Evony nodded enthusiastically. "I like watching things swim. It's relaxing. Especially the brightly colored fish." she said rambling ever so slightly, which was odd for her. She preferred to keep private things private. Her enjoyment of something like fish was a rather private thing to her.

She laughed lightly at his question. "What makes you think parties aren't part of my job?" she asked with a wink. "People pay to get their clothes seen."

"You do? Because I'm an excellent swimmer."

The words were out of Leander's mouth before he even realised what he was saying, and it was probably a small miracle that kept him from from turning beetroot, because if he'd had a time turner he'd have used it right then. Eyes wide, he stuttered for a few moments before rushing on. "The fish are beautiful, and the coral and stuff."

Was it hot out here?

Looking back at Evony, a part of him wished he hadn't because that wink nearly killed him: she'd single handedly taken something he had always thought of as awkward and cringe worthy and made it cool. "Okay, now I really need to get into this line of work." And he was definitely regretting saying no to what he'd thought of as a prank when he'd been offered a chance a year ago.

Sam knew this Alley like the back of her hand - had done since she was a toddler - and one thing she definitely knew was that it was anything but predictable. Like today, for example...what she should have been doing was going for ice cream, and yet she found herself responding to a call to catch a toad.

"What's its name?" she asked curiously, curly hair bouncing as she jogged to catch up with the guy, boots thudding against the cobbles. A closer look revealed said guy should be a whole lot more responsible than losing a toad. An upcoming firstie with a new familiar, he was not. Still, she could be a good Samaritan and help a dude out. "D'ya have any treats with yeh?"

Evony hid a laugh behind her hand. "Did... did you just say I'd enjoy watching you swim?" Because that is sure what it sounded link. She could tell he was trying to gloss over it. But, being the person that she was, she took a certain amount of joy in teasing people in situations like this.

"Well..." she began casually, "if you're interested, you can come along with to a party or something and I can introduce you to some people." She couldn't make any promises from there, but half of the game was knowing people.

Was there any possible way out of this that didn't involve completely lying or pretending that Evony was going crazy?

Leander really didn't think so, and he was pretty sure that the latter of the two options was definitely offensive. "I might have implied it, yeah." Honestly, until he said it, Leander hadn't realised that he was actually going to admit to something so embarrassing.

What was she doing to him?

"Really?" Shock was evident in his voice, and the raised eyebrow as he looked back at Evony. "You'd do that?"

Evony nudged him with her him. "That was almost smooth." Keyword, almost. But, it was nonetheless endearing. She was going to let it slide.

"I guess I'll have to take you up on that." Because he offered / implied it.

She then nodded again at his question. "Yeah. Of course. It'll be nice to have someone to talk to afterwards." It was always a process winding down after those parties.

If there was one person who had complete influence over Layla it was Bambi. They had been married a few years now but every time that she smiled at her, Layla’s heart still fluttered and her stomach did the butterfly thing. It was pretty ridiculous that someone had tamed the grumpy, reluctant witch and turned her into somewhat of a sap. A sap with a CHILD. The same woman that vowed that she would never have children because quite frankly she didn’t like them all that much. “Its not like I had the most stable life either.” Layla had a few jobs after she left school as she had no idea what she wanted to do and absolutely no ambition. She settled for being a PE teacher because she loved sport and she thought she would be kinda good at it minus the whole kid thing. But seeing Bambi do well, seeing her be so happy in her new job was sort of persuading her that perhaps it was now her time to find a job that she would love.

And despite her reluctance of being in the Wizarding world there was something in her persuading her to follow Bambi into the ministry. Whether she’d pursue this thought was another matter but it was there in the back of his mind. She didn’t want to speak about it yet in case she decided against it, she didn’t want to get Bambi’s hopes up and crush them by backing out.

Layla trusted that Ariadne would be perfectly fine under Bambi‘ watchful eye, that wasn’t the issue. It was more that in a department called accident and catastrophe’s it was more likely that the child would CAUSE an accident by playing with something that she definitely shouldn’t. “I know, you’re a much better parent than me.” Not that Layla was a bad parent at all, she just wasn’t a natural at it like Bambi was. “Do they have a daycare at the Ministry?” Just in case, y’know?

“Do you want to go get a drink and something to eat somewhere?” All that working must have made Bambi hungry right? And Layla could really do with a coffee in her system right now.

"I think I should probably leave smooth to my cousins," Leander admitted, smiling a little as the colour faded from his cheeks. Of course, not all of the Darcy's were smooth, and compared to some he might actually seem it, but he definitely wasn't.

And he definitely wasn't going to introduce Evony to Cosimo anytime soon, no thank you.

"I'd really enjoy that, Evony," he said with an appreciative smile, excitement growing at the prospect of the parties, but also (and probably more so) of spending some of his summer with her in Ibiza.

Della came jingling out of Scribbulus on the heels of Not-Ray, the new shopkeeper for Olivander’s Wand Emporium or whatever, with her fresh pot of invisible ink clanking around in her absolute disaster of a bag. She had only the two errands to do today— invisible ink and getting her wand fixed. The WADA student had accomplished the first, but the second could only be done with the help of this man, and she was on his time.

Apparently, he had his own errands to run. And she had agreed to join him. He was a complete stranger. She did not know where they were going or what he had planned. It sounded perfectly safe and reasonable to wander off with the poor rambling gentleman.

”So,” she smiled, “How long have you been a wand expert?”

Training never really ended, even if so far England was holding their own when it came to their matches. Filip was proud of the team that had been put together, even if he felt there was still some work to be done. As long as they continued to play at the level they’d been playing, a few moments of downtime wouldn’t do too much damage. Even for him, as the fifty-five-year-old proceeded to stroll down one side of the Alley. For once, his limp was barely noticeable, however slight it was usually, and yet he still had the trusty Union Jack-emblazoned cane that had become his recognizing factor over the years, along with his ever-present attire of a three-piece suit minus the jacket. It was that much more appropriate now, given his status as the one keeping the national team together. No need to let himself slack now.

He was always prepared. That wasn’t about to change now.

Jess! <3
 

Ethan was ... confused. Panicked. Fortunately some time since the date in Hogsmeade had passed and hopefully he hadn't completely burned things. The thing was he liked Nettie, but he wasn't sure if he liked liked her, ya know?? She was a catch too, Ethan wasn't blind and could definitely see that. Brainy and athletic, she was great, really. So what then? Honestly, he had no idea...

... but it was her on his mind since Hogsmeade, so that had to mean something. Other than seeing her too, because of course he would.

"Nettie, hi," he said, awkwardly rubbing the nape of his neck. "Uh.... how's quidditch going? have you started?" Biting his lip, he waited, hoping it was okay. They were okay. "I .. have something for you, actually."

Suzy!
 

It had been a super weird summer so far and Sebastian just wanted to have some fun and not think about all the craziness that was his family at the moment. How could his mother keep such a thing from him? With a great heaving sigh, Sebastian trudged down the street.

He really needed to talk to Kam and was hoping she would be in the Alley today. What would she think about all of this? It was just insane and completely mind boggling.

Not really paying attention to where he was walking, the brown haired boy ran smack into something very solid, only afterward realizing it was the person he had just been thinking about.

"Holy crow, Kam! Sorry! You okay?" He asked, hoping he hadn't hurt his friend.

She was just minding her own business and looking for any of her friends when..

BAM!!

Someone ran into her and nearly knocked her off her feet! She stumbled back a bit and barely managed to keep her balance, she might have grabbed onto some random strangers arm in order to do so!

The sixth year mumbled an apology to the stranger and once she had gotten her bearings and her face was slowly making its way back to its normal color, she had flushed deeply when she had nearly tripped she looked around for who had ran into her! Intent on giving him a piece of her mind when..

“Bast!” She squealed and ran at him nearly full tilt until her arms were wrapped around her friend! “I’ve missed you!” She said as she kept hugging him.

Clingy party of one!

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh as his bestie basically tackled him. Yes, he was two years younger than her but he was about three inches taller...and slightly gangly. He was starting to get some good muscle strength though...which he was extremely excited about but that was no one else's business but his own!

"I missed you too, Kam!" He said giving her a tight squeeze. Keeping her in his arms, he leaned away to look at her. An innocent by-standard might thing they were a couple...but that was far from the case. They were just really close friends.

"I was hoping to run into you today! I've got so much to tell you." His eyes when wide at the 'so much' part of that sentence. It might even be too much. He was still processing it.

Then realizing his rudeness, he shook his head, "But first," he said with a grin and squeezing her waist, "how are you? Where have you been? Why haven't you Owl'ed, ma'am?" He asked with a pointed glance. They always wrote each other during the summer, and this year not one Owl!

Kamryn sighed happily as she hugged Bast, even though school had just let out it felt like it had been forever since she has seen him! Thankfully he took her tackle well, and standing up! But she wasn’t exactly a strong girl, so knocking him over would have truly been a feat!

She grinned up at him, her blue eyes sparkling as he said he missed her as well. She wasn’t even thinking of how they looked to bystanders, she was just naturally affectionate. Especially with her besties! She wondered how many times people had thought she was together with Ansel.

Oof.. Ansel was still such a sore subject for her, and she pushed it to the back of her mind. She had barely owl’d him since he had left.. Which was for the best. She had promised him she would get over him! And she did.. but it was still painful.

Thankfully she had Trigger now and she didn’t have to worry about her heart pulling another stunt like it had before. No more falling for besties. If only ended in heartbreak (for her) and rivers of her own tears.

She was snapped from her thoughts as Bast spoke and she watched his eyes widen as he said so much! “Ohhh! Tell me tell me! Merlin knows I’ve got nothing exciting going on in my life.” Which wasn’t exactly true, but summer was a lonely point in her life.

Though she had the decency to look abashed as he spoke and asked about her. “I’m better now that you are here.” She said honestly, he knew how lonely she was at home. How her siblings and parents were hardly ever around..“I’ve been home, baking mostly and occasionally hanging out with my brother Chase and then Trigger. ” Her boyfriend..

She bit her lip as he asked her about the Owls.. “I’m so sorry!! I’ve meant too.. I just. ” She trailed off unable to explain.. Summers were hard.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that statement. Kam always had some kind of excitement or drama going on in her life, but he would always be here to pick up the pieces. "Maybe we can find a less crowded place to talk about it." He paused looking around at the mass of people walking around. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "My mom finally told me." He knew she would understand exactly what he was talking about.

He gave her one of his winning smiles at that compliment. But then gave her a smaller sad smile. He hated that she was left alone so much. "I still think you should have come with me to Italy. I don't understand why you didn't. Chase and Trigger wouldn't have cared, heck they could have come too. My grandparents house is huge and it would have been a blast. I hate that you are alone when your home." He said with a concerned look on his face. He was happy that Chase and Trigger were with her at least, though the latter wasn't surprising.

Sebastian sighed, rolling his eyes as a small grin slipped over his lips. "I know, I know." He was still holding her around the waist, not at all caring what people thought. "Next time don't forget me. OR come with me. Either option is a good one." He said with his famous side grin.

Whyyyy did her cheeks have to pink when she said his name?? And why did he have to find that so incredibly adorable?? No nothing went wrong, just him and his anxiety over everything that COULD go wrong.

"Ohhhh that's sooo exciting!!! What position did you play?" Cause like he knew she liked both seeker and chaser. "Sammeeeee!!! I'm playing CHASER for the Scotland Under 17 and it's ..... wow.... better than winged horses." He grinned. Right, uh.... gift.

"Mmmhm, yea, like, I wasn't sure which team you'd be supporting in the world cup, probably England cause closer to home and all, but I got you two water bottles, one with India's insignia and one with England's..." Cause hydration was a thing for quidditch players, sooo figured that would be a thoughtful gift and all. "Kind of to apologize. For fleeing at the Three Broomsticks." Ethan rubs the back of his neck again. "I just ... the thing is, I like you. But I'm not sure that I like like you... and I just ... I like spending time with you, kissing you is great too... and i just ... i don't know." Okay, tumble of information. "But I don't know that I want to tie you down. Or well you tie me down. Or I just ... i don't know." Okay, redundant.

Kamryn ignored the raised eyebrow as she said her life wasn’t interesting at the moment. To be fair, it had calmed down a ton during the final few months of the year. After the Ansel drama.. and you know, studying for OWL’s took up much of her time, so she didn’t have much time to angst.

She did however nod as he spoke about going to find a quieter place.. she was about to reply when he leaned in and whispered something that made her blue eyes widen considerably.

“No way! Oh my Merlin! Bast! Tell me everything! ” She whispered softly up at him. “We should go find a quieter part of the street though. ” She said softly..

Cause right now it seemed like they were rocks in the middle of a fast flowing river!

She sighed softly as he spoke and looked at him sadly. “I know! I would have love to come with you to Italy, next summer.. we are planning it right now. ” She said as she tugged gently on the sleeves of his shirt. Just letting him know she was serious. Though her smoke faded as he spoke of her being alone and her family..

“They all have their lives, they don’t need to concern themselves with their little sister. ” She said, partially in defense of her family, and partially in an attempt to make herself feel better!

She nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you.. I promise. ”

Sorry for the NOVEL omg
 

Out of any of his friends, he knew that information would be most important to Kam. They had been best friends since the met his first year at Hogwarts. He had told her his life story and she him. She was the first person he told that he was Bi. That was their friendship. And this particular information happened to do with his biological father. His mother raised him alone until she got married when he was four and his step dad came in and was the father he never had. But Sebastian had always had this nagging thought in the back of his mind. He needed to know who his real dad was.

He finally got his mother to spill the beans during their trip to Italy after constantly begging her to tell him. It was an incredibly weird situation as well. "I KNOW, right??!!!? Yes, We have to go somewhere not so crowded. Too many ears here and I want to keep it quiet as long as possible." Because rumors traveled around the wizarding world far too quickly. He looked around for somewhere to go..

Sebastian looked at her sad face and gave her a small smile, "I know, Kam. And yes...yes we are planning it right now because when momentous life changing information is shared you need your best friend around to share it with." He said with raised eyebrows and a grin. "We are planning it now! And you can't back out! No excuses!" He said poking her nose with his index finger.

Sebastian sighed, it was the same excuse he had heard a million times. 'Their busy and don't need to worry about me.' Shaking his head, "I understand, Kam but you shouldn't be left alone in that great big house. It's not right," he paused, "but I don't want to get in an argument about that. I know they love you and are busy, so I'll drop it." He said slowly letting go of her waist. He knew Trigger probably made sure she wasn't alone much and he was sure Chase did too.

"You better not. Or I may just have to tickle you." He said with the most serious face he could possibly muster. He finally noticed that the fountain was clear...the only issue with sitting there was you never knew if it was going to spray you. But it was always quiet. "Fountain?" He said nodding in that direction.

Kam was excited for Bast to finally figure out who his father was! She knew he was super curious about it and she couldn’t wait to hear who it was. They always shared information like this. And he had been there though her many ups and downs. Especially this this term. Despite her “this is fine” attitude, that never really seemed to fly with him. Something she was greatful for.

She was also grateful that he had been there for the whole Cameron thing and when she was angsty over Ansel and having to deal with her dorm mate! Ugh.. she had been through the ringer this past year and she hoped that it was all finally looking up.

Because let’s face it. There was no way any year could be worse.

Unless she fell for Bast and started the whole cycle again.

Merlinnnnn. She wasn’t that dumb and she was very happy with Trigger!

“Of course! Lets find somewhere quieter, I want to hear everything! Every single little detail. ” She said with a grin as she rubbed his shoulder softly.

She laughed softly as he spoke and poked her nose. “No taking it back! I love Italy! That’s where my brother Chase is going to Uni! So any chance I can go, I’m going to take it! Especially if it’s with you.” She said with a happy grin.

She sighed as he spoke and she shrugged a shoulder, there wasn’t much she could do about it. Her parents worked, her siblings were busy and it was just her, she was anxious to get out of the house, to maybe find a place in London to stay or maybe get a few of her friends to be her roommates! Then she could have her own life. And not have to worry about her family anymore.

“It’s all right, we don’t need to go into my pathetic life yeah? So let’s go hear your exciting news!” She said as she glanced over at the fountain as they pulled apart. “Yeah lets go there. ”