the kids from yesterday | raphael

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy knew better than to stop a hurricane from making landfall. Especially one who rarely let go when she had a goal in her sight. Not that planning a get-together was a huge goal, but Addy hard argued that perhaps they should simply wait for the weekend a fortnight away since it would be Halloween. This fell on deaf ears, of course. Addy didn’t mind parties or her friends coming over. The social part wasn’t particularly exhausting, but a long week at work was. Not to mention the occasions when she came home much later than anticipated.

Brígh had already blocked Addy from escaping to her room by standing in front of the staircase of their shared flat. With a narrowed look, Addy turned around and got herself another drink, though she merely sipped at it all night. But as Brígh occupied herself with an attempt at performing some party trick involving two shots of tequila and a stool, Addy slipped out onto the terrace. It was chilly, especially in contrast to inside the flat, where the presence of so many people amplified the temperature. But her coat was enough, and she’d hardly freeze to death with magic at her disposal.

Lately, her mind had lingered on the thought of time. How much time had passed, and what had happened in the interim. What would sixteen-year-old Addilyn Slater think of her future self? It wasn’t like Addy to dwell so heavily on what she couldn’t control. What she couldn’t shape to meet her goals and the things she really wanted. But what did she want? Questions without answers were a heavy burden for the one who always knew what to say or what to do. Addy supposed she was searching somewhere in her mind for where it had gone wrong for her and when she’d started to feel so lost.

Hearing the door open behind her, she prepared for Brígh to scold her for escaping and shove a shot in her face, but it didn’t happen. Instead, she spotted the very tall frame of her ex-boyfriend over her shoulder. While the flutter in her chest never quite wavered, it had been easier. And for that, she was thankful. All in all, she’d like to think they were still friends despite everything. ”Did Brígh send you?” She asked casually over her shoulder as she leaned on the railing facing out.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

16 October 2027

Cheese didn’t really know what to call this party, because it was too big to be a simple hangout and Halloween was still ages away. But he wouldn’t fuss, really, because he liked any excuse to see his friends and shake off being a Serious Adult (TM) for a minute. It was still mind-blowing to him how fast everything had gone by since graduation. Surely it had only been a minute since a weak-in-the-knees Cheese had started his first real job at the Daily Prophet? But it had been over a year already and he’d completely missed that fact until his roommates had taken him out for a night in Horizont to celebrate.

He'd always been a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, but he questioned at what point he risked being swept away completely – until maybe he would wake up years from now, wondering where his life had gone and whether he’d made the right choices. Rafe had never quite asked himself that before, but the thought didn’t leave his mind now as he sipped his drink and glanced around the room. In some ways, the scene played exactly like it might have in Hogwarts. His friends all had their familiar habits – there was Brígh as the center of attention, Penelope watching from a safe distance away – but then again they were all moving forward in their own ways too. Creating lives for themselves that existed outside the confines of who they’d been at Hogwarts.

“No,” Cheese said firmly, shaking his head vigorously at Brígh’s look while she instructed someone to bring her a stool. He didn’t know what the end result of that would be, but Rafe didn’t want to be considered an accomplice for whenever the Aurors would pull them aside for questioning at St. Mungo’s. Instead, he inched away carefully until he was standing against a pair of balcony doors. Once the majority of the room’s attention turned to the fiery redhead in the middle of the room, Cheese seized his opportunity at the sound of tinkling glass and slid away until the door closed with a soft click behind him. Smiling to himself, he congratulated himself mentally and turned around.

But he should have figured, right? She was his ex-girlfriend, but she'd also been his best friend since the age of eleven. Besides the chemistry that had turned from a spark into a fire after Brígh had gone back home to Ireland, they had a lot of history together. It meant they tended to have similar habits, similar ways of thinking, than might otherwise be obvious between a classic Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Months ago, Rafe wouldn’t have been able to stay in the same room as Addy. It just brought up all the horrible facts of the break-up, and the fights that had led there. But now – it was easier, and he wanted to try if only to protect this valuable friendship they’d built. So a subdued smile stayed on his face as he raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m on the run, actually,” he said in response to her question – which might sound casual but he knew what she was really asking. Whether Brígh was trying her hand at matchmaking again. “Brígh’s distracted with all the broken glass, so I saw my chance.” He paused a moment, waited until his pulse had settled, and then moved towards her. Cheese didn’t think he’d ever be able to look at Addy without remembering those echoes of everything he felt, but he wanted her in his life more than he wanted to indulge any selfish whims. So. He leaned against the railing as well, eyes scanning the landscape. After a moment, he couldn’t help himself and began to laugh. “I dunno what she was expecting,” he said breathlessly, turning his head so he could try and steal a glance inside.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

If Brígh was pushing Cheese in a specific direction, Addy was not surprised. Like some strange repeat of seventh year, but maybe she’d learned something about subtlety in her Cursebreaker training. In either case, even without that, Brígh was the type that wanted to include everyone in the party and in the fun. So encouraging them to drink with her or join in whatever they were doing was all normal. Except that Addy had never thought this particular thing she did with balancing glass on a stool and fighting gravity while intoxicated was very smart. Also, Addy had avoided drinking heavily since their girl’s trip to Greece.

To dwell was allowing an anchor to sit heavily in the past and impede your forward progress. Addy had been struggling not to let her mind sit there. Work helped in terms of keeping her mind occupied. And now, in her second year of her internship, she was allowed to work on slightly more advanced things than data entry. Harper had let Addy help her repair some items used in the evidence locker. Ironically enough, cameras. But it felt good to focus and let her brain figure out the puzzle in front of her. And she supposed it was a good sign that simply seeing a camera didn’t make her chest feel like it was caving in and plummeting into her stomach, or at least the sensation wasn’t nearly as intense.

She gave him a light grin and looked forward. Addy would always appreciate Brígh being in her corner and wanting the best for her, but there were definitely times when Addy wanted her to leave it alone. But on the other hand, if Brígh stopped trying to ‘fix’ this…did it mean she had lost hope as well? Addy recalled how a certain bartender had called her out so easily in such a way that Addy would have been proud of it had it not been directed at herself. There was a short silence, and Cheese pulled up next to her. At least another benefit the pair letting themselves selfishly give in from time to time was that his physical presence didn’t make her so fidgety and nervous anymore.

Her eyes darted to the side to look at him while he looked over his shoulder. ”It’s the Cursebreakers.” Addy responded, but her eyes lingered just an extra moment. From how his jaw angled sharply and had he grown taller still? Addy wondered when that eleven-year-old boy had turned into such an important man in her life. ”My sister says they all are far too loud, drink too much, and are mostly ill-mannered.” Addy summarized what she had been told so far by both her sister and mother. ”But also incredibly clever.” She supposed the world needed balance. ”You don’t think she’s noticed we’ve both happened to sneak away?” Addy wondered out loud.

Another comfortable pause as Addy enjoyed the cool air and the calm sights in front of her. ”Grey says the Prophet seems busier than usual—or at least the Editor seems preoccupied.” She didn’t know what that meant. Maybe Quidditch was especially competitive this year? But following the sport in the paper—Addy hadn’t noticed anything particularly startling. But it was a far more comforting thought than something nefarious going on in the background. Either way, Cheese would likely be involved as the Prophet would always need its pictures.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Sometimes it didn’t feel like this was his real life anymore. Time was slipping away so quickly that it could be days – or weeks, or a year – until the next time he blinked himself into awareness that everything had changed around him while he’d been focused on the worries of his daily routine. What time he’d get home from work, whether to cook or order takeaway (even if that answer was obvious), what he’d said to someone or how they’d responded. But it didn’t feel like his life. No, it was like he’d pressed pause after leaving Hogwarts, and everything was happening in some parallel room right next door to where he wanted to be. Like he wanted to just go through that door again and go back to his story, not the borrowed one he’d been living in for the last year and something.

He didn’t know what real life was exactly, but it couldn’t be this. Seeing Brígh every few weeks or so whenever she came back from studying or traveling. Showing two nearly identical photographs to his boss and waiting to hear about all the little details that newspaper readers didn’t really care about. Feeling so far away from Addy, even as he was standing right next to her. It struck Cheese that he didn’t really know the details of her life anymore. He still heard the highlights, he supposed, the big news to share with the friend group. But she didn’t call him to vent anymore about her annoying coworkers, or describe in (painful) detail the process of disassembling some Muggle device, or to analyze the last conversation with her boss and how to casually arrange the next accidental conversation by the coffee machine. And he missed that. All of those things that added up to one of the most meaningful relationships in his life. The big and dramatic moments would always be etched into his brain – the career fair, that one second when she’d said she loved him and everything else stopped around them (and he couldn’t hear the shouting of the Aurors or smell the smoke on their robes or see the fire twist into monsters as it engulfed Hogwarts). But it was the small and everyday moments that he missed more, because life was made up of those and he continued to feel that loss.

But he supposed that all he could do was focus on where he was now, and that was all. The balcony was small but had a lived-in feel to it, and the fairy lights cast a dim glow over the scene and reflected the golden streaks of Addy’s hair. Rafe turned back to gaze out over the city, although his gaze was pulled sideways as Addy gave her theory. His laughter faded away after a moment, although a smile lingered on his face. “Since when does Claire know so much about curse-breakers?” he asked, shaking his head slightly but unsurprised that Addy could perfectly recite her older sister’s position on such a niche topic. She’d always cared more than he had about family expectations. Cheese himself had gained a healthy suspicion of older siblings’ advice after Mickey had told him once on a trip to the zoo that there was buried treasure in the Hippogriff paddock and maybe baby Rafe should go look for some.

Then again, Addy tended to be an overthinker in general and as he glanced over – well, he could see her mind furiously at work now. Her next question revealed a little of what she was thinking, although Cheese didn’t really mind whether Brígh knew they were both out here or not. “Want me to try and hide under a chair?” he asked helpfully, deciding that it wasn’t worth asking Addy whether it’d really be the end of the world if she knew they were standing together and talking. Brígh’s suspicions weren’t completely wrong, anyway. It hadn’t taken long after their breakup for them to fall into old habits (although without the excuse of extra Quidditch practice this time) and even if it wasn’t a perfect window into Addy’s life – it was still something. He at least couldn't help but crave the intimacy, even if they weren't dating anymore.

“It has been busy,” Cheese agreed, “I get sent out all the time on assignments. Last week I was in Bristol for two days, even. But it’s like that for everyone, even the Editor.” He frowned thoughtfully and felt his eyebrows crease in concentration. He hadn’t really tried to analyze what the deeper reason might be for their busy period – Cheese had mostly assumed it was just the start of the holiday rush. “Maybe there’s staffing issues,” he suggested finally, “He goes out to the Ministry himself a few times a week, but I haven’t seen any requests for photography. So there mustn’t be enough reporters available to write those stories?” Rafe turned expectantly to Addy to hear her thoughts – she’d always been the brains of the trio, and he usually relied on her judgment for most things. That action felt so familiar, and he ignored a stabbing pain in his chest that it was the first time in weeks he’d done it. Still, he expected she’d come up with something good. She’d always been clever, but in the last year she’d really started to grow into a formidable woman. Cheese didn’t envy any obstacle she found in her path.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Unfortunately, Hogwarts did little to prepare them for the realities of this world or how to write their own story outside of achieving Outstanding on one’s OWLs or NEWTs. Addy had thought all the trouble during the school year navigating her feelings for her best friend would be the worst. And she had been proven so very wrong this past spring. She’d run into a Castle slowly being consumed by Fiendfyre, only to break down at the site of his sweater in her room. Brígh was around but still traveled from time to time as a second-year trainee. The adjustment of not seeing everyone every day had been difficult as well.

Looking to the side, she noted how relaxed he seemed. It was better this way, right? They weren’t fighting anymore. No resentment while being near him like before. None of that. ”My mother works at Gringotts, remember?” Not that her mother ever shared much outside of negative stories or complaints. But she supposed she should clarify. ”Oh—I didn’t tell you.” There it was again, that sinking feeling as she realized how close they weren’t anymore. Well, outside of the times he’d sneak in. She shook the feeling quickly. ”The Cursebreaker training Brígh, Max’s brother, is a friend of my sister’s from school.” Addy and Brígh had already discussed their suspicions on how close the pair were, but that day at the Ministry had certainly not been boring.

”If Claire knows him, she probably is friends with more.” A logical conclusion. But she could hardly picture Claire hanging out with such a rough lot. All that sand and dirt on their clothes and boots. So vastly different from how the Slaters kept themselves. While Grey might have allowed a hair out of place to annoy their mother, his appearance was always as neat as expected. Addy grinned and chuckled. Cheese was not a small man. He’d probably doubled in height since their first year. The thought of him under a chair was silly. ”I don’t think that will be necessary. She hasn’t said anything yet, anyway.” That was the surprising part. Addy hadn’t even asked for space on this, but Brígh had given it to her anyway. In fact, she’d encouraged quite the opposite regarding Addy’s social life. To have that kind of fun without strings.

She watched as he thought through his answer, the lines creasing on his face slightly. Addy couldn’t think of anything currently at the Ministry that would require such attention or was that urgent. But what did she know? She was merely an intern. ”I haven’t heard anything at work.” She stared into the distance as she thought through the past few months. ”Harper or Claire haven’t mentioned anything either.” Maybe it would simply remain the current mystery. Which was better than the alternative where something was worse. ”Maybe…he’s trying to improve the relationship between the two?” Law Enforcement and the Prophet’s journalists had always clashed. And Addy had seen it firsthand with her older siblings, but maybe the Editor was merely trying to smooth things over, but she didn’t know him that well to surmise what he was doing.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Merlin, Cheese hated those words. Oh, I didn’t tell you. He knew there’d be big changes after the break-up, of course there’d be, and maybe that was what Brígh had been afraid of when she’d first noticed the dynamic change after her long absence from school. But he felt like he’d been sleepwalking through the whole experience and only just now noticed those stupidly frustrating changes. Like the fact that Addy wasn’t, couldn’t, be his go-to anymore when it came to sharing things first. He hated the thought that things could change so fast, that he could just lose one of the most important people in his life and not be able to do a damn thing about it.

But he tried, really tried to ignore that thought and keep a light expression on his face and focus on what Addy was saying to him. Because honestly – Cheese didn’t want to drown in his feels tonight and then miss the rest of this party. He never got to see everybody in the same room anymore and it seemed like a waste to let ancient history ruin that. Because…it had to be ancient history, right? Addy looked like she was glowing under the dim lights, like she’d finally found herself as a fierce and independent adult doing everything she ever wanted. His eyes lingered a little before he glanced sideways and refocused his thoughts on Brígh’s cursebreaker training. “Oh yeah. She did mention him once or twice. Sounds a bit like a troll to me, honestly.” At least that was what he’d gathered from Brígh’s vivid descriptions of her grouchy mentor and their adventures together. Someone could write a show about that.

It seemed strange that Claire, Addy’s prim and proper older sister, might know a crowd like that – but everything was in the realm of possibility these days. Why not? They lived in some topsy-turvey world where schools could burn down and the bad guys were disguised as the good guys. So really, Claire roughing it with a bunch of curse-breakers seemed rather tame in comparison. Now, about this mind-boggling question about where his Editor disappeared to in his frequent trips to the Ministry…Cheese didn’t have any better theories than what Addy had suggested, so he just shrugged a bit. “He might as well wrestle a Chimaera, for all the good it’ll do him.” The rivalry between the Prophet and the Ministry was historic, and it was sort of natural for them to be at constant loggerheads with each other. But what did he know? He was just a junior photographer.

There didn’t seem to be much sense to keep speculating about an unanswerable question, so Cheese turned his mind to more urgent issues. “I don’t have any ideas for Brígh’s gift yet,” he groaned, avoiding the urge to drop his face into his hands. Brígh was rather militaristic about celebrating the holidays, and even if Rafe technically had months to find her the right gift…well, he didn’t want to get hit over the head with a Gobstones set if his Christmas gift wasn’t up to scratch. Knowing Addy, she was planning to go gift shopping even before Halloween so everything would definitely one-hundred percent be ready in time - so she was definitely the right person to admit this to. Rafe had a rather troublesome reputation for getting everything done at the last minute (and honestly, it was rightfully earned). For once, he'd like to get ahead of the curve and be responsible about things. As his mind dwelled on the pesky subject of the holidays, Cheese tried not to question whether he’d be on Addy's list this year or not.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy remembered when each of her siblings left for Hogwarts. She would only see them during break times, and the transition had felt…odd. Then again, Addy had just turned five when she watched Claire board that train. By the time Grey left, she had just turned nine, and it made more sense. Still, that left Addy home alone for two years with just her parents for company. Suddenly more orders and comments were coming in her direction, and she was not used to it. She felt like her life was full of these sudden changes, and she was left trying to catch her balance each time.

When Brígh left to be with her family, Addy felt that void in her life. In the end, some good did come out of it, albeit after a road more complicated than it needed to be. But the breakup brought back the void, and Addy was still trying to find her footing. Moments like this were nice, at least when they stopped being awkward around one another. Addy always found Cheese’s physical presence calming, and she hoped that would remain if they continued being friends. Although speaking of physical…they clearly had no problem with that part.

She shrugged. Brígh didn’t have a high personal opinion of her trainer regarding his attitude and people skills. Addy had reminded Brígh that perhaps he knew a thing or two with that many years on the job, and he was still alive and not sitting at a desk. She recalled briefly spotting Greyback at Claire’s desk when he and Brígh visited the Ministry. Arguing as though it was a competition. Their expressions shifted between smug and annoyed until they said goodbye like friends. Maybe she’d been hit with a confundus charm. ”There has to be some reason he’s training them.” She commented, though not very confidently. What did she know about Cursebreaking?

She chuckled. Cheese was right. The Ministry and the Prophet would never get along, and it seemed destined to always be that way. But her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, wondering why their presence was needed. But what would she know? She was just an intern. Cheese changed the subject to something more pressing. And normally, this was something they would have done together. Addy paused a moment before responding. ”I haven’t started looking yet.” She admitted, keeping her gaze forward, though she cringed at how she was letting this slip away as well. Where did the time go? July felt like yesterday, and now suddenly, it was nearly Halloween. Merlin, she needed to get it together and stop letting the distractions in her life get in her way. With a sigh, she mentally added this to the endless list of things to do. ”I’ll do that soon.” She announced, mostly to herself. ”I can let you know if I think of something else she might like.” Addy offered, looking to the side with a soft look.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Cheese didn’t really have enemies, or even people he didn’t like. Yeah sure, some people were hard to be around. They were bitter, or liked to lash out, and he found it easier to just bite his tongue and take it until they got bored and left. But for the most part, Rafe liked people just fine and didn’t mind handing out second or even third chances in the spirit of getting along. That just meant that his enemies were really his friends’ enemies, people they hated and therefore expected solidarity from him when the time came. So he would dutifully listen to Brígh’s rants about this trainee or that mentor, and nod seriously whenever Addy vented about annoying coworkers and squeezed to death whatever she was holding in her hands at the time.

He supposed there was something to what Addy said about Brígh’s mentor being the right person for the job, and Brígh did have a tendency to add an extra flair of drama to all her stories. “When we meet him someday, we can check to see if he has devil horns or not,” Rafe decided out-loud, if only because he was sure they’d have the opportunity someday. Brígh always got her way, and if she made up her mind to bring the man somewhere – well, he’d go. One way or another, on his own two feet or in a casket. Addy didn’t sound particularly certain about it – strange, because she always had an opinion on everything – but he’d follow her lead whenever she made up her mind. Cheese had never really minded following Addy. It wasn’t just that she had a forceful personality (although she did inherit the Slater gene for that), but she was just…so smart. She saw everything so clearly, and could even read between the lines whenever Cheese just found himself confused. So yeah, he trusted her judgment. He trusted her not to lead him the wrong way.

But yeah, her next admission caused him to raise his eyebrows in surprise. She looked embarrassed, staring straight ahead even as her cheeks tinged pink like she’d been caught doing something wrong. Rafe laughed and held his hands up. “Hold on, the Addy Slater doesn’t have her Christmas gifts bought, wrapped and sorted by size?” he asked challengingly, a spark of warmth entering his tone at the familiar opportunity to tease Addy for her OCD tendencies. Cheese laughed again and shook his head as he moved to lean against the balcony and thought – yeah, they were living in a strange world. A strange, upside-down world where left was right and Cheese was the first one to bring up running errands. Addy shot him a look that wasn’t like her usual ‘I want to stab you’ expression (although that one might be coming soon) and Rafe felt his heart skip a beat. It was that soft look she always reserved for the quiet, special moments between them – the ones that warmed him from the inside out. He gave her a soft, tentative smile back and looked down.

“We can plan a trip to Diagon to find something nice for her. If you want.” The offer slipped out before he’d fully thought it through, but…maybe that was a good thing, right? Things had always been like that with them. Easy, thoughtless, a friendship that flowed naturally since they’d been eleven. It wouldn’t…be the worst thing in the world to get that back, especially after Cheese had been nursing this hole in his heart for months now. They’d used to go to Diagon together all the time, Addy dragging him into Flourish and Blotts for hours, endless debates about whether the menu at the Leaky Cauldron ever really changed, shooting longing stares at the ice cream in the display case as they passed Fortescue’s (well, maybe that'd just been him). Merlin, he missed those days. He missed her so badly.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Addy chuckled lightly. She wanted to say she couldn’t imagine someone being that bad, but then again, she’d seen a lot at the Ministry. Maybe Addy would ask Claire about him just to get her opinion. But she wondered if it would also be exaggerated as Brigh’s likely was. ”Well, we know he’s a werewolf, at least.” That wasn’t a secret. Most assumed any Greyback was. Max had been an exception, although it had taken all of first year for that rumor to dissipate. At the school, it appeared that Professor Vector was leading most of the training, and there was no mention of the other.

With a heavy sigh, she rolled her eyes. It wasn’t that big of a deal. She’d just gotten busy. Not that her mother would approve of what Addy did in her spare time, what little there was. Addy wasn’t annoyed, however. This felt normal. But that fact made it stand out so distinctly against all their interactions these past months. Well, the public ones, anyway. The energy for the usual back and forth when Addy was caught stepping off her usual path just wasn’t there that day.

Fortunately, Cheese left it at that. Taking her offer of help and making his own offer. It caught her off guard, and Addy felt as if she stood firmly between ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Dead center. On the one hand, even she could admit the risk of Cheese overthinking the whole thing. But on the other…Addy missed him. Their conversations that began in one place and ended somewhere vastly different. No wonder she couldn’t stop herself from messaging him, and he always answered. They didn’t talk much, but the physical presence was enough. ”Sure…” Lightly she nodded her head in agreement. ”That’d be nice.” Addy looked forward again, willing her thoughts not to spiral. One day would not drastically change things.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

They hadn’t hung out properly in a long time. Sure, there were the group hangouts, which were mostly organized by Brígh and had a mandatory attendance. Cheese wouldn’t dare to say no because he knew exactly what the redhead was capable of and the occasional gleam of murder in her eyes. But they always had a social buffer of other people between them, and Cheese found himself more comfortable taking pictures and stuffing his mouth full of pizza instead of chancing an interaction with Addy. And then there were the other hangouts, which used to be called ‘extra Quidditch practice’ even if they didn’t have that excuse anymore…but that was different. That was more like scratching a persistent itch, falling into a habit that had gone on for years. They were broken up, but he would still answer every text and accidentally leave things behind.

No, they hadn’t been proper ‘just friends’ since the break-up. The words that slipped out of Rafe’s mouth surprised him, but it didn’t feel wrong to suggest it. For a moment, the dynamic had been just like before and he settled into it comfortably and more quickly than he would have thought. The idea cheered him slightly because at the end of the day – he liked being around her. They joked easily, complemented each other with their completely different styles, and he couldn't deny that he'd always paid bills on time since graduation with her to remind him. And why should they lose that friendship because of harder times? So Cheese didn’t correct himself, and instead traced the wood of the balcony with his fingers as the silence stretched out.

He couldn’t help the smile though as Addy nodded her agreement. “Brilliant. One more concussion from Brígh and I reckon I’ll never play Quidditch again. Which’d be a shame ‘cause I finally found a neighborhood league to join.” That had been Mickey’s idea, if only because Cheese had been moping about losing Quidditch since graduation. He'd hunted around for a while before finally finding a group that played casually on weekends. It wasn't the same as school, but it was better really -- now he got to play other positions too instead of just straining his eyesight while hunting for the Snitch. That had been the other thing he’d sorely missed since their break-up. Brígh detested Quidditch and wouldn’t discuss it with him. Most of his friends were rather disinterested, really, and Cheese had missed having someone to debate league scores with and discuss tactics they'd seen the pros use. Quidditch had always been one of his and Addy’s most heavily discussed topics, one of the things that'd bonded them early on. Merlin forbid he try it with Mickey.

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

This conversation was the most normal Addy had felt in some time. Although, to a point. Addy knew she should probably talk to Brígh or someone about it more, but exposing all that felt unnatural. But a lot of things had felt out of place lately. She hated this feeling—her body and mind could give one hundred percent, but her heart simply couldn’t. Some days like waking up and knowing your actions were all mechanical at that point. She’d felt it after they left school, but who wasn’t in a slump after that horrible fire and those images and sounds seared into their minds?

Losing Hogwarts took a part of everyone. And then they broke up the following year. Another large part of Addy’s life simply fell away. These fleeting moments where they could be normal and exist as friends were a highlight. Addy still approached with some caution because this boy had lived behind her walls before she’d even built them. And she was determined to keep them up until the lingering pain left her. But they were best friends once. Were they still? She even missed how he picked on her occasionally, always looking for those opportunities when Addy wasn’t on top of things.

She didn’t miss the change in his tone, a little higher and brighter. And that was the challenge, wasn’t it? Addy wanted Cheese in her life, but she also didn’t want to hurt him again. ”Really?” She perked up at the mention of Quidditch. Brígh was not a fan and was horrible for Quidditch conversation. It was one of the cornerstones of her entire relationship with Cheese as friends and then more. That slightly awkward feeling even seemed to drift away. ”How’d you find them?” She asked curiously. Quidditch was never far from her mind between hearing about it at work and talking to her brother. ”Anyone we know in it?” Addy recalled Cheese’s quest for a local league beginning long ago. At the time, Addy felt they’d have a better chance of seeing a thunderbird fly over England than find a good league.

Addy missed Quidditch. She’d truly found something she loved and excelled at with the sport. But she also could hear her mother’s voice and picture the aneurysm had Addy chosen a Quidditch-related career. The awkwardness of shared social circles as exes and their lack of self-control typically discouraged Addy from engaging in meaningful conversations. This felt like a rare moment without that tension. ”When was the last time you played? Do you still remember how?” Addy turned so she could lean on the perpendicular railing. He’d jumped at the opportunity to tease her, so Addy found her opening. She relaxed, arms loosely crossed and that playful smirk on her face. Now, this felt normal.

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[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

The mood felt lighter in a way Cheese had almost forgotten about. But he supposed that was partly his fault too. Work was an odd mix of laidback and stressful – relaxed when he was out on assignment and could set his own schedule, so long as he came back with the picture. And then stressful for the rest of the time, working with the reporters and taking notes for his boss and hiding behind plants whenever Jimmie walked into a room. His social activity hadn’t been particularly carefree either. Hanging out one-on-one with Brígh was different from their hangouts as a trio, mostly because Quidditch talk was forbidden and Brígh had frightful hobbies. Puff Palace was always a chaotic black hole too, and Cheese only really got a moment of silence whenever he took turns sharing the dark room with Cord. So…not too often.

He eagerly seized on the new topic of conversation at the curious spark in Addy’s eyes and the indication that he wasn’t going to be hit by a Gobstones set for bringing it up. “Actually yeah, you ‘member the Ravenclaw seeker from our year? I took my broom to Quality Quidditch Supplies for a tune-up, ‘cause it’d been ages. And she was there and we got to chatting and she mentioned this league. They found a good area to play just off Horizont, call themselves the T’s. It’s been aces.” Cheese waved his hands enthusiastically as he described the story of his first meeting, the random assortment of people who’d joined, and the highly controversial discussion of what to call themselves. He supposed it must be an inside joke, but Rafe didn’t quite understand the reference.

It felt like opening a soda can for the first time – because once the initial point of pressure passed, the conversation began to flow like it was always meant to. He shot Addy an unamused look at her jab, and turned around so he could lean back on the balcony and use his convenient height advantage to look down at her. “Actually, I make a smashing Keeper. Barely have to move to cover two of the posts,” he joked, reaching out his long arm to make a point. Seeker had been a good fit for him pre-puberty, when he'd been fast and light on his broom – but he couldn’t deny that other positions on the team were more suited to him now. Although he did make a terrible Beater – it was one thing to see a Bludger coming and swerve to avoid it, and another thing entirely to fly towards it with a heavy bat. He added matter-of-factly, “You’re the one out-of-practice, A. I bet I could fly circles 'round you now.”

addilyn elara slater

[addilyn elara slater]

when we were young,
they used to say

that you only hear the music
when your heart begins to break

October 16, 2027
Raphael Caelan McLaggen

Merlin, this was the lightest she’d felt in a while, including their little meet-ups. While those also brought some relief, there was still an awkward tension that hadn’t entirely left. Like that urge to speak when the words were right there, but you couldn’t bring yourself to. Addy thought through the House Team rosters and nodded slowly. ”Yes, I remember her…” But she trailed off because, for the life of her, she couldn’t recall a name. It didn’t really matter, she supposed. She grinned slowly at the team name, nodding lightly in approval. ”The ‘T’s’…I like it.” The ‘T’ in Horizont was a longstanding topic of contention that would likely never end.

As they conversed, neither probably noticed (aside from the release of tension) how easily they flowed into this conversation. The pattern of competition, teasing, and even the light suggestiveness all felt natural. Addy wasn’t overthinking her words or her thoughts at that moment. ”I believe it.” Cheese was so damn tall that Keeper made sense. But then he responded to her jab, her eyebrows raised a bit as they normally would. ”Kind of hard to fly circles sitting at the goalposts all day.” Addy remarked, although, from her perspective, Cheese hadn’t lost his athletic abilities since school. The sliding door opened, and all the noise from inside could be heard. And Addy didn’t really listen to what the person said but saw Brigh doing something requiring balancing and figured she should probably make sure that her best friend didn’t fall on her head. ”We should get back in.” Addy remarked to Cheese, her prepared comment on how she was not entirely out of practice now lost in her mind. But, at least when she reentered the noisy room, there wasn’t that weight on her shoulders anymore.

[ end addy ]

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