Alohomocha, 1:15pm, as arranged by owl

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This was possibly the most delayed Christmas present he'd given someone in a long time, but he was almost sure the record would be broken. He'd not seen Adelia Delacroix in months, and it felt like a small century since they were either touring British Muggle Parliament, or visiting the Tate Modern on the Underground and all manner of other outings and projects they'd tackled on those weekend excursions and internship in the holidays. Whereas Sasha's placement had been rather academic, he'd found himself learning as much from Adelia as he taught her, and their unconventional friendship had been retained.

Back last year when Amherst had gone missing, Johann had been quick to offer himself to go to the Black Forest to help, but as a linguist, and not a particularly strong spellcaster either, Gabrielle had easily turned him down. Besides which, he hadn't been in the best shape in November.

Theta had kept him updated every now and then when their paths crossed in the Ministry building. She was rather keeping up with Adelia, who as the Ravenclaw alumni expanded, was not employed, and somewhat at a loose end at home in Portsmouth. Pity, Johann had thought, he'd have very much enjoyed her presence again in the Department, her laugh and her quips.

In the time they'd been out of touch, Johann had moved in with Colin and this had led to a rapid introduction to one of Adelia's interests - Doctor Who by way of a real television which Colin owned (and Johann had recently replaced owing to spell damage). He wasn't at all an expert, but he had finally understood the hype that surrounded it, watching the Christmas Special they'd recorded on Boxing Day, amidst discarded wrapping paper, stealing glances at Colin beside him on the sofa, hugging his knees to his chest, trying to follow.

Instead of his knees, he now hugged Adelia, who was a good six inches shorter than him, so he rested his cheek very gently on her head and half closed his eyes as they embraced in the coffee shop.
"It has been too long." He told the young witch, letting her go and beaming at her. "I'm so sorry."

He'd been perched at a table, having arrived a little early, unsure if there might be a lunchtime rush even on a Sunday, and her Christmas present - wrapped neatly in the same blue paper he'd wrapped Sasha's in, was perched on the table top, looking suspiciously squishy.

"Let me get this." He nodded his head towards the counter.

Addie had seen the froppy mess of raven hair on the other side of the door before entering. Her own mop of hair was stark blonde, something new that she was certain would gain Johann's attention. She was dressed differently too - she looked like a plastic doll almost, but there was no time to get away from her employment, to the Radford home and back to Diagon within thirty minutes. She still needed to take the Apparition test, after all. Whatever have you, it didn't matter as the door jingled and Addie smiled towards Johann. Johann Storm, the big brother she never had. The embrace felt absolutely wonderful and even more so when his head touched her own.

"It has been too long." He told the young witch, letting her go and beaming at her. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I'm equally guilty," she responded hoarsely, squeezing him once more for a final hug, sapphire eyes looking up to Johann with pride swelling within her. The beaming expression coming from Johann truly eased her nerves and allowed Addie to relax. Where Johann was the sibling, Éloi was slowly making her troubles of longing ease away. She was grateful for it to say the very least. Her eyes followed him as he nodded at the counter. "You certain you're Johann Storm? Or has the missus already domesticated you already?" Addie teased gently, strolling up to the location, eyeing the blue wrapped package along the way. Curiosity was now sinking in...big time.

"You certain you're Johann Storm? Or has the missus already domesticated you already?"

Johann chuckled, reaching into his coat pocket, checking for the presence of galleons enough to cover whatever they ended up having.

"Not yet, but she'll try." He agreed, glancing back at the parcel on the table and smiling. "Your Christmas present, by the way."

Turning his attention to the figure behind the counter, Johann consulted quickly with Addie over choices of food and drink, there being some particularly startling confectionery on display. Clearly someone here had an eye for detail and design in foods, so the two picked out items like two family members, pointing at items, leaning in front of each other and unafraid to lay a hand on the other's arm or poke fun at choices. It was as if they'd never been apart for months, everything was as good humoured as the moment Addie had pulled Johann through the gates on the Tube when he'd got stuck on their way to the Tate Modern.

"You are going to leave something for the other customers, aren't you?" He teased Adelia in return as the items were totted up and he counted out enough money from his coat pocket into his hand and reached over to pay, nodding to the figure behind the counter, his smile from seeing Adelia refused to leave his face throughout.

Retiring to their table, Johann slid his coat off and folded it out of the way. Even on a weekend he wasn't without his usual attire of a shirt, though he'd left the suit jacket at home and had just brought the coat.

"So is the hair a cunning disguise, or have you decided blondes have more fun?" He asked, gesturing to his own hair in the process which wasn't anywhere near at neat. "Or is this post-Hogwarts Adelia who's grown up beyond recognition. Have we not seen each other in that long?" His fingers tapped on the top of the parcel which gave a tempting scrunchy noise.

"Go on then. Merry Christmas." He pushed the parcel across to her, smiling. He hoped she was still into Doctor Who and it would go with her new look, otherwise the present was an all round failure - and the classic 4th Doctor scarf would not adorn her shoulders...

The nitpicking was expected, needless to say. After all, months without the other half would naturally lead to this, no?

"You are going to leave something for the other customers, aren't you?" Addie playfully shoved Johann, telling him to shut up and a few other choice words in French, knowing it was going to be impolite in her native tongue. The madeleines and macarons looked particularly appetizing, along side the dainty sandwiches that her stomach was already begging for. Her eyes looked once more to the blue package waiting for her at their table; a semi-pout lipped expression left her, as if to guilt Johann for the said present. The inquiry about her hair colour came first, however.

"A little bit of both, to be honest, but trying to impress my employer. He may have said in passing he enjoyed the colour," Addie replied simply enough, not wishing to delve into it any farther. After all, she knew about Johann's membership at her workplace, but that was forbidden knowledge for anyone else to gain insight of. Anyhow!

"Go on then. Merry Christmas."

Giddy for once opposed to utter seriousness and professionalism, Addie ripped the package without care, soon her squeal loudly heard into the establishment. "JOH! OH MY GODRIC! OH...MY.......WHO!" she shrieked in delight, wrapping it around her neck, uncaring that it clashed with the blue dress. Squeals continued as she hugged (more like wringing) his neck tightly, babbling the mantra of 'oh my who' and whatnot for a few minutes more. The young witch's eyes soon caught on she was being watched, so Addie moved back to her seat, grinning still.

"You are the BEST older sibling ever, Johann Storm. EVER."

It didn't take long for the newly-blonde, rather differently dressed Adelia to rip into the blue paper and unravel the scarf with loud exclamations. Aha, he had chosen a good Christmas present then? His smile spread instantly across his face and he laughed with her joy. Thank goodness for Colin introducing him properly to Doctor Who since moving in.

The scarf went around her neck several times, due to its extreme length, and her arms crushed his thin frame with great affection, still squealing in his ear. His forearms reached her waist, his upper arms pinned to his sides by her squeezing.

"Good present then?" He asked amidst her excitement, rolling his shoulders as she released her grip.

"You are the BEST older sibling ever, Johann Storm. EVER."

Chuckling, Johann blushed ever so slightly for the compliment.

"Glad you like it, little sister." Their pretend sibling thing was somewhat confusing to onlookers, but having no real siblings, Johann didn't mind the notion that Adelia compared their relationship that way.

"I had a horrible thought you might have stopped being a 'Whovian' in the time I've not seen you. Oh yes, I've caught up with you a bit, Colin's educated me in The Doctor, I damn nearly insisted after you spoke so much about it." He rubbed his chin and smiled at her across the table.

"Just don't trip over it, don't want to next meet you in St Mungo's when you break your neck."

Johann stirred his coffee, a contented look on his face, and reached for the blue wrapping paper, folding the remnants neatly like he did his origami.

"So, what have you been up to, sister dearest, because its impossible to miss the hair and the new fashion, even if I am a bloke."

"Just don't trip over it, don't want to next meet you in St Mungo's when you break your neck."

Shaking her head, Addie opted for silence on that remark as she readjusted the scarf around her neck, followed by consuming the first cup of black currant tea and a bite from one of the sandwiches. She watched Joh neatly fold the paper, almost expecting another origami piece to add to the tiny collection she may or may not have had started from their very few excursions with one another as a student.

"So, what have you been up to, sister dearest, because its impossible to miss the hair and the new fashion, even if I am a bloke."

"New job within the magical world, in fact. Secretarial and a few other business orientated duties. As for my hair and new fashion, I promise I'm still the same loveable Addie you met and fell in love with. The same Addie who helped you in the Tube, okay?" Addie paused, reaching her hand out to touch a few of his fingers, squeezing them. "And if ever I start becoming the Addie you fell in love with, wake me up, all right?" She squeezed once again, even as the knowing nature that the new profession brought could have moments of making her forget her who she was. "I am glad that this Colin taught you about the Doctor, though. I was beginning to worry."

Addie easily spilled out details of her new professional engagement, though didn't elaborate on exactly who she worked for. As she spoke with all her smiles, Johann mirrored her expression, glad she was in good spirits after all the upset of the previous year. He hadn't missed her watching his hands with the wrapping paper, so indulged her. His fingers nimbly worked out a suitable chunk of paper and he engaged his wand to neatly slice off the edges wordlessly. It fell amongst the spells he had down pat - relating to paperwork.

"New job within the magical world, in fact. Secretarial and a few other business orientated duties. As for my hair and new fashion, I promise I'm still the same loveable Addie you met and fell in love with. The same Addie who helped you in the Tube, okay?"

"Ha, yes, the Tube." Johann replied, pausing and raising his eyebrows slightly in mild surprise as the young witch grasped his fingers which were discarding the offcuts of paper. His expression in return was softer, and he glanced briefly at their hands, the blue wrapping paper shreds in his fingertips, her fingers wrapped around his. 

"And if ever I start[1] becoming the Addie you fell in love with, wake me up, all right?"

She gave a squeeze and he rearranged his fingers to better grasp hers in response, his other hand holding the neatly sliced paper.
"I don't think you'll ever stop." He assured her, "Or, I'll ever stop lov-." He couldn't quite finish that sentence and looked down, letting go in the process. Instead he busied himself with the paper.

"I am glad that this Colin taught you about the Doctor, though. I was beginning to worry."

"Don't worry about me." He assured her, but didn't look up, his fingers were busy folding. "I must introduce you some time, we live together, its his place." Fold, fold, and tug and fold, he was completely focused on the process a moment, lining up edges.

"He's got a television, introduced me to the concept of the internet. Whole fathoms of Muggle culture I'd not touched. You press the letters on this small patch of letters and ask an oracle called Google a question, and on an enchanted parchment beside the letters, it lists lots of answers. I don't entirely trust it. It sometimes shows pictures of people doing... well, things that are meant to happen behind closed doors....![2]"

The older wizard paused, frowned and refolded, but a moment later, he presented a neatly folded blue butterfly to Adelia with a shrug.

"But Doctor Who is just one of those things I've become acquainted with since moving in. A wizard with a box that can time travel. I asked Francis about it, and he confirmed that he knows it too, but he couldn't tell me if such a box existed. I think he's working on one down there. Perhaps you could ask Theta, she's less practised in the art of being an unspeakable, and you're such very good friends." His eyes met hers again, "And one always needs very good friends like Adelia Delacroix."

1.	did you mean stop?
2.	Hat tip to Armiece for this off-page occurrence!

_{Yes, I meant stop. Realised it when I re-read it at home. FAIL AMES}

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Addie noted the slight hesitation in him being able to say he loved her back. Odd. She didn't have romantic affections for Johann Storm and likely never would; after all, they were sibling-like and the thought of being in love and being sibling-like. Ew. No. That was just as bad as having an Oedipus complex - double ew. Shaking her head, Addie shoved all those horrid thoughts away lest someone, including Johann, use legilimency on her and read what she was thinking about. Ew, ew, ew.

She returned her focus then upon the origami art, listening to Johann's words about this Colin fellow. It was strange, mind you, since Johann was engaged to Miss Bombay, that he continued to live with this gentleman. Then again, she and Matty had moved in with one another mainly for the sake of mental health in regards to missing one another on top of wanting to be young adults and not living with their parents until marriage.

"Don't worry about you? Pft. That's like saying I shouldn't worry about what colours match and don't match. I'm always going to worry about you and you're just going to have to deal with it, good sir."

"He's got a television, introduced me to the concept of the internet. Whole fathoms of Muggle culture I'd not touched. You press the letters on this small patch of letters and ask an oracle called Google a question, and on an enchanted parchment beside the letters, it lists lots of answers. I don't entirely trust it. It sometimes shows pictures of people doing... well, things that are meant to happen behind closed doors....!"

Cor, listening to Joh's revelations really brought it close to home of how much she was more Muggle in her lifestyles outside of work and in her upbringing as a young child. She did snicker at the remark about Google and how his curious tendencies were already getting him into trouble online. Godric help them if he ever really did some damage, namely breaking the Internet with his inquiries. The snicker returned at that thought even as a blue butterfly was handed over. Mm, it was beautiful indeed.

"Well, asking Theta's uncle about if they're building a TARDIS would be .... interesting but it would lose its mysteriousness if they told you yes, you know." When their eyes met in the mentioning of good friends and Johann's affirmation she was one, Addie blushed and smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, brother."

"True, it would rather. We'll undoubtedly see it one day, something that good couldn't be kept under wraps. Imagine if the many Muggles who love to watch the television programme were to also find out? There'd be riots." He chuckled, "Francis as the Doctor." He continued to laugh and shook his head.

"If it were real," the linguist proposed to Adelia, "and you had the opportunity to be the companion, would you go?" Johann asked, looking curious. He'd begun another piece of origami, avoiding eating too much (he still felt a little precious from the night before). This piece was altogether easier, a tall box made of blue paper. He patted his coat as he listened to her answer, and withdrew a self-inking quill.

"In time, or anywhere in space? Do you believe there really are other people out there?" Johann's mind had spent several evenings mulling over the possibility from his wizarding perspective. Muggles were quite open to the idea, but they didn't know half of what was under their own noses in the wizarding world. Even then, the natural world was still vibrant, fantastic and extraordinary - or at least it felt so when Colin and Johann watched television programmes about it, narrated by a man called Richard Attenborough. Johann was usually gripped.

The quill worked quickly to embellish all four sides of the oblong in black ink. He had good penmanship owing to all the work in recreating documents and attempting the odd forgery - it didn't extend to all his work - only the pieces others had to read. His memory was able to recall the TARDIS quite well though, even if he wasn't so proficient in craft-related spells that he could add any further detail or colour, but the essence of doors and the little windows, and the structure of the roof was there.

"Hmm, needs a proper roof with the bit on top, but something to go with your scarf, anyhow." He flicked his wand so that the blue box hovered and spun gently over their tea.

Addie simply listened and observed, which was pretty much how she had been from the time of Hogwarts to now. Listen, observe, then speak, but until then, it was best to keep one's lips sealed. Watching the blue box hover over their beverage, Addie grinned ear to ear before refocusing her attention towards Johann. "There would be bloody awful riots. Think how it's going to be here soon -- Muggles from every walk of life invading London for the Games. I'd love to go to at least a few parts, but...that's going to be depending on what I make in salary on top of if I have someone to go wiv."

The blue eyes twinkled mischief though in still deciding the companion bit.

"As for being a Donna or Rose, I'd love it. Though...sometimes I feel I'd be a Jack or Martha. Mainly Jack since he's the one always causing some form of mischief deed, eh?" Raising the cup to her lips and blowing gently at the steam followed by blowing the little blue box, Addie drank her tea, grateful to have a friend, a brother in Johann.

"We'll go." Johann told her without hesitation. "Our Department has a few links with those sorts of things, nobody's all that interested in going to big Muggle events because its so daunting, and because Muggles try to be nasty to each other and cause explosions." He frowned and shook his head. "Uncivilised, not like us. Pfft." The sarcasm was clear.

"I'd like to be a Doctor Who monster, personally." He explained, tilting his head and raising his drink to his chin between long fingers. "Not just because the companions are mostly girls, because I like having evil plans." Johann smirked and then sipped.

"We'll have to have a night watching a series together," Johann suggested, rather fond of the idea of spending more time with Adelia who he had missed, but inviting himself over to her place in his mind. Then his mind made a comparison to something Theta had mentioned and his eyebrows shot up.
"Ah, unless that's something girls tend to do together than 'siblings'?"

He punctuated the word with quotes indicated with the first an second fingers of his free hand.
"It was easier when you were the intern and we were off visiting places and being cultural - I knew where I stood, if I'm perfectly honest."

"Really? You and me? The Olympics?" Addie grinned excitedly. "You know, the opening ceremonies is definitely a reason to go - they're always full of amazing things. It's pretty wicked what Muggles are capable of." A pause and scrunch of her nose. "Which is weird, considering Da's one and well, his whole family is. Truly, sometimes I feel I grew up more Muggle than I ever did wizard. Then again, Monks Crescent is a mixed community, so there is touches of Muggle opposed to wizarding. However, you being a villain in Who? I'd only accept you as the Master and the Master only. You're too man pretty to be so evil."

Her eyes went wide at the confession, soon returning to her beverage, avoiding eye contact with him, but listened as the awkwardness went from just that to a potential loophole of getting out the awkward.

"....Are you hinting that you want a hang out, Johann Storm?" Her cerulean eyes went up and looked at him once again. "I'd really like that, but I don't have a television, DVD player or cable at the flat in Kensington....at least not yet?"

"I'm never one to encourage the spending of money frivolously," Johann replied with a shake of his head, "But I can't see you enjoying it round at Colin's, there's no much space as it is with me stopping there."

He tilted his head and a little colour touched his cheeks.
"Perhaps I am, but it's been such a while, and I always felt like I couldn't ask such things when you were..." He wanted to bring up Matty, but something in him stopped his tongue, stopped him from saying the name like it would hurt her.
"Because I was intruding." Without realising, it sounded as if he was glad Addie had no man - at least to Johann's knowledge - because he wanted to claim her. That wasn't what he meant at all.

"You were always such an education and a dear friend to me." He admitted, straightening the wrapping-paper TARDIS. "And I have missed you. The end of last year wasn't a good time for either of us, but this year will be better. If watching a man in a blue box means spending time with you, then I'll be there." Johann reached over and squeeze's Addie's shoulder with a grin.

"Now are you going to eat these, or will I have to find the appetite?" 

"If watching a man in a blue box means spending time with you, then I'll be there."
"Now are you going to eat these, or will I have to find the appetite?"

Addie grinned ear to ear soon enough, excited with the thought of spending time with someone at the flat that wasn't cute and furry for once. True, she had yet to even spill the beans out to Theta that she left Fauna and the twins and Brett (had she even mentioned that to one of her other halves?) for Kensington? Shame, shame, shame. Plucking up one of the lady earl greymacarons, she plopped it into her mouth and began munching on it. A pleased squeak left her lips, nodding to Johann that they were indeed very good and so, pushed the plate towards him.

"Eat, you lank, because I don't need all these sweets."

"And you think I do?" Johann responded with a chuckle, but as it was Adelia, he obliged, nibbling at one thoughtfully. Food didn't taste all that bad, even if it was a bit... perfumed?

"My cooking skills extend to rare steaks, eggs, toast, soup and some other simple things." Johann admitted, inspecting the handiwork of the foods between them with keen interest. "But we have to cook like Muggles, and Colin insisted on supervising me after I ruined a few pans." He glanced to his friend, "I get distracted..."

He nibbled on another one, and muttered,
"Orangey. Hmm. Can you make things like this then?"