The common room clock chimed ten in the evening as Adelia Delacroix was singing a tune in one of extended dark brown leather couches. The song had too often her Granda Jimmy singing it & now, it escaped her own lips: "Been a long time gone~ Old Constantinople's got turkish delight on a moonlight night!" It was cheerful, not to mention it reminded her of the awkwardness (but entertaining aspects) of home. Home had a few surprises after her father's reveal to Fauna had been exposed! Her Uncle Frankie was a Muggleborn wizard & well, her father's latest letter at breakfast earlier had explain his own surprise & even dared to compare the situation to Fauna's ordeal! She had, for the first time ever, chucked a letter from Malcolm into the common room fireplace & currently was watching it smolder away into nothingness.

Which, in its own way, was how she had felt at the beginning of the month & new year, but with the assistance of classes, friends, music & some support from family, Addie had made it through the thick & thin. Because she had survived, Addie felt it was only right she make up for their escapade that Tulo intervened upon in the Great Hall. A few gifts, including a hand crocheted monkey ears hat (wrapped in green paper with a tree doodle where its leaves moved), a homemade (and well thought out) 'I'm sorry' card & a (literally) small boulder of Honeydukes chocolate wrapped in Hufflepuff colors sat by her on the end table.

And now, she waited patiently, hoping that Fauna would take her seriously about this. After all, Addie had taken time over the past few weeks to think this all through - she knew that Sophie was another person to admit apologies too (preferably prior to Valentine's Day), but for tonight, this was meant for Fauna. And if it really had to mean it, anyone else who would be dropping the common room this very evening. "So now it's Istanbul and not Constantinople~...." she began singing once again, fairly softly, awaiting a sibling to enter the common room.

When Fauna entered the common room, she expected to see anything from all her hats burning in the fireplace to the whole Hufflepuff dorm staging some kind of intervention between herself and Addie. She saw neither extremes, and relaxed just a bit. There was Addie, sitting by the fireplace, and yes, something was burning in it but it wasn't one of her hats.

Fauna hesitated before crossing over to face her. The Hufflepuff common room and the dorms had been tense ever since their fight earlier in the month. She didn't know what to say, or how to say it. She didn't even know how to look at her. However, Fauna had felt grateful when she'd received Addie's note to talk. For better or worse, they'd be speaking to one another.

Fauna hoped it was for better. After her letters with Akiva, her talk with Matty, and her talk with Sophie, Fauna felt ready to move past their dilemma and at least be civil towards each other again. No matter what she thought of their father, Addie had been in a difficult spot and it didn't change the fact that they had been friends for seven years.

That thought in mind, she moved closer to the singing girl and sat stiffly on the couch across from her, hands clasped together on her lap. Fauna's eyes strayed to the wrapped gifts (complete with animated doodles) next to Addie, and surprise flickered over her face. Then she gave her a soft smile.

"Hi. I got your note." Might as well state the obvious.

Addie drifted off her nonsense singing when footsteps mixed with an all too familiar voice of Captain Obvious! Naturally, the Cap'n Obv thought was merely a tease, mind you! And well, of course Fauna got the note! Who could resist surprises? .... All right, serious now, Addie thought, regaining focus of the situation, even as she fought to resist the urge to leap off her side of the couch & glomptackle Fauna.

"I'm glad, really!" she chirped quite cheerfully. Okay, Addie couldn't hold it in much longer - she had taken enough of the sadness, the anger, hell, even the bitterness for long enough. If she intended to do anything other than to hug or laugh, it was going to be tears & apologies. So, with that all in mind, Addie jumped out of the couch she had been sitting comfortably in & leapt at Fauna as if she were some first year.

"I'm so so so SOOOO sorry!" she got out as she tightly hugged her, feeling the tears already wanting to fall & so they did. Letting go was hard but needed so Addie eventually pulled away, her eyes all blotchy, her nose starting to turn red from the overload of emotions swarming in her.

"I've been sorry before," she began, taking a long sniffle before continuing, "but I was a fool & more. I wish I had been braver & lesser of an idjit. I never meant to hurt you as bad as I did, but I know very willingly it was more than just hurt. I donno what y'think of me, but one of those gifts is a major make up gift for what I said." She took a deep breath before speaking, finding strength to speak her mind, especially without worries of either one attempting jinxes & yelling.

"Tulo's words kinda made me realize what I did t'ye. That...and seeing you cry. Broke m'heart as I never have made you cry like that before. So, what I'm tryin' t'say is I'm more sorry than what y'may or may not know." Biting her bottom lip, Addie's eyes began filling with tears once again. Hopefully, Fauna would believe in her once again as Addie couldn't bear the thought of losing Fauna forever.

Fauna was sitting quietly, watching Addie, when suddenly, her housemate leaped up and tackle-glomped her!

"Oof!" Fauna nearly fell off the couch, and managed somehow to pat Addie's back in return.

"It's okay!" She exclaimed, wanting to reassure her when she saw her friend's eyes fill with tears. Fauna swallowed, trying not to join in with the crying, because Merlin knew she'd cried way too much already this month.

"Really. It's-" But Addie went on, explaining that she felt horrible and that she was sorry, and that she had gifts to make up for it.

Fauna saw Addie's eyes fill with tears again and was silent for a moment, trying to check her emotions enough so she could talk to her. "You didn't have to get me anything," she said, reaching out to rub her arm reassuringly. "It's sweet that you did! I mean... what I mean is that, I'm sorry too."

She took a deep breath. "I get why you did it. Why you lied. And yeah, it hurt. And it might still... hurt a little. But... you were in a bad spot. So it's not really you I should be mad at, you know?"

Fauna didn't tell her she was still very angry at their father. That went without saying, for the moment. "But I mean, I shouldn't have yelled at you or told you I didn't care, or shoved you." Listing her actions made her wince, but it was true. "Er, so I'm sorry. I felt trapped. Shocked." Betrayed.

She ran out of words then, and just looked at her, hoping she'd understand.

The sorries were quite meaningful as the two seemed on the verge of tears & loss of words in saying what their hearts meant for to be said. "I know gifts don' necessarily fix th' damage tha's been done, but as I see it, they do show that they have some meaning an' bearin' in showin' tha' y'sorry, rite?" Addie commented, smiling brightly as she bounced all over again in the seat, eagerly anticipating when Fauna would open her gifts.

"I gotcha that dark chocolate mound tha's got either orange, raspberry, or wassit mint?" she blurted, trying to remember as her own tastes were quite similiar. As if they weren't already twin like as it were, Addie thought, giggling all for but a moment. "And th' hat? I'm sure tha' you'll luuub it!" It felt being silly, but the grief knowing their father was an arse still remained.

The smile faded thinking such things. "Just so y'know? I wish I had told ye about our da last year, but I can't apologise for him; he's got that hippogriff to fry on his own 'cause he owes you, Mor, yer mum, & granmum more than 'it'll be okay's' & financial support. I just hope y'mum & granmum will like me 'cause I've always loved y'fam from day one."

She paused a moment before hugging Fauna pretty much as she used to when one or the other was going thru a rough patch. "As y'always have said, Faun, thru all kinds of weather, we always stick together! Istanbul an' all, right?" Addie mumbled, squeezing Fauna tightly. Perhaps now, the two could find some rest of mind at last.

Fauna carefully unwrapped the presents, not wanting to rip the animated wrapping paper, because it was so fun and creative. She grinned at the monkey hat, immediately plopped it on her head, and stared at the chocolates in surprise for a moment. There were so many! Fauna would definitely be sharing them with the rest of the dorm, for the sake of her own bum.

"I love it! Thank you," she exclaimed, expression sobering slightly when Addie brought up their da. She accepted her hug with a smile, nodding at her comment of sticking together.

"Right. I mean, we'll always be friends," Fauna bit her lip. "I can't say... the same about... Malcolm, but... I'm not going to let it affect us."

Her expression brightened and she looked her in the eye. "My mum and everyone would adore you. I, uh... haven't really told them about anything yet," Fauna admitted. She'd conveniently left out that part in her recent letters home. "I don't really know how much they know?" She couldn't bear the possibility that they had kept secrets from her too. "But... I'll talk to them soon," Fauna added, without much conviction.

The quiet heart-to-heart was interrupted by a soft mewing noise that preceded a small grey cat slinking into the common room from the staircase that led to the first-year boys' dormitory. She gave the room a cursory glance, then hopped up onto the nearest sofa and padded across it as if testing it for comfort.

A moment later, a pajama-clad first-year appeared at the foot of the stairs. 'Vesper,' he chided, seeing his furry familiar had made a beeline for the furniture. He went over to prise her away from the sofa before she could scratch it, shooting an apologetic look towards Addie and Fauna as he did so, completely obvious that they had been deep in conversation. He was vaguely aware that there had been some drama between the two of them recently, but he didn't know much of the ins and outs of it, not being one to pay particular attention to gossip. At any rate, if they'd had a tiff, they seemed to be on friendly terms again now. Scooping Vesper up in his arms, he turned to properly face the seventh-year girls, his attention drawn by the monkey hat Fauna was sporting.

'Hi you two!' he greeted them, waving with as much of his hand as he could spare while holding Vesper. Vesper, meanwhile, wriggled around to indicate her opinion that if Pax was going to deny her the sofa, the least he could do was scratch her tummy. Pax sat down and let her sprawl out on his lap so he could oblige. 'I like your hat, Fauna,' he grinned. 'I don't think I've seen that one before, is it new?'