Before the invitation, Rylan hadn't even been sure what Spellpunk was exactly, yet he had accepted anyway, glad to spend time with friends. He still wasn't entirely sure what to expect (especially given that this would be his first trip to Diagon Alley without his mother), but a bunch of teenagers together in what was essentially a club. What could go wrong?

His parents hadn't seemed to mind, so long as he came back by a certain hour and none too worse for the wear, but how possible that would be he would find out. he had already managed to lose track a couple of times, and speaking of which he had found himself lost in the crowd. Oh well, the others could only be around somewhere, but for now he recognised a few familiar faces in the crowd. Oh well, maybe he could talk to them instead, he decided as he battled his way over to where Tim, Frank and Noriko where standing. They looked uncomfortable, had he missed something?

"Hey Tim!", he called over the music as he made it toward the three. He didn't know the other two particularly well, but he greeted them nonetheless. "Something going down?", he then asked, noticing Mairead and the others. He'd heard some...interesting rumours about the former, but he tried to not take too much stock in hearsay.

Eirene and Frank looked great together, didn't they? Ascella's hair looked party-ready, and Tim understood the important of St. Mungo's internships even though Eirene had forgotten for a moment that he had an internship there too. And everyone, not just her, was wondering about Mairead's vanishing act. Allura even tried to be nice about it.

But Mairead couldn't leave things alone. Why did Mairead always single her out? Gamp replied quickly, and Tim started muttering, but Eirene could only hear the beat of the music and Mairead's challenge.

Mairead couldn't just swoop in and say whatever she wanted on their first night at Spellpunk!

"Hm no," Eirene turned to glare at Mairead, wrinkling her nose slightly as she looked her up and down. Had she just rolled off a Quidditch pitch or what?

"If you feel unwelcome, that's your problem," she raised her voice over the music. "I just find it funny that you'd show up out of the blue, then act so surprised when everyone wonders where you've been since April. It's a valid question."

Eirene crossed her arms, staring at her like she expected an answer. Mairead wanted to join their group without hexing or pranking anyone? She didn't believe it!

When someone shouted for Tim, she turned her head to look.

Frank wasn't sure what to do. Mairead was a Traveller who famously kept strictly to themselves - Mairead seemed to Frank the same way. People would be nicer to her if she wasn't so stand-offish, he was sure. He didn't get her.[1] And now he was worried that Mairead was going to hex Eirene and the whole thing would be blown. He winced and touched Eirene's arm, hoping to draw her away. He offered a truly weak smile to Mairead as he tried to deescalate.

"Good to see you, Mai. Glad you're not - it's good - dancing sounds excellent. Just here to have fun, you know. Music's fire."

He gave another wee tug on Eirene wishing for a drama vanishing spell.

1.	Frank is not well-educated on the oppression and discrimination Travelers face and most of what he knows is based on harmful stereotypes.

She had been trying to keep the peace, but Mairead was being...well...Mairead, and that wasn't helped when Eirene had to be so Eirene and...Did she know the changing hair colour girl? She seemed familiar but with the changing hair it was hard to tell if she recognized the girl, and soon the whole thing just started to devolve, she needed to keep the peace between them, as much as she wanted to have a good time with her friend and...the others who were showing up that she didn't entirely know everyone. She was willing to make sacrifices.

Although she wasn't up for starting drama, a shocker to most, especially a certain Pepper with Z in her name, this time she wasn't going to let Mairead go undefended, she shot a glance over at Eirene.

"Didn't your werewolf friend run off also? Hogwarts obviously isn't the best." She said with a twinge of Durmstrang pride despite never being there, but that didn't matter, it was the better school regardless. "And besides, we're all girls, we all know how horrible girls are, I don't blame anyone for not wanting to come back to Hogwarts and living with other girls who cause drama all the time. Its fairly toxic when you think about it."

The last part was purely for the benefit for Mairead, and she hoped it worked as a way to defuse the situation as she looked back at the former Gryffindor, a soft smile on her face as she gently gripped her shoulder as if to invite her in.

Just as the girls seemed to be about to scrap, Rylan turned up.
“Hey Tim!”
“Hey!”

Tim was glad to see his friend. He generally was, but he was particularly happy since he was feeling a bit outnumbered by the girls right now…

“Something going down?”
“Ah, Mairead’s turned up, after vanishing at Easter. Got a problem with Eirene as ever.” Mairead was in Rylan’s house at school, so he’d had to tolerate her for the last three and a half years until she vanished. Tim uttered his assessment of the situation in a lower voice, inclining towards Rylan, given the girls had epic hearing.

“… funny that you’d show up out of the blue, then act so surprised…” Eirene was explaining, arms crossed.
“Pass the popcorn.” Tim grinned, feeling cockier now his good friend was here.
“… here to have fun you know…” Frank was trying to intervene. Tim figured it was futile, like how he’d try to stop Akira from eating too much sugar…
“… didn’t your werewolf friend run off also?” Allura took Mairead’s side.
“Someone’s gonna get heeexed….” Tim raised his eyebrows and exchanged a look with Rylan.

"You did just leave without saying goodbye.  Or were you really expelled? ... you'd show up out of the blue, then act so surprised when everyone wonders where you've been since April. It's a valid question."

"Fine -" she snapped back at the gossip-demanding Ravenclaws.  If they wouldn't leave her alone ... if brandishing her family drama was toll for a night out with old schoolmates, well ... what did Mairead care.  "I tried to find me parents over the holiday and couldn't.  When it was time to go back to school...what's the point?  I didn' know I wasn' coming back - okay?"  It hadn't been planned, it had just happened."   

Color flushed across Mairead's cheeks and her fingers twitched, before her shoulders hitched up in a dramatic shrug of nonchalant dismissal that clashed with the rest of her body language.  She hadn't been expelled at the start of the holidays but who knew - chances were, by now, they probably had expelled her.  She probably couldn't go back, even if she wanted to.

"I don't blame anyone for not wanting to come back to Hogwarts ... Good to see you, Mai ... Just here to have fun, you know."

Mairead nodded to both of them, appreciatively.  Whatever.  She whipped her head around to look directly at Eirene, one corner of her mouth hitching up in a sneer.   "Have me explanations met yer exacting standards, Miz Antonopoulos?  Do I have yer permission to stay or are ye gonna tell me t'get?"

Mairead was answering her question, as she should. Eirene started to smirk, but it didn't last long.

How did someone lose their parents? Were they out in the wilderness, completely unreachable? What about sending an owl to find them? What about asking for help? What about-

Of course, Mairead's family traveled, but all Eirene could think was that they hadn't bothered to tell Mairead where they were going.

She glanced down quickly, stifling a strange urge to laugh. It was just so absurd! Eirene glanced up in time to see Mairead's face turn that shade of I'm-about-to-hex-you. Frank was beside her, reminding her that this night was supposed to be fun, but Eirene only shifted her crossed arms closer to the wand hidden in her pocket. Just in case.

Was Mairead telling the truth? She'd left Hogwarts not of her own volition, but to find her family? She looked at her closely, trying to figure it out.

Mairead mocked her. She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"You think I care that much? Whatever you decide is on you," Eirene shrugged her shoulders as she kept her arms tightly crossed.

It wouldn't make any difference if Mairead decided not to return to Hogwarts in the fall, anyway. Mairead could hang out every evening at Spellpunk if she wanted to, while everyone else was in school, preparing for O.W.L.s and better things.

Eirene waited to feel happy - maybe she'd never have to see Mairead again! - but the 'fun' of the night was lost on her. She frowned down at the crooked stamp on her hand, then gave Allura an irritated look. No, she wasn't done.

"Also, Allura, Lucinda's situation is completely different and you shouldn't compare the two. You shouldn't be calling her names, either. It's not helpful."

Eirene glanced back at the Ravenclaws she knew were in SAWS, her expectant gaze falling on Tim Pepper. What was he smiling about?

Who lost their parents? Nobody respectable! Maybe Mairead's parents lost her on purpose. They did not want her back. Maybe they got arrested by the aurors or ran into trouble with dark wizards. That would seem right too. Mairead was trouble. Her parents must be worse. They were nobodies.

What was Allura on about? She went to Hogwarts too. She caused so much of the toxic stuff. Slytherins. Honestly. Maybe Mairead should have been sorted together with Allura. They seemed so chummy all of a sudden.

"As long as you do not spoil it." Selly agreed with Eirene. Her hair changed from magenta to lime. "We are going to have some of my dancing potion. You can have a drop for free. Oh hey Rylan! Did not see you there with all the bitching." Ascella waved her hands in the air. Shooing away the negative energy. "Come on then. Who's first?" She drew out a bright blue potion bottle from her bag and wiggled it.

“… I tried to find me parents over the holiday and couldn’t. When it was time to go back to school… what’s the point? I didn’ know I wasn’ coming back - okay?” When it came to tall tales, the way Mairead spoke suggested this wasn’t a particularly tall one, but Tim was now swept along with the metaphorical drama llamas.

“Have me explanations met yer exacting standards…?”
“You think I care that much? Whatever you decide is on you.”

The girls’ standoff continued, and now Eirene turned her scorn on Allura who had taken Mairead’s side, ticking her off too.

“Who d’ya think’s going to win?” Tim asked Rylan, “you think Mairead’s going to hex her?” Eirene turned and fixed her eyes on him. “Don’t turn your back,” He suggested quickly, “she might hex you yet.”

Selly was waving her hands around, demanding they drink her potion again. She wanted this over, though Tim noticed she’d not held back getting involved. She did share a dormitory with Eirene though.

Allura smirked at the other woman as she got defensive of the werewolf, she gave a gentle giggle as she took Maireads arm, she didn't want to ruin the night exactly but she certainly didn't want her to get off with being the one to start going after the Gryffindor, she knew of the girls reputation after all but they weren't allowing her to get picked on if she chose to join them.

"Sure the attention junkie girl ran away for no real reason." She smirked as attempted to take her in, glancing towards at Mairead with a knowing smile. "What drink do you want babe?" She asked with a small wink at the former student so that she could try to irritate the Ravenclaw student further for being a pain in her rear at this event, she got her and Noriko were friends, but why was never going to be answered likely.

She looked over at the amused boys at the edge and waved a finger to call them over. "Tim, wanna come with?" She then looked over at her fellow Slythie girl and nodded at her. "Noriko? Lets go party shall we?"