dawn

There was a lot of nostalgia in the air, but also sweets that were caked in sugar, beer sticking to the rims of people's glasses, and the sound of fun laughter. Mary was also happy that it was a great day to do some on-the-ground reporting with a mix of alumni and the community. "Excuse me, I'm here with the Daily Prophet today. Mind answering a couple of questions?"

"Does the Daily Prophet require two reporters to cover the fayre?" Freya remarked, "I was under the illusion that I was the assigned journalist."

Malcolm didn't like to do promotion but it was part of the bigger picture and he was willing to market Cachette like it was meant to. They weren't done with it quite yet as there had been some hurdles in the way, but they were getting closer to an opening date which meant putting it on people's radars. "La Cachette, remember that name," Malcolm said as his friendly house elf handed out flyers for a save-the-date. "It'll be the best place you've ever been to in only a few weeks."

"Care to elaborate? Or shall I allow myself to be the judge of that."

On her lunch break, Pandora found herself drifting back to a shop window that had caught her eye earlier. Before long, she was standing at a jewellery rack, her gaze locked on a ring shimmering with shades of purple and blue.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a hand reaching toward it. “I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.” There was something strangely unsettling about the piece.

Freya was just about to reach out to try it on when a voice pulled her attention, warning her about touching the ring. Albeit suspicious, Freya did listen, curious at to what the woman's intentions were.

"Is something wrong?"

Finally she turned her attention back to Freya, a small laugh falling from her lips. “That sounds like quite the set up you have.” She set her bag aside and began to pull out an assortment of sweets and fruit and small sandwiches as well as water and juice. “Behold my need to always be prepared.” She joked. “Help yourself.” She nodded at the question. “I had the day from the hospital and it was just too gorgeous to stay inside. What about you?”

"This," her hands directing towards Andromeda's picnic, "has put me to shame." Although her tone was warm, grateful to the woman for sharing. "Similar, I had the day off from the madness of political reporting, and decided to trade in the endless buildings for a bit of nature. How are you? It feels like it's been forever."

He watched Bonnie stalk the beetles with fondness. The little critter had done so much for him. "She doesn't like other ferrets. Which is odd, usually they enjoy company.

"Ever played hide and seek? It's like that, but with more intention."

"As a child, yes." Freya remarked, "do you make a habit of playing hide and seek with intention? As an adult, and why may I ask?" She snorted a laugh, although she was teasing. There was a slight influx of confusion at Clyde's admission.

“It is very hard to capture her essence in a photo.” Clyde said, watching his pet move from the root to start stalking a beetle. “She’s always better in person.

“If that’s what helps you sleep at night.” Clyde said with a grin. “If you ever want actual hiding lessons let me know.”

"Have you ever thought of getting her a sibling?" Freya inquired, her parents were Dragonologists, and her brother had somewhat followed in their footsteps with an interest in animals and magical creatures. Freya always thought about getting a pet, specifically a cat, but she hadn't quite gotten round to it.

"Hiding lessons?" Freya laughed, "I'm intrigued to know what a hiding lesson entails."

She had a bag over her shoulder, having come prepared with a blanket and plenty of snacks and things to drink for both her and Dora. She smiled as she watched Dora run ahead, chasing after a butterfly she seemed determined to catch. "Not too far Dora!" She called after her, knowing it was likely she hadn't even heard her. Still it healed something in her to see her daughter so carefree, able to be a kid. Hearing a familiar voice call her name she turned, studying those around her before she spotted Freya and smiled. "If you'd like I can pretend I hadn't seen you and let you go back to hiding?" She teased as she made her way closer, keeping an eye on Dora at the same time.

Freya recognised Andromeda's voice as soon as it fell into earshot. The blonde was fond of Andromeda and her husband, Ted. Her eyes followed Andromeda's eye line, chuckling slightly as she saw Dora frolicking around the park after a butterfly. Oh to be young, and not have a care in the world. Without thinking, Freya began to stack up the paperwork below her, focusing her attention on Andromeda.

There were all too many concerns weighing heavy on his mind and he almost didn't notice it was him who was being addressed. The wizard stopped on his tracks and turned around to see to whom the voice belonged to, a subtle smile settling on his lips as he walked over. "I didn't know this was claimed territory." He attempted a casual joke, taking a seat beside the witch for he could use small talk to distract himself from his trainwreck of thoughts. "No need to give up on this lovely park just yet, I shall stay clear from it if you request it."

Peter was a few years younger than Freya, however, it was impossible not to be aware of the troublesome foursome from school. She reckoned her younger sisters would be more familiar with the four, they were closer in age after all. Perhaps it was curiosity which resulted in Freya bringing Peter's attention to her, or perhaps she was just seeking some company on her visit to Holland Park. Raising an eyebrow as he sat down beside her. "Don't worry, I can't quite claim this park either. I initially stole it from my older brother."

“Who hides out with a picnic basket anyways? You need to up your game.” He said as he sat down next to her. She really did need to get better at sneaking. Maybe he ought to give her lessons or something.

Her eyes cast over to the tree, where Clyde’s ferret currently was nibbling at the roots intently. “So this is the famous Bonnie?” Freya laughed, “the photo on your desk doesn’t do her justice.”

“It’s a warm day,” Freya countered his insult of her hiding spot, “I just took the hiding in plain sight approach.”

Ted often left the magical world. Wanting to keep his roots and to remember that there were parts of the country still untouched by war, he liked to mingle with muggles and to forget the weight that seemed to increase on his shoulders with every passing day. Choosing scenic spots for his daily runs was one of his favourite things to do. Through sheer luck, he'd chosen Holland Park today. Literal luck - he'd thrown a pin at a magical map of London and obeyed when it floated around the city before plunging into the small patch of Kensington park. He was feeling quite pleased about his good fortune. These were pleasant surroundings and the park was filled with tourists as well as Londoners.

It was as he rounded a corner, narrowly avoiding a dog that darted across his path while chasing a squirrel, that he caught sight of Freya. They'd been housemates at school. It'd taken a while, but he'd grown to trust her. Pulling his headphones from his ears, the sound of Call Me by Blondie dissipated and he laughed at the witch's words instead.

Freya was glad that her parents, despite all their faults, never instilled hatred into their children. Perhaps that came from her grandmother, her parents were far too interested chasing dragons through Bulgaria to know of the political standing of Muggle London. Smiling at Ted as he approached, Freya found herself blinking as he took a funny pair of earmuffs off his ear. She was even more perplexed to hear sound coming through them. “Did you charm your earmuffs, Ted?” Her eyes evaluating the contraption that now lay beside them. “They don’t look to be very warm either.”

“It’s busy,” Freya agreed, glancing round them as Londoners tutted when tourists stood in their way, “but perhaps that is the best place to hide.” The blonde stated matter-of-factly. Freya opened her mouth to ask how Ted was, and the family when he mentioned the pages that surrounded them. “Some old Ministry reports, and other newspaper clippings. It’s for the Prophet.” Some of it was also for her own research, but of course, she wouldn’t give that away too easy.

"Are you alright?" Freya asked, slightly breathless. "I wasn't looking where I was going, I partly blame Flourish and Blotts for the distracting window display."