Author's note - I'm back! A very happy New Year to everyone and a huge thank you for your continued support. The next few weeks will be sporadic in terms of updating as January is a very busy month for me but hopefully, you should get an update every other Friday and be back on track come February!
A massive thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or followed this story; I can't get over how well this is going! This chapter marks the beginning of the second saga of Maggie's life, entitled 'How to cope with being an adult', and will revolve around the plot of Goblet of Fire. Unfortunately, no Charlie for the next few chapters but there is a healthy dose of drama and romance in this chapter!
Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Never place someone so high on a pedestal that if they should fall...you get crushed.
- Mark W. Boyer
June 1993
"I don't know who invented chocolate digestives but who ever did is a bloody genius," Georgie said as she helped herself to a biscuit. "It's got to be one of the best things muggles have invented!"
Maggie laughed, "You should try chocolate teacakes; they're on another level."
"I don't care what you bring Maggie, but for the love of Merlin, please keep bringing the muggle biscuits in!" Leo exclaimed, his hands curling round his mug of tea. "I don't know how else we'll all get through final exams; at least chocolate helps to motivate you."
The group of student Healers began laughing, though it was partly to mask the stress of work. They had three weeks left until their final healing exams for their second year and the atmosphere was stressed and tense. Even Maggie had begun to crack under the pressure. Tonks had one day found her sat asleep at the kitchen table with her head rested against her textbook and ink smudged across her cheeks.
Despite the stress and pressure of the Healing course, deep down Maggie knew it would be worth it. She had (somehow) survived last year's final exams and passed a few with flying colours – she could do the same this year too! To cope with the stress, Maggie and Tonks formed a 'late-night study session' group, as Tonks had a ridiculous amount of exams to pass too. It did work in Maggie's favour however when Tonks slowly got over-worked – it gave Maggie the perfect opportunity to practice brewing calming draughts, something the witch could almost do in her sleep.
The three healers-in-training were quickly pulled away from the break, being called back into their respective jobs by the stern Matron who was their superior. Maggie returned to the Magical Bugs and Ailments department, where she had been assigned to for the term.
While working on the ward was interesting, it hadn't been Maggie's first choice but as a Trainee, she had to be assigned to each ward as part of her placement. Her previous placement had been in the creature-induced injuries department and that had been her favourite place so far; the experience had left Maggie wanting to specialise in that division.
The rest of Maggie's shift flew by as the ward was busy that day; Maggie alone had to treat two separate cases of Dragon Pox, something which left her feeling nauseous at the thought. Her mind briefly flashed to Tonks' statement years ago – 'The Dragon Pox cure is in the future, isn't that right, Miss Healer?' – and Maggie chuckled at the thought. Looking down at her patient, who was currently sneezing green sparks from his nose, Maggie gave a wry smile, knowing that she was far from that.
Maggie clocked out of word at six o'clock on the dot, much to her delight. Usually, she would end up working late but because of the occasion, she'd managed to persuade Matron to let her leave on time. Maggie almost skipped out of the hospital, offering Georgie and Leo apologetic smiles as she did. She quickly apparated home, arriving back to an empty flat. Maggie paused for a moment before remembering that Tonks was working a night shift, much to the metamorphmagus' dismay.
After checking the kitchen clock, Maggie realised she only had an hour before Joe would arrive. She quickly showered and changed out of her Healer's robes into a pretty red sundress before darting over to her desk and applying some makeup.
Joe hadn't said where he was taking Maggie but knowing Joe, Maggie reasoned it would be somewhere fancy. She'd insisted that he not bother with anything too extravagant, but Joe insisted.
"It's my girlfriend's birthday, let me show you off!" Joe persevered, shaking his head at Maggie's protests. "We hardly ever go anywhere nice, we've got the excuse now."
With a smile, Maggie pulled a red lipstick from her makeup bag and dragged it over her lips. Once she was finished, she let her hair tumble down from the tight bun she had tied it in that morning, hoping that the messy curls would look alright. She barely had time to tug her sandals on when there was a knock at the door.
"You look nice," Joe said, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Maggie's lips. "I got you these," He added, handing Maggie a bouquet of tulips.
"They're lovely," Maggie smiled. "Let me put them in some water before we go."
Once the tulips were placed in a vase (it was actually a glass pitcher that Maggie and Tonks used to make cocktails in, but it would work as a vase), Maggie locked up and accepted Joe's outstretched arm. The pair apparated and the familiar feeling of being pulled in every direction gripped Maggie. In a flash however, the pair appeared in an empty alley before stepping out onto the busy streets of Soho.
Taking Maggie's hand, Joe led the witch through the crowd, weaving in and out between tourists and commuters. After five minutes of walking, Joe stopped and turned to Maggie with a wide smile stretched across his lips.
"Here we are," He said, motioning to the building they stood before.
Maggie's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the extravagant building before her.
"Joe, this is way too much -" Maggie began but she was quickly cut off.
"My treat," Joe insisted. "It's a special occasion."
Before Maggie could utter another word, Joe led them into the restaurant, holding the door open for her like a gentleman and walking up to the maître d'hôtel with confidence.
"We have a table booked for Joe MacFarlan," He said, and the waiter nodded before showing the pair to the table.
As they walked across the restaurant, Maggie felt herself internally cringe. The room was full of people dressed to the nines; she looked out of place with her little wrap dress that she'd bought in the sales. All of the women wore elegant, floor-length evening dresses, coloured in every shade imaginable, and the men were dressed in handsome dinner jackets and ties.
It was only then Maggie realised that Joe was also wearing a fancy suit and tie and Maggie felt extremely out-of-place and squirmed in discomfort.
The maître d'hôtel handed them each a menu once they were sat down, and Maggie's stomach clenched at both the extravagant selection of food and the price of it. Joe mustn't have realised Maggie's anxiety as he turned to the waiter and ordered a bottle of wine before asking what he recommended.
When it came time for Maggie to order, she managed to squeak out a quick reply, having managed to work out what some of the dishes were. She silently thanked her grandparents for moving to France; she was only about to translate some of the menu because of the numerous summers Maggie spent there.
Joe turned to her with a wide smile, "This is nice, isn't it?"
"Joe, isn't this all a bit too much?" Maggie asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
"I told you, Maggie, you're worth it," He replied with a charismatic grin. "It's your birthday; of course we're going to celebrate it!"
"I would have been happy with a drink down the pub and a takeaway – you didn't have to go so fancy," Maggie said, with a small smile. "I really appreciate it though, but next time, please don't plan anything too fancy."
The maître d'hôtel appeared beside them, placing their meals before them. Maggie held back a sigh of relief when a plate of beef and vegetables were placed before her – the summers in France had paid off. Despite her reservations, the food was delicious, and the wine was just as good.
"There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about," Joe said, pausing to take a sip of his wine. "I got called into the office at work today; McLeod wanted to talk about my position on the team."
"What do you mean?" Maggie asked, a frown pulling at her features.
Joe had always been adamant that once he left Hogwarts, he would become a professional Quidditch player. While at first, Maggie had been somewhat hesitant about this (how many times as a child had she told her dad that she wanted to become a professional football player?) she had eventually come round to the idea. After all, Joe did manage to become Seeker for Montrose Magpies reserve team – though upon graduating, there was a rumour that Joe had only gotten the position because his uncle was Captain. Maggie vehemently argued the rumours, but there was always a small part of her that did wonder.
Joe enjoyed his job however, and that was the important part, no matter what anyone said. He was always at practice first thing in the morning and would often not come home until long after the sun had set. He had, on more than one occasion, missed meetups with Maggie, which were few and far between due to their busy schedules, but he was always apologetic when he did so.
Joe let out a low chuckle and rubbed his chin, "McLeod told me there's a position as Seeker came up on the first team. He asked me if I wanted it!"
It took Maggie a few moments to comprehend his words but when it clicked, Maggie let out an excited squeal, drawing some annoyed glances from other patrons.
"That's amazing!" She exclaimed. "First team in less that two years? Oh Joe, I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Maggie," Joe said, an ecstatic grin stretched across lips. "That's part of the reason why I booked this place – with my new pay rise, I can afford to take you out more."
Something flickered through Maggie as Joe spoke – he'd booked the meal for her birthday, surely? It hadn't been some last-minute thing, Joe must have planned it weeks in advance.
"I'll be working longer days, but it'll be worth it," Joe explained after he called over the waiter and ordered a bottle of champagne. "There'll be more late-night practices and pressure on me in general but the pay check more than makes up for it."
"I'm so proud of you, it's great news," Maggie said, smiling into her champagne.
Somehow though, her words felt empty. The conversation quickly turned to Quidditch and practice schedules and was mainly dominated by Joe. Maggie continued to smile along, happy for her boyfriend's success, but part of Maggie felt annoyed.
Not that she wasn't happy for him! Only...it was supposed to be her birthday meal... Maggie felt stupid for feeling so selfish – Joe couldn't help that he got that promotion today! – but it was supposed to be her day. Joe hadn't once asked how her day had been or how her job was going in general.
But Joe had been promoted so she should be happy for him, right?
Then Maggie couldn't understand why she felt so despondent.
September 1993
"We need to plan these more often!" Louisa cried, pulling first Maggie and then Tonks into tight hugs. "I swear, it's been ages since we last met up!"
Tonks chuckled, "Hey, we try but some of us work night shifts."
"Yeah, nine-to-five jobs are a blessing, believe me," Maggie added, taking a sip of her Firewhiskey.
"But is any job really only 'nine-to-five'?" Eddie asked humorously. "My contract says nine-to-five but it's more like dawn-till-dusk, the hours I'm working."
"Are you gonna let us in on the big secret then?" Maggie asked, leaning over towards the wizard. "Please! I swear, I won't tell anyone."
"You keep those puppy-dog eyes away from me," Eddie chuckled, pointing towards Maggie. "Between those and Louisa's column, my career would be over!"
"Come on Eddie, spill the beans," Tonks said, picking up her butterbeer bottle. "You can trust us."
"No, I bloody can't!"
"I think we'll just have to accept that we'll have to wait for Eddie to reveal his big secret," Kevin said, with a despondent frown. "For once, he's keeping his mouth shut!"
"Oi!"
Laughing, Maggie turned to Kevin. "How is muggle relations going? Met anyone famous yet?"
"Hardly," Kevin chuckled, shaking his head as he spoke. "I'm that far down on the food scale, they don't even trust me to owl the post."
"I know that feeling," Maggie said, with a slight huff. "Healing isn't as glamorous as they make it out to be; some days I want to bleach my eyes after the things I've seen. And all the Healers treat you like shite; they think that because you're a student, they can walk all over you."
"Hear, hear," Louisa chirped in. "I'm more like the office go-for. When they said I'd get my own column and desk, I didn't realise how little time I'd actually be sat down at it!"
"No one takes me seriously at work," Tonks said, her tone low and heavy, as she stared down at her empty glass. "None of them think I'll pass my exams, I've seen the looks they give me. Merlin, even Mad-Eye thinks the same, only he's too busy to notice."
Eddie gave a half-hearted nod, "At the end of the day, I'm a glorified temp," He said before taking a gulp of Firewhiskey. "I get coffee, book meetings and make sure that Bagman doesn't spill the beans on what's happening."
"Adulting at it's finest," Kevin muttered, raising his glass in sarcasm. "I still think it's an achievement that I haven't given myself food poisoning yet. Believe me, there's been a few close calls."
"I miss Hogwarts," Tonks grumbled, slumping down in her seat. "Things made sense there."
Louisa nodded, "The worst thing we had to worry about was homework; now it's redundancy and not paying the rent on time."
"How the hell did it get so depressing?" Eddie asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "I mean, life was good when we graduated. When did we all get so depressing?"
"You know, I was just asking myself the same question."
At the sound of a new voice, the group of witches and wizards turned in confusion to see who had spoken. When the group realised who the figure stood behind them was, their expression morphed from disheartened to shock and amazement.
"Adam!" They exclaimed in unison as their frowns stretched into grins and smiles.
Louisa was the first to jump to her feet, pulling Adam into one of her signature hugs. Maggie and Tonks were straight behind her, embracing Adam tightly. The wizard chuckled as Maggie hugged him, lifting the witch up off the floor and giving her a small twirl, much to the other's amusement. Kevin appeared behind Maggie, offering Adam a warm smile and a clap on the back in welcome.
It was only Eddie, Maggie noticed, who hung back. Usually, the best friends were joined at the hip, but Adam moving to America seemed to have put a strain on their friendship. Nevertheless, Eddie happily welcomed Adam with a tight hug, though Maggie still could not help but notice that something was off.
Another round of drinks were ordered to celebrate Adam's arrival and the wizard wasted no time delving into what he had been up to. It was strange, Maggie thought, to have Adam back – he had been living in America for over a year – but the group's friendship dynamics eased back into their old ways and it felt just like it used to.
"But seriously, you guys, what's with all the doom and gloom?" Adam asked, taking a sip of his Firewhiskey and looking round at his friends. "I leave for a bit and you all sink into some deep depression? Some Hufflepuffs you are!"
This earned the wizard a chorus of groans – good-natured, however – along with a few sighs as the young adults shared a glance.
"It's not all the bright lights and big dreams that we thought it would be," Kevin eventually said, shaking his head. "Being an adult is the worst."
"Especially when you suck at your job," Louisa added bitterly before taking a long sip of her wine.
"I think this if the first night out I've had since New Year's," said Tonks, shaking her head in shock. "I never seem to be home, or at least when I am, I'm constantly revising."
"Our lives probably aren't as glamorous as New York," Maggie commented with a wry laugh.
Adam shook his head and barked out a laugh.
"Are you guys serious? What's wrong with you lot? I go away and you all turn into mopey teenagers again?" With a look of determination, he turned to face Louisa.
"Lou, you're a copywriter at one of the biggest magazines in the country. You have any idea how popular Witch Weekly is in New York? It's massive! When I tell people that I know someone who works there, they practically beg me for insider gossip!
"Kevin," Adam continued, his gaze moving to the wizard sat next to Louisa. "Two words; Muggle Relations. Do you realise how great you are at that? You can effortlessly step between the muggle and the wizarding worlds without so much as batting an eyelash – do you know how difficult most wizards find that? You're ace at your job!
And Tonks, you catch Dark Wizards for a living; that's wicked! You're basically the Batman of the wizarding world – who cares if you struggle with Stealth and Tracking?" Adam exclaimed, earning him a laugh from Maggie and Kevin as the others simply blinked in confusion.
"Maggie, you save peoples' lives every day. Do you know how amazing that is?" The wizard's gaze turned to Maggie, who shuffled uncomfortably in her chair at the attention. "You're the reason people wake up after a nasty accident; if it wasn't for you, they would be dead."
"And you, Eddie," Adam's voice suddenly dropped an octave; his tone turned serious and low, but the positive effect remained. "How many people can say that they helped organise the World Cup? You put up with Ludo Bagman every day, for Merlin's sake, are you really gonna let someone like him knock you down? You've planned the Triwizard Tournament, not him!"
"Adam!" Eddie exclaimed at the wizard's words. Adam's eyes widened with shock as he realised what he had said.
"Oh-Umm-Ignore that last part, guys?" His words were more like a question as Adam turned to face the group with a sheepish smile. "I'm guessing you didn't tell them?" He asked Eddie, who was tiredly rubbing his face.
"No, I hadn't."
"The Triwizard Tournament?" Tonks stated in disbelief. "That's the big project you're working on?"
"Holy hippogriffs, that's amazing, Eddie!" Maggie exclaimed.
Despite the secret being blurted out, Eddie still smiled wryly. "It's insane," He admitted, rubbing his head tiredly. "All the planning, all the preparation, that's why I've been working so late."
"It's worth it though," Kevin pointed out enthusiastically.
"Yeah, once in a lifetime!" Louisa exclaimed.
Eddie nodded. "It's been in the works for a long time, but Dumbledore really campaigned to hold it this year. With the World Cup as well, the schedule's pretty tight but I think we could actually pull it off!"
"Well, if this doesn't call for Firewhiskey, then I don't know what does," Adam grinned, motioning to the barman.
A bottle of the amber liquid appeared in front of them, along with six glasses. Adam quickly poured each person a glass before holding his own up in a toast.
"To Hufflepuffs!" He exclaimed jovially, his grin widening as the group laughed. "Slytherins are sly, Ravenclaws are stuck-up and Gryffindors are impulsive but Hufflepuffs are the ones still standing at the end! We may not be the centre of attention, but we work hard!"
"To the Quidditch World Cup!" Eddie said, raising his glass. "May Ireland win, and Eddie pull off the best World Cup this country has ever seen!"
"To Auror examinations," Tonks added with a chortle of joy. "May they burn in the fiery depths of hell!"
"Muggle Relations! Where an owl can be above you in the pecking order!" Kevin joked, his drink sloshing over the edge of his glass.
Louisa raised her glass in suit. "May gossip magazines keep my rent afloat!"
"To Dragon Pox!" Maggie cried with a wide smile. "One day, there'll be a cure but until then, here's to finishing a shift without catching it!"
Cheers echoed through the pub as the six young adults clinked their glasses together in toast and quickly downed the amber liquid. Chatter settled over the group and it was decided that after a few more drinks, they would most likely call it a night.
That was the theory, however.
Three hours later at a time closer to midnight, all of the former Hufflepuffs were still in the Leaky Cauldron and showed no signs of leaving. At this point, they were the only ones left in the bar, and while the bartender looked slightly disgruntled at the late hour, he showed no signs of kicking the group out.
By this point, Maggie found herself sat beside Adam; Tonks and Louisa having jumped up to dance with a very intoxicated Eddie. Kevin was still sat at their table, his head rested in his arms and looking suspiciously asleep.
"So, how are things between you and old MacFarlan?" Adam asked and while he could form a sentence, his eyes struggled to remain open.
Maggie barked out a laugh. "Fine, of course! Why would you think otherwise?"
"No reason," Adam shrugged in response. "Just figured he would have come tonight, that's all."
"He's probably just been held up at work," Maggie said sleepily, struggling to keep her eyes open. She stifled a yawn before continuing. "He'll be here soon, just you wait..."
Despite her alcohol-induced state, Maggie could still make out the questioning look Adam sent her.
"What?"
"Maggie," Adam said softly. "It's nearly midnight. I don't think Joe's coming."
"He will," Maggie insisted, pushing herself up in her seat. "Practice will have gone on for longer than he thought it would...He'll owl me if he's going to be late."
Adam gave a short, tentative nod and thankfully left the conversation there. His eyes drifted away from Maggie towards a certain figure on the makeshift 'dancefloor', and Maggie watched his besotted expression.
"You know, you could always tell Eddie how you feel," Maggie said quietly, suddenly feeling sober.
Adam's head snapped away from where he had been staring and he looked down at Maggie with an expression of panic and confusion.
"I don't know what you mean," He quickly said, his tone guarded.
Maggie rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do. It's my time for the romance advice so listen up. You like Eddie, don't you?"
Adam began to fumble out a few words, and as they centred around denying Maggie's assumptions, the blonde witch quickly raised a hand to silence him.
"Adam, come on. I've known for years; you've liked him since Hogwarts!"
"I don't know what you mean," Adam muttered, avoiding Maggie's gaze.
"Okay then, if you're going to be awkward about it," Maggie muttered, turning to face Adam. "Theoretically, if you did have feelings for Eddie, what would you do?" At Adam's silence, Maggie rolled her eyes again. "Come on, Adam! What's stopping you from admitting it?"
"What if he doesn't feel the same way about me?" Adam asked quietly, staring down at his glass. "I don't want to jeopardise what we have, if I say how I feel, he might hate me!"
"Eddie could never hate you, you're his best friend!" exclaimed Maggie, and Adam quickly shushed her loud tone. "Honestly, you're both as blind as bats; you both like each other. And in that way!"
"It wouldn't work though, Maggie," Adam said tiredly, his eyes dulling. "It couldn't ever work. I don't want to be 'that' person from school, the one who fell for his best mate."
"But why could it never work?" Maggie pushed. "if you both have feelings for one another, surely it's better you take the chance? What's stopping you?"
Adam gave a dry laugh. "Everything's stopping us! It might sound perfect but in reality? I'd be painting an even bigger target on my back; the homosexual Mudblood. And if Eddie ever shared the same feelings, well...I doubt anyone would take him seriously.
And believe me, Maggie. There is no way I'd ever jeopardise everything Eddie's worked so hard for. I couldn't do that to him, no matter what feelings I have."
Adam trailed to a stop, his tone falling silent as he finished his heartfelt speech. Maggie stared at the wizard, taking a minute to full absorb his words. After a moment of silence, Maggie leaned over and pulled her friend into a tight hug.
"I didn't realise," She said softly. "I'm sorry. You deserve to be happy, with whoever makes you happy. Don't turn yourself into someone else just for the sake of others. But I want you to know this, you Adam Cartwright, are one of the bravest, best men I have ever known. It takes a lot of courage to say what you said and if anyone tells you otherwise, I will personally beat the snot out of them."
Despite everything, Adam chuckled. "I'd forgotten how stubborn you were, Maggie Ainsworth. Merlin, I've missed you all."
"We miss you too," Maggie said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I hate how you're so far away but the idea that you love your job makes it easier."
"I told you, all of us are doing great. We've got this whole 'adulting' thing."
Maggie managed an absentminded nod as her eyes struggled to stay open. Deep down, she knew it was time to head home, but she wanted to savour the moment for a little while longer.
"Question is though, when are you going to take your own advice?"
Adam's words echoed around Maggie's mind just as the witch drifted off, but she was too tired to comprehend it's meaning.