"Okay—that's the last of it," Ramsay sighed with relief, setting down the third trunk of Kira's clothing she had levitated up two flights of stairs.

Through her parents, Ramsay had known Kira's family for most of her life. She even had very pleasant memories of, in her early teens, carrying an itty bitty Kira upstairs to her bedroom and falling asleep snuggling. Ramsay had spent near enough every summer at the Underhills and, thus, with Kira—perpetually the only child's older sister, so to speak, cool and seemingly aloof (more honestly: socially inept and quiet as can be), always able to do cooler magic by virtue of a near nine year age gap. When Ramsay had become an auror, Kira was beside herself with delight, fawning over the older woman's choice of career. Even though Ramsay's adult life had been busy, and she rarely made time for anything but her career, she had kept in near-constant correspondence with her 'little sister,' and was delighted to hear that she had graduated with excellent marks.

Kira had spent just about a year occupying her parents' home, getting her bearings and trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life. Less than a week ago, she had settled on, it seemed, a career in writing—editing, specifically, which did not surprise Ramsay in the slightest, knowing the little redhead as well as she did.

Naturally, the work that she wanted to pursue was most easily done in London, and in Diagon Alley... and, as such, a pleading request had come to Ramsay via post from Kira, hoping that she could occupy the spare bedroom in Ramsay's flat long-term. Ramsay was, of course, delighted at this idea, and immediately wrote back saying that she would love nothing more than to let Kira stay with her! Why, she wouldn't even charge her rent—partly because she was a very old, dear friend; partly because Ramsay made more than enough money to finance her reasonably frugal life.

The flat was, naturally, magical—larger on the inside than it seemed on the outside. The central room was an open floor plan, a mixed living room, dining room, and kitchenette; it was well-furnished and very cozy-looking, mostly dark earthen tones, and one wall of the living room was a slanted multi-paned glass window overlooking the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, as well as the rooftops of several other tenements. There were two bedrooms, a master and a slightly smaller guest room—which Kira would be occupying—and a single bathroom next to the kitchenette.

It was, in Ramsay's opinion, a lovely flat, and an excellent first 'new home' for Kira to settle into.

"When did you get so many clothes?" Ramsay asked Kira slyly as she gently pinched one of her cheeks with no small amount of affection, smiling and crossing the room to plop down on the couch and relax for a few moments.

"Thank you for helping me move my things, Au- Ramsay," Kira replied.

She had grown up calling her Augusta, but now that she was a real professional Auror the woman preferred to be called by her surname. Kira tried to act accordingly, but old habits died hard. Especially when the first several years of one's life had been spent following around, looking up to, and idolizing the person in question. It was almost a little embarrassing, how devoted Kira had been to the girl she viewed as her big sister - but Augusta made it okay, because instead of pushing little Kira away in favor of people her own age, the older girl had indulged her, telling her about life at Hogwarts and the things she was learning and showing off the magic she could do.

Kira was beyond glad that the two had kept in touch during their respective times at Hogwarts - Ramsay had been the source of immeasurable advice, comfort, and perspective while Kira was dealing with the trials and tribulations brought on by seven years of magical boarding school. She had helped Kira with her hardest classes, counseled her on her relationships with peers (advice taken with a healthy sprinkling of salt, as Augusta was not known for her social skills), and reassured her that she'd be okay when it all got to be too much. It only felt natural that, after a year away from school and "real life," Ramsay would be the one to help Kira take her next steps as a proper adult.

Kira surveyed the flat fondly, already feeling that she'd be right at home in the den of her oldest friend. She gave Ramsay the blankest stare she could muster, given she was fighting the urge to fling her arms around the older woman's neck, and answered, "Over seven years, one tends to accumulate a certain number of clothes, and after one stops growing there is no need to constantly get rid of and replace them." She paused a moment. "I got most of them between my fifth and seventh years," she finished. An unnecessarily wordy response, but Kira liked words and she liked using them to express exactly what she meant.

She followed Ramsay to the couch, slipping off her shoes before tucking her legs under her and inclining her head toward her friend. "Thank you for letting me move in with you."

"Please!" Ramsay scoffed, smiling brightly at Kira. "I'm not doing you any favors—I get so bored up here, and this is where I spend most of my down time, so... it'll be lovely to have some company."

She had always been overly fond of the spritely little Kira. Always enjoyed her company, even when they were both quite little, and—most importantly—Ramsay forever felt at home with Kira. Her social anxieties and quietness melted away when she was alone with her 'little sister,' and she felt that she could speak freely and be open without fear of judgment or reproach.

"What's the first step, then? To get your illustrious career in the writing world started, I mean. When do you start work?"

Kira had, of course, written Ramsay the moment that she'd been offered a job at a publishing company as an editor, for it had been the first stepping stone in the pursuit of her dreams.

"Oh! And—do you need anything? Anything to make you feel more comfortable, or at home?"

Kira returned Ramsay's grin, shaking her head. "Thank you, all the same. I love my parents, but..." Living at home was getting to be stressful. Her mother nagged and her father was as passive aggressive as anyone Kira had ever known. "Well, you know how they are."

She tilted her head thoughtfully, winding a lock of strawberry-blonde hair around one finger. "I suppose the first step would be going in and doing my job," she answered (fairly literal-minded, she often chose to respond to words rather than meanings). "I start next week - I let them know I'd be moving and they gave me some time to get settled. Very considerate."

Though she wasn't being very emotionally demonstrative, Kira was beyond excited to start her job - she knew many people considered working at a publishing house to be a stepping stone for actually getting one's own work published, and she had toyed with the idea of doing some writing of her own, but for now she was genuinely looking forward to editing. Language was a puzzle to her, and she liked to rearrange the pieces of other people's jigsaws into something a little prettier than before.

At Ramsay's question, she shook her head. "I have what I need from home, and my clothes, and a bed; that's really all I need." As an afterthought, she added, "Along with food and water and protection from the elements, all of which you've graciously provided."

"It really, really is my pleasure, love," Ramsay replied.

She leaned forward and pulled the littler girl into a big, tight hug, planting a loving kiss on her cheek before separating.

"It's been so long since we had quality time together—and now we have all of it we could ever want! What do you think about a girl's day today? We could go shopping, pick up some food, then catch up a little more here at home."

Kira couldn't help but beam at Ramsay's words, all adult formality forgotten as she was pulled into the arms of her dearest friend. She wrapped her arms around Ramsay's neck, resting her head on Augusta's shoulder. Aside from the passage of time, they could have easily been twelve years younger, holding each other in just the same way as they had when Kira was just a child.

She returned Ramsay's kiss, but kept her hands on her friend's shoulders so she couldn't draw too far away. For all her cool and aloof attitude, Kira valued these moments of touch beyond belief.

"Shopping would be nice, I think. I've been wanting to look at the bookstores, and maybe I could show you Obscurus? They're closed today, but it'd be fun to show you where I'll be working. And you can show me around the Alley, maybe? I don't think I've ever been here except for back-to-school shopping."

Ramsay placed her hands gently on Kira's pale cheeks.

"We can do all of those things! I know all the best quiet little spots in the Alley; perks of being an auror, you tend to see the places that your average civvie doesn't."

She grinned, offering Kira a wink.

"And I'd love to see where you work! I'm sure I'll be visiting often enough—if that's okay, anyway. Certainly don't wanna get you in trouble with your bosses."

Ramsay extracated herself from Kira's fond grasp and pulled the girl up by her hand, heading for the door. Throwing on her coat, she gave Kira one last hug on impulse, and then headed out the door.