bait and switch [cheese]

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Late February 2026

Addy, predictably, told Brígh nothing. She had thought she'd gotten through to her friend, had finally helped to lead her out of denial. And yet, after the Hy-Brasil field trip, Addy had shut out any mention of Cheese. She didn't know if it was good or bad, just that she was going mad with curiosity. After all, those two had bungled their own relationship. Brígh really didn't want things to get more awkward. She had enough drama in her life already - her da nosing into her business, Phoenix Rising meetings (despite the meagre uptake), worrying about passing her exams, and wondering when she'd be able to see Aidan again, Brígh very much did not need this Addy and Cheese drama to last as long as it had.

Therefore, Brígh knew the only way to get answers, or at least closer to answers, was to spring a trap for Cheese. In all fairness, she didn't do much. She rose early before their lessons one day, and dashed down towards the basement where she knew the Hufflepuff Common Room was. Eggy had mentioned it was near the kitchens in passing, so Brígh waited there, watching with a keen eye as various Hufflepuffs left their common room, giving her strange looks. Perhaps she did look like a caged animal, prowling the corridor and waiting to accost her friend.

"Cheese!" she barked at last as his long, lean form unfolded from the entrance hidden within a barrel. "Cheese, walk with me, talk with me," she cooed, offering him her arm and a devious smile.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Late February 2026

Things had finally settled into some kind of new normal. It wasn’t exactly what Raphael would have hoped for – he’d fallen insanely hard for his best friend, and it was hard to banish the fantasies of taking her out on dates or kissing her whenever he wanted to the back of his mind. But after the last Hogsmeade weekend, he and Addy had finally spoken in an honest sort of way that hadn’t been done since the dynamic of their friendship had changed. Things had been awkward for so long as the two of them continued to fall in and out of bad habits, swearing each time would be the last until they inevitably got tangled up in each other again. So being able to speak freely about what wasn’t working – namely, the question of whether their friendship would be able to survive the ups and downs of teen hormones – had finally started them on a new path of putting in the effort to keep the friendship intact.

Again, it wasn’t exactly what he wanted – Rafe hadn’t wanted to be ‘just friends’ for a really long time. But it was better than losing her completely, so he could accept it. He knew it wasn’t exactly what Brígh wanted either, because the new arrangement did very little to address any of the underlying factors that had caused the dynamic change in the first place. And unlike Raphael, Brígh never stopped fighting until she got what she wanted. It was an admirable personality trait most of the time, but… sometimes it could be painful to keep reopening the same old wound over and over again. Sometimes it was just better to let go and accept what you had. He’d been dreading the next time Brígh would corner him about it, because in all honesty – he agreed with her, which made it really hard to refute her arguments.

But there was nothing to do, because even Hurricane Brígh couldn’t always move Mt Addy. Rafe wasn’t sure what he was in the metaphor – probably a paper airplane – but either way, he was weak to say no to either of them and that made him an easy target for their proxy wars. He absentmindedly considered the thought as he clambered out of the Hufflepuff Common Room, camera hanging around his neck as always. He stopped short at the sight of a familiar redhead pacing the corridor, students in yellow-and-black ties doing their absolute best to avoid eye contact and pass around her. Brígh finally caught sight of him, and Rafe stared at her wide-eyed. Her tone was sweet – too sweet – and didn’t match the devilish grin on her face. “Um…” he said, swallowing slightly, eyes lingering on her offered arm. “That sounds…super fun, but I can’t right now. Jimmie wants me to take pictures for the newspaper.” He motioned down at his camera before inching off to the side to try and make it outside Brígh’s range. Jimmie, somehow, was even scarier to him than Brígh or Addy, and he didn’t want to imagine how she’d react if he didn’t meet his deadlines.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh blinked, then fixed Cheese with a hard stare. Did he just... did he just try to turn her down? There must have been something in her ears, because she had never heard Cheese say no to her. "Sorry, I don't think I heard you properly," said Brígh, clasping her hands together and tilting her head. "It sounded like you were putting something else before me, your best friend of seven years. After all, that couldn't be right. Considering you've already cashed in your one betrayal of the year and that is the limit," she added, a simpering smile stretching across her lips.

Ignoring his protests, Brígh linked her arm through Cheese's and forcefully led him down the corridor with her. "Well, I wanted to talk to you about your photography anyways," said Brígh. "Among other things." The drama between her two closest friends could wait as his weak protestation about needing to take photos for the paper had given her an idea. "Cheese, do you always ask permission before you take photos? Or do you have photos where people don't really know you're doing it? Sort of like paparazzi?" she asked.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Brígh reacted exactly the way he thought she might – as in, not well. He supposed that was his fault for setting the precedent of never saying no. Well, he did try, really. Rafe wasn’t always on-board with every crazy idea, but he’d gotten into the bad habit of caving anyway and becoming a reluctant accomplice. He wasn’t crazy about the thought, but seven years later there just wasn’t anything to do about it. And ultimately, while it bothered him to feel his voice getting lost among the much louder ones, he did love his best friends and the friend group they'd created.

So Raphael couldn’t really fault Brígh for being surprised at his refusal, because this conversation was going to go the same way all the others did. He’d protest weakly for a while, but eventually Brígh’s sheer force of will would get him to a reluctant yes. Still, he raised an eyebrow at her choice of argument and shot her a questioning look. “Yeah, that would be crazy to put other things before your best friends,” he muttered, “like boys or leaving for a year.” He wasn’t happy, but still kept it in an undertone because that was an argument he was absolutely going to lose. And anyway, he tried hard to block out Addy and Brígh’s boy talk, whether it was about rockstars, druids, or Potter boys. It all blended together until it became hard to tell what she took seriously anymore.

The sight of an owl swooping by outside distracted Rafe, and he leaned halfway out the window with his camera to see if he could get a good shot. Afterwards, he glanced down and saw students milling about on the Grounds, lounging by the Black Lake, so he snapped a few shots of that too. Jimmie had been talking his ear off about a special spring edition for the paper, so Rafe was looking for pictures of anything that screamed ‘spring break.’ Once he was satisfied, he stumbled back inside and turned back to Brígh. Her question made his ears burn in embarrassment with the memory of Jimmie berating him for not asking permission before photographing her, and he scuffed his shoe against the stone of the castle floor. That was a memory he would love to forget. “Not always,” he admitted with a sheepish laugh, “people act different when they know they’re being photographed. I get more honest shots when they don’t know I'm there.” He paused for a moment, then asked suspiciously, “Why? I always ask before publishing something,” he added quickly.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh wasn't used to being told no, especially not by Cheese. It appeared lots more than she had expected changed in the year she'd been away. He even shot back a retort, and Brígh looked up, hurt etched in her features. "You know that wasn't my fault. I would have stayed if my da wasn't dying," she said in a small voice. If Cheese would think to use that against her, maybe it made more sense that he was willing to prioritise other things, such as keeping secrets from her. She dropped her gaze, frowning. Things weren't as simple as she'd hoped they would be. That much was obvious.

Cheese leaned into the passing window, capturing a beautiful shot of an owl fluttering by before his attention was drawn to the students by the Black Lake. He snapped another shot, and Brígh inquired idly about if he always asked permission before shooting. Apparently not - as he hadn't asked those students, though Cheese did mention usually trying to do so before publishing. His insistence on getting good photos had given her an idea. "I've had this idea... that involves you and your photos. I don't know if Addy told you -" a pointed look away from Cheese at this moment - "But we've restarted Phoenix Rising. To prepare for what's out there. To find out what we can to help the Order and learn more about defensive spells in a way that isn't as contrived as duelling," said Brígh slowly.

"Before you say no - your new favourite word, I suppose, hear me out," she said, tugging on the sleeve of Cheese's robe. "When you capture your photos, you said you get a more honest look into people's lives. What if people are doing things suspicious? Trying to destabilise the peace? What if... you captured things like that?" asked Brígh, meeting Cheese's eye at last, an intensity to her stare.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

The topic of Brígh being gone for a year had become a sore subject. She’d left at a particularly dramatic time in their lives, mostly because sixth year was when everything started changing for Hogwarts students. NEWT level classes, thinking about their future, teenage hormones…yeah, the first few years at Hogwarts were always breezy compared to what it turned into later. So Brígh had left, and everything had changed. Rafe knew there wasn’t anything that could be done about that, because the past was the past and everything that had happened couldn’t really be taken back. And he didn’t fault her for leaving, both because it hadn’t been her decision and because the situation with her dad had been so delicate. But… “You could have written more,” Cheese responded in a small voice.

They’d tried, of course, and at the beginning the letter exchange had been quite rapid. But teenagers were particularly bad at staying in touch, and eventually the number had dwindled. Raphael still occasionally sent her photos, and hastily written letters with them, and he knew Addy must have as well. But just as he’d slowly let it go, so had Brígh and he’d barely heard anything about her time in Ireland. Even now that she was back, she always preferred to talk to Addy about it. The mood shifted as Brígh started a dangerous line of thought – ‘I had an idea’ always guaranteed to get them into trouble. He gave Brígh a deadpan look as she brought up Addy. “I haven’t, actually. She’s been studying for a Magical Theory exam and threatened to snap my broomstick if I kept interrupting.” He figured both himself and half of Slytherin would be relieved when Addy finally took her exam and stopped growling at everyone.

The equally funny and terrifying thought of Addy stress-studying for the last two weeks quickly dissipated as Brígh brought up some explosive words. Phoenix Rising. He knew the girls had been talking about it, but the idea that they’d actually taken enough concrete action to restart the group made his heart pound nervously. The Order of the Phoenix was the stuff of legend – Harry Potter and a group of brave individuals who had stood up against, and defeated, Lord Voldemort. The idea of Phoenix Rising sounded so cool – students learning defensive magic and actually helping fight Dark wizards – but it also sounded insane. Most of them were barely of age! What could they do to help the Order of the Phoenix, and more to the point, what would they actually be doing? Raphael was just a Hufflepuff who liked to take photos. He wasn’t anything impressive. “Cool,” he said cautiously, letting his camera hang by the strap around his neck as he gazed warily at Brígh. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. And there it was. Brígh finally made her pitch, asking about using his photography for the sake of the group. Raphael gulped nervously at the thought. “If people are doing suspicious things, we should tell a professor,” he said shakily. “If I saw something dodgy, what would I do? Follow them? Call attention to myself with my camera? I’d just mess it up, Brígh, and then I’d be in real trouble.” She was fixing him with an intense stare, certainty and confidence blazing in her eyes. Rafe quickly looked away, slouching as he continued making his way down the deserted corridor.

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh recoiled at Cheese’s flippant reaction to her year long departure. He knew how difficult it had been for her, how much she had struggled as her father had hovered somewhere between life and death. How could her best friend throw something that serious in her face? Maybe things had changed more than she’d realised in the past year. Not only were her best friends keeping secrets from her, they also didn’t seem to realise the emotional toll that missing out had taken on her. Now, Brígh had tried so hard to move on, to pretend the past year hadn’t actually happened, and yet… it was impossible to forget. Cheese replied to her weak retort in an equally small voice, and Brígh looked down, fighting back the sudden stinging in her eyes. ”I know,” she said to the floor.

Pressing forwards, Brígh brought up Addy, and Cheese replied in an overly casual way. She giggled at the prospect of Addy snapping Cheese’s broomstick - secret relationship or not, Addy had always been no nonsense about revision. ”On the war path as always, I see. I’ll never understand your Quidditch obsessions,” said Brígh, shaking her head. ”Though a broom is probably quite an investment. Better spent on dungbombs or firewhisky,” she observed, the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Finally, Brígh brought up the topic she had been circling around since accosting Cheese in the corridor. Phoenix Rising. It was proving to be harder to recruit people for than she had initially intended, but she was proud of those who had agreed. She nodded eagerly as Cheese idly stated that it was cool, though his face was stony. Brígh bit her lip, suddenly apprehensive. What if Cheese told a teacher? She supposed it wasn’t all that bad, especially since Madam Macmillan had essentially condoned the group. At the end of the day, it was a teenagers gang, but one that was willing to learn and fight when others perhaps were less inclined to do so. ”Madam Macmillan knows. We talked about it in detention,” said Brígh quickly. She left out the part where she had been skeptical towards Parvati’s loyalty, for it would be useless in her convincing pitch. ”You said you don’t always call attention to yourself. It gets you more honest photos. It would only count as evidence… you could uncover something incredible, Rafe,” said Brígh, employing Cheese’s preferred nickname as an additional weapon in persuasion. ”You’re a better photographer and wizard than you think. You doubt yourself when you shouldn’t. I have complete and utter faith in you, Cheese. Or imagine… if you sat back and did nothing while someone else was hurt. Knowing you could have done something and you didn’t,” said Brígh, her gaze intense on his face as she spoke.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

The conversation turned more familiar as they began to banter about Quidditch, and Raphael gave a grudging smile at Brígh’s usual arguments. Coming from a big Quidditch family – considering his father and brother’s careers – Rafe had never had any choice but to be interested in the magical sport. His dad had put him on a broomstick from almost before he could even walk, and he’d learned how to play every position and been put to practice against his older, much tougher siblings from day one. He did enjoy Quidditch – the thrill from flying, the intense focus and concentration needed to find the Snitch – but it wouldn’t be his choice of a career. Still, he knew there was no convincing Brígh, so he usually kept the Quidditch commentary contained to his conversations with Addy. “If you don’t get it, then you just don’t get it,” he said grandly, trying and failing to keep a genuine smile off his face. “Anyway, snapping my broomstick would be almost as bad as losing my wand, so I’m staying away until she takes the exam and convinces Professor Burke to give her extra credit too.” A much safer option for everyone involved, really.

Rafe shot Brígh a sideways look as she mentioned Madam Macmillan. He’d been hearing a lot about her lately, ever since that incident with Wednesday Weekly, although from a very different point of view than the one Brígh was offering now. “I thought we didn’t like Madam Macmillan,” Raphael said matter-of-factly. He personally didn’t have a problem with the school counselor, but Brígh had been spitting mad after the whole fiasco and Raphael felt obligated to hate the people his friends hated. Hufflepuff loyalty and all that. Either way, it didn’t much change his position on Phoenix Rising. A bunch of barely-legal teenagers getting involved in messy anti-Dark magic efforts? Grown adults struggled to fight evil and do what they had to do, so Raphael really couldn’t imagine what a bunch of Hogwarts students might do that the Order couldn’t. “Something incredible, maybe,” Rafe agreed with Brígh’s observation, “But equally likely something that could get me put in St. Mungo’s. If you’re worried something’s happening at Hogwarts, then just…I dunno, tell someone.”

That seemed so much safer to him, and much more realistic than actually getting involved as an independent player. Phoenix Rising wasn’t like classes, after all, or even clubs or Quidditch. No, it was part of the real world, and as a result had very real consequences. Life-or-death consequences even. It was a dangerous idea, and while Raphael could appreciate how passionate Brígh was and how much she wanted to help…Merlin, he couldn’t picture what they’d actually be doing. Playing at Aurors until they got into trouble, most likely. He wasn’t swayed by the use of his real name, although he still gave a small jolt at the unfamiliarity of it coming from Brígh, and sighed slightly at her argument. “Yeah, but imagine I do get involved, and then I get hurt, or cause someone else to get hurt. I, er…appreciate the vote of confidence, but that’s the more likely scenario, isn’t it? I’m not Harry Potter, Brígh, and you aren’t either. What happens if you actually find trouble?”

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh chuckled, relieved at Cheese's ultimate relaxation as they settled into their usual banter. "That girl is a force to be reckoned with," said Brígh truthfully, glancing sideways at her friend. "Magical theory seems boring. Though I guess it may be that Addy wants to know what makes magical folk tick. Like, how did we become magic. Do you reckon that's what they talk about?" asked Brígh, more to herself than anything. "That professor Burke seems like a tough nut to crack, though," Brígh said, biting her lip. She wasn't sure that Addy would be able to schmooze her way into extra credit, but would be much more likely to just have to work extra hard for those top marks.

Beaming at Cheese, Brígh was delighted at his comment. It was true - the last time they'd spoken about the school counsellor, Brígh had been griping about the unfairness of their situation. It was typical of Cheese to remain so loyal and true, despite everything. "We didn't. But we do now. She's in the Order, and she actually apologised to me. Imagine that," said Brígh in a hushed tone. While she hadn't enjoyed her detention with Madam Macmillan, the counsellor's cool and collected demeanour had softened something within the fiery Gryffindor. Brígh tilted her head, appraising Cheese. "How would it put you in St Mungo's? You're not going to get beat up or anything," said Brígh, her brows knitting together in confusion. "We're still in school, after all. People do sketchy things all the time. But you've seen first hand what happens when people retaliate," said Brígh, rolling her eyes as she referred to the whole fiasco with Wendy Weekley.

"The professors can't have eyes everywhere. And students know to avoid acting weird around professors, Cheese. We need to find out what they do in the shadows," she said quietly, her eyes pleading. Brígh knew how dangerous her plan was, but equally, taking no action was also dangerous. "Cheese, what if something bad happens and you had seen something, something that could be accounted as evidence? Are people really going to trust a seventeen year old's word? Or are they going to trust cold, hard proof. Like a photo," said Brígh. "And if I find real trouble? Well... I'll be prepared to protect myself. And you too, and all the others I can," said Brígh. "And you? What would you do? If Addy was facing trouble? She's involved in this too..." said Brígh, pulling out the big guns.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Merlin’s wand, he had no idea what they talked about in Magical Theory, and Rafe made a face at the thought. “Who knows?” he asked, trying to keep a polite tone to his voice but failing miserably. He might have tried harder if Addy was around, or if Professor Burke happened to be right behind him, but Rafe couldn’t bother to keep the pretense up when it was just him and Brígh. Magical Theory sounded dry and boring, the perfect subject for people who liked to sit around and think all day. The thought made him practically squirm in discomfort and Rafe shivered slightly. But a thoughtful look crossed his face as Brígh mentioned the mysterious Professor Burke. “Yeah, she seems tough. Super pretty, though. Maybe you should take notes,” he said, shooting Brígh a mischievous look and taking one long stride to propel himself out of textbook-throwing territory.

He stopped in the corridor to allow her to catch up, already mentally preparing himself for the inevitable smack she was going to give him. It can’t be worse than a bludger, he chanted in his head, although he was torn out of his thoughts by Brígh’s startling declaration. “Really? Madam Macmillan?” It was hard to imagine their easygoing counselor as part of the legendary Order of the Phoenix, but as he gave it a second thought…it did make sense. She’d fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, after all, and who knows how involved she’d been in the resistance beforehand too. “Hmmm, apologizing to you…yeah, it is hard to imagine.” This time Rafe stayed where he was so Brígh could get her satisfaction with a good whack, although he grinned at her. Brígh was the most talented at drawing him out of his shell, and he felt more comfortable joking around with her than almost anybody else. He did with Addy too, but lately there’d been a flirty undertone to those exchanges. So it was different, in a way.

But once they got back to the topic of Phoenix Rising, the smile slipped off his face and Rafe gazed at Brígh seriously. She did have a point – students tended to know the school even better than the professors, and there were certainly more of them to keep an eye out. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was dangerous, practically inviting trouble to come and find them. Raphael sighed slightly and fiddled with his camera, unsure how to answer Brígh. “Look, I think it’s great that you care about this so much. You know I’m always impressed by the things you do. But Brígh,” his voice took on a pleading tone, “this isn’t like anything we’ve ever done before. It’s not classes or winning at gobstones or finding secret passages. You could get someone’s attention, and in a really bad way. What if that gets you hurt?” The serious nature of the conversation was undermined by Brígh bringing up Addy, and Rafe gave her a look. A ‘you gotta be kidding me’ look. “Nice try. Subtle,” he said, feeling much more confident than if Addy had been standing next to Brígh and giving him those eyes. “What would I do?” he repeated. “I guess I’d find Madam Macmillan…”

BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH