I am stronger than I seem.

Daisy was in the final moments before school started back up, and while she’d saved her maternity time for the beginning of the school year, prepping for a substitute to start the year still kept her busy–well, busier than Estrella did. 

As she walked through Diagon Alley, she slowed, seeing Adelaide standing and staring at an empty place. Her heart dropped as she listened to Adelaide talk. Daisy had forgotten there was a Kane on that fateful list. She didn’t quite know how to answer. The practical answer was that most people in charge had probably thought people would want to forget, but Daisy wasn’t callous enough to say it. Besides, Adelaide was right. It wasn’t the kind of thing that could be just tossed aside and buried.

“There’s always the possibility of adding one,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. Perhaps that was the kind of thing to bring up to Alex for The Quibbler. “How are you feeling?”

She felt sorry for whoever stumbled upon her. It was a bit of a gloomy morning discussion, wasn’t it? But at least, she noted when she finally looked to the woman next to her, Daisy was nice enough, had seemed kind enough in all their previous interactions that Adelaide was sure she’d let her wallow without interruption.

“Guilty.” She responded simply. Adelaide often felt guilty. Whether it was purely because she had lived when others hadn’t, or because she felt like being happy was like ignoring what had happened, it was a weight that often felt like it was never going to leave her. “Maybe, although I feel like it would have already happened by now, if anyone planned to. I just worry about walking past one day and seeing something. A little cafe, or a menagerie, anything. Like it never existed in the first place. Does that make sense?”

Not to her.

Adelaide unconsciously ran her hand over the scar on her forearm, one of the only physical reminders of that day, and stared at the empty block that, only two years ago, had been Obscurus Books, where she had been shopping with her mother, unaware that her life was about to change forever. And not for the better.

“Weird, isn’t it?” She wondered aloud. “It’s almost like it never existed. Seven people died here, you think they would put in a memorial, at least.”

“Yes,” she enthused, leaning in to interject herself into a conversation that was absolutely none of her business.  “She’s right, you’re a git.  But I suppose your hair isn’t so bad just a bit shiny – if that’s hair gel perhaps a bit less?  If it’s grease consider a shower.  With soap.  But anyway –” she waved away the comment that had started.  “no, sorry I wasn’t inviting a discussion.  But I wanted to ask you, have you ever…” she trailed off as the couple walked away.  “Well, okay then.” 

She turned the other way, holding out the greasy looking wrapped package.  “I guess their loss is your gain.  Have you ever had a gyro?  It’s like a taco, but it’s Greek.  Here, I brought you one.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re going to get yourself hexed? Like, one day, you’re going to say one stupid thing too many and someone is going to turn around and pull out their wand and all of a sudden you’ll have teeth too big for your face. Or have your bogeys turned into bats! And I’m no good with counters, so you’d be stuck until we found someone better to help out.”

Adelaide paused, in the middle of her panicked rant. “Sorry, a what? A... how do you say that? And how on earth do you spell it? And most importantly; is it any good?”

Adelaide has an older brother. Quite close in age, they fought a lot as children, screaming matches down hallways, spitefully levitating away toys, but when he went to Hogwarts, leaving her alone at home, she missed him. And as they grew, he a Ravenclaw and she a Hufflepuff, the competition diminished, the relationship became less tense, and more civil, and by their late teens, they were what some might refer to as friendly.

Actually, I have frequent and very painful flashbacks and panic attacks in relation to that day, so I’m going to say that’s a hard no.

Oskar didn’t know much about Howlers. He’d never gotten one. If he ever did something wrong, it was taken care behind closed doors. Which probably wasn’t great, but he’d never been the one to push the rules. “I would assume it would ruin the bag, yes.” He’d only seen a few howlers in his life. “Just tell her that you found someone else. Is it really that big of a deal to her?” 

Adelaide frowned, before pulling the envelope in question out of her bag and eyeing it suspiciously. “Well, it’s not hot to the touch, yet. I think I’ve still got some time to vanish it, or bury it some place far away.” Could Adelaide just open the letter and get it over with? Yes. But did she want to be screeched at by her grandmother? Absolutely not. “That’s the problem, I haven’t, I just... he was so boring. It never used to be so bad, she usually the pushiness up to my mum, who was more than happy to let me do whatever, but ever since she died, my gran has upped it tenfold.”

“If you don’t like my politics, or you’re about to tell me you think I should be in jail, you’re welcome to send a letter in to the Prophet,” Alex said as civilly as he could manage, his once-endless patience having found its limit while he languished in Azkaban. 

He was shuffling papers as he spoke, and finally glanced up at the figure who’d approached. “I’m afraid I only have time today for friends, responses to my help wanted, or congratulations on the Quibbler’s first issue.”

“Are you saying people are actually walking up to you and saying that?” She frowned. Surely enough time had passed that people would have moved on, or at the very least, not still regarded Alex, his trial, and the unfortunate aftermath, as big news.

Liliana turned around. The conversation hadn’t actually involved her, but any howler of that caliber wasn’t something to worry about politeness for. “How good is your silencing charm? I can try to bubble shield around it? Maybe the two of them together could keep it handled, but I can promise if your bag is almost smoking, it’s not going to last long against a howler.”

“Uh... passable, but not spectacular?” Adelaide admitted. “Would a silencing charm even help? It’d stop the yelling, sure, but not the sparks.” She thought on it for a moment. “What if I vanished it? I don’t exactly know where all the vanished things go, but it going off there is a damn sight better than it going off here.” Adelaide looked down. “It’s not smoking, yet. I’d say we’ve still got a few minutes.”

Adelaide’s question had Ellie thinking for a second or two “I… Don’t really know how long, I wish I could be of more help, but if it’s in a nice new bag, it’ll 100% at least ruin the inside of the back and scorch it a little because of the fire, so recommendation, don’t keep howlers in bags” She said with a laugh. She hadn’t gotten a howler in the longest time, mainly because her parents didn’t know how to send one, but still, she’s a bit old for them. “Aw, how… I mean, protective of her. I guess the guy wasn’t to your liking?”

“Damn.” Adelaide sighed, looking down warily at her bag. “I spent half my pay-cheque on it and everything, I really just don’t think I can risk it.” She gingerly pulled the letter out of her bag. At least now if it went off, it wouldn’t singe the nice new leather. “He was nice enough, but Merlin, he was so boring. I’ve never heard so much about ghouls in my entire life. You’d think working in the Department of Magical Creatures would mean you’d have at least a few interesting stories, but apparently not.”

“That’s good,” Luka said still looking to make sure that it was true. After all, he had his own habit of not being completely honest when he was injured. Looking around he tried to get a semblance of where exactly he was as the other talked. It seemed to be mostly to herself in anycase, as he looked at the buildings and how easily it would be to get to the roof. 

“Trial - ah that was today wasn’t it. I - don’t know what the result was with this.” He sighed slightly and tried to figure out if a fire started how he was going to get people out, and moreover how he would call for backup. 

“Oh - Yes. I mean no one slammed into me. I just - this feels a lot like halloween again. If you need help to get out I can help, but I - think it might be a good idea to try to contact the ministry. Especially if this is tied to the trail.” 

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. “Yes, it was. Have you been reading the news? It’s all anyone’s been talking about for weeks.” She was surprised that anyone had managed to miss it, but then again, Adelaide followed the news almost religiously, other’s might not have had the same dedication.

“I don’t, I can manage.” She could, Merlin knew she had been through much worse. “I’m quite sure they already know. There were scores of aurors at the trial, I’d be quite surprised if one of them didn’t apparate off as soon as it all began.”