Dum de dum… enjoy!
Darcy's jaw clenched, she aimed as carefully as she could through the doorway with a shaking hand, and whispered "Stupefy!"
The red spell shot through the doorway, and the person on the other end yelped and only just managed to leap out of the way. The spell shattered a vase.
"What the hell…"
Recognising the voice, Darcy let out her breath in a gasp and pushed the door the rest of the way aside. "For God's sake, Rune!" She half-shouted. "Never do that again, I thought you were a Death Eater at least!"
"At least?" Came Rune's familiar wry voice from the darkness. "Expecting someone worse, were you? Hate to break it to you, Darce, but I don't think that's likely."
Darcy relaxed, her shoulders slumping, though her hands hadn't quite stopped shaking yet. "It's so good to see you," she admitted, hugging Rune quickly.
Darcy hadn't seen Rune in a few months, as she'd been on the run like Malum. However, Rune was slightly more reckless than he, and usually dropped in every few weeks or so. She had barely changed at all; her dark hair was still unfashionably messy, her dress sense still flawed. In this way, she was as different from Darcy's honey-coloured curls and immaculate sense of style as she had always been.
"Where have you been?" Darcy demanded. "Why haven't you visited?"
"I'm fine thanks," Rune grinned. "I had a bit of a visit from your old mate, Avery. Thankfully, he's every bit as thick now as he was in school, so it wasn't difficult to get away. Thought I'd better lie low at Sirius's for a bit anyway, though."
Darcy moved to sit at a kitchen chair, resting her chin on her long fingers. "How is Sirius?" She asked.
"He's fine." Rune sighed, busying herself with finding mugs and hot chocolate powder. "But it's not really feasible for me to stay there for much longer."
"Why not?" Darcy asked tiredly. Rune gave her a what-do-you-think look. "Oh, yeah," Darcy realised. Rune and Sirius had been briefly together after she had escaped from her parents, but after a few months of bickering, Rune had decided they were better as friends, and had broken up with him. Sirius had disagreed, and so the pair had been on/off ever since.
"You really need a steady boyfriend." Darcy remarked, provoking an outbreak of giggles from Rune. "Anyway," she continued. "Is there any particular reason you've broken into my house?"
Rune looked up guiltily from the mugs she'd found. "Well…"
"You want to crash here, don't you?" Darcy stated.
Rune smiled sheepishly. "Only for a few week – days or so." She amended hastily, seeing Darcy's face. "I know you're worried, but you really needn't be. I'm sure everything's blown over since the Mulciber thing."
"Nott's trial was today." Darcy said flatly.
"Oh good! Well, that's one less to worry about then, isn't –"
"He got off."
"What?" Rune's mouth opened in shock. "But you've been saying for months that he can't possibly get off, something about the evidence and witnesses and lawyer stuff – how did they do it?"
Darcy smiled dryly. "You must've been laying low, Runeyclaw. He's winning. Everyone knows it, and the Ministry is riddled with his spies and blackmailers."
Rune sat down heavily. "Oh dear." She said lamely.
"I'll say."
Rune pushed back her hair. "But, on the upside –"
"There's an upside?"
"-on the upside, guess what's happening next week?" Rune grinned at her, the grin turning into a grimace of disbelief when Darcy's expression didn't change.
"Tell me," Darcy said, pessimistically.
"It's your birthday, you gnome! And you know what you need?"
"No, don't say –"
"A party! Come on, Darce, I haven't been able to chat to anyone for months, I need something normal, and I know you do too."
"It's too dangerous, Rune! For God's sake, d'you think I want to be killed?"
"You won't be killed, don't be silly. You'll get to wear a dress…" Rune said coaxingly. Seeing Darcy wavering, she barrelled on. "And you can do your hair all nice, and I can bring some friends, and we can just celebrate! Twenty-one's a big year!"
"That's what you said about all the other years."
"So it's a definite! Great. Now, I don't know the first (or the last, come to think of it) thing about parties, so you'll have to organise it and things. I can decorate and turn up, and gasp flatteringly when you make your big entrance."
Darcy laughed once. "Who says I'll make a big entrance?"
Rune raised her eyebrows with a smile. "It's you, Darcy. You always make a big entrance. Remember the Halloween Ball at school?"
Darcy conceded the point with a smile.
"Right, it's settled then," Rune grinned. "I look forward to it. Oh, I'll need to borrow a dress, though!"
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