I read the news today oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.

Theta Pepper hurried down the garden path after appearing with a crack at the place safe to apparate to. Francis had given her permission to leave early that day to go and see Adelia. Theta had been unable to concentrate at the thought of her dear friend being in a state over the news reported yesterday in the Daily Prophet. Last night had been too soon, but she had sent an owl swiftly to Addie to offer her support and an offer to visit her as soon as possible.

Now, here she was. It was dark outside as she arrived, the last glow of the late autumn sun was settling behind the silhouetted landscape in the West, and Theta paid it no attention as she reached up to knock on the front door, anxious to see Adelia. The news that Matty was missing in the Black Forest and his colleagues were all dead was very worrying news indeed.

The sound of two dogs (well, an anti-aging crup pup and a normal one) came scampering about, their barks coming out loud and clear into the evening air. "OY! BACK! /BACK/!" was soon the imposing voice of Malcolm Blake as he moved the wooden door away and revealed the three of them.

Marmy and Dodger were looking up at Theta (Marmy soon whining and scampering away from the door when realising it was not Matty) while Malcolm looked at the young Pepper with a curious expression.

"Are ye with th' Ministry, lass? If so, let it be some good news; me child's been couped up all day long," he remarked somberly when Anneliese joined her husband's side. Let it be the wife who would recognise Theta - after all, Anne could see distinguishing factors that said who the young woman was.

"This is Theta, Francis' niece. Let her in," she spoken in hushed tones as though they were trying to keep an infant at rest. Malcolm unlatched the screen door, ushering Theta in with a somber smile.

"She won't let us talk to her right now. We're very worried."

Stood on the doorstep, Theta looked up at Mr Blake with wide eyes as he asked who she was. Then before she could answer, his wife had appeared and identified her straight away, letting her enter.

"Mr and Mrs Blake." Theta bobbed politely before stepping inside amongst the dogs. The news that Adelia was not talking to her parents was a little unsettling.

"Should I come back - I... I don't have any 'news' I just wanted to be there for her too. I feel like I'm intruding." Theta clutched at the buttons on her royal blue coat, not taking it off for the thought she might be best to leave if this was the case.

"Francis sends his warm regards and support. I think everyone at the Ministry is taken by surprise." There was an awkward pause.

"Would you like me to try and talk to her? I have no idea if she'll speak if she won't to you. I really don't want to intrude!" Her voice became a little squeaky as she felt nervous.

Malcolm smiled weakly, feeling rather horrible that only mere weeks ago his firstborn was happy and blissful, yakking about the Halloween party at Radford Estate. It hadn't even bothered that the potion didn't wear off for another two days... but now they were dealing with this.

A sigh escaped him as he ruffled his already unkempt hair, scratching while trying to figure out exactly what to do. It was Anneliese (once again) who spoke up.

"I think if you would speak with her, she would be quite glad to have a friend being there. Her room is upstairs and is the last room on the right. Knock twice." Tears fell down both parents' faces as they were trying to come to terms that their daughter may not only be losing a husband but they an in law as well. "Thank ye for coming, Theta, love," Malcolm rasped before ushering his wife and himself to the couch.

---

... Hey! I may never leave this world
But if I ever leave this world alive! ...

Addie was curled up on her bed, halfway waking from slumber, sniffling as Flogging Molly played from her cd player nearby. She could hear muffled voices from downstairs, oblivious as to who was here now. She knew who was /not/.

The article from the Prophet and the owl from Theta laid on the floor next to the bed while she hugged a stuffed teddy that reassured her briefly. A sniffle.

This was not what she wanted after graduating Hogwarts: Single with a ring (now around her neck) and a fiance that was now missing in action. She knew his job position was a potential dangerous one but no, this was nothing what Addie expected.

A sob spilled from her lips causing Addie to bury her face into a pillow. His goodbye wasn't supposed to mean 'goodbye' on a permanent basis... he was supposed to be back here, with her, prepared for a family raising. "Muh-Matty..." she finally spoke as the tears started falling all over again.

Theta stood in the hallway downstairs a moment, comprehending the family's upset over the news and possible impending grief. Despite their words, she felt like an intruder. Addie's parents retired away from her, and Theta peered up the stairs, inhaling deeply before ascending.

Reaching Adelia's door with soft footsteps, Theta knocked twice as instructed. She could hear music and what sounded like muffled sobs from within the room behind the door.

"Addie?" She called cautiously, "Addie its Theta - can I come in?"

Addie's head tilted towards the door, taking a few moments to recognise the voice before slowly crawling off the mattress and turning the cd player down before heading to the door. Opening the door, Theta would see one of her better friends looking back at her. Addie's eyes were blotchy, her cheeks puffy but it was evident she was glad to see Theta standing in front of her. So much so that her arms went quickly around Theta's neck for an embrace. "You can't even begin to know how glad I am to see you here, Theta.  Thank you," she whispered as she buried her face into one of Theta's shoulder.

The sounds of quietened music along with Marmy now at their feet, whining were mingled with sniffles of Addie. "...Has there been anything in the Ministry? Any word at all? No one's talked with us, no one's visited us. His family hasn't even been heard from." Another sniffle. "When he left this summer, I didn't expect this. He didn't either, buh-but...." Cue waterworks as tears poured down her face once again.

Addie looked a state, it was clear she'd spent a long time crying today, and bundled Theta into her arms on sight.

"...Has there been anything in the Ministry? Any word at all? No one's talked with us, no one's visited us. His family hasn't even been heard from. When he left this summer, I didn't expect this. He didn't either, buh-but...."

Theta encouraged Addie to perch on the edge of her bed and held her damp hand between her own.

"I haven't heard anything, Addie, I'm sorry. There's been a bit of a flap, and the news hasn't been well received in London either. Francis says its put the wind up a lot of people. He was meant to meet that Johann who supervised your internship for lunch like they do, but he didn't show. Sounds like the whole Department clammed up. Its awful you've heard nothing though, I thought they might tell you something." She squeezed the hand between hers again.

"Has anyone been in touch, or to see you, you know, from school?" She fished her own owl from beside the Prophet and inwardly winced at the state of her rushed handwriting on the parchment.
"When did you last hear from him?"

Theta meant very well but there were a lot of questions coming to her mind, Addie felt. She'd answer them all to the very best of her ability. The hand holding, by far, was the most comfort she had allowed in this bedroom today. Marmy remained at their feet sighing off and on as Addie listened closely, prepared to now speak.

"....Aye, I /quite/ imagined they are rattled. Joh seemed to empathise for me, which is certainly an improvement from February. Clearly, he's not as robotic as I first assumed," she responded with a sudden grin (at first for today), recalling their first meeting together in Hogsmeade. Truly, that owl from Johann (as well as Theta's) had made a spot of sunshine in today's events.

"As for anyone from school, you're the first one. I mean, aside the party at Radford Estate, I haven't really kept up with anyone since our graduation. Mam and Da, the whole fam /actually/ are right in sayin' I've been hermiting since Matty left. As for hearing from him, it's been late August, early September?"

A new sniffle.

".....I'm really worried. No news isn't good news this time, m'friend. I'm hopeful but likewise a tad realistic.... I just hope..." Addie whimpered. "....I hope he isn't dead."

"....Aye, I quite imagined they are rattled. Joh seemed to empathise for me, which is certainly an improvement from February. Clearly, he's not as robotic as I first assumed," A smile crossed her friend's face, clearly whatever Johann had said to Addie, it had been nice enough. Theta knew they had spent some time together on a regular basis, and Theta had once teased Addie she had a crush.

"As for anyone from school, you're the first one. I mean, aside the party at Radford Estate, I haven't really kept up with anyone since our graduation. Mam and Da, the whole fam actually are right in sayin' I've been hermiting since Matty left. As for hearing from him, it's been late August, early September?"

"Addie, that's been ages. I'm sorry I haven't come to visit regularly or invited you over. I guess I've been caught up in training and Mum and Dad have been away since school started, taking a long holiday together. I just get home some nights eat and fall asleep." She looked sorry.

".....I'm really worried. No news isn't good news this time, m'friend. I'm hopeful but likewise a tad realistic.... I just hope... I hope he isn't dead."

Theta grasped Addie's hand.
"No, you mustn't think like that." She drew her friend into a hug. "They could just be caught somewhere unable to owl back, or perhaps its too risky to and they're actually managing to negotiate. You hear all sort of tales of people reappearing suddenly due to backfiring spells, who knows, could have had a bump to the head and forgotten himself for a bit." She knew in her heart these were all really unlikely situations, given the dead bodies, but she wanted to give her friend some sort of hope to hang onto.

She made a mental note to mention this all to Francis and ask him to have Gabrielle come and address this family, it wasn't on, leaving them in the dark like this. Addie was falling to pieces. She couldn't mention much about the ties between the other two to Addie of course.

"Come on now, you have to stay strong for him." Theta released her friend from the embrace. "I can hardly believe the Prophet hasn't been trying to break down your door considering things, if I'm honest. Seems very out of sorts of both them and the Ministry. I mean, its good on one hand that the paper's left you be, but you can't help feeling they're sweeping it under the rug."

Addie very much appreciated the kind words and the hugs, but it wasn't Matty who was holding her, whispering her sweet nothings in Spanish. She smiled bittersweetly to her former Hogwartian, nodding to everything Theta had to say.

Even the words of reprimanding.

"....sorry, I know I shouldn't think like that, Theta, but then again, it's what pops up in one's mind when reading an article like that," Addie mused briefly while rubbing Marmy gently with her foot. "And it's fine that you've been busy, love. Remember, I was planning on joining the Ministry with the rest of you, Matty included?"

She paused briefly to wipe tears away again.

"I want to join still. I want to help protect people. I want to still see the world. I /don't/ want to become old and bitter, to not give myself a chance for happiness again. I regret what I caused between Sophie and Matty, but I don't want that weighing me down either."

Addie's eyes lit up, giving some resemblance to the Adelia Delacroix that Theta and everyone else knew. "I wanna tae be me again. Addie Delacroix, not some sob story."

"….sorry, I know I shouldn't think like that, Theta, but then again, it's what pops up in one's mind when reading an article like that, And it's fine that you've been busy, love. Remember, I was planning on joining the Ministry with the rest of you, Matty included?"

"I know, I know sweetheart." Theta soothed.

"I want to join still. I want to help protect people. I want to still see the world. I don't want to become old and bitter, to not give myself a chance for happiness again. I regret what I caused between Sophie and Matty, but I don't want that weighing me down either. I wanna tae be me again. Addie Delacroix, not some sob story."

Addie's petite friend smiled hopefully, and squeezed her friend's hand.

"I'd like that too, Addie." Theta expressed, and Matty would too but she didn't want to bring him up so readily.

"You can't stay cooped up in here Addie. What say I come by tomorrow and take you out somewhere. Nothing special, just out of the house?" It was Saturday tomorrow, after all.

We're family, all of us, and you~

Addie grinned as the lyric to one of her favourite movies and books sprang to mind. She wrapped her arms around Theta's neck tightly, beaming happily towards one of her truest best friends. "Yer the greatest, love. Truly." Marmy barked in echoing her master's feelings, the whimpering becoming a slowly wagging tail. "I'd absolutely love that, Thet. You sure your uncle'll be fine with it? .... We could even go find some kind of pastie and turn Joh's hair pink." An unheard giggle for the first time in a few days, hours definitely, was heard coming from Adelia Delacroix.

As a lightbulb clicked above in her emotionally rattled brain, Addie snapped her two of her fingers together. "Ey. How about you spend the night? You haven't since Fifth Year. I'm sure Mum an' Da wouldn't mind. We can stay up an' talk about all sorts of things - Granda Jimmy's swinging by too. He'll have questions like always, no doubt." Her blue eyes twinkled promisingly. "Pretty please? With Fizzing Whizzbees on top?"

"I'd absolutely love that, Thet. You sure your uncle'll be fine with it? .... We could even go find some kind of pastie and turn Joh's hair pink."

Bemused, Theta smiled and patted Addie's arm,

"Of course he'll be fine, I don't work on a Saturday, and there's no-one at home at the moment what with Mum and Dad being abroad."

"Ey. How about you spend the night? You haven't since Fifth Year. I'm sure Mum an' Da wouldn't mind. We can stay up an' talk about all sorts of things - Granda Jimmy's swinging by too. He'll have questions like always, no doubt. Pretty please? With Fizzing Whizzbees on top?"

Addie's expression took Theta back to their teenage days and she couldn't help but smile and save her protesting.
"Alright, if that helps, but you'll have to promise to get out of the house tomorrow. Let me at least go and get my toothbrush from home, will only take five minutes. But, you go and ask first I suppose." She shook her head gently, "Though you're a grown woman, y'know." The former Ravenclaw teased her Hufflepuff friend kindly, at the thought of her going down to ask her parents if Theta could stay. She supposed it was only polite.

Drawing her friend into a hug, Theta spoke affectionately,
"I'd love to sweetie, if it makes things better for you."