh to sit down since they had basically created assigned seats for themselves over the years, but this time Brígh settled herself next to Eggy and Dicky while the only seat left was next to her. She gave a cold but quick side-eye to Brígh. It was obviously on purpose. ”Yes, Brígh.” Addy responded. Just as most of her class of seventh years did—they got firewhiskey any chance they could just because they could. Ever since that hangover from New Years', Addy had abstained.

Eggy started giggling at the names, and Addy grabbed a menu to see what was so funny. Immediately she rolled her eyes but managed a giggle herself—they were rather silly names but still creative. And she was glad for the menu even if she had no idea what to order, if only because she had an urge to look at the boy next to her, but she knew that if she did, she might smile or something that Brígh would pick up on. She was like a hawk on a hunt when it came to the two. ”What about ‘Another One Bites the Crust’?” She asked the table. ”Well, are we all sharing or getting our own?” That should have been the first order of business and it really depended on everyone’s appetite.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

21 March 2026

In their group hangouts, Raphael always found himself drifting close to Dicky, who was by far the safest person to walk next to without getting pulled into shenanigans. A single topic of conversation never lasted long in the group, which made sense when you pulled five very different people together. Addy was always a reliable source for Quidditch news, especially with her older brother working as a sports writer, but whenever Quidditch came up Brígh would roll her eyes, stomp her foot, and demand a change in conversation. Naturally, she always seemed to bring up the druids or Hy-Brasil these days (gee, wonder where that sudden interest had come from), but Rafe didn’t have much enthusiasm whenever talking about magical islands that didn’t let him use his camera. But Dicky never pushed for unnecessary chatter, and it was peaceful to walk by him in calm silence while Addy and Brígh dragged Penelope into all sorts of trouble.

Besides, Rafe didn’t know if he’d be a good source of conversation right now. He felt as light as a balloon, like there was only a thin string keeping him tethered to the ground, and he couldn’t keep a stupid grin off his face. The boy had promised he could be subtle, but he and Addy both knew that was a complete lie. They all shuffled into Hogsmeade’s new pizza shop which Raphael had recommended after the last Hogsmeade weekend – sure, meeting up with Mickey was always awkward, but the pizza had been good enough to make up for it. He’d spent most of that conversation staring at the menu instead of his overachieving brother, so at this point the cheesy puns had been seared into Rafe’s mind. He tried and failed to keep a smile off his face as he wordlessly slid into the spot next to Addy and everyone immediately fell into their usual habits. Brígh was quick to ask about firewhisky, with Penelope quickly chiming in to at least change the order into something more moderate – as in, the Hufflepuff knew she wouldn’t be able to talk Brígh out of it, so she was aiming for some form of restraint instead. Addy quickly stepped up to organize their strategy for ordering pizza – because of course Addy would have a plan for everything, she was just too clever for there to be any other option. Rafe didn’t need to look at the menu anymore, but he gave it a quick once-over as he half-listened to Penelope coo over the names.

“I Knead You?” Rafe suggested suddenly, eyes lingering on Addy for a moment before he turned back to the group. “It comes with mushrooms, though,” he added after a beat, smiling to himself as he flipped the menu over to the other side. He knew Penelope would want to take a look, and somebody was going to complain about all the toppings. He was eager for pizza, so Rafe continued, “Three pizzas should be enough, right? So let’s just get the Love Triangle Deal, third one free. Two for the group and one for Brígh.” He shot the Gryffindor a pointed look, although in true Hufflepuff form couldn’t keep the smile off his face for longer than a few seconds. But it was impossible to be friends with someone for seven years without learning their habits, and he knew Brígh was going to announce she could eat a whole pizza on her own. Although probably not until she’d be ‘starving’ after waiting 20 minutes. His eyes naturally drifted back to Addy, like they always seemed to, but no – he could be cool. He forced himself to glance at the menu again as if he hadn’t memorized it already.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
addilyn elara slater
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

[addilyn elara slater]

Turn my headphones up, real loud

I don't think I need them, now
'Cause you stop the noise

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

Addy tried her best not to look at Cheese, it wasn’t that she couldn’t control her smile but that he usually couldn’t. But she had reason to smile as well. She had felt this sense of relief after so much anxiety and fear. It was like she could take a full breath of air again after all these months. Still, the anxiety she had left was her friends and how to tell them or broach the subject. Brigh had been uncharacteristically quiet about it all lately, but Addy fully expected that she would be interrogated after the career fair sooner or later. Plus, if there was any indication that she hadn’t let this go, it was the shuffle of the order in which they sat. Usually, when the group got together, Addy never sat next to Cheese, and he sat next to Dicky while Addy took her posting next to Brigh. It definitely was not something that would go unnoticed long, and she even had to remind herself to breathe when her knee accidentally bumped into his for a second.

As they all repeated the creative pizza names and Addy tried to create some order before too much chaos ensued, her brain stopped when Cheese read one of the names ’I Knead You’, and she cleared her throat before her head went into the clouds. It had been a moment that had only lasted a split second, but Addy could have kicked him hard under the table if he wouldn’t have made a fuss to remind him he needed to act cool. ”I’m okay with mushrooms.” Addy added, she wasn’t picky when it came to pizza, fortunately. Since Cheese had been here before, he took charge of making suggestions while Addy skimmed the menu once more, wondering what the most effective option was but then she couldn’t stifle a laugh when he suggested Brigh required her own pizza. ”I think that’s the most effective option, but I wouldn’t want to waste an entire pizza.” Addy said, sarcasm evident in her tone as she gave a light shrug. Addy knew what Cheese’s aim was, and really it was the same conversation anytime there was pizza involved. Addy tried not to notice his eyes on her, though she could feel them, and she focused on the menu as if she was studying for a NEWT-level exam.

[ chaos posting order, aka no order ]

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh shot Eggy a glare at the suggestion of a fizzy drink. "What's the point of diluting something so gorgeous and pure?" said Brígh, trying and failing to put on an angelic tone of voice as they perused the menus. She had one eye on the menu, and one on Addy and Cheese. They seemed more at ease around each other than they had the past few months since their admission to Brígh. She'd been more annoyed they hadn't trusted her than the fact that they had shagged. If they were still trying to keep things from her... no, they wouldn't do that. Brígh had to trust the pair. They had been together since first year, and really nothing could separate that bond. Brígh slung an arm through Eggy's and propped her chin on her friend's shoulder. "You my date today, babe?" she asked playfully, before turning back to the menu, but not before glancing at Cheese and Addy once more.

"I was going to say, at least one of those pizzas needs to be for me," said Brígh as Cheese suggested three - two for the table and one for her. "You know me too well," she added with a playful wink, before glancing over at Dickie to make sure he was alright. She tucked a stray lock of vibrant red hair behind her ear, her mind drifting back to the last time she had seen Aidan, the sweet way his lips had tasted, the hesitant brush of his hands...

Clearing her throat, Brígh squinted purposefully down at the menu. "Are there any spicy ones?" she asked of no one in particular. "I also like mushrooms. Honestly, I'll eat any of them. Dealer's choice," said Brígh, slapping down the menu and looking around for a member of staff. She beamed at one of them, who looked incredibly hesitant to wait on five rowdy teens. "Hello there. Please can we have five firewhiskies and some butterbeer? And what's your favourite pizza?" asked Brígh with her electric smile. "Er.... are you of age?" stammered the employee. Brígh fixed him with a glare, and he nodded, gulping nervously. "I can recommend the I Knead You pizza. Really tasty," he added after a moment. "Right then. We'll take Another one bites the crust, I knead you, and one hot pizza - wait, is that supposed to mean one hot piece of ass? How naughty," said Brígh with a chuckle. "Objections?" she added, glancing around at her mates.

addilyn elara slater
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
penelope raisa bainbridge
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

[Richard Myron Woods-Knox]

'blowin' in the wind.

SKATEBOARD WEDGED UNDER ONE ARM, RICHIE walked all the way to Hogsmeade without lifting his head once. The puzzle box clutched in his hands consuming his entire attention. It had been a gift from his sister, a wooden contraption with many cogs and sliding pieces. He had picked it up in the morning with his mail and he hadn't set it down since. This meant that his friends mostly moved around him, a gaggle of comforting noise providing a peaceful soundtrack. Richie's idea of 'taking part' was walking with them to the pizza place without saying a single word. He took his seat blindly, shepherded in like a grazing farm animal until he was wedged between the wall and Brigh's bony shoulder.

Chin ducked low as - somewhere at at the back of his consciousness - he registered the inane chatter of his friends. The puzzle forming a broken image as he became closer and closer to solving it. Brigh was talking, Richie noted absently, about firewhiskey and pizza puns. Cheese's deepening tenor, Addy's stiff retorts and the dreamy quality of Egg's interception colouring the booth. All seeming to revolve around Brigh's sun-like personality. Planets orbiting around an Irish brogue. It was only after the third pizza pun that Richie couldn't bear it anymore. He set the puzzle box down carefully.

"Love tri-?!" Richie reached across the table to snatch the menu from Cheese's hands. He turned the paper around, his nose wrinkling as he scanned the array of love-based puns, curdling somewhere in his gut. "Oh, these are awful!" He crowed, sticking his tongue out in abject disgust, though his stomach rumbled anyway. He turned it around, expecting even worse, but stiffened all at once, spine straightening. "O- there's a maze on the back!" He declared with child-like interest. The silly twirl of ink moving as it shifted itself with the passing seconds. "'Maze To Your Heart'.." He read the title, shaking his head in disapproval, but reaching for the cup of crayons in the centre of the table anyway.

"I don't really like mushrooms." He contributed quietly, but was drowned out by the appearance of the waiter. The blue crayon already marking a path through the shifting maze. Shaggy head only lifting at the second mention of firewhiskey, sprawled halfway across the table as he bent over the menu. The waiters shrewd stare scanning the gangly group as he asked if they were of age. "Oh, I'm n-" Richie spoke up but was silenced by Brigh's cold hand. Smacked cleanly across Richie's open mouth as she angled her body in front of him and asked for any objections. Richie realised his own were not to be considered and he relaxed against Brigh's back with a gusty sigh through his nose.

addilyn elara slater , Raphael Caelan McLaggen , penelope raisa bainbridge , BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

Turn my headphones up, real loud

I don't think I need them, now
'Cause you stop the noise

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

Addy avoided Brígh’s gaze when she looked in her general direction. Eyes shifting quickly between herself and Cheese. For the moment, she busied herself with another look over the simple and silly menu. ”I’m fine with mushrooms.” Addy responded. But she agreed with Dickie, some of these names were terrible, but Addy could see where it would be amusing. Brigh summoned a waiter and ordered them, which Addy didn’t mind though she stopped herself from speaking when the firewhiskies were ordered. It wasn’t that she didn’t want one. Addy doubted she would finish it—but Dickie certainly wasn’t of age, but Brigh’s hand shot out to cover his protesting.

With their order placed, Dickie kept himself busy with the maze on the back of the menu while Brigh moved closer to Eggy, leaving just Addy and Cheese. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep such important information from her best friend—but weren’t they entitled a few days to figure this out? Between the Career fair and this excursion to the new pizza place, any free time was spent catching up on homework. Well, almost—there were those few minutes they could find alone from time to time. Five minutes here and a few minutes there was enough for now. Hiding was not the same as just waiting.

The order was placed, and she placed the menu back in front of her, stacking it neatly upon the other menus on the table—minus the one Dickie was drawing on. ”I’ll be right back.” Addy spoke, pushing her chair back, pushing it back in place, and heading toward the bathroom in the back.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

There was a warm feeling in Raphael’s chest as he sat at the table, and he doubted it was just from the pizza ovens. They’d all been friends for so long that it went unspoken that they all knew each other’s habits and could probably guess how the rest of the conversation would go, if they were so inclined. But things had been so weird lately – Brígh leaving for a year, the radical dynamic change between him and Addy, and months of a rollercoaster dynamic that ranged everywhere from extra time spent after Quidditch practice to awkward attempts to avoid each other and avoid confronting what exactly these changes meant. But now it was all coming together, and Rafe had spent most of the last few days walking around like he had a mini-sun in his chest. Even the looming threat of NEWT exams wasn’t enough to dampen the feeling.

Rafe smiled into his menu to avoid being too obvious, because while Addy could be cool as a cucumber he definitely couldn’t. But he quickly lost that shield when Dickie snatched it from his hand and wrinkled his nose at the cheesy pizza puns. At least thanks to that, there was something else to smile about so Rafe gave an involuntary laugh as he reached for the jug of water in the center and started pouring into everyone’s glasses. He gave Brígh a little extra, because this talk of firewhisky was unlikely to end well. Raphael knew better than to say anything about the table’s order, so he wisely kept his mouth shut and glanced in interest at the maze Dickie had found on the back of the menu. “Can I try?” he asked, although it was already too late as he watched the blue crayon skillfully navigate through the black lines. Still, he took advantage of Dickie’s distraction -- Brígh slapping her hand over his mouth – to snatch an orange crayon and pick up where the blue crayon had drifted away from the paper. Rafe leaned over the menu and after a few moments crowed in victory as he found the end of the maze. “I found it!” he said happily, waving the maze excitedly.

He prepared himself for a small exchange with Dickie – since the Ravenclaw boy was not likely to be as excited and he was quite good at tearing people to shreds when he wanted to – but Rafe completely forgot about the maze as his eyes followed Addy leaving the table. He didn’t register whether Dickie had actually responded, or whether Penelope and Brígh were still talking about firewhisky. Instead, he squirmed in his seat for one second, two, three, before making a spontaneous decision. “I need to use the bathroom!” he blurted out, mustering every bit of being casual he could as he stood up and weaved through the tables. He pushed open the door separating the main eating area from the small hallway leading to the bathrooms, barely waiting for it to close before crossing the area in a couple long strides. He leaned over Addy, one hand placed casually on the wall as if Rafe had any chill left. “Hi,” he said breathlessly, finally drinking in the view the way he couldn’t openly at the table. He couldn’t resist any longer and brought his free hand to tilt her chin up and capture her lips in a kiss – after the rollercoaster of their 7th year, it was unbelievable that he could just…do that now. He couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

addilyn elara slater
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
Richard Myron Woods-Knox
penelope raisa bainbridge

[penelope raisa bainbridge]

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend

Both Addilyn and Raphael got up from the table at about the same time, and Penelope found that to be probably a little bit more than a coincidence but didn't say anything about it. She wasn't completely sure what was going on there, but she didn't think that anyone needed to be a Legilimens to tell that it wasn't completely platonic anymore.

Beyond that, though, their hanging out as a friend group was going well, even if Brígh was insistent on getting firewhisky. (Then again, Penelope thought as Addy and Cheese left the table, maybe Brígh was right to want something alcoholic…) Brígh, as she had deemed herself, was her "date for the day", after all, and Penelope played with the Gryffindor's hair as the others mused over the menu and eventually ordered.

As Addy and Cheese disappeared from sight, Penelope looked between Dickie and Brígh. "Anyway," she considered, trying to remember what Brígh had even ordered for them all in the first place. "Do you even know what toppings are coming?" she laughed. The names of the menu items were entertaining, but Penelope wasn't sure that she could keep them straight.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
Richard Myron Woods-Knox
addilyn elara slater
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[addilyn elara slater]

Turn my headphones up, real loud

I don't think I need them, now
'Cause you stop the noise

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

Addy pushed through the door into the hallway that led to the bathrooms. Really, she’d just needed a moment to take a breath and gather herself. The flurry of emotions in her chest didn’t quite sit right. On the one hand, she was happy finally having taken that step toward something more with Cheese, but on the other, she hadn’t told her best friend yet. Why? Well. Brigh had been right this entire time, hadn’t she? Addy would tell her. She’d promised herself that. After how she’d found out that information over New Year’s Eve, she didn’t want a repeat of that. But, in the meantime, she had to ensure that the information came from her own mouth.

But Addy hardly had the chance to catch that breath before she heard the door open again, and her heart fluttered in surprise but also because of who it was. Her blue eyes didn’t leave the figure that crossed to her so confidently and stopping right in front of her. She swallowed as her heart beat a little faster, and if she wasn’t so damn distracted by the way he’d marched over with such conviction, she would have told him it wasn’t the time nor the place. But also, she couldn’t help herself either. ”Hi…” She replied before he leaned down and kissed her. Addy didn’t push him away and her head came back from the clouds only because she heard the door open again.

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[Richard Myron Woods-Knox]

'blowin' in the wind.

THE HAND OVER RICHIE'S MOUTH DIDN'T CEASE it's hold until the waiter had left. Richie's chin and cheeks clammy with his own breath as he stretched his lips, and scowled at Brigh's back momentarily. Though it drifted the moment she looked back at him, flattening to impassiveness lest she think he was seriously offended. Richie had something of a resting scowl for a face.

Distracted, Richie dropped his gaze to the paper maze he'd been completing, but found it missing. His eyes following its retreat across the table to where Cheese was sitting. The orange crayon was braced triumphantly in his long, thieving fingers. Much too late for Richie to beat him, though he still snatched it back as Cheese crowned himself the conqueror. "Hey! I was doing that." He snapped, his cheeks colouring with anger as he stared accusingly at the maze, following its path from where the blue crayon ended and orange had resumed steadily. His friend's line much steadier and surer than his own permanently shaking grip.

"Fuck you, man." He spat, his head lifting to stare haughtily, but Cheese had already left the table. He'd leapt from it, and Richie watched him declare his sudden need for the bathroom before he looked at his quickly looping gait. Richie frowned in sudden confusion, his anger leaking from his hunched shoulders as he scanned the table. Five had become three and the absence was palpable. He recalled suddenly that Addy had gone for the bathroom too and felt a sudden need to vent to her. His eyes shifting to where Egg was carefully braiding Brigh's hair.

With a heaving sigh, Richie rolled his eyes and slid intentionally down his seat until he fell to the ground below the table. On all fours, he crawled out from under their booth and jumped to his feet. "I'm going to pee." He grumbled unhappily, wiping his dusty hands on his trousers as he slouched all the way towards the back of the parlour. Flat hands slamming the door open rapidly, he pictured it was Cheese's back as it swung open and knocked noisily against the wall. And Richie froze, first with disgust and then horror. The first thing he saw was a couple tangled together - disgusting, especially two feet away from the public toilets. And horror - the 'couple' was Cheese and Addy.

The door knocked against Richie's shoulder as it swung back towards him, but he couldn't move. "I- uh- I-" He stuttered, eyes unblinking as a sweat broke out at the back of his neck. His hands were slack at his sides. "Wh- what?" He gasped in astonishment. And then, his immediate afterthought, "Does Brigh know?!" Had they all been keeping his monumental shift in dynamic from just him? Richie couldn't know, but their mirroring expressions of horror told him that they definitely hadn't expected Richie to catch them. 

addilyn elara slater , Raphael Caelan McLaggen , penelope raisa bainbridge , BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

Turn my headphones up, real loud

I don't think I need them, now
'Cause you stop the noise

March 2026 Hogsmeade Weekend
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

Shit. Addy pulled away from Cheese, though the wall stopped her from going very far. Her eyes were wide as they looked at Dicky’s familiar frame. Glancing at Cheese, her face turned a shade of pink. This is what she’d wanted to avoid. First of all, she couldn’t imagine what people might think of them displaying such a public display of affection. It was unseemly, and Addy felt embarrassed to have been caught. Second, it was Dicky who immediately mentioned Brigh, and with that Addy, a wave of anxiety hit her in the chest. This was not how Addy had planned to tell her friends. It was enough that Brigh had sniffed it out before, and naturally, Eggy and Dicky had found out, though they had hardly brought it up because they’d likely thought it was a done deal.

Finally, Addy exhaled, she’d been holding her breath, and she took that quick moment to gather herself. ”No. And you aren’t going to tell her.” Addy moved closer to Dicky. Her hand moved closer to wand as she was ready to lock his legs if he tried to run back to the table too soon. She tried to go through what her next step might be. It would be noticed if the three of them were gone too long, so she had to act fast. ”Dicky if you say anything I’ll never give you the thing back.” She locked eyes with him. He very well knew what she was talking about. The First Edition Book of Spells she’d managed to get out of the Restricted Section recently. It had taken some time, but Addy had carefully placed it in her trunk in the girl's dormitory. Hopefully, this worked. If not, she was ready to cast a silencing charm to get through this lunch. Pausing, she glanced back at Cheese. ”You should head back before they get suspicious.”

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Cheese congratulated himself on such a cool and casual move as he tilted Addy’s chin up and kissed her the way he’d been waiting to all day. It wasn’t his usual bumbling and awkward style, but there was something about the triumph of resolving months of unresolved tension that just brought it out of him. Not to mention, if there was anything he’d learned in the last week, it was that Addy liked it when he was confident. Yeah, for one brief moment, everything was coming together and Raphael felt like he had been catapulted into the clouds. He was here, and Addy was here, and they were finally together. They’d have time to figure out the rest, right? Naturally, that’s where it all went wrong. In what was truly a moment of instant karma, the sound of someone pushing open the door angrily caused the pair to separate and their heads to turn in unison towards the source of the noise. Rafe’s face flushed deeply as he realized who it was, and he immediately regretted stealing Dicky’s maze earlier. Addy pulled away, but he was frozen in place like a deer caught in the headlights as the Ravenclaw boy gasped and his mouth dropped open. Cheese was finally shocked into movement at the damning question, and he winced because – no, Brígh definitely didn’t know, and she was going to be furious when she found out. The events of their New Year’s hangout played on a loop in his head. He stepped away from Addy and towards Dicky as he begged, “Please don’t say anything. We were going to tell her, promise.”

Addy’s mysterious statement caused Rafe’s head to swivel as he stared at her in surprise. He knew Addy and Dicky were close – they could always be found in the library with their heads close together as they plotted Merlin-knows-what. But he still had no clue what they were talking about and nothing else occurred to him to say except to blankly ask, “Wait, what?” He didn’t expect to get a real answer, because Addy had that stubborn look in her eyes that said she was on a mission. And Dicky had looked murderous before Cheese had followed Addy to the bathroom, which he doubted would have improved now that he’d walked in on them. So as Addy suggested that he make his way back to the table, Raphael rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and thought it better not to disagree. “Erm, okay…” As he defeatedly passed by the other boy, he paused for a moment as he scuffed his shoe awkwardly against the floor. “Uh, sorry by the way. I’ll get you another maze. A way better one.” His cheeks burned as he pushed through the door and made his way back to the others, taking his seat in silence. Rafe cleared his throat as he decided to ask how the firewhisky argument between Penelope and Brígh had ended. “So who won the match, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor?”

addilyn elara slater
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH
penelope raisa bainbridge
Richard Myron Woods-Knox

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Addy and Cheese disappeared off to the loo, and Dicky subsequently followed not long after. Brígh was far too concerned with the prospect of firewhisky, even if Dicky wasn't technically of age. "Er... no. I don't remember. But I'm sure it will be good," said Brígh, waving a hand dismissively. The server came back with a round of five firewhiskies, and Brígh beamed. It appeared her signature 'do-what-I-say' glare still worked a charm.

Without a modicum of grace or elegance, Brígh lifted her glass of firewhisky into the air. Addy, Dicky and Cheese finally returned from the toilet, and Brígh nodded towards the glasses. "To good pizza and better friends," she proclaimed, clinking her glass against her friends' and taking a long sip. She smacked her lips, glancing around at the table. A surge of delight swelled within her - she only wished Aidan could be here too. They'd spoken loads since kissing at Hy-Brasil, though Brígh was still rather uncertain as to their relationship. She couldn't' get her mind off him, though she wasn't sure if druids did boyfriends and girlfriends. She would have to ask, next time she saw Aidan. For now, she had to satisfy herself with chats through the enchanted mirrors.

Blinking in confusion, Brígh fixed her gaze on Cheese. "Are you talking about Quidditch? You know how that bores me to tears," said Brígh.

addilyn elara slater
Raphael Caelan McLaggen
Richard Myron Woods-Knox
penelope raisa bainbridge