Kiara was elated when the three week exchange finally finished. No more early curfews, hug times, or awkward interactions! Thank the gods. So, when Kiara woke up in her Slytherin bed, in the Slytherin dorms, she couldn't help but smile. She rolled out and saw that she had actually woken up rather early, seeing as none of the other girls were up. Kiara got dressed and ambled down the stairs to the common room to catch a glimpse of the Kraken or the mermaids before she went off to breakfast. She had realized, early on, that the mermaids didn't look like the stereotypical western ones, and more like Russian rusalki mermaid like creatures with green hair.

She expected to see what she usually saw the few times she woke up; Elizabeth setting up her stand, taking packages from Wahoo and occasionally, Will talking to the mermaids in sign language. She definitely wasn't prepared for what she saw today.

What looked like a full muggle kitchen had been set up, with her third year friend in the centre. Elizabeth prodded a large, fatherless bird with a gloved finger as she murmured quietly to herself. She looked up and locked eyes with Kiara before smiling slightly. "Top of the mornin' ta ya, lassie," she said in an Irish accent.

"What's that?" Kiara asked, going up and standing next to Elizabeth.

"A turkey," she answered. "It's for Thanksgiving, which is today. I do this every year for the Slythers."

"Is that an American thing?"

"Yeah. A national holiday. It's supposed to celebrate the friendship between the pilgrims and the natives." Elizabeth's expression turned somber as she smiled sadly. "It's really ironic. Just a few years after, the white American population killed- no, slaughtered hundreds of thousands, even millions, of the natives, stripping them of their culture and forcing them to forget their own languages. It's horrific. But it's history. Enough about that, it's making me depressed."

"Americans are weird, I wonder what would happen if they just stayed with us."

"You don't ask a patriotic, American-born history buff that question. Kiara. Taxation without representation is never a good solution to bankruptcy and financial problems. But that's a debate for another day." Elizabeth sighed and then went back to the turkey. "Say, Kiara, do ya know how ta gut a turkey?"

Kiara blinked, startled at the random question. "Er… no, not really."

"I can do it with a chicken, but are turkeys the same?" Elizabeth mused. "Eh, whatever. You wanna help?"

"Sure."

"Ight, there's some gloves over there, since this is going ta get super messy."

"Why don't you just use magic?" Kiara asked, putting on the plastic gloves.

"'Cause home cooked food tastes better, yeah? It's an unspoken American rule ta make yer Thanksgiving meal by hand."

"Makes sense, I don't use magic myself, but I know most wizards do."

Several minutes, a secret WikiHow trip, and a gutted turkey later, Elizabeth had managed to deduce that, yes, gutting a turkey was indeed nearly the same as a chicken. After Elizabeth had done basic demonstrations, she let Kiara at it whilst she made the gravy. And, needless to say, Kiara was absolutely, terrifyingly excited to pull out the intestines from a dead bird. She chucked the bird into the oven and the two moved on. "Ye can make the mash," Elizabeth instructed, "I boiled the potatoes already. I'll do the cranberry sauce."

Kiara nodded, then looked around, "Do you seriously mean to tell me this is all you're making?"

"Yeah?" Elizabeth asked, "We made more than 300 servings."

Kiara frowned a little, "I'm disappointed in you, Elizabeth, I expected more from you."

"Uh, what?"

"I'm going down to the kitchen to get more food."

"You don't even know how to get in-" Elizabeth started, but Kiara was already gone. She returned, ten or twenty minutes later, actually carrying food in her hands.

Elizabeth wasn't at all surprised that Kiara had managed to get into the kitchen, but was definitely shocked at what she brought back. "Wait a moment, why the hell are ya carrying a bunch of beef? Ya don't seriously expect me ta-"

"Cook it? Of course I do."

"Oh, c'mon! No one eats beef on Thanksgiving, unless they're completely out of they're mind! And what am I supposed to do? Roast it?"

"Yo!" The two girls turned and saw a 5th year waving at the top of the boys' stairs. "Is it Thanksgiving?"

"Hey, Mateo," Elizabeth said, smiling her classic half smile and giving a cheery wave. "Yeah. That time of the year."

"GUYS!" Mateo hollered, breaking into a huge grin. "IT'S THANKSGIVING AGAIN! Elizabeth IS COOKING!"

Soon after, a torrent of Slytherins from all of the years rushed down the stairs and practically flooded the common room, cheering and shouting, "I LOVE AMERICANS!"

"We're eatin' this during dinner," Elizabeth told Kiara as she stirred the sauce. "They just like the smell."

When the time came around, she could see the looks of jealousy from all of the other houses and even the staff as Elizabeth levitated the dishes into the hall. Platters piled high with heaps of steamed vegetables, tureens of cranberry sauce and gravy, a few metric tons of mashed potatoes, another few metric tons of baked potatoes, ten different types of pasta, three different types of stuffing, a beef roast (which Kiara insisted for reasons Elizabeth couldn't fathom), a solid block of honey glazed ham, and the largest turkey in existence settled on the table. "Professor Greengrass!" Elizabeth shouted, waving her over. "Thanksgiving family dinner ain't complete 'til the matriarch's here!" The Slytherin Head smiled at Elizabeth before firing a smirk to the rest of the staff and walking over. And Elizabeth was absolutely right. The homemade Thanksgiving dinner tasted so much better than anything Kiara had ever tasted from the usual meals.

Sadly, the rest of the school days weren't nearly as eventful as that day. But another thing that could rival Thanksgiving in excitement was right around the corner; the first round of Quidditch. It would be Kiara's first time watching a match, and from Elizabeth's description of the game, it was nothing short of amazing. However, her own hype was nowhere near close to her American friend's.

"I've been ref-ing for the team on practices," Elizabeth said in a rush, practically jumping up and down from her seat on the armchair, "and Jesus, they are amazing! I'm so excited, good god, I can't even! I'm surprised that good ol' McGee actually let me narrate! I'm probably gonna be completely biased to Slytherin and maybe Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw! But who cares!"

Kiara looked slightly amused, "Old Mrs McGee? That's an interesting name for her."

"It's that or crazy cat lady," she laughed. "I was torn between the two."

"They're both equally horrible," Kiara decided, "But you should have done crazy cat lady."

"Thanks," Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes but smiling nonetheless. "So, this yer first time watching a game?" Without letting Kiara answer, she continued, "There's a hell lotta hype from all of the houses, regardless. We won last year, the Huffles the year before, and Ravens before that. From before that, I was told that the Gryffindors- ugh, I hate saying their names- had a streak."

"You're the jealous of the Gryffindors," Kiara teased.

"Where would ya get that from?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't know," Kiara shrugged, "I mean, it was mostly a joke, but it also sort of seemed like it, cause you were all like, 'I hate Gryffindor' and stuff, and it's probably natural, because you're a Slytherin, but, well I don't know, it was sort of a joke."

Elizabeth paused for a bit before smiling again. "Yer quick here," she said, tapping the side of her head twice. "I like that. But yeah, Gryffindors do get a hell lotta limelight. More than they're overblown egos need. So I'm ready ta kick some Gryffindor ass!" The Slytherins scattered around the common room cheered along with her. "Come on, Kiara," Elizabeth said, "give me the best patriot ya have in there during the game."

"There goes Densen with the quaffle," Elizabeth fired into the megaphone as fourteen students on brooms whizzed around the pitch, "Pass ta Vasilyeva, back ta Densen, and- OH DAMN BOI DID YOU SEE THAT THREE SIXTY BARRELL ROLL?! HE THROWS, HE SCORES! THAT'S THIRTY-NIL FOR SLYTHERIN! TAKE THAT, BITCHES- oh c'mon, Headmistress, ye'd be the same if it was Gryffindor."

If muggle commentary was even slightly closer to Elizabeth's, Kiara would never peel her eyes off of ESPN. Currently, the three exceptional chasers (Henrik, Natalya, and Mei) each scored within the first few moments of the game. She had never been a sports fan herself, but Kiara could feel her house pride coming up and cheering with her. She just felt like quidditch was so much more intense and captivating than, say, football.

"Kihara's speedin' up with the quaffle, ooh, look at those beautiful maneuvers, guys. Smooth and stylish, just like her fancy hair. That line sounded better in my head."

On the pitch, Naomi whizzed across the field, rocketing after Kihara, the Slytherin team's best chaser and the one in current possession of the quaffle. She could see Holland and Maeve, her team's two other chasers, go after her in a similar fashion, cutting off passing routes. Naomi took this as a signal and bulleted straight towards Kihara, aiming to snatch the quaffle from under her arm. However, only metres away from the chaser, she heard a deafening shout. "Blueberry!" Rangi, the beater, yelled. Instantly, all three turned away sharply from the Slytherins, recognizing the safe word.

"Oh shi-dang! Kihara's hit by Iaone's bludger right in the side! Not too much damage, but it's definitely gonna hurt like shi- like alot! Should've gone ta Specsavers, eh? With those glasses deals, she woulda been able ta see that thing from a MILE- from two kilometres away! And he's got a killer arm, by the way. But, alas, ladies and confirmed bachelors, he's taken by my friend Prasert! There goes Brennan, divin' in and saving the quaffle, she's uppin' her game today, yeah? Nice job, Brennan! Let's meet up some time at an Irish joint and- damn, that was a fine throw, but intercepted by my homie Hayes! Vasilyeva, shootin' through the field and that state-of-the-art, brand new, Cleansweep 15! Buy them now at Quality Quidditch Supplies! Pass ta Densen, Kihara, back ta Densen, who dives and narrowly misses Dreese, pass ta Vasilyeva, and throws- damn! Just barely intercepted by Lyttelton, excellent catch ta her."

Kiara watched as Naomi caught a ball, one handed, and started flying towards the Slytherin hoops. She was blocked by Mei, who wouldn't let her fly any further, but without missing a beat she passed to another Ravenclaw chaser, which took Mei off of her, and let Naomi fly closer to the hoops. Meanwhile, the ravenclaw chaser had passed to the other Ravenclaw chaser, who quickly shot a ball at Naomi. Naomi was about to go for the rings, when Henrik blocked her. Quickly feinting right, Naomi passed to the second Ravenclaw chaser who scored.

"Wowzas! What an amazin' synchronized attack thing! O'Hanigan, with that astonishin' feint, and that throw from Brennan? BRILLIANT! It's the Porskoff Ploy! All those serious Quidditch fans out there know that that is not an easy play! Now, Vasilyeva's got the quaffle, doing some MLG pro trix and divez, blonde hair whippin' in the wind like overrated romance movies! Don't look at me like that, you know it's true! SHE THROWS, SHE- aww, damn! I mean, wow! Caught by Lyttelton again, who narrowly missed a well aimed bludger from Vargas!"

The next few moments raced across Naomi's eyes and mind. All she could remember was Holland shouting out another code word and her instantly pushing herself to the limits and beyond in her effort. Catching, passing, throwing, and scoring all started to muddle together as the three of them racked up points for their house. Naomi had never felt so tired, yet so alive in any of the games she had ever played. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she raced across the field, clutching the broom handle until her knuckles were white.

"AND YET ANOTHER SCORE MADE BY NAOOOOMI O'HANIGAN! THAT'S THE FOURTH ONE IN A ROW BY HER! HEAR THAT, Y'ALL?! FOUR, JUST FROM O'HANIGAN HERSELF, NOT EVEN MENTIONIN' HER ENTIRE TEAM! FROM ROCK BOTTOM TA TOP, FROM SHAME TA GLORY, FROM RAGS TA RICHES, HERE COMES TEAM RAVENCLAW'S COMEBACK OF THE CENTURY, AT ONE-EIGHTY TA THIRTY!" Elizabeth had been screaming so loudly her throat had started to become hoarse and she had a small lightheaded sensation.

Kiara's first initial thought was, Yay Naomi! Then she realized she should probably cheering for the Slytherin's, not the Ravenclaw's, even if her first wizarding friend was on that team. She kept watching the game, taking in the flying broomsticks and balls with wonder only a muggle-born could have. As she kept observing, she noticed the Slytherin seeker look around, and seem to see something interesting, or at least important. She must have seen the snitch, Kiara thought, somewhat excitedly. She looked around, following the seekers train of gaze, until she finally saw a microscopic speck of gold flitting around to the left of the seeker. If she caught it now, the Slytherins and Ravenclaws would be tied 180-180, which would be better than losing the game all together. Kiara watched intently as the seeker started to go left towards the snitch and...dive towards the ground.

What is she doing? She's gonna get herself killed, the snitch is to the left of her, why would she…

Then Kiara noticed the Ravenclaw seeker following the Slytherin one, and quickly figured out what was going on. The two seekers kept diving towards the ground, the Ravenclaw catching up, coming up closer, and closer, until suddenly the Slytherin seeker veered up and left, leaving the poor Ravenclaw seeker to fall to ground, as he wasn't fast enough to turn. Kiara figured he would at least have a broken arm, if not more.

Meanwhile the Slytherin seeker zoomed on, grabbing the snitch with ease. Kiara had to admire the talent if must have taken to pull something like that off. She was pretty sure it had to be a very advanced move and her suspicions were further confirmed when Elizabeth shouted, more loud and excited then she had ever done before:

"HOLY SHI-SMOKES! THAT'S RIGHT, KIDS! SYLVIA JUST PULLED OFF THE WRONSKI DEFENSIVE FEINT, ALL STAR PLAYER VIKTOR GOSHDANG KRUM'S SIGNATURE MOVE! A MOVE SO DANGEROUS, IT'S RARELY ATTEMPTED BY EVEN PROFESSIONALS! AND LYRA SYLVIA PULLED IT OFF WITH SUCH BEAUTIFUL SMOOTHNESS! AND CATCHIN' THE SNITCH IN THE PROCESS! THAT'S RIGHT, Y'ALL! SLYTHERIN AND RAVENCLAW'S PERFECTLY TIED AT ONE-EIGHTY TA ONE-EIGHTY! WHAT! A! GAME!"

A week later, Kiara stood in front of the horrifying troll tapestry Elizabeth had instructed her to go to. I need a place with high speed wi-fi, she thought continuously, walking back and forth. Around the third time she thought it, a large door materialized in front of her, nearly causing her to jump in surprise. Kiara smiled to herself in triumph and pushed open the door. She was greeted by what seemed to be a muggle's paradise.

The entire room seemed to be made up of cushions and duvets, furnished with couches and love chairs and recliners. There were spaces all over the walls where charging ports were stationed, and in the corner was a router, along with two vending machines. A handful of people, muggleborns and half-bloods presumably, were scattered around in various lounging positions, all on some sort of electronic device. Towards one wall, three people were huddled around a flat screen television with headphones on, watching intently as a strange blue box flew across the screen. A girl was laying on a couch, her phone mere centimetres away from her face. And, of course, Elizabeth was sprawled across the floor, staring unblinkingly into a computer screen with some curly black haired guy in a scarf running around.

Kiara found an empty armchair, and took out her phone, connecting to the wi-fi. She opened up Archive of our Own, and started catching up on her missed fanfictions.

Suddenly, the doors were literally flung open, as a girl with Gryffindor robes on walked in, and then paused realizing the entrance she had made. Seemingly shrugging it off, she walked further into the room and sat down on the armchair right next to Kiara's.

Oh, great, Kiara thought, If she tries to make conversation I swear to god-

"Hey!" the girl said, cheerfully. "I'm Cathleen, what's your name?"

"Huh- oh, um- hi?" Kiara mumbled, almost inaudibly.

Cathleen seemed unfazed by the reply, and forged on. "You're not wearing robes, what house are you in?"

Kiara reflexively looked down, and realized that since it was a weekend she had, indeed, put on normal muggle clothes, without thinking about it.

"Oh, I'm a Slytherin," she mumbled, only slightly louder.

"Really?" Cathleen asked, "You're awfully quiet for a Slytherin. The ones I've met have been so loud." Kiara shrugged and was saved from having to reply when Cathleen suddenly got up and made her way towards Elizabeth.

"How does the wifi thing work?" Cathleen asked, taking a seat next to her. Elizabeth ignored her and continued slowly eating crisps. When she tapped Elizabeth on the shoulder, she jolted and looked up.

"Yeah?" Elizabeth asked, taking out one of her earbuds. "What's it?"

"How does the wifi thing work?" Cathleen repeated.

"Magic," she replied, going back to her show. Cathleen rolled her eyes, before tapping Elizabeth on the shoulder again.

Elizabeth took out one earbud, looking annoyed. "What?"

"So, like, could I use snapchat? Or is that against the rules cause I'm at a wizarding school. But I really want to take selfies! And this against the rules, too. So, anyway, could I use Snapchat?"

"Ya interrupted my Sherlock marathon ta ask about usin' Snapchat?" Elizabeth asked, looking at her with a deadpanned expression. "Sure, it's illegal to leak wizardin' things ta muggles, but kid, I smuggle products from the States and sell them without a permit. I don't care what ya do, as long as ya don't bring me inta this again."

"Well, you're rude," Cathleen huffed, and went back to sit next to Kiara.

"Are all Slytherins like that?" She asked, "Or is it just her?"

Kiara shrugged, wishing she could go back to her fanfiction, but not wanting to be rude, "Honestly, she was probably just mad that you interrupted her programme. She's like that."

"Whatever, she was still rude. I don't talk like that when people interrupt me when I'm texting someone. Anyway, I have to keep up my Snapchat selfie streak!"

"Selfie...streaks?" Kiara asked, confused. She might be muggle-born, but she was always a little out of pop culture.

"Yeah! Selfie streaks. You're a Muggle-Born or a Half-Blood, right? You know what they are."

"No."

Cathleen looked confused, "What do you mean, no?"

"I meant I don't know what they are."

"But, how can you not?" Cathleen demanded, before she gasped loudly and covered her mouth with her hand. "Unless- you don't use Snapchat?"

Oh, the horrors, Kiara thought, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. "I've got to go," She told Cathleen, itching to get out of the room.

"Oh, ok, see you around!" Cathleen grinned, before taking another selfie.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was pulled away from her third rewatch of "The Sign of Three" when she received a text notification alerting her that the latests shipments had arrived. She sighed and unwillingly paused the episode before getting up and leaving to the Slytherin commons to intercept the packages before anyone else could. Elizabeth moved quickly through the halls and finally to the entrance, where she whispered, "Leviathan" and entered the common rooms. The first thing she saw was that Hufflepuff transfer. However, what caught her from saying hello was the fact that the exchange program had ended weeks ago.

The second thing she saw was Headmistress McGonagall holding white boxes wrapped in packing tape. When she looked at the Hufflepuff in slight confusion, the girl crossed her arms and looked away. Elizabeth was instantly not okay. A snitch, she thought sourly. She controlled her face, though, so her displeasure wasn't shown. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Headmistress?" Elizabeth asked coolly, purposely not acknowledging the Hufflepuff's angry look.

"May I ask, Miss Collingwood, what are these?" Headmistress McGonagall questioned, gesturing to the box.

"Gifts from my brother," she replied smoothly.

"For what occasion?" the headmistress inquired, turning the parcels in her hands.

"The Moon Festival," Elizabeth lied.

"Really?" The headmistress had the nerve to look surprised. "Is that so? I was informed by Miss McCartney over here that you were importing items from the United States and sKiarang them in the common room."

"And how could Miss McCartney possibly come up with such a bizarre explanation like that?" Elizabeth asked. "I assure you that is not further from the truth."

"What- but- how-?!" Maya spluttered, her ears tipped pink.

"I do believe it is rather unfair to draw conclusions from the false accusations of a single student?" Elizabeth continued. "And especially so if that student is not accustomed to what usually goes around in the Slytherin house?"

"There is a… pen in your pocket, Miss Collingwood," Professor McGonagall said coldly, "and I do believe that the banned items list says that they are not allowed."

"Yes, indeed, it does say pens aren't allowed in school," Elizabeth said, a faint half smile growing on her face, "but it did not say a パイロットゲルペン wasn't allowed. Because the manufacturer of this type of pen is Japanese, that would make this a ペン, not a pen. So, therefore, since ペン is not on the banned item list, it is allowed. Now, may I please ask for my packages back?"

The headmistress handed back her the white boxes, her unwillingness to do so obvious. Maya silently fumed as the Slytherin got away scoot free right in front of her face. Elizabeth smiled and accepted the packages before opening one of them and taking out more individual boxes. "Dare I ask what those are?"

"Fidget spinners," Elizabeth said, taking one out and holding it up to her, demonstrating a spin. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

What Elizabeth didn't realise was that if she had arrived at the Slytherin common just a smidge later, she would have seen the door of the storage room open wide. She would have seen the person inside, backed into the corner. She would have heard the ear piercing scream.

(Author's Notes)

Dear Reader-

Hoooo, shit. The tHoT pLiCkEnS. But uh, yeah! This was a really fun chapter to write, and it was much easier to edit than the other ones. And I actually don't feel like a shit storm today! The qudditch scene was incredibly fun to work on, especially Elizabeth's narration. At some point, I figured she was just advertising everything in existence.

I absolutely love "Shelter" by Porter Robinson and Madeon. Go listen to that.

-Luna

(P.S. The Japanese at the end literally just means "pen" and "pilot gel pen".)

(P.P.S. Lupus hasn't responded to any of my messages, so there was a one day delay. Sorry.)