A Dream Is a Soft Place to Land

Obligatory Family Invitation

Beatrice had come prepared in relatively plain clothes—a simple black dress with a rather large diamond necklace that would have forced her torso to sink had it not been charmed. She was not in need of a stylist, though what she wore looked typical of what she wore every day anyway, only with larger jewels. Rather, she was at her cousin’s apartment to attend the ball with her, though she had a feeling this was more out of obligation than kindness.

And of course Beatrice has to accept. It was rarely that she got to visit another country’s school, though she heralded both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to be of higher merit. Her father had to leave the country to seek potions knowledge that Hogwarts hadn’t taught.

If the intention had been to get ready at Aloma’s, then Beatrice didn’t get the message. Her hair was done up and her jewels set as soon as she arrived, and she sat in the dining room chair, staring at the dog, who stared back. She made no effort to make herself comfortable, nor did she try and convince herself this was going to be a good time. Her encounters with people here hadn’t exactly made her feel welcome.

@colm-oir​ 

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Aloma poked her head out of her room, an apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry, I must have lost track of the time. I’m almost ready Beatrice...” She was glad her cousin had accepted her invitation to come with her to Hogwarts on such short notice, though that was mostly her own fault for having debated on it for so long. Still, she had made a point to try and reconnect with her older cousin despite how different there worlds had been growing up.

“I’m happy you decided to come with me, by the way. Mum, dad, and my brothers will be there and I know they’ll be excited to see you.” Aloma raised her voice a bit so she could be heard from the other room, thinking for a moment before adding. “And if Ronan’s giving you any trouble just tell him to go lay down, he’ll listen even if he grumps a bit.” She’d noticed them just staring at each other when she’d poked her head out, though at the sound of his name he’d turned his big head around towards her room and started wagging his tail lazily. “He’s a good dog and for the most part understands personal space, but he’s also a big baby that acts like he’s never been loved a day in his life.” She finished her hair a moment or two later, stepping out into the living room.

“Alright, ready to go if you are...”

Harry shook his head with a smile, feeling a little ridiculous for allowing himself to get so lost in his own thoughts. “You probably were, I’m sorry.” He insisted, his smile growing the moment he recognised the girl. She didn’t need to introduce herself, the family resemblance was obvious, but he felt a strange rush of affection at the mention of his old friend. “Anthony?” He asked, smile growing as he remembered the Ravenclaw from school. One of the first to sign up for Dumbledore’s Army, one of the brave students who had stayed to fight during the Battle of Hogwarts. “Merlin, it’s been years. How is he? He’s coming here tonight?” He was excited to see him, and made no effort to hide the fact. There were so many people he had lost touch with. People he should have made more of an effort to know after school. “Anthony Goldstein was definitely one of them. It’s really good to meet you, Aloma. You look like your dad, you know?” 

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“People have said I’m awfully quiet sometimes, so it wouldn’t surprise me if I hadn’t been.” Her smile was still apologetic until she noticed his grow when he heard her father’s name, nodding a bit. “He’s good...he married Ernie Macmillan’s younger sister, Iris, my mother....so our whole family should be here tonight including the Macmillan side of things.” It was nice to see one of her father and uncle’s friends so excited at the prospect of seeing them and catching up, though she blinked a bit when he mentioned her resemblance to her father. “It’s good to finally meet you as well Mr. Potter, though that’s I think the first time someone’s said I looked like my dad...if I look like him just wait until you see my little brother, everyone says he looks just like dad did...”

☙ ≪ And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves... ≫ ❧

Harry had revisited the castle once or twice before, but never for such an extended period of time, never when the school was empty. Calm and quiet. Sitting at his table, he steadily ran his finger around the rim of his champagne flute, entirely lost in thought. The Great Hall looked beautiful now, it was almost reminiscent of the Yule Ball. He could still remember sitting on the stage that was erected each year for the Sorting ceremony, begging the hat not to put him in Slytherin. He wondered briefly whether Albus had considered asking the same. He hoped not. He had tried so hard to raise children who proudly embraced who they were. Sighing quietly, he lowered his gaze, staring down at the hard stone floor. Unfortunately, despite so many happy memories, having time to reflect was making it all too easy for him to remember the hall as it had looked when he was seventeen. Rubble and ruin, dust and smoke, the wounded and dead laid out where he was sitting now. Remus and Tonks, Fred, Colin… so much horror. So much terror. He was so distracted, that he didn’t notice somebody had joined him at his table until it was far too late. Flinching visibly, his champagne very nearly spilled, and he hurried to compose himself, swallowing the familiar sense of panic that was clawing at his chest. He was safe. He wasn’t seventeen anymore. “You startled me.” He admitted, offering his company a sheepish grin. “Is everything okay?” 

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It was Aloma's first time back at the castle since she had graduated from school, though the familiar halls and corridors gave her some comfort still even after all this time. She'd recognized some familiar faces, though there were some that she didn't recognize though, given the scope of the reunion, it shouldn't have surprised her. She did recognize some of her parents and uncle's friends from their time at school, they all tried to keep in touch after they'd graduated after all. Her parents were running later than either of them had expected, so Aloma had taken it upon herself to let their classmates know that they would indeed be attending. She'd seen Harry sitting and chatting with his daughter earlier and figured it was better not to interrupt, for all she knew they could have been talking about Albus and she had no place in that conversation. She did wonder though how the Potters were all holding up though, especially Ginny and Harry given what they'd both gone through while they were still in school and she wondered if her parents had those same fears on occasion about her and her brothers. Aloma shook her head slightly, making her way over to Harry once Lily had wandered off, jumping a bit when she startled him. "Oh! Mr. Potter I didn't mean to startle you...figured I was making enough noise though I suppose I should make just a bit more." She offered an apologetic smile, nodding slightly at his question. "Everything's fine. I'm Anthony Goldstein's daughter Aloma, I just wanted to let you know that my parents were running late but if dad has his way they'll be here within the hour."

Midnight Sun

–

Julian could only make out a silhouette in the distance, with the lights of the party flooding through the open door. The creature that followed made it evident that it was Aloma with Ronan accompanying her, and his assumption was confirmed by her gentle question as she approached him.

Had it been anyone else who had let themselves in, he probably would have been much more belligerent about needing his privacy. He was in his own house and he didn’t need some Prophet spy to report on him.

“Am I?” Julian asked weakly. He didn’t know why it had come in the form of a question rather than an answer. He wasn’t doing well but he was either too drunk or too stubborn to admit it; even totally drunk he still knew how to lie to himself. Perhaps she could give him a real assessment of himself—though how could she? This party had been the first time they talked in ages. “How are we sure that the real question is that you’re okay?”

For how philosophical Julian sounded, the fact that he managed to string a few words together and made it sound like a question was sort of a miracle. Julian lifted his hand to reach for Ronan’s head to give him a scratch behind the ears, but he was too tired to lift himself up to extend his reach further than where he lay.

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Aloma sat on the edge of Julian’s bed, smiling a little softly at him. “Only you can really answer that....but based on what happened on the balcony, I’d say that you aren’t...” She carefully tugged Ronan a bit closer so that Julian could reach him, smiling when the dog leaned into the touch behind the ears. “That’s part of the reason we came to check on you. You two stay here...I’m going to go get you some water.” Carefully standing, she placed a reassuring hand on Julian’s arm before slipping back through the door out to the party.

It didn’t take her long to find an empty glass that was clean and fill it water, though finding one of the Woods was a bit harder. She did let Daphne know that Julian was in his room in case anyone needed him before making her way back. With another knock to announce her presence she quickly slipped back into the room before closing the door again. She laughed a little at Ronan who had his front paws on the bed to make it even easier for Julian to reach his head. “Seems you give better scratches than me...he never does that at home...”

Aloma closed the distance between the door and the bed, setting the water down before she offered her hand to him. “Let’s get you sitting up so you can actually drink the water...”

Midnight Sun

Julian didn’t remember when he had been separated from Aloma, but he did remember a pong game where he was looking rather sullen at being dragged by his brother to play pong with his father and stepmother. Of course, Julian had to oblige; it was Daphne Greengrass’s birthday.

What happened afterward was much less clear. Julian had more shots than he had anticipated on taking after losing (graciously, of course) to his parents. He had fished his broom out of the closet they kept at the balcony and pitched himself off the edge, proving that he can catch himself mid-air before he hit the ground, flying back to be greeted by a cheering crowd.

He wasn’t sure at what point he realized that this was probably the last time he was going to hear a crowd cheer for him. Julian remembered throwing someone out of his room before tossing himself on the bed. He wasn’t crying—not when his dad was here—and not even over something important. Physical pain was worth the tears, but the emotional weight wasn’t seen.

The bravado from coming off the balcony was wearing off and Julian was sure he would feel the effects of it long after the sun had risen. They didn’t even have any real food at the house yet; Julian had more liquor than anything else. Aside from preventing people from going further than making out on his bed, he wasn’t in the mood to throw anyone else out if they came in. He rolled over, trying to focus on the figure nearby.

.

Aloma had indeed gotten the chance to catch up with Daphne for a moment before she’d been whisked away by Oliver for beer pong with the boys. She’d watched for a little bit, smiling softly to herself until one of her school friends had grabbed her attention. The majority of the rest of her night had been spent talking and reminiscing with old classmates as she entertained her dog, though she and Ronan had followed to sound of commotion to the balcony where her heart stopped momentarily at the sight of Julian launching himself and his broom over the railing.

She feared the worst as she fought her way to the edge, letting out a ragged breath of relief when she saw Julian fly up and perch on the railing to accept the cheers and applause of the crowd behind her. She didn’t know what was going through his mind as she carefully helped him down, though she knew he wasn’t all there in that moment as he stumbled past her and down the hall to what she assumed was his room. Was leaving him alone after the display here a good idea? Would he only be cross with her for invading his personal space or would he appreciate her coming to check on him?

A nudge from the wet nose of a dog pulled Aloma out of her thoughts, reminding her that even drunk friends still probably need a shoulder to cry on. She made her way carefully back into the apartment, much slower than she had on her trip out into the night air, barely dodging a couple of drunk friends as she came to the door. She took a deep breath and knocked before she opened it, slowly stepping into the room and closing the door behind her and Ronan as she caught sight of Julian. “.....Hey. You okay?”

Midnight Sun

Julian wasn’t drunk enough yet to be insecure and he was still able to convince himself there was no reason to be insecure. He had made himself out to be disliked by nearly everyone he met, though not on purpose. If he had actually cared for people’s opinions he probably would have tried much harder to placate them.

Most of that dislike had been through Quidditch. His haughty demeanor was a turn-off for most people, though some couldn’t see past his pretty face and tried to befriend him anyway. Somehow Aloma had gotten past Julian the asshole athlete, though he didn’t know who the hell he was without Quidditch on his mind.

“Regardless of this—” And Julian made a gesture to the crowd. “I’d still want muggle movies and quiet.”

Muggle movies and quiet with her. He didn’t really imagine himself spending that kind of time with anyone else—perhaps because he didn’t know anyone else who had access to that sort of thing. And there were so few other people who thought of a quiet evening in as a good time.

“Wait here—” Julian stood up to shuffle around, grabbing a handful of hors d'oeuvres from the earlier occasion and piling some on a plate that he handed to her. He scanned the room for Daphne, unsure if she had actually left yet. He hoped she had left. “—I don’t know if we have anything else.”

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She smiled softly at him, relaxing on his couch with him and her dog. “We should plan it out then...make a weekend of it or something like that.” Aloma’s soft smile turned into a grin, scratching behind Ronan’s ears. “Order some take-away from somewhere and just...relax. We could all use a weekend where the biggest worry was making sure Ronan was taken out.” She wasn’t quite sure why she was just so determined to make sure Julian had a relaxing weekend, but he was one of her close friends so she knew that it mattered to her, at least on that level.

Though, she wouldn’t deny that she’d look forward to a quiet weekend with him in her flat, just the two of them with her dog. She’d never considered it before, but now that she was...it was a nice thought. She nodded when Julian stood, absentmindedly running her fingers through her bear of a dog’s fur as she watched him maneuver around partygoers and furniture to get her food. A weekend of muggle movies, take-away, and quiet with him sounded really good to her.

“Thanks, and it’s no trouble...if this doesn’t fill me I can always throw something together tomorrow when I get home.” She smiled as she took the plate, popping one of the procured hors d'oeuvres in her mouth. “These are pretty good, I really do appreciate you not only offering to let us stay over tonight just so you can buy me dog food in the morning...but also you braving the masses to get me food.”

Midnight Sun

Julian huffed. “Frankly, I think I’ve been blessed with being both serious and boring.”

He was much more focused than Ethan was, though he had to admit that Ethan was a better athlete. Perhaps the showmanship was part of the factor that Julian didn’t master; he was much more straightforward when it came to victory, caring little for the fans and eager to play the next team on the roster.

The party—or rather, afterparty—had started but Julian doubted this was its peak. A few people lingered outside their door confirming the address and Julian’s stomach churned at the idea that people knew where he lived. Or rather, where Ethan lived; Julian hoped that his own life wouldn’t be scrutinized as closely.

With her hand on his arm, he guided her into the apartment. For now it was easy to find a spot on the couch for them to properly sit as he watched the shots being poured into glasses he wasn’t even sure he owned. The door to the balcony was open, though it didn’t help much with how sticky and humid it was inside.

“Have you met my mother?” Julian wasn’t completely sure she was joking about saying hi to Daphne. He let Ronan lay his head on his lap, playing with the dog’s ears. “I’m not even sure she’s still around. Are you hungry?”

“I’d hardly call you boring, Julian...you just have a very specific idea of what looks like fun to you and that’s not a bad thing.” She smiled softly following behind him as they made their way to the flat. She did raise her eyebrows at the people standing around outside, recognizing some as friends of Ethan that he’d had since Hogwarts but most of the faces were unfamiliar to her, something that made her glad for Ronan and Julian’s presence.

“Well, you can certainly tell that Ethan had his hand in this...no wonder you were tempted by my offer of muggle movies and quiet.” Aloma followed Julian to the couch, keeping a hold on both his sleeve and Ronan’s collar to avoid losing either of them. She let go of the dog once he hopped up on the couch, smiling as she watched him lay his head down and accept the ear rubs from Julian.

Count on Me

Leah chuckled after hearing Aloma’s words “Enjoying paperwork, you sound like my father” said with a smiled “But you’re right, a lot of things change after Hogwarts” smiled “I wish my shyness could have changed too” laughed looking at Aloma. “You’re right, but with all the things that are happening, I can’t fall asleep that easy” explained “But I’m used to going to bed at 2 am” chuckled “I’m a night owl”

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A Stand of Striped Flags

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Frank drifted off a little bit, really considering her words. “You know, I think I just—” He didn’t know how to explain it. He was always a little bit in love with everyone, a little bit fanciful about the possibilities sometimes, but never enough to do anything. “—that’s so smart, you know? Sometimes I just see people and wonder if something’s going to happen—because in my head, anything could happen.”

The yellow did stand out more than the other two colors, so maybe with Aloma’s rationale, that was the reason why Frank had picked up the flag. Frank thought about the big machine, dragging her along as he tried to look for one that would serve them. “But that’s a muggle machine… so it can’t be that hard, right?”

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he realized there wasn’t any cotton candy to be found. “You know what, why don’t we just go back to the pub? Maybe we can try to make some there instead?”

“I mean, I suppose you have a point there. Anything could happen, it’s always just a matter of taking that first step.” Aloma smiled softly, nudging her housemate gently. “I wouldn’t say either is smarter than the other though. I can see both having their pros and cons...”

“All I did was tell Dom that I was coming over to help with boxes, and that we should shag on break or something and then she started yelling at me because she had no idea he was moving out.” Ethan shrugged innocently. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t actually hear Julian’s side of the story and was just going off of Dominique’s word. It didn’t matter to him much anymore, and he held up his hand to give Aloma a celebratory high five. “But if I found her a place to live, we could still shag. And it looks like I did thanks to you.” Ethan smiled, satisfied with himself and his victory.

He tried his best to keep still as the artist got to work on painting his face. He nodded very slightly at Aloma’s suggestion and peered over to her with just his eyes. “Nah, nah a butterfly is cool. They’re like majestic or some shit.”

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Aloma rolled her eyes a bit at the chaser but accepted the high five. She’d known Ethan long enough to know better than to leave him hanging or his bruised pride, however mild, wouldn’t let you hear the end of it. “So let me get this straight.....you told Dominique that you would find her a place mostly to sleep with her?” She did laugh a bit, shaking her head. “As long as you two keep it out of my apartment I suppose I can’t complain...”

She smiles a bit at his agreement, nodding. “Or some shit.....I’m sure you could assign some....symbolic meaning to me picking it but that’s too much thinking in this weather.”

“Ballycastle. Should be a hell of a match, but nothing we can’t handle. Even with Jules benched.” Ethan broke off into a slight ramble, eyes widening until Aloma mentioned his brother’s name. He shook his head suppressing the playful eye roll that threatened to follow and shrugged. “Apparently, he never told Dom he was moving out or some shit…and people say I’m the dunderhead of the family— wait—really?” Ethan pumped a fist in the air at Aloma’s offer. This was almost too easy. “Shit, Goldstein, she’ll take it. And you just won be a bet.” 

With newfound swag, Ethan plopped down in front of the artist. “Way ahead of you.” He laughed then described to the artist exactly what he wanted. “And we gotta get this one something good, too.” Ethan nodded towards Aloma before the face painting began.  

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“Well, let’s hope having me in the stands brings good luck or something like that. I’m sure you guys’ll do great...” Aloma smiled, listening to him ramble, though it was mostly unfamiliar subject matter. She did blink when he explained what had happened between Julian and Dom, looking at him a little shocked. “Wait, he did what now? That hardly sounds like him, and what do you mean I just won you a bet?”

She shook her head a bit as he sat down, leaning against a nearby lamppost and watching as Ethan got his face painted. “Eh, might go for something boring...maybe a butterfly or something...”

Count on Me

“That’s true” laughed after Aloma’s comment “Last time I wished something like that I spent a whole week training until night” said remembering how tired she was when she got home.”Oh, then I’m sure you’ll receive a date not so far from this moment” laughed Leah before whistling making Ronan come near the sofa to get petted “You’re such a good boy, aren’t you?” said Leah caressing the dog making it get really excited. “Let’s stop talking about Aurors, how are your little creatures going?” asked Leah before turning around crossing her legs on the old sofa.

“Exactly, and with this, things are liable to get crazy a lot faster than anyone expects.” Aloma smiled, laughing a bit. “Just let me know, I’ll make sure to run to the shop and pick up what I need to bake for the three of us.” She smiled at her dog, giving him a few pats as his body wiggled excitedly. “He is a good boy, isn’t he? And my little creatures are going about as well as one can expect, though I don’t have any that I’m working with right now...mostly just writing papers.”

Dominique had never taken a dog for a walk before but the idea of running with him seemed appealing. She loved running, it was a good way to clear her head and she liked the satisfaction she felt when flopping back down onto the sofa. She wasn’t especially fast though and had a feeling Ronan would run much fast than her naturally. “Maybe… does he tug on his lead? I’m not sure if I could keep up with him. My runs are much more like jogs than sprints.”

The disappointment on Dom’s face was clear but she didn’t argue the point, not wanting to start a rift already. “If you’re sure, I think it will be a good time.” The defence of Julian was something that irked her more than the rejection of her invitation. Sure, he probably had his own stuff going on but he could’ve told her he was going to move out instead of leaving it as a surprise and her in an awkward situation. “Ugh. Whatever. He seems fine to me. He was being a baby not telling me he was moving out. Anyway, I’m over it. I’m here now.”

“He’s actually really good about not tugging, which is a bit surprising given his size and personality.” She offered Dom a bit of a smile and a shrug. “I haven’t gone on a run with him in a while so I’m sure anything above a leisurely walk he’ll appreciate. If it makes you feel any better I can go with you the first couple of times? Get him used to going at your pace and not mine.”

Aloma knew the look of disappointment on her new roommate’s face well enough already, having started planning a peace offering when she declined the invitation. “How about this. While I won’t go to the party, I will make something for you to bring with you.” She smiled softly, looking over. “I know Daphne and the rest of the family will probably appreciate it.” She watched her for a moment, nodding a bit. “I will admit, it was rude of him to leave without a word and he should have let you know that he was leaving.”

Midnight Sun

“Oh come off it, I’m sure Diana is more serious than I am!” His sister was the smart one for getting a career that wasn’t contingent on her physical health—not that he wanted her to get sick, but the risks were probably lower considering than getting knocked off a broom. He relaxed now though, giving her a wide smile. “Yes. I am!”

Julian walked backward, though in the direction of Horizont Alley. His arms were outstretched towards Ronan as he lead the way to the flat. The walk wasn’t too long—only a few minutes. But even with his backwards stride, Julian was still relatively nimble and made quick work of getting them to his building and leading them to the stairs upward.

He offered his hand out to Aloma, though she probably didn’t need any help getting up the stairs. “So you’re coming with me because I’m offering you some free dog food, right?”

“I don’t know...my brothers say that’s the curse of being the eldest sibling, you’re either serious or boring...” She laughed and smiled back in his direction. “Lead the way then, Julian...” Aloma shook her head a bit when he turned and started walking backward, watching him with raised eyebrows and more than a little concern considering he couldn’t see much of what was between them and his flat. “How you made it the entire way to your flat backward I will never know.”

She blinked a bit when he offered his hand, shrugging a bit mentally before taking it and starting to follow him up the stairs. “Maybe that, maybe it’s because I adore your family and want to tell your mum happy birthday...the world may never know. I do appreciate the dog food though, and I’m sure Ronan will too once he gets his paws on it.”