Music Recs:
Luis Bacalov - 'In Bicicletta'
Johnny Greenwood - 'House of Woodcock'
The Paper Kites - 'Featherstone'
Mark Ronson Feat. Amy Winehouse - 'Valerie'
The Ronettes - 'Be My Baby'
Frank Ocean - 'Lost'
dodie - 'She'
Gang of Youths - 'Let Me Down Easy'

Running into You Again

Cassiopeia was in full body spanx that would hold her together under the dress that had her shoulders on show, as her mother insisted on the security of it - 'Weddings and wine make for disastrous reveals,' - as she sat at her vanity putting together the finishing touches of her carefully curated, highly collaborated (without choice) look.

She was adding some bobby pins within her curled high pony before Scorpius arrived to escort her to the wedding, considering her parents had left her high and dry for Spain. Her brother announced himself as he apparated into her apartment, which annoyed her to no end.

She had a bobby pin between her teeth when she scolded him from her room.

'Naima might be out, but you shouldn't assume Scorp!'

'Alright, Dad,' Scorpius sarcastically bit. He walked into her room, to see her in her nude coloured spanx and not much else. 'I'm not one to question your taste Cassie, but I think that might be a little immodest, even for a summer wedding at the Burrow.'

Taking the bobby pin from her teeth, she glared at him and stated, 'The dress is in Naima's room, safe from any sudden make up or nail polish spills.'

Scorpius headed off to her housemate's room and plucked it from where it hung on the door.

'Ah lovely, they'll assume you're Delacour blood.'

'Hardly, I don't have the veela charm,' Cassie stated as she got up after smacking her lips and checking her teeth for marks one last time.

'Yes, you did trip on your heels in front of Victoire last time and even she laughed.'

Cassie rolled her eyes. 'Can you check I have everything I need in my bag? I know I'll forget something.'

Scorpius did as he was told and seemed to meander onto speaking his thoughts aloud as he hung it on her bedroom door. It was a habit that as his older sister, she knew was out of anxiety. Scorpius looked the spit of their Dad, and couldn't ever run from his name or his undeniably Malfoy visage when it came to these large events, surrounded by hundreds of Weasley's and breathing down his neck for him to do something wrong enough to warrant Rosie to break up with him, despite the fact they had been solid for years well after the Hogwarts school romance gleen had left them. He started rambling about Rosie's last-minute shoe change to make her more comfortable as he paced nervously around her kitchen when he checked the time.

'We're already considered outcasts, could you pick up the pace so that we aren't the last ones to arrive as well?!'

As Cassiopeia stepped out from her bedroom, her brother being her wedding partner for the day having waited diligently, he looked upon her approvingly. She stepped out in a cornflower blue midi-length dress, with a sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder ruffle sleeves, flowing down to a trumpet skirt. It didn't scream too much while being elegant and comfortable. She fiddled with her high ponytail once more before Scorpius urged her with pleading big eyes to hurry the fuck up.

He handed her the beaded clutch and was about to offer his arm when she glared violently at the suggestion.

'We are not apparating.'

'For fuck sake Cass, you throw up one time five years ago -'

'I have an uneasy stomach in that sadistic way you insist on travelling and I have no intention of messing up this dress.'

'So you want to floo? We'd have to get to the Leaky to do that and we don't-'

'Dad set me up on the network when he realised he couldn't make me hundreds of portkeys. Why do you think he insisted I have a fireplace in my apartment?' Cassie pointed to the direction of their closed off living room, heels clacking against beech wood floor as the two hurried.

She plucked out an old biscuit tin on one of the bookshelves and shoved it in Scorpius' hands. They each took a handful, and Scorpius released his one last look of dread before putting the tin on top of the mantel and heading on through the Floo network. Cassie eventually followed and found herself within the Weasley Burrow.

The sudden anxiety hit her as well upon seeing three hundred red heads milling about as they drank lightly before the ceremony. Scorpius pulled out his wand and cast it on her dress and was glad to see he cleared up the soot gathered on her cream coloured heels as well as her skirt and face.

'Shit, what do we do now?' Cassie voiced her anxiety aloud.

'We blend in, and we drink,' Scorpius said as he straightened his summer dress robes, having found himself at home with this routine when Rosie and Albus weren't immediately in the vicinity of such an event.

A tray floated over to them and the two each picked up a flute, knowing not to shot the things one after the other if they were to actually blend in and make a further mockery of the Malfoy name.

'Scorp, there you are!'

The two were relieved to see Albus approaching them and he pulled them out from the dank corner they had found themselves settling into within the living room, gaining themselves an occasional glance from fellow Weasley's. Albus' green eyes sparkled with a confidence she didn't believe he'd had the last time she'd seen him and looked practically giddy at the sight of the siblings – which may have been the reason to his sudden confidence after all.

'Cassie, you look gorgeous!'

'Thanks, Al,' Cassie responded a little surprised at his enthusiasm, as he had the good grace to kiss her cheek and lead her the way through as Scorpius followed them, eyeing his best friend carefully based on his unusually exuberant display.

Upon seeing Rosie, looking a vision herself in a forest green two piece, her wild curls pinned out of her face similar to a seventies starlet, but still ferociously voluminous, regardless of the grimace on her face while she spoke to an unknown family member and clearly wasn't fascinated by the conversation, her eyes too lit up at the two arriving.

'Sorry Uncle Percy must go!'

She practically slumped into his tall frame, curly garnet coloured hair crashing against Scorpius' chest and her arms linked around him. 'Thank god, you're here. IF I get dragged into another conversation about how I'm on the right track to follow in mum's footsteps - I might combust.'

Scorpius let her release from his tight hold, decidedly not letting go of his touch on her entirely as she tended to be his grounding person in these more stressful moments. He kissed her gently, certain he didn't plan on mucking up her occasional make up. She turned to see Cassie on Albus' arm and her smile widened.

'And Cassie, I can't believe this is your first big Weasley event,' and as habit would have it, Cassie was ready for one of her firmer hugs. Weasley's were huggers when fully awake, and Cassie had learned that very early on after meeting Rosie who had been a mile a minute witch, concerned to earn Scorpius' sister's approval. Cassiopeia held on to Rosie's face to look at her closer, slowing her down momentarily. Rosie showed off the work of her makeup. 'Aunt Fleur's sister Gabriella insisted on it. I don't half hate it,' she said a little more reserved based on Cassiopeia's habit to intimidate when she analysed people more closely.

'No, she enhanced your features which is the aim of good make up. Scorpius mentioned that you were bit nervous about this part,' Cassiopeia admitted softly.

Rosie shrugged, her scarlet blush even obvious on her darker toned skin, 'I only wear make up for weddings, and I'll give them that.'

Cassiopeia smiled and delicately whisper kissed her cheek. 'You look stunning either way.'

Rosie grinned up at Cassiopeia and took her hand in hers. 'You'll want to see Teddy, surely?'

'I do have a Black family token for him,' Cassiopeia gestured to her bag uncertainly – 'But only if he isn't too busy,' she insisted.

Rosie's eyes lit up with familiarity to the situation, while also being still curious Narcissa Malfoy seemed to insert herself into this narrative at all. She pulled Cassiopeia along, leaving Albus and Scorpius to take in the chickens and chat away from the claustrophobic family affairs and stress. Cassiopeia didn't mind, as long as she was among at least one of three of them at this event.

There was a large tent set up and a few much older wizards hanging around admiring the summer sun and the wild green grass.

'Dad,' she called out as she looped her arm with Cassiopeia, the latter happy there was some semblance of stairs down the grassy hill organised for the physically stunted by heels wedding guests, while also regretting letting Rosie take her. Rose Weasley was wonderful in almost every way and Cassiopeia couldn't dream of a better future sister-in-law, but she had occasionally been unable to recognise certain aspects of potential discomfort, made more obvious with her upbringing to live without an inherent sense of shame.

Cassiopeia was being pulled along and decided to at least take it in her stride. She had to recall that she herself wasn't ashamed, nor was she of her parents, her family or her name. Even if at times all three aspects made it very hard for her to move smoothly through the wizarding world.

Well that and the having inherited zero magic thing.

Some of that strength she had to call to herself crumbled as Rosie pulled her up to see her father.

'Do you know where Teddy is?'

The tall ginger man in a dashing set of plum dress robes shook his head, 'Bit late to proclaim your love for him isn't it, Rosie?'

A couple of other ginger haired wizards seemed to find great humour of this.

Rose glared fiercely at her father before turning to Cassiopeia, 'I want you to know I was eight when I had a crush on Teddy.'

'Scorpius must be a great consolation prize,' Cassiopeia remarked in good humour.

'Ha-ha,' Rose responded sarcastically before turning back to her father, 'Cassiopeia needs to speak with Teddy before the ceremony.'

Ron Weasley seemed to straighten up at the name.

And here we go, thought Cassiopeia regretfully.

'Sorry, thought you were one of Fleur's side,' Ron apologised quickly, before looking at her face with a brief squinted eye as he said, 'You and Scorpius do have similar noses, I s'pose.'

She wasn't remotely surprised given the large number of blondes here, there had to be something to separate them from the French cohort of the wedding.

He held out his hand to shake. She took it and felt the firm grip. Cassiopeia tried not to smirk at the strength of it and she could see why he would have intimidated her brother. 'I'm Ron.'

'Cassiopeia,' she shook his hand in return.

'I hear you taught your brother his chess game?' he asked immediately, brow quirked inquisitively. Rose groaned.

'He used to be an easy read, but he's upped his skill,' Cassiopeia smiled easily, and Ron respected her candor.

Cassiopeia took in a sharp breath before continuing, 'Although if he lets you win again, I might just have to show him what it feels like to actually lose.'

Rose coughed out a laugh as his face fell and Cassiopeia continued to smile evenly.

Ron's slightly shorter brother missing an ear had an intrigued grin as he laughed at Ron's surprise to her response. He looked back at Cassiopeia and quickly introduced himself as George. She too shook his hand and he simply said, 'The wart's outback planning his escape.'

Cassiopeia nodded to the two and left Rose to argue with her father, which she was to understand was how they showed they cared about each other in Weasley speak. She made her way to the back of the tent where Teddy was stood with one of his groomsmen, a wizard he'd grown up within school and who was helping him with his cufflinks.

Teddy's hands were shaking and his hair seemed to be changing colours within his erratic nervousness, foot tapping incessantly. For all she had ever known of him, he was a confident, quirky young man who had acted as a wonderful example as to what having family should feel like. There was never an ounce of strain from the moment she met him, and he welcomed she and Scorpius as his definite blood as though they hadn't been just mending the harshest family tear in wizarding history. His hair was a hot pink from a sickly green before turning blond. It always turned blond upon seeing his family members, and thankfully never when he saw Victoire.

'Cassie?' Teddy exclaimed, looking genuinely happy to see her, while also bang up nervous for the day ahead of him. His friend Kenneth gave her a quick wave and she nodded in recognition of the two before asking Teddy if they could have a quick word.

With about fifteen minutes spare before the ceremony started, he pulled her inside the tent and found themselves at the altar.

'You're nervous,' Cassiopeia stated softly.

'I'm about to get married, everyone gets nervous...right?'

Cassiopeia smiled sympathetically. 'I've never been married myself but I'm under the impression that it is quite a big step and so one is naturally going to be nervous. At least when I marry a muggle it won't be quite as intense.'

Teddy smiled gratefully at her, 'You look beautiful, Cassie.'

'I'm not the bride, and you would say that if I was wearing a sack – your sentimentality is predictable as ever.'

'Is that such a terrible thing?' he smiled comfortably.

'In your case, never,' she said lovingly.

He gave her a big smile and she felt warmed by it. Teddy never hid his feelings and was always open with her. It was how she learned it was okay to show her emotions in front of those she trusted and not just with the tight knit unit of her family.

'I haven't seen Auntie Andy anywhere,' Cassiopeia mentioned.

'She's upstairs with Vic,' Teddy mentioned, 'Spying for me before she tells me everything is going to be alright.'

'Yes, we are good liars,' Cassiopeia insisted seriously, which Teddy's eyes looked horrified by.

'I'm kidding,' she yanked on his arm, 'Everything will be fine Teddy.'

'Did you bring me in here to raise my stress levels or-'

She chuckled and held up her finger, silencing him and he watched as she fished through her bag, squinting one of her blue eyes inside at one point until she looked satisfied. Plucking out a black lapel pin, that looked ancient beyond belief, Teddy's brows furrowed at the significance.

His cousin began to fiddle with his boutonniere and pulled one of the pins from it. 'It's a pin from the ancient and most noble House of Black,' she spoke sardonically, 'It used to say Toujour Purs on it, but Scorpius made edits, that I'm sure Grandmother will be so pleased to discover, but neither of us really care. Well, I don't.'

She held her palm out flat before him, to pick up the somewhat detailed pin. It was a shiny black with chips to show the matte layer underneath from centuries of passing generations, but where the changes had been made, looking shiny and new. He looked to see a black dog's head at the bulb tip with yellow diamonds for eyes.

'We're rebranding,' Cassiopeia commented quietly but her head tilted, replacing the pin she had pulled out with the black dog pin that represented one of the few redeeming family members in her history. 'It apparently meant a lot to grandmother to pass it over to you for this day full of good fortune. An heirloom to provide good luck at your wedding, but I think it's just a token to say that you are and always will be a Black, no matter what anyone else thinks about it. We thought the changes might make it less like it was forced on you.'

Teddy had sobered up a bit and took her hand, looking into her eyes that swiftly became the same blue as hers. She had most certainly buttered up the ending to be far more accepting of family members like him, Andromeda and herself, and may not have at all been her Grandmother's intention.

But he didn't seem bothered by that notion.

'You and Scorpius were never forced on me,' he reiterated firmly, 'I am so glad you are my family…even if I don't see eye to eye with my great aunt.'

As he kissed her hand quickly and pulled her in for a hug, Cassiopeia couldn't help but feel the warmth return and the nerves become concrete as she breathed in his peppermint aftershave deeply.

She truly didn't know how she would've coped during her childhood without Teddy's bright optimism.

'Now, Victoire and I have a bet.'

Cassiopeia pulled away to look at him as he spoke this, an eyebrow arched in concern.

'She's betting you won't dare to cry to avoid showing emotion in front of practical strangers, which you have never been ready to do. But I think, being your favourite and all, that you would shed at least two tears out of pure love and adoration for your older, much more charming cousin.'

'You're incorrigible Teddy,' Cassiopeia said as she lightly slapped his arm with her bag, and he smiled wickedly.

'You wouldn't mind? Just to win a bet?' he pleaded.

'What is the outcome of this bet?' she folded her arms.

Teddy coughed uncomfortably, a slight tinge on his cheekbones burning, and said, 'I was hoping you wouldn't ask.'

'Is it money?' Frowned Cassiopeia at such a prospective reward.

'Sexual favours,' Teddy admitted. 'Well, who gets the first night's attention on the honeymoon-'

'Teddy!'

'C'mon, be a pal, be a good cousin, get me two measly tears –'

'What are the terms?' she sighed, exasperated by his antics.

Teddy detailed that by the time they walked past her once the two were wed, he would need to see her crying and knowing her limited allowance for such emotion in public was at least decent to only ask for two tears out of her.

She nodded and said with a wary eye on his, 'We'll see.'

Cassiopeia was glad to finally take a seat beside her brother in the third row, where Rose sat on his other side. While the young Weasley lady could have sat on Victoire's side, like most of the guests on Teddy's side, his Godfather's side evidently stuck to him and that would include Rose's family too as probable big influences in his life as well from their connection to Harry Potter. The man had taken his seat next to Andromeda proudly, with Ginny on his other side, holding both their hands as they sat. Teddy stood at the front with his groomsmen, Albus now standing second from the back, but Cassiopeia didn't care to look at them, as she noticed how nervous Teddy was.

Once everyone was seated, the musicians picked up their instruments and were playing light tunes before eventually turning to see the witch who would marry the two soon to be newlyweds approach the altar. There was a dramatic silence before the musicians crescendoed into a tune, announcing the beginning of the ceremony. Everyone turned in their seats and watched as the first bridesmaid came through, following with two others, all notably related to Victoire on either side of her family whether through undeniably Delacour features or Weasley features. Bill Weasley came around the corner, the scar still evident from the war battles back in the day. But Cassiopeia pulled her face down at the thought of it.

He got that scar one of the nights her dad had been involved with the Death Eaters.

She probably shouldn't have read too much into the history of the war, but curiosity won the day she came across the war and the events leading up to the Battle of Hogwarts, 1998.

Teddy always reminded her that her father didn't give his future father in law that scar. The werewolf who bit his own father had done that. Cassiopeia took a grounding breath before she returned to view the two walking down the aisle, father taking his eldest daughter, a vision in white and a swirl of gold laced into the corset bodice of her ball gown. Cassiopeia had been fortunate enough to know that it would transform into a sheath dress when the reception commenced to no longer be cumbersome through the evening, showing that the gold followed through on the skirt. Victoire was sending a couple of people smiles in the crowd and Cassiopeia had been one of the few of whom she found herself smiling upon being closest to the aisle, out of pure happiness and pride.

She winked in her direction as the bride beamed.

Teddy was a gobsmacked fool and she tried not to laugh at his unencumbered manner.

As the two met, she could immediately see the tears in his eyes, and she knew that his blood was Black - his heart and soul had been anything but.

It felt like it was so quick. They were saying heart crushing vows that made Cassiopeia want to hope for something as similarly open and caring as the example before her. And then when the two were announced as man and wife, Victoire threw herself into Teddy's arms, a chorus of laughter ringing throughout the tent as he readily accepted his Weasley bride and held her in place, lifting her up with pride and letting her slip slowly down into his embrace as they kissed again. Cassiopeia felt tears spring up to her eyes.

Fuck.

This hadn't been her plan.

Certainly, she hadn't expected to actually cry but she found herself swept up in the moment and incredibly happy for her cousin and for once in a painful thought…hopeful for herself.

She turned to Scorpius and beseeched him to enchant her face to look normal, which caused him to question her desperate need to never be shown crying. Eventually as he argued, Rose did it without request. Cassiopeia huffed like a frustrated dog at her brother and sincerely thanked Rose to which she received a knowing smile.

As the guests stood to cheer on the couple as they walked out, Teddy and Victoire gave her a quick glance as they passed. Teddy's face dropped at the concealed emotions and Victoire looked, to put it candidly, victorious within her eyes. She mouthed a sorry to Teddy and Victoire allowed herself a cheeky look before kissing Teddy on the cheek and continuing their walk out of the tent as an officially married couple.

James took a sip from his champagne flute as one of the groomsmen to his godbrother and was clapped on the back by one of the other groomsmen Kenneth, someone Teddy had grown up with and clearly had the dirtiest sense of humour of the lot of them as Albus blushed a scarlet unbeknownst to James as his brother who had tortured him relentlessly as brothers do in their youth. Albus looked pleading with James and the two went to the side and Albus pulled out a cigarette and lit up. He immediately relaxed and said, 'Do not tell Rosie, it just helps calm me down.'

His younger brother was a bundle of anxiety ever since he'd been born and so James did not fault him for finding temporary relief from his mental demons. 'Shouldn't you be more worried about mum finding out?'

Albus shook his head. 'It's not forever. But Rosie thinks one and you're done. She's like a Ministry PSA.'

'You have to remember, she grew up with Aunt Hermione as a mum,' James said, pulling out his own vice for dealing with intense family gatherings, even if he could admit that he loved both people in the couple being celebrated immensely. A small round flask revealed itself and James held out the flask to Albus. His younger brother didn't seem against it earlier and wasn't against it a second time.

'Ryan's got some strong stuff and so he says a drop is only necessary every hour,' James mentioned, the potent concoction allowing a drop of purple to become an acceptable diluted red within Albus' and James' glasses. 'Don't tell Rosie.'

Albus chuckled and the brothers clinked their glasses together before taking a drink.

The two heard Victoire giving a giddy giggle as she and Teddy kissed, the latter giving her a fake pout, but allowing her to continue to goad him on an apparent failure on his part. 'You tried to cheat, and you still lost out, I'm getting thirty minutes to an hour in Barbados for that dirty trick.'

The two brothers frowned and looked between each other before James shook his head. 'I don't even want to fucking know, not with that deviousness coming from Vic.'

The tent transformed around them as the newlywed couple and their bridal party disappeared before they would reappear to join the others for the reception. Andromeda Tonks had been gracious in greeting many people, but her eyes lit up at the sight of Scorpius and Cassiopeia. She crushed the both of them into her embrace and smacked her lips against their faces and pulled away.

'You two look like you fit in!'

'For once,' Scorpius joked, which earned him an affectionate hand on his cheek. Andromeda was no pincher, all soft touches, warmth and sweet, authentic sentiments. It was something the Malfoy siblings had been unused to from extended family members prior to meeting Andromeda and Teddy. There was an adjustment period as naturally mistrusting children, but as a young man and woman, it shaped what was considered the norm with family, and that the taut experiences with their grandparents was in fact very fucking weird and cold.

'Oh I am truly thrilled you're both here. You'll be sitting at the family table.'

Scorpius seemed fine with this but such information surprised Cassiopeia.

'Come now, you are family! Just loosen up and you'll have a great time,' she reassured Cassiopeia.

As chance would have it, the table was large enough that she was mostly speaking with her Aunt Andromeda most of the evening, catching up, even once the bridal party resumed and took their place at the Head table in the room. Scorpius seemed to be very enlightened by the quiet things Rosie had to say and once food was eaten up. While across from her, Harry Potter was speaking with his wife, Ginny on one side and giving his daughter his extra roast parsnips. Once the music started up, Andromeda insisted Scorpius take Rosie for a spin and Scorpius was not one to disappoint his Auntie Andy or his girlfriend who did want to dance too. Cassiopeia had to shake her head. Their father insisted they would be smooth dancers from an early age, so Scorpius didn't have the two left feet that others had when put under pressure to perform at a wedding. Of course, he wasn't showing off to anyone else but Rosie. Cassiopeia could see Lily Potter look fascinated with his skill and mention something to her mum who brushed her hand through her husband's hair after making some quip as he lightly glared at her.

'Young love,' Andromeda said quietly next to her before swilling around the contents of her flute glass.

Cassiopeia found Scorpius spinning Rose out and bringing her back like there was nothing to it and how swept away Rose looked by it.

'She'll be taking him to all the weddings if he's not careful,' Cassiopeia joked.

'I don't think he minds, he's ass over tit for that Weasley,' Andromeda said with a knowing smile and as Cassiopeia realised what she said, she threw her head back a little bit.

'Can't wait to tell Mum and Dad that.'

Their flutes were refilled and Andromeda grabbed her hands meaningfully, as she was want to do before she asked something a touch more personal.

'And what is a young woman like yourself doing without a gentleman of your own?'

'Not you too, Aunt Romy,' groaned Cassiopeia quietly.

Cassiopeia didn't answer most people honestly about this. She said she had sworn off trying a long time ago, that when she wanted nothing but intimacy, they wanted more. When she wanted more, they only wanted physical intimacy. It was an equation that had acquired far too many variations and results and at some point, she had decided not to bother at all.

And she still couldn't find the solution to one of the biggest parts of her that didn't impact the other negatively.

'You know it's complicated,' Cassiopeia sighed as she took a sip of her refilled flute. 'Can't find a wizard who doesn't think the Squib thing isn't a problem in the end, and I can't find a muggle worth taking home to meet my family or Dad's expectations and confide the truth of this unbelievably ridiculous secret society to.'

Her Mum was another story entirely. Cassiopeia was content, but Astoria desired her daughter to be happy in a relationship and so she could be meddlesome at the best of times. It's why she got her mum involved in more muggle literature – to distract from such endeavours on her behalf. It also might make her understand that women in the muggle world weren't necessarily desperate to get hunkered down and knocked up to carry on and strengthen family names, finding their own paths at their own pace and enjoying the fruits of the loin positively and safely.

And Cassiopeia was finding her own path. And trying to figure out which kind of man was even worth the effort while trying to figure out what to do after Todd's since she was a graduate from Cambridge with mathematics (which had been for a couple of years now), not intending to be in retail or to become a librarian for the rest of her life, making a search for a partner was far too complex a task to heap on top.

Although there was that lovely interaction with the odd gentleman which she had at work which she occasionally thought of when she was entirely alone and safe to daydream of possibilities as her Mum called them.

But it soured the minute she realised he was a wizard and had somehow managed to attract the attention of Rita Skeeter. From a very young age, Rita Skeeter was someone who her father said she was never to reveal her identity to out of her own personal safety and for the sake of her privacy being kept intact. If he has any affiliation with that witch, it was worth steering well fucking clear of it.

'There are plenty of men here who wouldn't mind taking you for a spin,' Andromeda said with a cheeky smirk. 'Even if it's just for the night.'

'I think Dad is capped at about one Weasley in the family, and Rosie is such a treasure, he can't even deny it.'

'Well I'm sure that blond gentleman eyeing you up from table eight wouldn't mind?' Andromeda gestured with her voice and only her voice because Black women were subtle.

As Cassiopeia had observed carefully, she frowned at the person her Aunt had informed her of.

'Nope. He looks too much like Dad,' Cassie shut that shit down quickly.

'I suppose he does have an air of that arrogance I recall Lucius having from a young age. And it's not your job to fix him.'

Cassiopeia agreed with that sentiment. 'Plus, his outfit is far too loud not to feel a little frightened.'

Before the two could continue to chat prospective dance partners for the Squib at the Wedding, Teddy interrupted them as he wished to dance with his grandmother as Victoire took a spin with her father Bill. Fleur seemed unable to contain her emotions as she teared at the mere sight and Andromeda allowed Teddy to lead.

As she continued to watch the warm scene before her, heart full and once again forging a strange sense of hope, she received a tap on the shoulder. Cassiopeia turned to see it was the blond wizard who wore gold robes and dark blue trim that she despised from afar, which Cassiopeia's brain started to circulate a thousand questions as to taste when she saw some of the details up close. His heavy French accent and the assumption that he could take her hand and kiss it screamed three thousand alarm bells in her head as she uncommonly snatched it away reactively. The only people she ever allowed to take her hands without permission were Teddy and Andromeda and that was because they were incredibly affectionate people who had no ill intention towards her. She barely knew this wizard.

While he looked affronted momentarily, he attempted to turn on the charm.

Cassiopeia hardly registered what he said before he asked if she even spoke English.

'Sorry, um, I…who are you?'

'My apologies,' he said with a smile revealing his heavily whitened teeth as though he had come from Essex and not from a Chateau in France, his eyes glimmered an unnatural gold. 'I am Victoire's second cousin, Valentin. How are you connected to the groom?'

As Cassiopeia was trying to answer, she found herself growing far more flustered at this simple attempt alone and couldn't place what was causing it. She wasn't having an anxiety attack. She knew what those felt like. She almost felt…turned on and dizzy. Her eyes widened and felt her heart plummet from sheer humiliation.

Oh, you bastard.

If he kept this up, she was bound to get ill from the nausea of her erratic heartbeat, or worse. Do something entirely stupid due to her lack of magic and therefore lack of resistance.

The worst-case scenario she had heard of from her childhood doctor had been a seizure in the middle of Diagon Alley during a circus display and powder being blown on the single squib child in a family of five. as she wasn't one to want to bring attention to herself this wasn't an adversity she wished to endure at her cousin's wedding.

'Don't mind me asking…Valentin,' she coughed uncomfortably, attempting not to vomit in her mouth, 'but are you of the Veela strain of the Delacour line?'

As Valentin scoffed and guffawed, Cassiopeia wasn't offered a further explanation, but a grateful escape, although it had gathered the concern of other people seated at her table.

'Cassie!' Albus approached her gleefully, although she could sense a tension in his eyes.

Ah, maybe he knew what was happening too.

'Please get me away from this manipulative creature,' she said in a dark tone to him quietly.

'She's not game tonight Valentin,' Albus said further strained as he pulled her up and helped her get away with him.

She quickly made her way over to the dance floor with Albus in hand. He spun her into the crowd and the two connected and she took a deep breath. Cassiopeia looked to Albus with large eyes.

'All I want to do is vomit, Al.'

'He didn't know about you, sorry Cass,' Albus said quietly into his ear, eyes still on Valentin as he watched his retreating back settle for defeat. Cassiopeia couldn't fault that the few who knew about her true status wouldn't tell everyone. 'Dad had me running over when he realised he was watching an unwanted advance.'

She allowed her head to rest on his shoulder as the slow dance became an almost soothing chance for her to calm herself.

'Yeah I figured you'd need a minute,' Albus laughed as the two stayed still amongst swaying dancers and she used the opportunity to stop herself from feeling nauseated. 'I can't promise I won't vomit on you.'

'I'm sure I would have passed you over to Scorpius if I even had an inkling you would do such a thing.'

She snorted and pulled away, feeling some of the nausea pass as she was further away from Valentin and in Albus' embrace, her brother's best friend who never once made a pass at her, nor was that about to change. He did try to make her picture gross things which only made her glare at him as she knew he'd picked up this mean little trick from her brother.

The song finished and she slightly tightened her ponytail before Albus pulled her off the dancefloor for a non-alcoholic drink, her body cooling down and regaining normal function.

There was a bar for more specific drink orders than Champagne that was being floated around. He led her there and whispered to the bartender who looked to Cassiopeia sympathetically once Albus got the message across. As he turned to pull out the bottle, it looked far more like a potion and she was limited in how she took those from previous experience.

'You know how sensitive I am to this stuff,' she said, eyeing the potion distastefully.

'It will dramatically decrease the effects of nausea,' Albus pressed into her hand, green eyes watching her resound, waiting for her to drink. She returned the look, incredibly sceptical and felt the immediate soothing of the potion down her throat.

'And it might give you a wonderful sense of euphoria from the relief, although it is dreadfully short lived,' Albus said before shotting his own blue potion.

'You feeling nauseated?'

'No, just incredibly overwhelmed.'

Cassie grabbed his hand knowingly, Albus Potter's anxiety not news to her, and pulled him back into the crowd.

Before Albus was forced to dance for another two minutes in the crowd, Victoire's younger brother Louis pulled up in a similar groomsmen garb to Albus, although he was taller and blonder and something of a serious character with a set of cheekbones she knew women would kill for. He looked furious and mortified as he approached the two.

'Cassie, I'm so sorry, Valentin is a menace without the Veela energy as it is,' the new arrival apologised.

'Word gets around quick,' Al mentioned with a little surprise.

'It was either me handling it now or Victoire to find out in about fifteen minutes – who would you prefer?' Louis asked sincerely.

Albus winced at the potential image, as Victoire was quite frankly the most potent for the Veela genes of the three cousins he had with Fleur Delacour as their mother. He'd seen the beak once. She would have been furious if it came out with her wedding dress on.

'Precisely,' Louis responded to his unanswered question before turning to Cassiopeia with genial smile. 'Now let me show you how a real Delacour charms so you don't have the perception of my unfortunate relation to contend with.'

Albus looked at Cassiopeia as she turned to look at him and she said, 'You don't mind, do you?'

She knew Albus was keen to get away from the dancefloor and he was grateful for a reprieve, especially because he knew that Louis wasn't a sleaze.

'I'll take my leave,' Albus said softly, as she allowed Louis to take her hand and spin her on.

James pulled up to the bar with Alice as the two requested red wine and stat. Alice hated sparkling wines and James became an entirely different person on the stuff and so refused anymore flutes. He was glad when the two glasses of red were produced before them and the two came across Hugo dancing with Lily in the crowd. Alice and James did some impressive moves on the dance floor that would have attracted anyone's attention, but he seemed pent up.

Alice could tell.

'You telling me I needed to get laid is hypocritical,' said the witch as she lifted one hand up in the air to get with the dance music. 'You're itching for a woman.'

'Not much I can do about it Alice. I'm related to pretty much anyone here, so it truly doesn't make for a great selection for what I'm left with,' James said as he took a sip of his wine.

'Can't trust the Delacours?' Alice asked, 'They are your type from what you tell me, leggy blondes and all that.'

'Yikes no. Dad told me that Teddy's cousin Cassie was nearly enticed by one of them before he had to get Albus involved. I'm surprised Victoire didn't bring out the beak for the potential embarrassment he caused.'

The witch looked disgusted by this as she recalled from the few conversations she had with Scorpius about his sister was that she had very adverse reactions to certain types of magic.

'Oh,' Alice realised, 'I've never actually met her before, could you point her out?'

'Yeah, sorry I wouldn't be able to help you there – I've literally never met her either.'

'What – how? You practically grew up with Teddy!'

'I know,' James shrugged, 'But, considering I didn't meet Scorpius until he became friends with Al at Hogwarts, you can kind of see why.'

Alice's brow furrowed for an uncomfortable second before conceding to a very uneasy fact. It would have been a coincidence of timing for the two kids to meet even with Teddy's connection before an event as big as this happened. Alice looked to be scheming and said, 'Well then, I'm going to scope for any female Scorpius' and if she's as pretty as him, check if she's into women and cause a scandal.'

He looked astounded by her upfront salaciousness but knew it had been a while for her as it had been for him and settled into the mode they had been for each other on several occasions, wingman.

'If she is, I'll be the instigator because that is something I'd love to see.'

She made a thoroughly pleased noise and he spun her around. She turned in his arms and pointed to someone in the crowd with Louis.

'Is that a Delacour or a potential female Scorpius?' she asked as James almost rolled his eyes because it was a one out of ten chance.

As his eyes travelled up her legs in a blue dress with a platinum blonde high ponytail being swung around – a shade very familiar to Scorpius Malfoy's and comfortably dancing in the arms of his cousin Louis.

James froze.

Holy shit.

His mouth dropped open as he finally got a good look at her smiling face as Louis dipped her backwards and lifted her back with ease – definitely a son of Bill and Fleur in how his confidence held him, regardless of the person. As she continued to look practically elated to be having this dance at all, his mind flashed to the shop assistant at the bookstore close by Diagon Alley, the way she shooed out Rita Skeeter with an avid insistence, and with an inherent displeasure of the gossip columnist's presence in her place of work.

Vela.

Vela was at his cousin and Teddy's wedding.

What was she doing at this wedding?

'James, James!' Alice snapped her fingers in front of his face.

His body straightened a new, his voice robotic.

'It's her.'

Alice arched her brow not understanding, until the other brow joined to make the connection. She looked at the blonde woman who graciously thanked Louis Weasley for the dance, who kissed her hand in farewell and let her go without issue. She walked out of the crowd, away from her previous dance partner and seemed eager to get somewhere as her eyes took in the room and made her way to the bar.

'The shop girl?'

'The shop girl,' James confirmed roughly.

Alice violently tugged James aside and within the tent's many secluded spots and James had to scrub away the image of his grandparents leaving one nearby as the wedding became a lot more muffled and Alice pulled his face to hers.

'She is fucking gorgeous. You have to talk to her!'

'Alice, I don't know how comfortable she would be knowing it was me in that shop – and maybe she did know it was me and thought that it was best to lay off –'

Alice roughly grabbed at his dark green dress robes and forced him to look into her eyes. She looked pissed.

'James. If I'm correct, she seemed to be giving you all the right signals and this saves SO many problems if things really do progress – like how you're a wizard and all that – she obviously knows about the wizarding world, right?'

James still hadn't responded, quite confused by how this could possibly add up. Alice shook him.

'Go and get her – we both need this win!' She ground out lastly like bridge troll.

'Jesus, alright, alright!'

James was shoved from the folds of the tent and Alice walked out taller and as though she didn't express that he needed to go after Teddy's cousin otherwise it was a detrimental fail to both their love lives. While she remained elegantly persistent, her eyes screamed bloody murder if he didn't make his move.

James straightened his dress robes and decided not to bother with his hair, that was destined to remain a solid fucking mess thanks to his genes. She stood in a queue at the bar and after Hugo and Lily pulled away with far too many drinks to count, Vela pulled up and requested a gin and tonic with a garnish of basil, which James filed away as necessary knowledge to have.

As James was trying to figure out what to say to her, she seemed to jump the gun on him.

'My drink might take a while, did you want me to order-'

She abruptly shut up and her lips parted, her eyes bulging. She was nearly struck silent, blinking a couple of times. She was just as pretty this close.

'…for you…' she finished uncertainly.

James seemed just as fucking useless in imparting some words before he simply said, 'I enjoyed the book. I don't think it was written for me as the intended audience, but Alice loved it and it was quite informative, nevertheless.'

She blinked a couple of more times and took some shallow breaths.

'Vela, are you-'

'I need the loo,' she announced suddenly.

It was not something she was likely to ever announce in decent conversation, but it was the first thing to come to mind that was somewhat acceptable of an excuse.

But as luck would have it, as she attempted to escape, her heel connected with the only uneven space on the floor. Vela took the fall and seemed resigned to allow gravity to take her because what the fuck else was she to do?

She wasn't magically inclined enough to prevent it.

What she hadn't been anticipating was the sudden pain in her ankle when her foot had angled in her heel in a very wrong way.

James seemed as shocked by this and the bartender returned with her drink order. A few people seemed to notice the commotion and as Vela attempted a deep breath and tried to get up, she winced painfully. James' eyes shot to Alice, who was already on her way over.

She wore a tight smile, clearly disappointed in the turn of events - gestured sharply to James to help the now injured wedding guest up. James did as he was instructed.

'Shit, are you okay?' he asked her horrified.

'I think I twisted my ankle,' she said regrettably, wincing in pain.

'All good,' Alice appeared beside her and put her arm under Vela's to help James lift her up as a couple of guests approached to help. 'I'm a healer. We'll just help you off to the side, everything will be a-okay.'

'Not if everyone thinks I'm drunk,' Vela voiced her main concern.

'Oh, believe me, they'll think you were running away from James,' Alice joked and both wizard and squib blanched. Alice cleared her throat uncomfortably upon realising how true this was.

As she was sat down on a chair that was originally Scorpius', the bartender had the decency to bring her the drink order to the table and boy was she grateful. She took a large gulp and winced again, as Alice manipulated her ankle.

'It's just a sprain thankfully,' she said as she glared at James, who threw up his hands in defence.

'It's my fault,' Vela said immediately, 'I tripped.'

'Well, we can see to it that it is sorted out as soon as possible,' Alice said as she began pulling out her wand but Vela immediately stopped her.

'I'm not sure how – um, how safe every…every spell will be for me. I'm quite hyper-sensitive to certain magic,' she looked incredibly uncomfortable to speak honestly and Alice implored James to leave with one look, but he was never made to as Scorpius came over after realising who was the injured party.

'What happened?' he asked concerned.

'She tripped. I think one of the gnomes made their way under the charmed tarp floor,' James concluded, frowning at his sudden appearance.

'That would be about right,' Scorpius said with a grimace. The gnomes were little bastards in his opinion. 'Muggle safe spells only, she has a very intense reaction to certain aspects of magic.'

Scorpius sounded well-rehearsed in this and Alice realised what was happening he continued. 'Our mother has some medical issues which may or may not be something Cassie has to cope with as well, genetically speaking.'

James paled significantly, as Alice looked wide eyed.

'Vela?' he asked her as she grimaced at the name change.

Scorpius' brow furrowed at James' odd behaviour. 'Yes, Cassiopeia. You have met her, haven't you Potter?'

'Potter?' Vela asked James more directly, and he didn't think he'd seen her eyes get wider in this instance.

James was honestly perplexed that she didn't even know who he was given his unavoidable presence in the sports section of the papers and his parents fame but could see the sincerity of her surprise. She continued, 'You said your name was James Evans…oh my god I'm an idiot.'

Scorpius frowned and turned to his sister and asked quietly, 'Why does James Potter know your muggle name?'

James felt a bit more at ease now, knowing it wasn't some weird pretence to some sordid tale and feeling tricked.

'He came to Todd's about two weeks ago. He was running from Skeeter – it's a long story Scorpius.'

Hearing the distress in her voice, Scorpius decided to drop the matter entirely and she asked him to take out her hair. 'Naima was right, it's giving me a headache.'

Scorpius pulled out his wand and went around the chair as he undid certain clips and ties with his wand, certain that if he used his hands she would complain. Only her dad knew how to handle long hair having followed in the tradition that some Malfoy men grew out their hair long enough to be tied up and Scorpius was a tugger who couldn't be assed with such a tradition. Alice continued to analyse her ankle and came to a conclusion on what could be a productive healing spell for the sprain without giving her a bad reaction and healing it quicker for better use.

The cumbersome pain reduced immediately as an iciness poured out from her wand. Then without knowing it would happen, Alice manipulated her ankle back into place and the crack that occurred both shocked and relieved her. Scorpius hands were on her shoulders at the noise and James looked like there was about to be a tense stand-off between his best friend and his brother's best friend before Vela, or Cassiopeia interrupted the tension.

'Thank you. That feels so much better.'

'You seem the type to get nervous at the dentist,' Alice mentioned honestly, with a small shrug. 'I probably should have warned you –'

'No, better to let me find out quickly then anticipate it,' the blonde squib rolled her foot around, flexing it carefully.

'I may have also given you the benefit of relieving some joint tension. You need to see an osteo, from my short assessment,' Alice finished as she stood up, her striped sage dress billowing as she stood. She offered her hand to Cassiopeia and she nervously stood.

'Not the first time I've heard it,' Cassiopeia wobbled and straightened. Immediate relief washed over her. 'Thank you…I'm so sorry, I don't know who you are.'

'I'm Alice Longbottom.'

The blonde girl seemed to pale at the name, but after a brief moment of panic, let it wash over her and smiled warmly. 'Thank you, Alice. Do you mind me asking who you apprenticed under?'

'Ernie Macmillan,' Alice said without a second thought.

'He never let me anticipate anything growing up,' Cassiopeia smiled in recollection. 'I thought you might have adopted a similar technique.'

Alice smiled at the connection and Scorpius butted in, 'Are you okay? Don't need to take you home early?'

'No, Scorpius, I'm fine. I plan on staying for the evening, at least to see Teddy off,' Cassie spoke vehemently. He waved away his initial offer and kissed her on the head, which in turn made her roll her eyes. He walked off and Rose who was watching at the bar with Albus, who was curiously eyeing his older brother's presence, looked immediately to Scorpius for some word on her wellbeing. She had to thank those two friends of her brother for being tactful not to overcrowd her when this was happening.

Alice made an incredibly convenient excuse to go and dance with her Dad, leaving James kneeling at Cassiopeia's feet. He stood suddenly, realising how suggestive the position was and chuckled nervously. 'Um, so I. Um.'

As she continued to look thoughtfully over him, forcing him to shut up so he wouldn't continue to stammer like a prepubescent fool, she gave him the good grace of speaking up.

'Would you like to take a walk? Just so I can explain myself?'

James blinked a couple of times and figured he shouldn't leave the invitation hanging as she already looked as though she felt incredibly on show.

'Sure, great. I'll just get-'

He turned to see Alice grinning madly and handing him a glass of red, as his new acquaintance picked up her glass of gin and tonic. James turned back and offered his arm as Alice flitted off to find her father and pester his two left feet for a round on the floor, her brown bob bouncing all the way.

'Just in case there are any other gnomes hiding.'

He could have kicked himself for how lame that was, but she took his arm with a reserved smile, holding onto the proffered arm, nonetheless.

The sun had dipped well below the hills and the stars were beginning to slowly take to their sparkling glory. Her face glimmered under the dying sunlight, an effect of her makeup that James had only noticed now, when he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She took a sip of her drink and resigned that she would have to begin at some point.

'My full name is Cassiopeia Vela Malfoy,' she stated firmly, 'Cassiopeia is an atrocious name to pronounce in the muggle world, and so I went by my middle name all my life growing up on that side. It also made it much easier to figure out who I needed to be should I come across someone who knew me.'

'So, I met the muggle version,' James concluded easily.

'Precisely. Todd only knows me as Vela, as do all my muggle friends and anyone else I interact with – even as insignificant as my coffee order. Dad's had it drilled into me ever since…well since it was obvious that I wasn't going to be a witch.'

James nodded thoughtfully at her assertiveness, noting she wasn't at peace with the fact. 'I'm sure I was a bit of a nasty surprise.'

'Not a nasty one,' she reassured him honestly, 'It was very odd but it's London. Skeeter became an immediate problem and made me realise where you might belong.'

James stopped them suddenly. 'I hope you don't think I was actually sleeping with her-'

'Now that I know who you are, I wouldn't be surprised if she would take the opportunity should you ever be inclined toward an older woman,' Cassie bit her lip in a small laugh, 'But no, I had been fully under the impression that she was just trying to corner you for some piece of gossip that wasn't even remotely true. You had been running from her that day?'

'Well – it's kind of under wraps for the sake of Puddlemere's reputation,' James said as he continued their stroll up the hill. 'But I have a stalker.'

'Oh dear,' she said, quite horrified.

'Yeah,' James said surprised. Most people had just shoved it off as something that could be handled, but Vela seemed to take the potential threat seriously and not as though it should have been expected with his name. 'I was getting ready for a press conference when I saw Larry Kincade in my kitchen. I wasn't really thinking when I ran. I didn't have my wand on me, and I was too afraid to go back.'

'Right,' recognition crossed her blue eyes. 'You were out of sorts and you did look a bit odd wearing a shirt and tie…which were in Puddlemere colours. Wow I really should have seen that.'

'I wasn't exactly hoping anyone would recognise me in the muggle area so I'm very happy you didn't.'

'I don't follow Quidditch very well anymore so I probably wouldn't have,' Vela sheepishly admitted, 'But considering you are Teddy's godbrother and on the toughest team for Tutshill, it's shocking I didn't know who you were sooner.'

'Or that we never met once in over two decades, unintentionally at least,' James mentioned honestly. Vela shrugged at this.

'Between you and me,' Vela spoke quietly, 'I think the effort might have been on purpose.'

As they reached the top of the hill, the swinging chair attached to the strong tree planted well over thirty years ago practically called to Vela and he followed her, uncertain of where things were heading, or what she had just told him. Before he could have her elaborate, she took a seat, letting her legs flail, relaxed a little. A brisk breeze blew through and James didn't even hesitate with his dress robe jacket, handing it over to her. Wordlessly she took it from him and as she eyed him for a moment, she eventually said, 'Thank you.'

He sat next to her and as she pulled his jacket around herself, fluffing her hair and scraping through the recently freed platinum blonde locks. As the sun finally disappeared, James couldn't help but watch her out of the corner of his eye, ruminating on their odd circumstances.

'Wait,' she broke the peaceful silence, she turned herself and repositioned to face him, 'How does Rita fit into your narrative?'

James swallowed as he tried to remember amongst all the stupidly flustered nonsense that was occurring within him.

'That is why Puddlemere is trying to keep it quiet. There has been "speculation" that Skeeter and Kincade were in it together. He got to be inside my apartment and she nearly got the scoop of the sports page. She's kind of had it in for me since I responded in a rude way during a request for an interview when everyone is expected to give her a wide berth but nowhere near what I did.'

'Not the kind of rude she was hoping for,' Vela said with a teasing smile.

'No,' James laughed as he shook his head, 'and Mum gave me hell for it. Works with the bloody woman too,' James took a sip of his wine. 'But once that beetle took it down that route, Mum and I were fronting the Legal team and managers while Dad and my Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were clearing my place out. I don't live there anymore.'

'Back at home, then?' she asked conversationally.

'No, I'm with Alice. She'll be keen to kick me out soon, but Albus is finding a place for me. He's good at finding gems. He found my last apartment – unfortunate as its ending has been,' he took a full gulp of red wine.

'You're dating Alice?' she asked a little perplexed.

James lifted from the seat as he sprayed out the wine. 'Merlin no.'

'I didn't realise such a question eviscerated alcohol from you.'

'No – it's just…she's far more attracted to you if you catch my drift,' James suggested.

'Oh, she's a lesbian,' Vela stated simply, 'Or bisexual with more inclination toward women?'

'The first fits best,' James said, not as well versed in the other orientations the alphabet community as he was with Alice's L. He looked amused by her previous suggestion again. 'Everyone assumed that would be the case with us though. Attached at the hip since we could walk and whatnot so we must be secretly in love with each other, but I was the first person she came out to and it was one of the hardest things I've ever witnessed her do.'

When he looked over at her, seeing Vela's face against the soft light of the reception, she looked genuinely interested in what he had to say. James was forced to swallow some inner tension and lighten it all up.'

'So, I've been a proud beard for her all the years through Hogwarts when she wasn't comfortable being open about it. And we apparently have similar tastes,' James spoke knowingly.

'I imagine coming across an actual bisexual who fits the description is a cause of great distress between you two.'

James couldn't help but titter at that before his eyes trailed to the aspect under scrutiny.

Leggy blondes.

Such aspects of Vela Malfoy peaked out of the skirt of her dress as she lifted one up to cross over the other. James swallowed another sip of red wine and tried to remember how he saw his grandparents leaving a small section of the tent to cool down.

He hoped that Albus found a place with a very big shower. Then a very violent thought came to mind.

'Wait, are you a Tutshill supporter?'

She snorted at his near outrage, 'My father's large investment is. I lean more toward the Harpies.'

James' eyes narrowed. 'You sat at the same table as my Mum and your soul didn't leave your body?'

'Despite the fact we've not met James, I have indeed met your parents once or twice when at Andromeda's over the last couple of years. And I'm subtle, not a sycophantic fan,' Vela pointed out with her index finger aiming at him from her clutched drink hand. 'I occasionally listen to their games on the radio, but only really their games. Probably heard you come up against some of my favourite chasers and never had a second thought.'

'Well they are in trouble this season. I'm Head Chaser for Puddlemere as of,' James proclaimed with the only amount of confidence he had felt about himself in front of her for some time.

'I'll have to catch the game on the radio when you're on,' Vela said as she stood up and handed him his outer dress robe. 'Do you mind helping me down this hill? I don't trust the gnomes not to try and finish me off.'

James stood up and offered his arm, and she took it with far more ease than she had previously.

'So, what do I call you?'

Vela seemed to ponder this question with some thought and took a deep breath as she descended the small stone steps with him beside her.

'You've crossed a barrier that most never see except for my family,' she said, realising that accidents didn't happen this often. 'So, I guess, whatever suits you.'

'Cassiopeia is a bit of a mouthful.'

'You prefer Vela?'

'Two syllables. Short and sweet,' James smacked his lips together.

'We can't all have one syllable names. Some of us come from families who just recognised that men don't wear three pieces and capes as casual dress in the middle of a heatwave.'

'Aha-ha,' James laughed sarcastically.

The night went on with no issues presenting themselves suddenly. Teddy took his cousin over, with a notable eye over James at the two chatting amiably by the bar, and insisted on a dance since they took the class in secret to bolster Teddy for confidence for his wedding day and Vela because something with actual flavour wasn't taught to her when she was learning to dance and Teddy required a partner who understood and trusted him without revealing this surprise to Victoire.

James watched the two as they caught the attention of the small milling crowd. The dance eventually turned into the Weasley Stomp as everyone was drunk enough to participate without any fear of embarrassment. Andromeda watched from the side with Cassiopeia who seemed very keen only to be an audience to this brutal group dance and James found himself being partnered with a very eager Alice, who found her feet best with the Weasley Stomp.

'So, did you seal the deal?'

'We talked you nymphomaniac! I didn't attach my lips to her and claim her for the evening like a fifth-year,' James proclaimed.

'Boring!' Alice said dramatically.

Andromeda asked why James had pulled her outside and Cassiopeia pushed it aside. 'Just a misunderstanding. All cleared up now.'

'Mhm,' Andromeda sounded out with a cheeky smirk.

'You aren't to get involved,' Cassie shut down firmly.

'Spoil sport.'

The night dwindled into near nothing as people began to look exhausted as the early hours of the next morning were encroaching on each guest's energy. Cassie couldn't deny that an evening spent in heels did have its toll and she could see Rose whispering something very naughty to Scorpius, holding her heels in her hand.

Well her second option home was out of the picture, she was no cockblock. She would have to hope Naima was in fact, not home or dead asleep in her room by the time she floo'd home.

Plucking her smartphone from her handbag and noticing a few cursory glances from nearby guests and even the peaked interest of her great aunt beside her, she opened her app to check on her closest friends' whereabouts. It was truly a wonderful tool that the wizarding world had never managed to copy as far as she knew but she refused to let her Dad know of its handiness. She checked to see Naima was located in the apartment block. So, she was home, but she wouldn't know if she was in her room or the living room, or even if she was awake.

'Naima,' Cassiopeia whined. She sent her a quick text to ask if she was up.

What are you, a fuckboi?

'What's a fuckboi?' Andromeda incorrectly said.

'Just a mean term for boys who are old enough to be men but don't act like them. Sometimes they have more than one woman on the go without the other knowing.' Her phone buzzed and notified her of a follow-up text.

Yes, I'm up. I've had four vodka redbulls at Jaxxie's and Jordan left me on fucking read. Again. :,(

'Is this Jordan a fuckboi?' Andromeda asked carefully.

'Absolutely Aunt Romy. But this may be breaking news to my best mate,' a very displeased Cassiopeia voiced and straightened up. She realised Vela's vocab was coming through more than what she did as the fully-fledged Malfoy. Her phone glitched which was a first, but she realised that the amount of magical interference could tank it if she wasn't careful.

Before they knew it, Teddy was giving them a quick kiss goodbye as well as Victoire and they were headed back to their apartment, exhausted and ready for bed. People slowly began filing out and Scorpius kissed his sister farewell.

Scorpius spent about five minutes prior to actually leaving to checking if she didn't want to be flooed home or for him to call the Knight Bus, but she was certain Dad had left an emergency portkey within her bag's pocket in the shape of a bubblegum packet – an item she never used. She only liked mint. When she checked, she found only the mint packet and realised the portkey had been used last month and she had never had her Dad replace it prior to leaving for Spain.

There was a brief moment of regret as she saw Scorpius disappear with Rose into a flourish and Albus gladly make his way home. She began the walk up to the house where she could access the Floo Network and at least see if she could go back to her childhood home.

Even if she could definitely hear ghosts at night and her parents were still in Spain and therefore Nimble was also away for a trip.

James could see her looking a lot lost by a predicament that he couldn't decipher and was about to approach when she looked relieved at the sight of Andromeda who had offered her to stay in her home that night. She nodded eagerly and Andromeda wrapped an arm around her and took her the rest of the way up to the house.

'Should've been quicker,' Alice said as she sidled up to him. As she linked his arm through his, he resigned to say that maybe he should've been. Neither had sobered up enough to apparate and so had to floo back to Alice's place. There was a small queue forming through the house to access the Floo. His grandmother was wishing them safely off before they did so, his grandfather snoring away in an armchair in the living room.

James' luck slipped back into his grasp as he could see her a few people ahead and was one of the next in the queue to go home, with Andromeda in front her reminding her of the address to her home. James was glued to the floor so as to not look like a queue jumper. But Alice was never one for a missed opportunity.

James yelped as he stepped out of line, away from Alice who had just sent a very mean stinging hex at his behind and Andromeda was taking her handful of floo powder from his grandmother. Cassiopeia would be next.

'Vela!'

She looked around at the name, almost shocked until it formed into a pleasant surprise. His grandmother was saying her goodbyes with Andromeda, but the two were clearly keen on this conversation. James tried to push the very public aspect of this moment to the side.

'Um, look, so I was thinking – it might be a bit stupid really. I know it's confusing –'

'James,' she stopped him with a smile, and then seemed to catch herself but shook some strained thought away before she plundered forward with her words. 'If you want to see me again, you know where to find me.'

With that she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and watched Andromeda's eyes widen with a scheme in play, and Molly Weasley smile as she looked to the floor. When Vela turned back to his grandmother, she graciously spoke. 'Thank you for such a beautiful day, Mrs. Weasley. I will remember it for some time.'

'Thank you, dear. Sorry about the gnomes,' she apologised through her smile.

She looked to her foot and said with a shrug, 'You wouldn't know it happened. Goodnight.'

Vela gave one last look to James and a small wave before she requested clearly, Andromeda's homestead. She disappeared amongst the green flames.

James was still stuck a little in place and his grandmother cleared her throat, as the next drunk couple took to the floo and went through with no issues. As Alice stepped up, her smile was manic and Molly Weasley couldn't help but give way to an inappropriate chuckle as Alice bounced her shoulders to tease her grandson with fluttering eyes.

'You know where to find me,' she said in a mock demure voice.

'I will enjoy this, Alice,' he turned on her sharply.

'Oh bosh, let me have this. You look like a frog.'

Please R&R

Fadinggx