[2] after darkness → tom riddle

Chapter Four: Just Like the Old Times

A couple of weeks had passed since Raine and Sullivan Fawley had been reunited with one half of the old group. And so, the couple arranged a day out for the group to reunite fully after 16 years apart.

Ophelia and Emory, Rune and Dove, Nicole and Theodore, as well as Morgandy and Michael kindly asked Nicole's younger brother, Jaron, to take care of their children for the day to which he agreed, for an expensive price of 3 galleons a child. A trick Nicole taught her brother when they were young, and a trick that she instantly regretted.

They had all gathered in the Lufkin house and once Helen and Harlen joined them, the group disapparated out of the house, apparating outside the Leaky Cauldron.

The nine wizards and witches, and the one muggle regained their balance and headed inside the wizarding pub, giving a quick wave over to the barmaid and heading out back to open the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Emory took it upon himself to open the entrance, tap each one of the bricks in the correct order at a steady pace. The bricks began to vibrate and eventually moved, revealing the wizarding shopping community.

Chills rushed down Michael's spine as he has never been able to fully comprehend the wizarding world or it's little treats and tricks.

The ten friends walked out of the bricked area through the brick wall that had kindly opened for them. They looked around and for Raine and Sullivan hoping to spot the couple before they do.

"Dove!" a voiced called Dove and she turned around, "over here!"

Raine Abbott came running towards Dove and once she reached her, the two embraced each other. Husband, Sullivan Fawley followed shortly behind and went in to hug Rune.

"Haven't seen you in 16 years," Sullivan laughed, "and now all of a sudden it's like we're back at Hogwarts, seeing each other every damn day."

Raine looked at her husband who pulled out of the hug from Rune who now had his armed wrapped back around Dove.

Raine sighed a sigh of relief, "I so glad you didn't bring your kids, I wouldn't be able to cope with them running around the shop probably screaming like mad."

"Jaron has them, although the cheeky bastard charged me 3 galleons to look after his own niece, but it's all for a good reason, no doubt Emma and Amelia will find a way to burn the place down," Nicole joked, causing the group to laugh as a whole as they all silently agreed to themselves.

"We told the others we'd meet them at Rosa Lee Teabag when you lot arrived, so we'd better get going," Raine smiled.

Walking along the cobbled streets to the shop in question, nerves soon began to hit Ophelia and the others. They hadn't been all together since the fight, as not all of the members could face the funerals.

Nicole being her usual clumsy self, managed to trip over one of the cobbled stones and smoothly play it off as if nothing happened, however, the rest of the group were trying to hold back their laughter by using the muffliato charm.

They reached the shop, and the twelve of them all hesitated to enter. Ophelia could see Iakona's red hair through the shop window. She looked up to her husband and smiled, she squeezed his hand to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. The two nodded at each and took their steps forward towards the shop entrance, Emory opened the door and entered holding it open for his wife and friends to enter one by one.

The group inside the shop heard the door open due to the door chime hanging above the entrance, they all stood up at once and turned to their old friends.

Ophelia and Iakona made eye contact instantly and rushed over to each other. The impact the two girls made when they hugged each other after 16 long years was enough to knock them both to the floor, but the two girls managed to find a way to stay on their feet as they embraced each other. They both longed for this moment and now that it was happening neither one of them wanted to let go.