#2E Burgoyne Burbidges Losts
Barking, East London
Late Morning

Hexy, part-time actress

Some said you had to be barking mad to live in Barking, London. The neighborhood was quite old, actually, something something about a man named Bereca or a settlement by birch trees. But the obvious pun was right there. There was the historic abbey church and city hall, surrounded by decades of affordable housing and urban renewal projects. The most urbane and pedestrian of boroughs, nice looking along the riverfront and newer buildings with multicultural growth, yet an area still seeped in poverty and crime.

And there was that old chemical factory that had never been redeveloped, yet another eyesore in the neighborhoods of grey and brown brick. At least, to the muggles that never gave it a second thought. It had been redeveloped into affordable housing of a kind, only for the most secretive of communities.

Which suited Hexy's purposes just fine.

Watch that pop-up market shutter within a year or two. Said market square claimed to be another highlight of the borough yet wares tended to be rather varied. Still, they needed another carpet to cover that lurid colored whatever chemical stain that seeped into the floorboards. A long inert compound, thankfully, or there would have been mental complaints about finding lodging here. Even with Sophie Anderson, one of the cooler witches to grace Gryffindor House.

And her vibrant red hair. Godric, Hexy was envious to find a dye, charm or wig that matched. Yet dark brown had been her most consistent style. Strange to think that sometimes, along with a very delayed growth spurt. Being 5’9” before lifts still left her willowy and bony with stretched out curves but it came with a little more stamina. She couldn’t imagine hauling both a bag of groceries and a rolled up rug as a scrawny middle-year Hogwartian. Let alone in a skirt and boots.[1]

“Grocery run,” Hexy kicked at the door of #2E. Funny thing about converted warehouse lofts; the better rooms tended to be lower on the floorpan rather than an uppercuts penthouse model seen elsewhere. It was awhile ago that Sophie and Hexy had talked their way into one of the more spacious, better looking parts of Burbidges before you accounted for the features like exposed pipes, structural beams and lack of starting furniture. Hexy would gladly trade the chance for a balcony the size of a postage stamp for that much space.

“Can you take this, Soph?” Hexy passed off the rug once the door was opened. Anderson was spared from embarrassing nicknames. Although that was half the game, Hexy’s ‘full name’ was Hexmerelda Claggin which was why she just went by surname around the muggle locals.

1.	Like this outfit but the vest is black and red

Sophie Anderson was never one to shy away from spending time with her family, the six of them were a tight knit bunch, but that didn't necessarily mean she wanted to keep living in the family home. Even with her older brothers, Benjamin and Nathan, having moved out a couple years ago now, that still mean operating under the somewhat watchful eye of her mother, dealing with the messy tendencies of her little brother William, and struggling to break from the stereotypical box of "my little girl" that her father had put her in ages ago. She didn't blame him, she was the only daughter of the four Anderson children, and with her brothers easily surpassing her in height, it was easy to perceive her as being his "little girl" with her small 5'3 frame dwarfed by the rest of the men in her family.

Despite their protectiveness of her, her parents knew all too well that Sophie was perfectly capable of holding her own, which is why they didn't put up too much of a fuss when she provided her new address and explained she'd be moving in with her latest, but certainly greatest, friend Hexy. For the first time since her time at Hogwarts she was finally in a living situation that wasn't regularly surrounded by the chaos she and her brothers often cause, and it was a welcome change.

By the time Sophie had woken up that morning, Hexy had already left their home, which was not an uncommon occurrence. With Sophie working late hours at The Black Boar, she often slept in longer than most needed to in the morning, though she could get up earlier if she absolutely needed to.

"Coming!" Sophie called from the bathroom as heard Hexy's call from the door, hurriedly pulling her fiery hair into a sloppy bun on the top of her head as she glanced at her outfit one last time in the mirror, the "Hard Rock Cafe" shirt[1] the latest addition to her collection of muggle graphic tees. Did she know what it was? Not a clue, but she thought they were fantastic nonetheless.

Trotting across the apartment, Sophie pulled open the door.

"Oh my! Here, I've got it." she replied, taking the rolled rug from Hexy and dragging it to the middle of the room.

"Is this for that off-putting splotch on the floor? This is perfect! You're brilliant!" she said, unrolling it a bit to look at the pattern.

1.

outfit

Hexy

With carpet delivered, Hexy crossed to the counter to begin unpacking foods. Most of it stuff Sophie had on the shopping list. Hexy seemingly consisted solely off of whole food snacks, the few meals she kept easy to prepare. And copious amounts of soda pop and junk food from very specific sources, rarely putting a dent in these stockpiles. Club soda mixers joined the magically familiar butterbeer and bubble juice.

"Had to fend off what looked like some crackheads needing a new stoner rug," Hexy embellished jokingly. What unfurled was a rather bizarre, minimally worn psychedelic pattern which had no discernible top or bottom. Her voice was bright yet slightly raspy, worse after waking as if she was perpetually coming down with the flu. "I'd rather look at that then imagine what's below it."

Beyond Hogwarts, Hexy had been a recurring face at The Black Boar, not quite a permanent fixture. She was never there for long most days, usually using the Boar as a stopping point between various other endeavors. She quite liked it though, it was a fitting alternative to school Hogsmeade visits at The Three Broomsticks or for the brave, the Hogs Head. The Black Boar automatically had a better menu, much as it varied any given day if Hexy ordered hard alcohol, softer drinks or pub fare.

"Have your bros finally stopped giving you a hard time about moving out?" Hexy offered some of her soda stash, plum bubble juice and ginger beer. The latter of which shouldn't be trusted to her if Sophie didn't want to weather another impromptu belching contest. "I'd hate the thought of rooming and boarding at the same spot I worked the rest of my life. School was different."

Mind, Hexy lived her life in a fashion that appeared like she wasn't tied down to just one spot. "Reducto Records is having a sale next weekend. I'm thinking of hiding out there and Diagon to avoid the St. Patrick's Day parade. It's almost the same thing year after year. Got any plans this week?"

“Anything is better than that horrible stain we’ve been looking at. It looks like it was probably pretty pungent when it was spilled. I can’t imagine something that vile a color ever had the chance of smelling like flowers.” Sophie said lightheartedly as she nudged the rug into place and took a step back to survey the newest addition to their decor.

“How much do I owe you for the groceries?” Sophie asked, grabbing her bag off a nearby chair and digging through it to find her wallet. Sifting through to pull out the proper amount, Sophie shrugged her shoulders a bit at Hexy’s question.

“I think they’re over it now…at least Ben is. He was just nervous considering the part of town we’re in, but he knows I can hold my own.” she explained passing over what was needed to cover her portion of the food Hexy had brought back. “I’m not sure Nathan cared all too much where I was moving too, he was just happy to hear I was getting out of the house, and William, unfortunately, is still trying to convince me that I’ve abandoned him at Mum and Dad’s place. He’ll get over it I’m sure.”

Sophie groaned at the mention of St Patrick’s Day as she plunked down on the couch.

“Merlin! Is that next weekend already?” If there was one holiday Sophie was not fond of, it was this one. The Boar was always packed and chaotic, which meant it was all hands on deck. Not to mention people suddenly got more observant and rather hyper fixated on her long red hair. “Can I hide with you? At least until my shift? Last year I managed to get Nathan to cover my shift, but after two fights broke out Dad made it a rule no one can skip out this year, even he's thinking of working that night, and he hasn't taken a shift behind the bar in years.”

Hexy

"Well, acetone is colorless, can't be that." Who knows what chemicals were originally made here? Had the building stayed condemed, she would have been a lot more fussy about the living arrangements. Not she, but close enough. At least it wasn't asbestos.

"Eh, we'll round down to twenty-five quid," for Sophie's share of the groceries. As much as she was playing the part for 'playing parts' between various acting gigs and hustles, Hexy wasn't hurting for cash. She'd probably hide it somewhere for emergency mad-money funds. Right now the wad was pinned under a bottle.

"I'd like to see someone try to get the better of us," Hexy said, knowing Sophie was tougher than she looked. Like having to slug a rowdy drunk at her family's pub. As it paid to be discreet even if Hexy could easily jinx off attackers, the muggles had invented something called pepper spray. "You've got a mixed bag for brothers. They must care in their own ways much as it sounds annoying."

Plum bubble juice it remained. Hexy popped off the cap with a bottle opener as she joined Sophie at the couch, sitting side-saddle on the opposite armrest.

"How unfortunate for you." It sounded concerning yet Hexy was positively beaming with a cat-esque grin. "We could kill a few hours with records, sure. They don't have you wearing green or one of those dumb shirts, right?" However phrases such as 'Kiss Me, I'm Irish' had come about, or thinking that every ginger must have come from the Emerald Isle at some point.

Now, the O'Doherty clan prided themselves on being Irish. But they weren't religious or thought much of the cultural roots of the holiday. Cousin Kennedy still had the misguided belief that St. Patrick himself had to have been a Parseltongue to drive the snakes out of Ireland. But this was hardly a conversational topic for a pair of Gryffindor and ostensibly Hufflepuff flatmates.

"It sounds incredibly busy. Your old man should still be able to handle it, though. Don't you make great tips?"

Sophie laughed lightly as Hexy commented on her brothers.

“A mixed bag is the kindest way of putting it, but you're right. They care in their own ways, just takes knowing how to read them, speak their languages.” Sophie explained. It was true, they truly were a mixed bunch, spanning across almost all the Hogwarts houses. Had she or Ben been placed in Hufflepuff they would have had one Anderson in each house, but having been placed in Gryffindor they were just one short of the full collection. They all had their differences, Ben was logical, realistic, protective. Nathan had a habit of partying and enjoying the company of various women, and had a wit drier than the desert that concealed his good heart beneath. William could outsmart them all in a heartbeat, but was usually more quiet and reserved when around people other than the immediate Anderson clan. One thing that was the same between all four of them was their unending loyalty to each other and their love for their family.

Sophie laughed even harder when Hexy asked if they’d have to wear green to work.

“Oh absolutely not! Mum tried to get us all to wear green one year, what a mess, we were all too stubborn to actually do it except Will, and oh how we teased him. No, we just wear our normal clothes. If anything I’ll avoid green altogether that day if I can” she said, a lighthearted smile on her face as she recalled the debauchery they had all caused over simply green shirts. “The tips should be fantastic until people start getting too sloshed to remember to tip, but that’s usually just at the end of the night, and it’s not everyone.”

Sophie paused to take a sip of her drink.

“Do you have any plans to celebrate after the parade is done?” she asked, curious of her friend’s idea of a good St Patrick’s Day. “How’d you celebrate it growing up? I can’t say my family ever really did much.”

Hexy

At least Sophie had close family that gave a damn. There was a brief sourness in Hexy's mouth before another swig of plum bubble juice. As the former golden child, Casey did not have many loving relationships in the O'Doherty family. No, it was all vitriol and demands of excellence, arguments over various matters. How pathetic was it to consider that house elves and a formerly neglected mother held the only 'love' to be found in that rotten manor?

"Speak their languages?" Now Hexy knew not to take it literally but it was a funny distinction all the same. "That would make for an odd casting call if the story of the Anderson family was ever put on stage. As if the parts are all pulled from different genres."

Sophie's increasing laughter was catching, Hexy hadn't thought she was being that funny. She almost got hiccoughs as some bubbles burst from her mouth. Agitate Bubble Juice enough and the drinker could belch bubbles matching the flavor of the juice. It was her favorite party trick after how gassy ginger beer made her, which was an allergic reaction rather than intended by the beverage.

"Heh," she popped one of the bubbles floating around her head with a finger, releasing a fizzy plum scent. "Forest greens and the darker shades are usually okay. I don't like the greens that look like sickly yellow."

If Hexy found herself in charge of tending bar for a bunch of drunks, she'd likely have words about everyone's inebriated character. She had a well honed sarcasm to make it through the most grueling, often magic-free jobs when she had been looking for independent funds.

Hexy pursed her lips at Sophie's question. In all honesty, she'd never held consistent traditions pertaining to St. Patrick's Day across either guise. Once considered stupid and pointless as a child, just another way the O'Doherty clan championed how important they were. Yet there was something she'd done the past year or two she could spin into a tale.

"Actually, after all the excitement is over, I often just get some soda bread or boxty and write letters to people. My folks tended to travel a lot." It's how she claimed she had moved in with 'Aunt Primrose Claggin' when Darla was recovering in Hogsmeade. The bread and potato dishes she could stomach, depending on what they were paired with on the side.

It was probably the most tranquil activity attributed to Hexmerelda Claggin, one for raucous mischief between gigs. Hence her immediate suggestion to Sophie. "What you need is a wild night on the town before you get shackled to that holiday shift." She had a teasing, cheeky grin. "Maybe bad enough that you have to clock in late."

“That sounds rather relaxing.” Sophie commented, shifting to get more comfortable in her seat. “It must have been fun to hear about all their travels when they replied to your letters.”

Sophie didn’t know the truth of Hexy’s past, her awful parents or about the hell she may have endured. Had she, she certainly wouldn’t have picked a potentially sore subject to ask about. But at that moment, the two of them lounging in their home, it was just a casual conversation between roommates.

A playful grin lifted the corners of Sophie’s lips. A night out. A genuine night out to let loose and have a bit of fun. It seemed so tempting. Lately it seemed all she had time to do was work, or pack, then move, then unpack. Why the hell not have one night to let her hair down? For a moment she lingered on the talks she had been having with Greg about his tendency for binge drinking and recklessness, how it was getting to be a bit too much. Was it wrong for her to paint the town red? Ah fuck it, this was different, this was needed, this was roommate bonding!

“I do like the way you think!” she complimented, leaning forward towards her friend, eager to make some plans for debauchery. “Anything particular in mind?”

Hexy

"I suppose you could call it relaxing," Hexy shrugged. "The approaching spring often saw my folks doing new things elsewhere. Dad would be out searching for new wand quality trees," the presumed 'Mr. Claggin' having apprenticed as a wandmaker. Just another part of the cover story. "Or the year both mom and Aunt Primrose had lengthy recoveries overseas."

That was mostly true. Darla O'Doherty (rather, Darla Higgins) was attributed to be 'Aunt Primrose' half the time, although the actual Primrose Claggin was a chronic hypochondriac. And likely behind 1 out of 6 Quibbler articles about St. Mungo's. Hexy sometimes used the muggle post for Darla's letters, even though they had cell phones. It grew out of no longer having house elf assistance for post and cutting back on the number of owls sent to Darla's new address.

Hexy tried to tailor the suggestions to Sophie's likes. It was rare to see Sophie glam it up. Hexy had been adverse to such places with a more posh, elegance and glam look until after turning 16. A miscellany of trying new things with the odd infiltration mission. So options such as Signature in Hogsmeade or sneaking onto the guest list of Le Masquerade were off the table.

"Candlestick Row has been getting more popular lately. There's the Edinburgh locals, magic Scots and often many attending Knareswick nearby. There's The Sweet Sorrow and The Blue Ghoul."

Bubble juice set aside, she contemplated further with chin resting on her fist. "Although if you want anything close to a pub crawl, Diagon has plenty of options. Rover's Fancy, Calaveras, Death & Co. And Spellpunk is always a classic." Hexy was a frequent clubber, having been to many now but always liking the one under Diagon Alley. Still popular with the 20s crowd but it admitted as young as 15 depending on the night in question. Or you could be 14, bribe your way in and discover a new side of yourself like Hexy did. Having not wanted her school persona associated with that first night out.[1]

A different thought inspired a new gleam in her eyes. "Possibly before any of that, have you ever been in a flash mob?" She slid off the armrest onto the cushions. "I've got a contact in black box theatre still looking for extras. They're staging it outside of Borough Market in Southwark."

1.	Wiki links upon links: events of 'Alter Ego' and 'Spellpunks' summarized and linked in this plot chapter, June 26 2009

Sophie’s gaze rose upward as she pondered Hexy’s suggestions. She wasn’t sure about a full on pub crawl. If she was too hungover to drag herself to work the next day Ben would never let her hear the end of it, especially knowing it was a busy holiday.

“I’ve been wanting to check out Candlestick Row! I’ve never been there. I keep meaning to make time to get up there and see what it’s all about.” she said, deciding, of the options, that seemed like the most intriguing and possibly the least likely to end with her being a walking disaster.

Leaning forward in her seat, swiping some red hair from her face, Sophie raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“A flash mob? Like…dancing?” She asked. She had heard of the concept from a few of her muggle cousins, a group of people secretly descending on a public place, one person starting to dance while the rest slowly trickled in to join. Her cousin had shown her a few videos, and most had been pretty impressive or funny. “How good do you have to be at dancing?”

Hexy

"They've got some different kinds of shops than Diagon. A tad more orderly, in that it's not all crammed into a long jagged street." She hadn't been making as many appearances there but it could be time for a change. As much she was at Edinburgh for other reasons. "We might be lucky if anybody cool is at the Blue Ghoul," her nose and mouth wrinkled at the unintended rhyme. "And there's more unruly parts of Melrose Cemetery than what's been reclaimed for the park grounds. Who knows what's all back there."

She didn't want to suggest the Pendragon Hotel, as all its amenities were very expensive. Well, for Sophie's budget. And there was also...a sorta familiar reputation to the Wilde family. Stuff going on more at that Hotel that she hadn't wanted to poke her nose into further yet. Certain flags were raised when some hoteliers found the son who had become an auror the 'black sheep' of the family, if the attitude towards Cassius Wilde was correct.

"Dancing, mostly. Sometimes they plan these scenes, like theatre in the street." She tugged at her skirt as she was squirming back, trying to find a comfortable crevice in the couch. Sometimes it was in protest of something but she didn't always go to those. "For Borough Market's event they need more people to run around with these banners. Like those performances before a Quidditch World Cup. Or like they do at the Olympics?"

"You might be able to let off some steam in ways that aren't muttered by regulars trying to grill your brothers for closed door gossip..." Hexy snaked an arm back to recover her juice. She hadn't been there the night in question, at The Black Boar, when Sophie and Gregory had gotten to shouting. Although the general gist of the couples' troubles (oh please not another rhyme) had punctuated the move into Burbidges.

Sophie chuckled softly, more to her self than to her roommate.

“I don’t know Hexy, it sounds fun and all, but I think it might be easier to get away with a hangover than for my brothers to possibly find out I was apart of a flashmob, I’m not sure I’d ever hear the end of it.” she mused, adjusting herself on the couch to tuck her legs under her a bit, pulling the messy bun from atop her head and letting the flaming strands fall down around her face.

“Maybe a different time, I think a bit of adventure down Candlestick Row will do just the trick. I’m sure we could find someplace to do some dancing along the way. I’ll admit I’m a bit better when it comes to a more freestyle sort of thing as opposed to trying to remember choreography.”

Tipping her head back a bit, Sophie shook out her hair a bit more, slipping the elastic over her wrist as she repositioned her locks into a loose ponytail. Satisfied with her new found hairdo and position on the couch Sophie turned the topic of conversation to Hexy.

“Have anything fun happening this week before we kick off and paint the town red?”

Hexy

"How are they gonna know unless they were there?" Hexy asked teasingly over her bubble juice. "I mean, sometimes the videos of them end up online but does your family have those kinds of phones?"

"Plus, if we changed your look just enough for the event you wouldn't be easily recognized. Your color is the giveaway." Watching Sophie muss out her hair, Hexy's open left hand began feeling at the hair strands over her shoulder. Plucking and rubbing it through her fingers. "One of these days I'll drag you to one. It's mainly the actors on point that have the most choreography, it all devolves to freestyle by the end."

So what about Hexy's plans was she willing to divulge? "Eh, more workshops and rehearsals." Primarily apprentice attendance at Knareswick. "Practice can get boring right before performance, you know?" Except for spell drills before a dueling bout. "But I've been thinking about trying a new gig, hence more time getting lost in Reducto Records."

Which was true, in the hobby sense of the notion. Not just to establish cover. Eventually she'd have to figure out how to make amends with Sorcerer Gries and continue chasing her latest leads in the criminal underground. But these were thoughts far back in her mind.

"Speaking of kicking things off, what look would you want for a night out?" Being an actress, Hexy had plenty of makeup to loan out. She hadn't really gotten into fashion until her later teenage years. Even though she wasn't on stage as often as she claimed. Her stage was in the realm of subterfuge and long cons.

“My mum has all that muggle stuff. Phone, laptop, all that stuff. Sometimes it’s fun to mess around with, but since she’s a muggle she uses that stuff all the time.” Sophie explained. The Anderson’s family was a somewhat chaotic mix of magic and muggle practices, their mother teaching them all the ways she knew without magic,  their dad whipping out his wand for just about everything. The result was interesting, the Anderson brood having a foot in each world, Sophie didn’t often use the laptop her mother had gotten her for Christmas a few years back, but she did enjoy using it to play music from, and her collection of muggle graphic t-shirts practically advertised her mixed blood. She did care for the enrobed fashions of the wizarding world, though she had a few dresses and robes that’d do the trick if she needed to look particularly witchy. Her brothers were the same to varying degrees. Some found it odd they wouldn’t simply change everything about their life to the magical way of doing things, but that just hadn’t been them, and Sophie enjoyed some of the mundane tasks and activities she did without any magic at all.

Sophie laughed as Hexy commented on her hair.

“It is rather noticeable. Mum says I got it from my great grandmother. Have you ever thought of going red?” she asked curiously. “I’ve never dyed my hair, but occasionally I’ve been tempted too. What’s that silly muggle phrase? Blondes have more fun?”

Sophie nodded, acknowledging she was listening to everything as Hexy spelled out the details for her next

“A new gig sounds exciting! I’m sure something will come along soon!” she said supportively

SOphie tipped her head back, pondering her different options for outfits. She wasn’t the most dress prone person. Jeans were usually her go to, along with some sort of worn top she stole from her brothers or a shirt she had thrifted.

“Oh geez, I haven’t thought much of it. What do you think? Should I try and shake it up a bit?”

Hexy

"So maybe your mum would find out," Hexy shrugged. After leaving the O'Doherty family, it was Darla who had the slight edge of adapting back to muggle technology. They sent texts and emails sometimes, linking to interesting videos.

She almost had a bad swallow of bubble juice when Sophie asked if she ever considered going red. And that blondes had more fun. Oh, roomie, if you only knew the whole story. Then Hexy got an idea. An awful idea. Hexy had a wonderful, awful idea and her smile slowly stretched out, lips curling at the edge of her mouth as just a few teeth were visible.

"You're so lucky that it stays so vivid. Hopefully it doesn't dull prematurely. I've often thought about being a redhead." Or that her natural color had stayed strawberry blonde, whether it had been doomed to fade or yet another thankless twist of how she had been raised for 'corrections' as her grandparents had put it. "There was a phase of even some Hufflepuffs dying their hair like Gryffindor Quidditch fans for awhile. When the green spots weren't spreading. I wonder what hue you actually have if we look up dyes?"

Further discussion for her jaunt into the vinyl scene was set aside as Hexy was now motivated twofold for this idea of a night out to Candlestick Row. "Just a moment," she stood up. Much as she would whip her wand out for anything it wasn't that long to place the makeup kit in her room.

She returned with an amaretto Lipwitch Sorting Palette. It had been a splurge back when she was technically broke, having only the bare funds to get her and Darla established to avoid a paper trail in the O'Doherty finances. Yet its storage for Lipwitch products couldn't be underestimated.

"You'd know what would accent your outfits the best," Hexy offered as she unfolded the case on the coffee table. More drawers, brushes and vanity popping out compared to its dimensions when closed. "I've mainly got stuff from the Incendium, Nemesis and Tetrawizard collections. You could be a new kind of witch in a new place, before you're back to being your everyday Sophie Anderson self on the St. Patrick's holiday shift."