sweater weather | raphael

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

It was nearing sunset, and as the light faded away, Addy found she adjusted her jacket to cover her better. It was a little chillier than she thought it would be, but she’d manage. The event's atmosphere was fascinating, and naturally, Addy was drawn to the stands that explained what this festival was for and why they were here. Cheese had gone to fetch them something to drink, and Addy felt a chill, though not from the cold. Maybe it was the reminder that this festival signified when that line between life and death thinned and images of months ago flashed briefly in her mind.

”May I take one?” Addy looked a the table and saw a small pamphlet with a schedule, a list of activities, and a map. The young druid boy nodded with a big smile. He had bright red hair, which reminded her of Brigh and her own druid friend—who Addy had yet to meet. ”Thank you.” She smiled in return and strolled past the following few stands, taking a mental note to come back later and take a better look. She flipped to the backside to inspect the map, committing pieces of it to memory as she occasionally glanced up to look for Cheese. He wasn’t exactly hard to miss with him being so tall.

Finally, she spotted him standing in a slightly long line. ”I got us a map in case you get lost.” She teased him as she stood next to him. The summer had been busy with exams and finding a way to erase the image of a burning castle out of their heads. After NEWTs, Addy had gone home where her mother was making a fuss about the whole ordeal, though she was grateful that Claire hadn’t given their mother the details of the duels and ignored Patronus. But now, she regretted ever wondering what her older sibling’s lives had been like with their mother’s hovering presence, and that’s exactly what she was now doing to Addy. But, plans were in the works. Cheese had moved out with other Hufflepuffs in London, and it was advantageous for Addy to drop by since it was so close to the Ministry where she had started working. She folded the map and put it in her back pocket, for now, crossing her arms and standing a bit closer to Rafe to take advantage of his body heat.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

30 October 2026

Addy was so much more sophisticated than him, and Cheese was struck with the same thought now that he’d had during their field trip to Hy-Brasil all those months ago – he wasn’t cultured enough to appreciate everything he saw around him. She read a lot of books (a lot of books) and always had an observation to share or an explanation to mutter under her breath while Cheese stared blankly at whatever odd thing he was gawking at in the moment. Him, on the other hand? He liked to document what he saw, always with his trusty camera in his hands or hanging around his neck. There was something striking about the thought of immortalizing a moment forever, letting it exist in a space and time long after it was over. But that didn’t mean he always understood what he saw, and there was something about druid culture that was just so foreign to him.

They weren’t technically another species, just wizards that had a different relationship with nature and magic. Still, Cheese couldn’t help but sulk at the fact that he’d left his camera at home out of respect for that strange druid aversion to technology. They weren’t even on Hy-Brasil, but Addy had told him matter-of-factly that it wasn’t a technical question of whether his camera would work or not. No, this was about cultural diplomacy and respect and a ton of other nice-sounding words that had promptly floated out of his head. Samhain (Cheese had stumbled over how to pronounce this word so many times that he had started to call it druid Halloween) had finally started, and as interesting as all the different stations looked – well, Rafe had mostly just trailed behind his girlfriend like a lost puppy and let her choose where she wanted them to go. Hey, he was an easy to please guy, and he liked seeing Addy all excited to learn more about druid culture – at least more than the thought of standing awkwardly by a bonfire and waiting to see if some ghosts would visit (like who even? His dead grandparents? The thought was chilling).

After a few minutes of standing awkwardly next to Addy while she spoke avidly to some druid boy about the origins of the holiday, Rafe announced that he’d find some drinks for them. That was more his speed. And as admittedly cool as this event was, he was hoping to spend some quality time with his girlfriend. Ever since he’d moved into Puff Palace, he and Addy had gotten literally zero privacy. Yeah, his new roommates were all former Hufflepuffs too, but they still gave him that knowing look whenever Addy came to visit. And she was staying at her parents’ place, which made the thought of staying over even more mortifying, and these days he usually only saw her along with Brígh or one of their other friends. So yeah, he wasn’t an ambitious guy but he had some thoughts for how the evening could go. And a few hours of taking advantage of the cold weather to wrap his arms around his girlfriend and enjoy her company without nosy roommates – he’d take it. While he was waiting in line for some very good looking apple cider being passed out at a booth, Rafe brightened slightly as Addy slid up next to him. He rolled his eyes at her teasing comment. It was true that he was quite bad at arriving to things on time, but he didn’t get lost. Hufflepuffs were excellent finders, after all. “There are some druids wearing weird costumes over there,” he murmured instead. He supposed it must be some kind of traditional festival clothes, but that wasn’t exactly a subject at Hogwarts. As Addy shifted closer to him and crossed her arms, Cheese seized his opportunity. “It's quite cold out,” he observed casually.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy was secretly thankful that Cheese didn’t have his camera, and they didn’t have their phones either. Naturally, her boyfriend looked like a child that had just dropped their ice cream cone in response. But, at least this way, Addy felt they could focus on the experience of being here and being together rather than trying to document an experience instead. As the days and weeks passed and they found overlapping time in their schedules to see one another, it was still challenging. Cheese didn’t live at his family home anymore, but he had roommates. They were lovely people, also former Hufflepuffs, but they’d hardly had much privacy, and she could already see her mom fainting at finding a boy in her room at the Slater home.

She glanced up at him. It still amazed her how tall he had gotten. When they’d all met first year, she swore she had been at least an inch taller at the time. And while her letters to Brigh the previous summer had probably proven otherwise, Addy had never considered herself particularly superficial. Though it had not been easy at all to ignore Cheese’s glow-up. ”Not a costume.” Addy reminded him. Fortunately, the Druids she had spoken to were happy to answer questions and offer explanations—knowing that this was all new for many. Crossing her arms a little tighter, she had to agree. It was getting quite chilly out. She didn’t spend nearly as much time outside as at school, especially when she had Quidditch to worry about. She missed those days.

Shifting, she stood closer to him to casually lean her head on his arm while the line slowly moved. ”Yes, it is.” She muttered, pausing as she stared at the floor for a moment. ”It was always the worst when we had Quidditch practice on cold days like this.” She reminisced.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

As strange as the whole event was, Cheese found himself quite relaxed as he enjoyed the distant warmth of the bonfires and nodding at old classmates as they spotted each other in the crowd. He loved Hogwarts, and he could only think of fond memories of his seven years in the castle (although mixed in with the occasional terrifying memory of near-certain death, but hey that’s just the wizarding world). Still, it could be dull sometimes to do the exact same things in the exact same castle all the time. The Triwizard Tournament had been exciting, but that was a blip on the radar of endless classes and exams and being shushed by Addy at the library while he procrastinated doing his homework. So he was enjoying his time at Samhain, as long as he didn’t think too hard about being surrounded by druid hippies and being separated from the love of his life (his camera, of course).

But he rolled his eyes slightly at Addy’s reminder that it wasn’t a costume. “Fine, not a costume. It’s a special outfit they wear on Halloween,” he said matter-of-factly, although it felt like he was pointing out the obvious. Cheese was sure they must have some special, impossible to pronounce name for it, but he was never going to remember. If it didn’t have anything to do with photography or Quidditch, then odds were that he didn’t know much about it at all. But he didn’t want to fight with Addy, mostly because he was never going to win. And of course, because he wanted to enjoy their time together since it was so limited these days. His face brightened as she burrowed into him (although her expression told him that she was trying to do it without being obvious about her intentions), and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her in closer.

“Winter practices before the sun was even up were the worst,” he agreed, pulling a face at the thought. Merlin, it’d been impossible to find the Snitch when it was pitch-black out and the grass was still frozen from the evening frost. Several Hufflepuff players would make regular trips to the Hospital Wing after practice for a Pepper-Up Potion, and the unfortunate side effect of steam blowing out your ears became a blessing. But they’d signed up for that – worse than that, tried out for it and competed against several other students for the privilege to freeze their fingers off. And of course, Hufflepuff had suffered more than most because they were too timid to protest receiving the worst times to practice on the Pitch. It would’ve been easy to bring up Slytherin’s habit of hogging the best slots, but instead Cheese chose to poke Addy in the ribs and say, “But I never heard you complaining after our practices.” He accompanied that with an eyebrow waggle as he smiled down at his girlfriend.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy didn’t want to admit how strange the post-Hogwarts adjustment had been. Maybe it was the attack and the fire or knowing that the short separation from her school life with her friends would only last the summer. But that part was over. There wasn’t any more running into Cheese in the dungeons on the way to breakfast. Or dragging Brigh to the library to work on their Arithmancy assignment. Or the calmest of moments when she’d be in the library studying with Eggy and Dickie. And now she just felt the pressure with her work in the Ministry. Doing her best so that her path forward was secure when her internship was done.

She rolled her eyes—even with the pamphlet, he didn’t seem to care about the details of the festival. But for now, Addy let it slide. Considering how often they didn’t see one another, she didn’t want to bicker over things. Long hours at work and time apart could make her testy at times, and she just wanted to feel relaxed for once. Feeling his arm around her shoulder helped her feel calm. He was her rock—one of them. And she still thought about everything she had seen that day and experienced. She could still see the looks on her friends’ faces and the look on Claire’s face at the end of the night. Addy had forgotten to respond to her Patronus, and Claire had thought the worst.

Cheese was warm, and she scooted just a tad closer, but she jumped slightly when something dug into her side. It was too cold for her not to blush a bit, her face quickly feeling a bit warm. Clearing her throat, she looked away—at least those were happy memories. ”You mean when you were seducing me so I’d let your team use the Pitch?” Addy accused him, playfully glancing up at him. They’d spent that entire year trying to keep one another at arm’s length until they couldn’t take it anymore. There was a moment where neither of them spoke. Another thing that had changed was conversation—no more nagging about homework, they weren’t in school anymore. ”I think Brigh will be in London next week.” While Brigh’s priority was training, sometimes she had to visit Gringott’s.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

The look on Addy’s face was troubled, and Cheese figured they were probably thinking about the same thing. After seven years of bliss at Hogwarts (again, except for the near brushes with death and occasional dragon attack), the fiendfyre had been such an ugly way to end their time in the castle. And it had been such a chaotic day – spotting the cloaked man near the kitchens, seeing the smoke rising from the towers of the castle, and running towards the danger to help with the evacuations until the Ministry finally showed up. And now their beloved castle was gone, and they’d be left with the memories of Elaine Dupree’s madness forever. They’d talked about it, all summer in fact, but at some point there just hadn’t been anything left to talk about when it came to Hogwarts. But the thought of just getting on with their lives like it hadn’t happened at all? Impossible.

So Cheese could only just wrap his arm around his girlfriend and squeeze tightly. “Hey,” he said simply, nudging her slightly and shooting her a faint smile. He didn’t say anything else for a moment or two, but gasped scandalously at her positively outrageous accusation. He returned her playful look with one of his own, and responded, “If anything, you seduced me. I’m just a piece of meat to you, aren’t I?” Seventh-year had been turbulent when it came to their on again/off again encounters. They’d spent so much of the year in denial about their feelings, and then months more pretending that they could just go back to being friends and never talk about it again. But the timing was probably for the best – if they’d started dating earlier and Addy had gotten anything less than an O on her NEWTs, then Cheese would just have been a little grease spot on the floor. And then who’d take photos of Addy while she protested the entire time?

His face lit up at the prospect of seeing Brígh again. “You think? It’s been ages since her last visit. She was supposed to come to your birthday party but there was that…work trip or whatever.” In all honesty, Cheese just couldn’t keep track of where all his friends were anymore. He knew the basics – Brígh in Egypt, Penelope back in Godric’s Hollow, and Addy putting in overtime at the Ministry to impress her bosses. Dicky was depressingly far away now, too. It was rare to see them all in the same place anymore, but Addy’s birthday hadn’t been as exciting as in previous years. Not with so much of the gang missing. But as they finally advanced to the front of the line, Rafe pulled his arm away so he could grab two cups of cider. “Cheers,” he offered as he handed Addy a cup and scrutinized the other carefully. Yup, looked normal. But who knew how the druids liked to spice up their celebrations?

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy would never admit how often she daydreamed, and images would pop into her head. Or even in her dreams. And it wasn’t something she made herself talk about—it made her feel weak. There was that lingering doubt in her magical abilities, but she was also grateful every day that her closest friends had made it out. But as her mind began to wander down that dark path, she felt his arm tighter around her, and it brought her back. Addy glanced up at him, locking eyes before returning her half-smile. Addy and Cheese were not eleven years old anymore. They weren’t just best friends, nor were they in denial any longer.

Addy was not as talkative as Brígh, so her silent moments might not have been noticed by many, but her boyfriend would undoubtedly know when her mind was wandering. Her smile grew at his reaction, but then she rolled her eyes at his suggestion. ”Me? You’re the one that came to talk to me in the locker room first.” At least that’s what she thought happened. Truthfully all their…encounters all blurred together. Being caught up in the moment and wondering how she let herself let that happen again made it hard to remember. Though, in a way, they’d both made the first move that very first time that previous summer. But Addy relented after a pause. ”Like you mind.” She stated matter of factly, he certainly never complained after.

”I’ll have to see if Eggy is free. It would be nice to see everyone.” Letters and their phones helped them all stay in touch. Dicky was the farthest away and in another time zone entirely. Plus, Brígh mentioned a room opening up where she was renting, and Addy was considering the option more now than ever. Her mother hovered far too much for Addy’s liking, criticizing the long hours she worked and making snide comments about how she must not be effective if she worked that much overtime. And Cheese had a handful of roommates, who gave them privacy, but it was hardly private if everybody assumed they knew what you were doing. She wanted her own space, her own life.

”Have you heard from Dicky at all?” Addy asked curiously. He might talk to Cheese more as the only other boy in their group. Cheese pulled away to grab their drinks, and Addy accepted the cup he handed her. ”Its Cider.” Addy commented as she watched his eyes inspect the liquid. This was nice, and it was calm. There had been some tense moments in the preceding months. Small fights and arguments, but not terribly explosive. Part of it was much the same as it had always been—Addy digging her feet in on an issue and certain that she was right and Cheese arguing the opposite. Learning to navigate a relationship as adults in the real world was different than being in school. ”Oh—I didn’t tell you. Brígh told me I can probably move into Irina’s place with her toward the end of the year.” Addy needed to get away from her family home.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Breaking down exactly how they’d gotten together was such a familiar (and circular) argument that they tended to repeat the same points over and over again. And it wasn’t even an argument, as far as Cheese was concerned, because he had no problem with the outcome. Yeah, Addy had been stubborn about admitting that they weren’t ‘just friends’ anymore – but Cheese had made it worse by trying to be a people-pleaser and thoroughly putting his foot in his mouth. It had taken some divine intervention (aka a healthy dose of Brígh’s meddling) but they’d figured it out in the end. “No complaints here,” Rafe agreed at Addy’s matter-of-fact words, winding an arm around her shoulders. Hey, he had his occasional moment of standing up for himself (and the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team) but everyone knew who the real force in this relationship was.

“You’ll see her at the Potters’ Christmas party,” Cheese reminded her at the mention of the other former Hufflepuff of the group. Most people might not have spoken the words ‘Potter Christmas party’ so casually, since Harry Potter was still something of a living legend and all of his kids were rather well-known themselves. But for Cheese, he’d never quite been starstruck by the family who’d lived in the same neighborhood as his for as long as he could remember. They were just the Potters – frequent guests at summer barbeques, frequent observers of the fiery fights between Harry Potter and his dad about Quidditch tactics. But anyway, Rafe and Penelope had made it a tradition to hover awkwardly together at the annual party and do their best to avoid Lily’s pranks. Even if there was a somewhat depressing assumption that he wouldn’t be seeing his childhood friend again until Christmas –that was just adult life, right? He couldn't help but laugh at the question about Dicky though. "He never writes me first, but he responds to everything I send him. At least a full foot of parchment each time too, it's bonkers. Who has that much to say?"

He didn’t quite trust Addy’s comment that the cider was just cider, but he took a sip anyway. I mean, it was the druids and who knew what their Samhain traditions included. Well…Addy probably knew, either from the pamphlets she’d been collecting since they arrived or from talking to that redheaded boy earlier. Cheese cast about a suspicious eye, but didn’t see anything so he shrugged and took a longer sip. At Addy’s comment about Brígh, Rafe brightened significantly. “Yes!!! When are we moving you?” Sure, there was another pretty weighty assumption there that the move was a matter of when and not if, but Cheese was quite excited at the prospect. Because he got no privacy at his place with roommates constantly hanging around, and the thought of going over to Addy’s parents to see her was…daunting. But Addy didn’t need to know where his mind had immediately gone, so Cheese wisely covered his tracks by adding, “I mean, you and Brígh are basically soulmates. And you’ll get to see each other more often if you move in, so win-win situation. Everybody’s a winner. Yup.”

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy had always wondered what the eleven-year-old version of herself might have said at the knowledge that Cheese was now her boyfriend. First-year they had all been exactly the same height, though Brigh was just as energetic as she was now. Cheese had also introduced them to Penelope and her sisters since they were from his neighborhood. None of them had changed all that much in the sense that Addy was still laser-focused and Cheese still the calm presence in her life. Though Addy had to admit she liked the side of him that stood his ground. It was a different side of him. He even stood up straighter, and his presence changed.

She moved closer to him, leaning her head on him for a moment while they waited. The benefit of his height was that she could always lean on him. Claire and Gray had gotten some height from their father, while Addy took more after their mother. She pulled back at the mention of the Potter’s party, he had mentioned it to her before, but it would be her first time in attendance. The idea was a little nerve-wracking—the Harry Potter and his family hosting so many people. Her sister had trained with him, but that was all that Addy knew. ”Right.” It was all still an adjustment to her, but she’d only admit that to a few. ”I wonder if we’ll ever get used to not seeing one another every day like we used to.”

In another life, she would have kept this entirely to herself. Maybe she would talk to Brigh, who would go on about how they were all doing fantastic things with their lives and changing the world. That Gryffindor optimism would never leave her best friend, and Addy hoped it never did since it seemed to fuel her spirit. But she chuckled slightly—that sounded very much like Dicky. Hopefully, he was faring well at the American school. ”Well I won’t know for sure if there's room for another week or two.” Addy reminded Cheese before he accidentally inhaled his cider out of excitement. It wasn’t that Addy disliked where he lived…but it was crowded. And there was nothing like an excited Hufflepuff on a sugar-high bursting through doors to make one wary.

At the end of the day, they were still best friends, so their time spent together could be anything really, but not being able to trust the lock on his door was slightly irritating, to say the least. And Addy wasn’t naïve to think that Cheese’s outburst of excitement was only because she was finally moving away from home. She sipped her cider as he followed up on his previous statement. As if they couldn’t both read one another by now. ”Yes, we all win.” She began. ”Though there was something about ‘no boys allowed’ but I’d have to check again.” She gave him a playful grin as she strolled past some of the other booths, looking back to see if he had followed. Of course, there was no such rule. And she would have lied if she didn’t admit that certain advantages came to mind with this new living situation.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

No. It was already a resounding answer in his mind when Addy wondered if it would ever feel normal not to see the other every day. It had already been months since graduation and everything about his life now still felt strange, like he was borrowing somebody else’s life but soon it would be time to return to Hogwarts. Having his own room? Bizarre after seven years of having the same roommates with the same quirky habits. Having a full-time job? It still felt like an internship that would end any second now, rather than some grown-up responsibility he’d taken on. And being away from his friends? That would never feel normal. Cheese had grown up near the Bainbridges and Potters, and he’d continued to see at least a handful in school. He’d only just wrapped his mind around the distance from Brígh in their sixth year, only for her to crash back into their lives like she’d never left. And Addy…he’d seen Addy every day for seven years, except for breaks where he had to settle for once a week.

So he hadn’t gotten used to the distance from his girlfriend, and all the new little problems that came with it. Like the fact that she’d always teased him about his camera in the past, but it had started to feel like an extra presence in the room whenever they could finally find time together. Or her workaholic nature, which had always been endearing (if not slightly terrifying right before Magical Theory exams), but now was a sore point whenever she canceled to stay late and finish a project at work. Cheese didn’t completely understand how to cope with this new reality, but he at least knew that they had a strong foundation. A years-long friendship that meant they could just talk to each other instead of bottling the feelings up.

“I guess everyone has to get used to it after Hogwarts,” Cheese said as he thought back on something his brother had said to him. Mickey had explained that he saw dating as ultimately better outside of Hogwarts, although Rafe suspected that came more from a consideration of being able to easily escape a relationship once it stopped working. As in, maybe good advice for Mickey but not exactly what Cheese was going for in his own relationship. “I mean, as long as we keep trying, right? And keep in mind that Brígh will attack with something heavy if she sees something she doesn’t like,” Cheese added as an afterthought. He gave a dramatic shiver at the thought of his best friend armed with her Gobstones set and a look of righteous fury on her face. She was right, he supposed (and that was lesson number one with Brígh) but was the violence really necessary? Yes, obviously. The little Brígh in his head was already answering that stupid question.

Cheese grinned at Addy’s back as she sashayed away. He knew when she was messing with him, and the fact that a ‘no boys allowed’ rule in Brígh’s home was as likely as Camila Calderón announcing her retirement from music tomorrow. “Oh really?” he asked as he lengthened his stride to easily catch up to his girlfriend. “That’s funny because we were talking about putting some new rules in place at Puff Palace.” He stopped to pull an exaggerated thinking face. “Something about…Slytherins can’t cross the threshold? You’ll have to repeat a pledge to Hufflepuff House to get in. Maybe even wear the scarf.” At some point, the House rivalries stopped mattering to people once they graduated. At least, in theory. Rafe knew that his father still had a lot of Gryffindor pride, and he even argued about old grudges with Harry Potter about who made what call at some old Quidditch match that had happened decades ago. So he figured the pro-Hufflepuff stance was still justified for a fresh graduate, especially if Addy insisted on playing games. “You don't have to move. Could just stay at your parents’ place. Let your mum pick out your outfits for you. Sounds fun.” He nodded sagely.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy had spent years watching her older sister and brother bottle up their true feelings and responses at home and respond in some agreeable and polite way. Gray had broken out of that mold quickly, but Claire only seemed to double down. And watching from afar, Addy had learned how to navigate the course expected of her because there were tracks she could follow. Losing her temper was not something that she was known for. Addy wasn’t reactive, not typically anyway.

So, it had been quite the surprise when she’d snapped quite severely for the first time because Cheese had said something. It had caught them both off guard, but eventually, they could talk about it. And as Addy continued to do what she always did—work hard and however long it would take to finish something that became another point of disagreement. The long work hours she kept and what limited free time they now had. Everything was such an adjustment, and just adjusting to the real world as young adults would have been enough without relationship dynamics also at play. But so far, they’d weathered it fine. Plus, Addy knew Brigh would find the first portkey home from Egypt to play referee if she felt it was needed.

Addy nodded lightly in agreement. That sounded like her best friend. Ever as reactive, where Addy had the ability to pause for a moment. ”Or maybe she’s learned some new curses by now.” Addy suggested. Cursebreakers were rough around the edges but just as talented as the most decorated Auror on the front page of the Prophet. Naturally, she worried about her adventurous best friend. It felt like she’d just gotten her back from missing almost an entire year without them, and now she was across the world. Merlin, she even missed the teasing about Addy and Cheese finally dating.

Cheese finally caught back up to her. She kept casually walking and sipping her cider. She glanced up at him, a look of doubt on her face. Well, she certainly wouldn’t be taking any pledges to Hufflepuff House anytime soon. She still happily wore her Slytherin scarf when the weather permitted. But he mentioned the scarf…a thought passed through her mind, but if only because she knew how to distract him easily. Her gaze lingered a moment, almost challenging but without the intensity. ”Just the scarf?” She looked away just as she asked the simple clarifying question and as she slowed to stop at one of the booths where handmade items were being sold. Little trinkets hand carved in wood, but beautiful and detailed. His last words, however, immediately caught her attention. ”Right. Sounds about as fun as Quidditch with your dad.”

Cheese, Eggy, and a few others shared stories of their childhood in Godric’s Hollow. Her new coworker Harper had as well. Even sharing little tidbits related to their line of work. Her grandfather and his curiosity about muggle items and even watching out of the corner of her eye as James would randomly walk into their offices to ask Harper some questions about his phone. The Hit Wizard did not have a knack for technology, but he certainly was eager to ask questions. Addy had mentioned who she was dating in a bit of a side conversation, and Harper shared similar stories about Cormac’s attempt to referee the games and Harper’s aunt going toe to toe with him. Addy could imagine it probably wasn’t the most comfortable situation for Cheese. It was slowly getting darker and, at the same time, chillier. Addy was about done with her cider, but she stepped back toward her boyfriend, who was far warmer than she was.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

The thought of Brígh being armed with new Egyptian curses to use on her best friends whenever someone was being dumb made Cheese wince. She was already a force of nature and probably the most badass person he’d ever met (although that thought would stay nice and safe in his head). Being a cursebreaker was no joke, and they all looked quite impressive whenever they showed up at events with mud on their boots and enchanted flasks to pass around while they competed for who had the wildest story. It was intimidating to think of Brígh as one of them now, instead of just the mischievous Gryffindor who liked to sneak out of school. “I wouldn’t mind being turned into a mummy,” Cheese decided after some thought on the subject, “They’ve got those cool glowing red eyes and I bet you can turn things into sand. There are worse ways to go.”

Although really, as easy as it was to groan about Brígh’s habit of slapping him upside the head with a textbook – he definitely needed the intervention. Because at best, Rafe could be called woefully inexperienced and at worst…well, he was an idiot who had a habit of stepping in it and staying stupid things. He’d learned a long time ago what the do’s and don’ts of being Addy’s friend were – Butterbeer was a classic go-to when he’d messed up and he should never under any circumstances ask Addy if she was sure she’d studied enough – but it was all different being in a relationship. And in the adult world too, where mistakes felt a lot bigger and it was much easier to ignore someone if that’s what you wanted. Brígh kept him on the right track, which was no small thing because Cheese was invested in making this thing with Addy work.

“Errrrr,” he stuttered at Addy’s ‘innocent’ question as his brain screeched to a halt. Put yourself together man, he thought sternly as he gave himself a mental slap. As if he and Addy hadn’t spent the better part of a year hooking up before they’d actually gotten to the relationship stage of things. Still, Cheese’s face felt awfully red as he cleared his throat and tried to sound cool as he answered, “W-well, if that’s, uh, how you’d like to interpret the instructions, then…” his voice faded and he had to clear his throat again and ignore the burning in his cheeks, “Then I would obviously support you. Er, obviously.” It was probably for the best that she’d gone ahead to examine some druid trinkets at a nearby booth, because Cheese looked like a first-year who had just tried to ask out his crush and run a marathon to the other side of the castle when it didn’t work. Not that he was speaking from experience or anything.

He finally caught up once it felt like you couldn’t cook an egg on his face anymore, just in time to give a dry laugh at Addy’s comment about his dad. “No, that’s definitely worse. You’ve clearly never tried to catch a golf ball in the air while your dad jinxes your broom to teach you irreplaceable skills.” Cheese made air quotes with his fingers on the last two words as he rolled his eyes in disgust. Mickey might argue that their dad’s training got results, but Cheese could have happily lived his life without it. Addy still seemed interested in the booth, so Rafe stared at some wood for another minute before he looked around. “I don’t really get it here,” he said after a minute, “They said the fires bring ghosts, but we can already do that just fine. Hogwarts has plenty of ghosts if they want to borrow one. Oh, er, had.” He corrected himself before swinging his arms awkwardly at bringing up Hogwarts again so soon. But he hoped Addy might get too caught up in being a human encyclopedia to notice his slip-up.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

Sometimes
the silence guides a mind

To move to a place so far away

October 30, 2026
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy knew it would make him pause and even perhaps blush since they were in public. She had to admit it was fun to catch him off guard like this. Nothing like a well-placed innuendo to spice things up. Casually she gave a slight glance behind, eyebrows slightly raised. Internally, the thought of such a brazen act was enough to make her blush to match her boyfriend. And especially with all those roommates in his flat. The universe seemed to be on their side as thus far, anytime one of them had barged into Cheese’s room, they had been talking and behaving quite innocently. Though one time, Cheese was actually taking a nap while Addy read a book.

Probability and maybe the star’s alignments told they wouldn’t be that lucky all the time. Thank Merlin she would have somewhere with more privacy. Two Cursebreakers as roommates? Addy figured she’d have plenty of privacy with their traveling. ”Unfortunately…” She trailed off as she approached a stand selling small books. ”I only have a Slytherin scarf.” Something told Addy that Cheese wouldn’t have minded what the color of the scarf was.

Their childhoods had been structured, though in very different ways. Different expectations were placed on them as their parents eagerly pointed to the shadows of their eldest siblings as a target. A place to stand and a place to follow whenever it moved. Brigh had never been shy in pointing this out to Addy. But for the youngest Slater, she felt a sense of pride in succeeding and doing well. And so far, no complaints from her parents, but not many compliments either. Nothing like the joy in their eyes when Claire finished Auror training. It was just another thing to add to the pit of anxiety in her stomach most days. And she cleared her throat to distract herself from the other thing—Hogwarts. for a second, she clenched her jaw, but she forced herself to relax. Addy would have quickly corrected him a year ago, but not today.

”I think it's supposed to be comforting.” The book in her hand described the plants and flora native to Hy-Brasil. Addy put it back on the table. The way this had been described was far different from the ghosts of places like Hogwarts. But the sun was starting to set now. ”We should head to the bonfires. They’ll be lighting them soon.” She looked up at him with a soft grin as she looped her arm around his.

[ end addy ]

template by vee

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

It was just like Addy to take any opportunity she could to win the argument and have the final word – even in the middle of flirting with her boyfriend. Cheese rolled his eyes even as he smiled at Addy’s back while she examined the booth. There was no point in trying to find something clever to say back, because Addy was so much better at wordplay than he was – and she must’ve had loads of practice too, being in Slytherin and all. If he did try to respond, then she’d feel obligated to say something, and then they’d just keep going until they got in an argument or he finally shut up. But this was a nice night, their first date night in a while, so he just joined her at the table and pretended to look at the book titles.

In all honesty, he didn’t give two knuts what druids liked to write about – whenever they did choose to write things down – but he picked up a book as if he was considering it and then put it back down. Addy’s response about the ghosts made sense, although Rafe wrinkled his nose in displeasure at the thought. “It’s not very comforting for me,” he responded as he suppressed a shudder. He was definitely the kind of person that was happy to let sleeping ghosts lie and not venture into areas he wasn’t quite supposed to be in. He’d always found the idea of a memorial to be much more comforting, and that was certainly one way that he saw his photography. Capturing a moment was the best way to honor what was gone, not bringing back a pale imitation of what it had been once. But he supposed that must be an unpopular opinion if all the people here had come to talk to their dead ancestors.

“Oh sure, we’ll head towards the potential danger,” he said, although this time he was smiling while he said it. That was also Addy’s style – run towards the danger, not away. She had the type of bravery that could’ve put her in Gryffindor, and that sense of justice that never let her stay behind in safety while others did all the work. It was one of her most attractive qualities, even if her disregard for safety gave Rafe a heart attack sometimes. He gave the same sort of little sigh as when he’d spotted his friends running towards the castle when they’d first seen the fire (instead of going to Hogsmeade like everybody else had done), but he happily let Addy lead him towards the bonfires. Ghosts or not, there was still a romantic atmosphere to the whole place. And really, he’d follow Addy anywhere.

addilyn elara slater
[End post Cheese!]