the great work [addy]

[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Early April 2026

Brígh frowned down at her alchemy essay, trying to remember exactly what Professor Burke had said about the so called Magnum Opus of Alchemy. She knew it had four stages that dealt with colours, but couldn't remember their exact names. They were Greek... Merlin, if only she'd learned a different useless language from Irish Gaelic as a child. This would have made her coursework so much easier. So much spellwork was based in the ancient Romantic languages, Greek and Latin at the forefront. However, Brígh could only tell people to sod off in a language that most people in her home country barely could grasp. Brígh huffed heavily, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes as she tried to transport herself back into the alchemy class.

"There are four stages of the Magnum Opus, or the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. We know that Nicolas Flamel was previous successful at forging this mythical object, yet no one else has been able to. The first stage is..." Brígh recalled from their lesson on Monday. "Melanosis," she remembered at last. She now remembered that she'd been curious at the name for the blackening, the first stage, to be melanosis, sort of like skin cancer. She wasn't well versed in muggle maladies, but with her fair, freckled skin, Brígh had to be cautious of sun damage.

Brígh's quill scratched onwards, the flicking of pages intermittently punctuating the scratching as Brígh continued on with her essay. Ordinarily, she and Addy would have done this together. But... well, Addy had been keeping secrets again, after promising she wouldn't. Dicky had found Addy and Cheese snogging in the loos at the pizza place in Hogsmeade - apparently they were together now, and hadn't told anyone. Brígh hadn't spoken much to the pair of them, keen to avoid another fight, though her temper was flaring. She just wished the three of them could trust each other again, rather than holding back information. Instead, Brígh was curled in the library, alone, and mourning the fact that she missed Addy more than anything.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

One Day. That was how long Dicky had managed to stay quiet—or instead, how long Addy had been able to keep him quiet before he spilled everything. It was stupid, and she kicked herself at ever being in such a situation to let herself get caught when she was so careful otherwise. But, the scary part was the aftermath—or the lack thereof. Brígh hadn’t yelled or reacted as they’d expected, and in fact, she’d barely spoken to Addy or Cheese in the past two weeks. The silence weighed as heavily as her upcoming NEWT exams. But, despite all that, Addy couldn’t help but dig her feet in. Realistically Addy had only been hiding that pertinent information that she and Cheese were an item for a few days. She was going to tell her but were they allowed as a couple to figure a few things out first?

So, naturally, Addy didn’t feel there was the same injustice as the year prior when she’d hidden that physical relationship from Brígh in the first place. And the less Brígh said the more Addy told herself she was right. And she told Cheese as much, at least until he finally insisted at the end of the previous week that Addy go and try to make amends. Cheese could have gone himself, but they all knew it would have to be Addy. She was the second half of the duo, the other half of the coin. After Addy got over Cheese’s newfound audacity at insisting she “fix” this by looking at her with those big brown eyes of his, she relented.

Standing in the library, Addy carefully walked around the semi-empty tables. It wasn’t as full as one would expect for this time of year, but it could have also just been a rare day. It didn’t take her long to spot her red-headed friend as she scratched away at an assignment. Charms or Alchemy, perhaps. But Addy didn’t approach just yet. A part of her still felt she’d done nothing wrong, but not even a new boyfriend could fill the void. She’d probably never admit it out loud—at least the part where she needed her best friends beside her. That went against the fierce independence she was raised to have. Nobody was going to make you successful but yourself. How would Addy meet the standards set for her and that Claire had risen to meet if she worried about these connections?

She tightened her grip on the strap of her bag, deciding to make herself walk over before she turned around and left. As she approached the table, she cleared her throat. ”Brígh…can we talk?”

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Alchemy had never been Brígh's strongest subject. In fact, besides Charms, Brígh frequently struggled with formulating the right ideas for the right subject. Addy had always been the one to centre her and focus her mind, leading her to admirable marks. But with their slight falling out - more so Brígh was avoiding Addy due to her inability to share things with her best friend, Brígh was having rather a hard time with her alchemy essay. She scrubbed her face, thinking hard of the different stages of the magnus opus, before finally remembering the name.

Known for her temper, it was very unlike Brígh to not pick a fight. This time was different, however. For it was to do with Addy and Cheese, and this fight had been fought so many times over. When would they learn? When would all of them learn? She huffed, scratching out a sentence that she didn't like. She jumped at the sound of a voice addressing her, and looked up. As if she had been summoned by her very thoughts, there stood Addy. Brígh placed her quill flat on the table and folded her hands together to stop them shaking.

Looking up, Brígh fixed her gaze on her best friend, and felt as if something had lodged in her throat. Instead of speaking, she nodded, allowing Addy to sit with her. "I suppose this is about the... er," said Brígh, trailing off as she failed to put a name to their current situation. She looked down at her hands once more. "Why did I find out from Dicky?" she said in a very small voice.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

It was very much against Addy or any Slater’s nature to admit defeat. And in this case despite the fact that she’d given in to her boyfriend’s request to try and mend things she still stood there stubbornly, but uncomfortably since Brigh was rather calm actually. It was this that told Addy that the effect of this whole ordeal was greater than she’d thought. Truthfully, she hadn’t seen the big deal and especially when neither Dicky or Eggy had pestered either one of them about what their feelings might be. That conversation on Hy-Brasil had forced Addy to come.to terms with that fluttering feeling in her chest and yet she’d done nothing about it. And then one day that timid and gentle boy stood up to Addy and the rest felt like a blur.

Brigh didn’t speak and merely indicated it was alright for Addy to sit. She pulled back a chair slowly, so it wouldn’t make too much noise against the old floors. floors. There was a sort of pain in her best friend’s voice. Addy never considered much what it might be like in someone else shoes to be honest; she just focused on herself and what was important to her. That being said, Brigh was someone very important to her—hence why she was here. Brigh asked her why she’d heard the news secondhand and Addy paused, placing the strap of her back over the shoulder of the chair. ”He wasn’t supposed to know.” Addy paused, sitting up straight in her chair. ”Brigh, I—we we’re going to tell you bit Dicky found out the day after anything had happened. I just felt we needed a bit of time to figure it out.” Addy kept her tone calm and even. “Is that so wrong?”

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Brígh was known for her hot-head but she was also known for her loyalty. Her fealty had always lay within her friendships, particularly in the ones she held so dear. She found Addy's lapse in judgement a grave error in the eyes of friendship - though not as grave of the secret that Addy and Cheese had so long held from her. For so long, her lifeline had been her friends. Addy had been by her side throughout her tumultuous pining and non-relationship with Albus, there even in spirit if not physical form when her father had fallen ill. Addy's betrayal stung deep, even more so the longer she went without apologising.

Brígh had grown tired of fighting, especially as it had gotten her nowhere in the past with Addy. So when Addy appeared in the library on that April day, some time after their falling out, Brígh was not her usual hurricane, but a gentle spring breeze. She nodded, swallowing thickly as she indicated Addy to join her at the table. Addy sat down tentatively and the pairs eyes met. Brígh asked her question - phrasing it simply, her voice smaller than she had anticipated. Addy responded, but all she gave her was more excuses. Brígh clenched her jaw, tamping down on her temper.

"Sometimes, the best laid plans go to shit. You don't get to control everything, you don't get to decide when things happen when fate takes it out of your hands," said Brígh, her voice shaking with the effort to remain calm. "It's not wrong to want privacy. But it is when your past indicates a history of secrecy. Do you understand why I am upset? After everything we've talked about, all the break throughs we've had together you don't even have the decency to tell me to my face that yes - you were finally happy." Brígh glared at Addy. "I don't care that Dicky told me. I only care that you didn't."

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

What Addy really wanted to do was grab Brigh by her shoulders and shake her, asking why she wasn’t yelling or turning as red as her hair. Where was that hurricane she knew her best friend to be? Addy felt alone as she was digging her feet in, playing the role of the mountain that she always was. Cheese had pointed out that maybe Brigh felt hurt or left out. Since they were once a trio, and now two of them had to go and fall for one another. Not that Addy could have anticipated that, or she might have planned better. Whatever that meant.

Brigh finally responded. Her words had a bit of a bite, but Addy was steadfast, digging he feet in just as she knew she was good at. ”I wasn’t—“ Addy began to respond, but Brigh kept talking. She didn’t get it. There wasn’t any hiding. It had been one day. In Addy’s mind, it wasn’t about control. It was just timing. Brigh was going to know on Monday. She paused. Brigh had just wanted her to be happy. And while she could admit that not pushing Cheese away gave her a weird fuzzy feeling inside, sitting here, she didn’t feel it. There was honestly a part of Addy, that Slater part that told her to walk away. Brigh didn’t understand, and it was only a distraction on Addy’s road. But then there was the other part, the girl who missed her best friend.

She thought back to Christmas, and the display Claire and Grey put on, and Addy had to intervene to ensure her older brother didn’t dia via glitter because of Claire’s repressed temper. And as much as she held Claire in high regard, that wasn’t the type of display she wanted to be a part of. Addy took a slow breath in, holding it for a mere moment before letting it out and closing her eyes. When she opened them, she looked back at Brigh. ”I’m—“ She paused, looking at the table. When did Addy ever use the word ‘sorry’? ”You’d be proud of him.” She spoke finally. ”Cheese, I mean. He wouldn’t let me get away with not talking about it.” That chance encounter at the Fair had led to that interesting conversation and one where he hadn’t backed down.

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

Even after seven years of knowing each other, Addy could still take Brígh by surprise. Surely, surely she would understand why Brígh was feeling done in. After everything they had been through in the past few months, with tears and laughs and shouts, Brígh could not understand why Addy was being so selfish. Why was she digging her heels in? All she'd had to do was apologise - to say that she should have told Brígh right after Dicky found out and not continued. The sorry thing about Addy's relationship with Cheese was that they weren't the only two in it. True, it had stung that Cheese and Addy had been falling in love while Brígh was tending to her father, all but forgotten, but she had forgiven them. That didn't stop them from being three best friends.

If Addy was trying to make amends, she was doing a shite job at it. Brígh frowned. "Well, you're here and not him," she responded dully. "So you didn't even come of your own volition. Do you ever realise when you've made a mistake?" asked Brígh sharply. She shook her head slightly, looking down at her hands. "We've been friends for nearly seven years. As much as you seem to hate it, I'm as involved as this as I can be. I don't care that you've fallen in love with Cheese. In fact, I'm over the moon. But that doesn't mean you can just shut me out and pretend like it's fine because you want to put yourself first. You always put yourself first, and that's how we got in this situation in the first place!" Brígh explained, her voice rising somewhat. So much for keeping calm.

With a glare to burn a fresh circle in hell, Brígh fixed her gaze on Addy. "Have you thought about like... not digging your feet in? Not being like Claire? Not always having to be right? Maybe thinking about how your friend stood by you for seven years, supported you when you were going through a hard time, then was discarded like a used serviette as soon as it suited you?" Brígh clenched her jaw. "I appreciate you coming to speak to me. But if you don't want to apologise, then we've got nothing left to say."

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

Selfish. She was calling Addy selfish, and Addy paused at the accusation. Just because she had goals and a disciplined way of doing things, it didn’t mean she was entirely self-serving. How much time had Addy set aside for Brigh and Cheese to help them with their Potions assignment or Alchemy? Hell, she’d even helped Cheese with his History if Magic assignments when it wasn’t even on her class list. “Are you serious?” Addy found herself asking her long-time friend. “You know very well that Cheese and I may have never spoken again. Luckily, it did not come to that, but it might have. How would you have felt after months of badgering us both?” And using books to try and metaphorically knock sense into people.

Addy returned her glare with one of her own. It was easy enough, but they typically didn’t send these at one another. Part of Addy’s reluctance was that Brigh was sort of right. And in a case where Addy felt she’d done nothing wrong, she was incredibly reluctant. There was a spark of anger in her chest, one that very few could bring out in her. One fact of the matter was that Brigh had left. And while she had been taking care of her family, it didn’t make it hurt any less. In a way, she was responsible for the alone time she’d gotten with Cheese and letting that happen naturally. Addy’s gaze didn’t waver, and she remained obstinate as ever while she processed. Cheese, Eggy, and perhaps even Dicky would all tell her to budge. Do it for the friendship.

Mentally she could picture herself walking out of the library and being sent back. Might as well get this over with. Plus, as Brigh brought up Claire, she was reminded of Claire’s life—or what she knew of it—working, gaining recognition, and then falling so far. While her sister had friends, she had only ever mentioned a handful. Max’s brother, for example, when Addy had asked about Cursebreakers. It was one part of life she had control of. Her mother insisted she make specific friends naturally, but it wasn’t something her parents could track. If there was a selfish thing in Addy’s life it was that, which meant Brigh was even more right. Addy looked away a moment. She wasn’t angry with Brigh. She was angry she had to admit she was wrong. “Dammit, Brigh.” Addy looked back and heavily sighed before speaking. ”I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…” The words finally left her mouth. ”Now, do you want to hear what happened or not?”

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

The tension between the girls crackled dangerously, and Brígh was glad that their wands were safely stowed. "Is all this tutoring not to feed your ego and impress your parents and Claire then?" Brígh shot back hotly. "Doing selfless things for selfish means is still selfish," she argued, her hands bunching into fists. When Addy tried the card of possibly never speaking to Cheese again, Brígh couldn't help but scoff. "Please. It was plain as day that both of you fancied each other. You would have been miserable without one another. It wouldn't have stuck," she replied.

Was it the end? Brígh and Addy staunchly met each others eyes, glaring unrelentingly at one another. They were at a stalemate, where neither would budge. Brígh was sick of being pushed around by Addy, always driven and steered by her stubbornness. On the other hand, she knew that Addy had every right to want privacy regarding her relationship. The issue that Brígh held with the situation was that when Addy knew that the secret had leaked, she had not made an effort to inform Brígh before she could hear it second-hand.

At long last, the tension broke, and Addy finally uttered the words that Brígh had never thought she would hear from her. I'm sorry. In that moment, there was nothing left to forgive. The reluctance and flaring anger from moments ago dissipated like shadows in the noon sun. Instead of speaking, Brígh launched herself out of her chair, tackling Addy in a hug so fierce, it was a wonder that either could still breathe. She planted a kiss on Addy's cheek, before releasing her. "Yes! Tell me everything. Spare no detail," said Brígh, her eyes bright with wonder.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

Addy didn’t have much time to process Brigh’s words before she finally waved her white flag. But it didn’t mean she hadn’t heard them. And the fact was Brigh knew her the best, which made the words hit heavier. Selfish was always a word that was used in such a derogatory way. Why was it such a bad thing to look out for oneself and self-interest? There were goals to be met, and she’d spent her entire life making sure nothing got in her way. If only she shared Brigh’s constant optimism—especially when it came to the topic of her two best friends falling for one another.

No sooner had Addy finally apologized had the red-head flown out of her chair and into Addy. She grunted as her slightly taller best friend collided with her in her chair, but she returned the hug. All that awkwardness and tension was gone, and really, she just felt relieved now. Instinctively she wiped her face where Brigh had kissed her. That in itself wasn’t new in terms of typical Brigh behavior. Addy shifted in her chair, sitting up straight after almost falling out of it. ”So, you know everything was fine between us. No funny business.” Addy began. Things had been platonic again—minus the occasional light flirting here and there, but overall harmless.

She looked around. The surrounding tables were empty, and thank Merlin since Addy hardly wanted to share specific details so publicly. ”Cheese came by the Quidditch Pitch the weekend before the Fair, and he was asking me to let Hufflepuff have the Pitch for practice one weekend. I said ‘No’, obviously and….” Addy found herself biting the inside of her cheek as she shifted a bit nervously in her seat. ”Brigh—you had to see him, he stood up to me, and he didn’t back down either.” She paused again, feeling her face grow a little warm. ”It was—um—different.” She gave Brigh a side-eye but felt uncharacteristically shy about this story. ”Anyway, I kept my distance after that, but then he caught up to me that Friday at the fair.”

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

It was like their disagreement had never happened. Brígh launched herself at Addy, engulfing her in a tight hug and planting a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek. In typical Addy fashion, she returned the embrace and wiped her cheek. In just a few simple moments, with a few simple words, everything in the world was right again. Brígh sat back, beaming at Addy, practically begging for no information. "Har har har," said Brígh, rolling her eyes, but she was still grinning. She listened intently to Addy as her friend regaled her with a tale Brígh never thought she would hear - Cheese standing up to her.

"You know, the funny thing is he tried that on me not long ago, but I sort of steam rolled over him. Standing up to me, I mean," said Brígh thoughtfully, recalling when she'd wanted to pull Cheese for a chat and he'd tried to make up excuses about having to do things for the newspaper. That simply didn't fly. "I can imagine... jeez, you're terrifying when you don't get your way. Not in a bad way of course but... I wish I could have seen that. Then subsequently disappeared quickly for whatever happened after..." she trailed off, nodding as Addy continued her tale.

Addy's face reddened slightly and she gave her friend a side eye. Brígh nodded encouragingly. "At the fair? Merlin," said Brígh. "Must have been important," she added. She'd not had much luck at the fair which was fine - she already knew some curse breakers, and Rhys, the man she met there seemed fine enough. There was nothing that would dissuade her from that career path. Brígh kept her gaze intently on Addy. "Really longing it out here for me," she added with a giggle.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

Brigh returned with her own small anecdote about how Cheese had also stood up to her. Maybe this was an entirely new side to him also, not that Addy minded at all. Her brow furrowed. Was she really terrifying? How terrifying could one be at just over five feet tall? It didn’t matter how tall she stood. She would never match her sister’s height and especially not her brother’s. ”Right. We got into this argument about Quidditch, and he was adamant.” Normally, their friend didn’t push so far. He backed down after some time. Not that he was entirely a pushover, but Addy and Brigh were forced to be reckoned with, and not many took the chance outside their respective houses.

Addy paused again. She’d been thinking quite a bit about all of this in hindsight. It was easier to note things, patterns, and all that rather than when you were in the moment. Plus, she had her innate need to understand the mechanics as best she could—to understand why. ”So we were arguing, and it was getting heated and then—“ She paused again out of caution, scoping their immediate area again. ”And then we were in the locker room…” Again, she blushed as she mumbled that last statement. It was how it had been that last summer minus the argument. As if they’d looked at each other, and there was that spark, and Addy’s brain stopped working. It was maddening how she’d lose that control, but it just wasn’t something she could help.

”Anyway, that second day, he was adamant about talking about all this, and here we are.” As much as she’d tried to deflect and avoid, he’d pushed through all that. The road had been a bumpy one, but even Addy felt good with the resolution.

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[BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH]

All was right in the world when Addy and Brígh made up. Like nothing had happened, Brígh launched herself at Addy and demanded further details. She snorted at how Addy explained that Cheese had stood up to her and it had been sexy. Brígh made a face at that - she couldn't imagine anything sexy about Cheese. When he had stood up to her, it had been more of an irritant than anything. Brígh, much like Addy, did not being told no. But in this case, Addy was the one acting out of character. She went on to outline how they'd been arguing then suddenly they were in the locker room and... Addy didn't have to continue but Brígh knew exactly what she meant.

Eyes wide as dinner plates, Brígh couldn't help the squeal that escaped her lips. She slapped a hand over her mouth, looking around nervously for the librarian to come have a go at her. She scoffed as Addy tried to brush off the rest of the story. "You talked! Did he ask you to be his girlfriend? Or what? You can't just withhold this sort of information from me," she hissed, leaning forward. "How does it feel to have a boyfriend after so damn long fancying one another?"

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

there she was, my new best friend

high heels in her hand
swayin' in the wind

April 6, 2026
BRÍGH ENNIS O'DALAIGH

It had been abundantly clear before that Brigh did not view Raphael McLaggen with the same eyes that Addy did. But that didn’t bother her, and really it was better. She’d remembered the beginning of seventh year, and suddenly Cheese had the girls' attention in their classes and sixth and even fifth-year girls. Addy remembered the twisting feeling in her chest that was somewhere between anxiety and annoyance. It had been uncomfortable, especially when she was telling herself it wasn’t anything more than just a physical thing, something to help with her stress, and as long as her grades were up and she did well in her activities, it was fine.

Addy looked around cautiously to see if anyone was looking from Brigh’s not-so-subtle squeal. ”You’re going to get us thrown out of the Library.” She spoke in a hushed whisper. Brigh was hanging on to every word that Addy spoke. If only she paid this much attention in Transfiguration, Addy wouldn’t have to help her with her spells, so she didn’t risk somehow making her eyeball disappear. Addy paused and shifted in her chair a bit before clearing her throat. ”Well yes…in his own way.” As much as she fancied the boy, she would never claim he was the most poetic with his words at times. At Brigh’s follow-up question, Addy rolled her eyes. ”Honestly, I’m still convinced he’s only dating me, so I don’t book the Quidditch Pitch every weekend.”

Addy let herself grin as she looked away a moment. She still couldn’t pinpoint when her own feelings started, though it had to be before the previous summer while he’d been waiting for her since their fifth year. ”It feels…right.” She finally spoke. But then she uncrossed her arms and leaned onto the table. ”Did you know?” Addy asked in a whisper. Merlin forbid anyone overheard them. ”I mean, he said he wanted to ask me to the Yule Ball back in Fifth Year. Did you know?” Brigh had picked on them immediately on New Year’s Eve. Maybe she’d picked up something in Divination that let her read them.

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