Aileen’s eyebrows drew together. As she’d suspected, it’d just be the two of them for the holidays. The two of them and the dog, without a proper Christmas meal.

After Abby’s interjection about seers, Aileen turned her attention back to Maiko.

“We’ll be spending Christmas with our parents, our sister-in-law and her children.”

Her expression remained neutral, but her voice lacked enthusiasm. Remnants of yesterday’s Howlers still crumbled in the fireplace in the library, letting off tendrils of smoke and the faint echo of ‘mugglespawn!’ More of the same awaited them on Christmas day, Aileen was sure of it. She couldn’t say she was looking forward to seeing Asami and the girls, either – things had been tense, especially since Trevor had been sent to Azkaban, and Aileen wondered if his wife blamed her for being there when the Aurors had arrested him for runespoor smuggling. Not that she could have done anything to stop it.

Aileen glanced at her sister, who was still absorbed in her conversation with Kohaku.

“You and Kohaku will likely have a better time than we will. A drunk Abby at my parent’s house would spur my mother to new levels of shrieking,” she smiled wryly, imagining it. “Which would then encourage the family portraits to chime in with their own cacophony of disapproval. Best to avoid that.”

Combined, they’d create a new carol to rival the Hogwarts song. Aileen wished she were exaggerating.

“Are you free for dinner later in the week?”

There was only a touch of resignation in her voice now that she’d had time to mull it over. Maiko put on a cheerful face, but Aileen understood not wanting to spend the entire holiday in her younger sibling’s company.

Runes professor? What exactly did a Runes professor have to do with deciphering giggling? And she might be a seer? “So Seers aren’t common then, right?” Leave it to his sister to be odd. What exactly did a runes professor teach? Kohaku had no idea, but he didn’t want to seem stupid. His sister was a witch, after all. In his opinion, he had no excuse to not know things about the wizarding world. “I like pub hopping, sure. I don’t do it often though. My studies keep me busy.” But he had just recently finished most of his homework assignments and papers early, so he had a bit of time on the weekends to party.

“So... There’s a lot of people who don’t use magic, then?” Or they had all clustered together in one strange group. He wondered if non-magical magic folk were outcasts, or somehow looked down upon by their society. It must have been tough, growing up in a world where everybody had certain skills and abilities, except for you. He wondered how Abby coped with it, if it was a source of frustration.

He doubted that was the sort of question to ask within a half hour of knowing each other. Abby had to get to know him better before being comfortable talking about herself, right? That’s what Maiko had tried to tell him once, when he had come on too strongly with people in the past.

“Are they nice? I hope none of them are too obnoxious when drunk.” Kohaku felt like he was mostly like himself, except a bit more critical of others than usual.

“We always ‘ave a good time.” Maiko smiled, “Sometimes it’s best to keep family far, far away. I love my grandparents and cousins, but...” She shrugged, as if to say that it was to be expected that interacting with family for the holidays was tiresome and occasionally stressful. Most people could relate to that.

“Oi, there’s too much craziness with them!” Kohaku interjected, “They’re all either prissy or binge-drinkers! Except Rémy and his family-- he’s nice. And your grandp--ow!” He was hit in the face with yet another throw pillow.  He looked at Abby as if he had no idea why Mai was being such a nutso.

“Naomi and Grandmere are perfectly fine too! But yes, they can be prissy.”  By can, she meant ‘always.’ They were good hearted, but prissy and sometimes a bit snobbish.  Mai didn’t seem upset though, perhaps just a little embarrassed, and amused. She shook her head at Aileen, “Kohaku likes to overshare.” Especially about her and her family. She felt like it was his way of distracting people from asking about him. She rarely heard him blab about his mother or his own struggles growing up. Being raised by his sister had been hard on him, though he never liked to talk about it.

“Is your mother any better drunk? I find that’s an effective way to sedate some.” Maiko smiled, and her eyes lit up when Aileen asked if they were available for dinner later in the week. Obviously! She leaped out of her seat and gave Aileen a bear hug. “Oui, oui! Of course!” She exclaimed, “Do you like wine? I’ll make sure to have something nice. Also-- is there anything you and Abby would prefer? Please don’t ask for Japanese food. The only thing I can make properly are noodles and curry. Everything else just tastes...” Bad. Straight up bad. Mai had never been good at making Asian food, except for two very particular dishes that her dad had spent time and effort teaching her how to make. She was much better at European-style cooking and baking.

“Of course not,” Abby said all too innocently. It depended on his definition of obnoxious. Abby giggled at every little thing and got louder and goofier, if that were possible, and in that state she barely noticed any change in Jacoba. Roger, on the other hand, got into pub brawls with the belligerently obnoxious sorts, which she had grown used to by now but doubted Kohaku would appreciate.

“We don’t have to go pub hopping right away. We can do something else first,” she nodded, thinking it might be best so he’d get a good first impression of her friends.

“And there really aren’t many of us squib-types around, unfortunately. Not that I’d wish for more people to grow up without magic. I just met Jacoba and Roger this fall.”

Abby was about to ask him if he had friends in the area or from the university, when Maiko sprung forward and hugged Aileen.

Clapping a hand over her mouth, she quickly looked at Kohaku to avoid guffawing at Aileen’s expression. “Your sister’s very brave,” she snicker-giggled.

She shook her head at her question. She didn’t even want to think about what her mother would be like drunk. The best they could hope for was that she’d pass out on the couch instead of pretending to multiple times a day.

Oversharing? She blinked in bemusement as Maiko chucked yet another pillow across the room. Abby tilted her head at the woman, looking confused.

“It’s no wonder he gets along with my sister,” Aileen smirked, giving Abby a look until she straightened the throw pillow on the couch. They could both babble at each other to their heart’s content, though the idea worried her slightly. What would Kohaku tell Maiko? She didn’t need the Hogwarts counselor to start bringing her meals in the staff room because she’d heard some story about the dysfunctional Reid family. Not that Maiko’s family seemed much better from what she was hearing.

Maiko leapt up, her arms outstretched as she spouted French happily. Aileen’s eyebrows spiked. She leaned back in her seat an inch, but it was no use. Bear hug attack!

Looking like a ghost had just run through her, she lightly touched a hand to the woman’s back, and that was the extent of any show of affection on her part. Aileen was so not a hugger. She was a shoulder-patter and a hand-shaker. She focused on what she was saying – something about meals. Of course.

“I’m sure anything you’d like to make will be fine,” she frowned slightly. Japanese dishes? Oh. Aileen had no idea how to respond to that, so she smiled politely. “What about pasta? Italian food?”

That was simple, right? Make a salad. Boil water. Abby was giggling in the background.

“I don’t mind pub hopping.” Kohaku insisted, “As my sister always says, alcohol likes to reveal the best and the worst in people.”

“What is it I always say?” Maiko asked with a venomous sweetness to her voice, while still hugging Aileen.

“It’s nothing, not your conversation, Mai! Also, I think you’re suffocating your coworker.” Kohaku insisted, and that seemed like enough for Mai to focus back on Aileen. “But yes, Abby. Pub hopping would be fun. Then I can… Relax a bit around your friends, you know?” He wasn’t the sort to get in bar fights, though he hadn’t gotten drunk in a pub very often. Usually when he drank, it was just him and his sister goofing off within the privacy of wherever they were living at the moment.

Abby was giggling though, so it was a bit hard to tell if she was actually listening or even heard him. Apparently, it was a brave action for anyone to hug Aileen. “She’s a hugger.” Kohaku shrugged, “I wouldn’t say she’s brave as much as she’s…” he didn’t dare finish that sentence.

_________

Maiko finally released Aileen from her death grasp of love. “Pasta? That’s easy.” Too easy! Unless she made it herself, which was still pretty easy if she utilized magic. “Do you like raviolis? I could make some. Or buy some from the market. What sort of sauce do you prefer? White sauces, red sauces..?” Oh dear. “It matters! Because the wine has to match.” Sometimes, she wondered if she should have chosen a career as a professional chef. But, she supposed being forced to cook meals for everyone in a restaurant was less fun than cooking meals for family or friends.

“When are you free later in the week?” She inquired. Maiko’s schedule was mostly free—except for Christmas and Christmas Eve of course. If Aileen really wanted to come over on those days, Mai wouldn’t be opposed—but it did put a dent in her Chinese takeout and bottles of wine plan.

Affectionate?” Abby supplied as her giggles died down.

“Pub-hopping it is!” She had indeed been listening, and looked forward to introducing him to fellow non-magical people. It sounded like he and Maiko knew all about drinking and the lovely and not so lovely effects it had, so maybe he wouldn’t be too put off by their shenanigans.

“I’ll give you a ring or text you or something,” she nodded. “Does your phone have neverending texts? Like, you won’t get charged extra if I send you a lot of messages?”

That should be his warning to run away right there! Abby the serial texter. By the time they got together again, poor Kohaku would know what she had for breakfast each morning, whenever her crup did something cute, and whenever she was especially happy (grins and hearts with no further explanation).

Aileen couldn’t help the look of relief on her face when her colleague finally let go of her.

“Whatever you’d like to make will be fine,” she repeated in a slow, calm voice, as if Maiko were a hyperactive first-year. “Abby’s not picky.” Aileen was a little picky. “Neither of us have food allergies,” she spread out her hands. Simple!

She hoped she wouldn’t regret this.

“Any time after the 27th should work well,” she nodded, running through the plans in her head. “There’s an opera on January 2nd, but other than that, it’s open. Abby?”

“Yeah, everything I’ve got going on with friends is happening during the day. Except for the pub-hopping, which can happen whenever,” Abby smiled at Kohaku.