Home at last.

Chase slowly set her bags down on the ground by her feet and stared at the door to the apartment she had shared with Calvin. The paint was peeling, and the number hanging on the door was slightly crooked. Reaching out, Chase carefully moved the numbers so they were hanging correctly and then dug into her pocket for her keys. Placing the key in the lock, Chase slowly turned it, and then pushed the door open with her right hand. It was stuffy inside, and things looked to be in disarray, pictures hung crooked on the walls, the carpet was coated with a layer of dust, and at the end of the hallway, a slant of dusty light could be seen crossing what looked like blood on the floor.

Chase reached down with both hands, grabbed her suitcases, and took a tentative step forward into the apartment. The smell of decay and mold washed over her and Chase nearly gagged. Walking more into the abandoned apartment Chase set her bags down in the entryway and went into the kitchen. Old bananas lay in a bowl on the counter, which was covered in dust, the fridge still hummed with power, but she knew the moment it was opened she would find mold and worse inside of it. The cupboards were pulled open and most of the boxes had been chewed open by mice that had made their homes in the dirty interior of what used to be her home.

Glancing over the counter, Chase saw the couch was overturned, blood spatters were visible on it and a large blood stain was on the floor in front of it. Chase stepped around the counter and looked towards the bedroom doors. One was open only a little bit, and a light came from inside that room, the other one was closed shut, and a stain covered the carpet in front of the door and disappeared under it.

With a soft sigh, Chase pulled her wand from her pocket and looked around the room. With a grand sweep of her arm things started to right themselves. Dust lifted off the floor and counters and vanished, the couch turned upright and the blood stains disappeared, the moldy food and decaying boxes vanished and a smell of lavender permeated the air.

Chase slowly made her way to the couch and sat down, flicking her wand in the direction of the front door, she heard the soft snap of it as it closed, and there was a small moment where the smell of fresh paint overshadowed the lavender, before that too disappeared and everything smelt fresh and lively again. With another flick of her wand, the window opened and the sounds of the city outside rumbled into the room, helping Chase ward off the feeling of loneliness that threatened to engulf her.

Looking around the room for a long moment, Chase finally sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands.

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that is all))

News traveled like magic in these parts. Jack was at work in Weasleys when someone mentioned they had spotted Chase Moor at King's Cross Station- who would have thought?] Jack tore off her work robes and threw them on Gary who happened to be unlucky enough to be walking by with a customer, leading them to the back room with all of the defensive products. “Oi!” he said, struggling with the robes. Kirsty burst into laughter but when Jack turned to her, she silenced herself. “Jack?”

“I have to go.”

“G-go? It’s busy, we-”

“I am the boss, and I have to go. Tell Andy he is locking up tonight.” Jack tossed Kirsty her apron and Kirsty caught it, looking confused. Jack ran off, pushing through the crowd in her own shop, squeezing between Hogwarts students and nervous parents all talking in loud voices about their potential purchases. They were all so involved and worried about spending a galleon. They did not realize that things that reached beyond their petty concerns were happening all around them.

Chase Moor was back in town.

The second her feet hit the street outside of her store, she turned on her heels, whipping around. Immediately, the outside of Chase’s apartment complex materialized before her very eyes. She took a step forward and then stopped herself- Chase had just come into town. Jack knew that she was a very spontaneous, spur of the moment person, but Chase was not necessarily so. Chase was a mother, was in legitimate relationship, ran a household. She had responsibilities and obligations.

That would have stopped her, but responsibilities had never stopped Jack before, not even the responsibilities of others, and she would be damned if she would let them start to now! Chase would surely need to see from Jack. Jack did not know that they were still necessarily friends. What with Vito and Katie and… a lot had happened between the two. But Jack had deemed herself Chase’s protector, and she would be severely flawed if she did not go to her now.

Jack ran up to the door and knocked frantically. She was panting slightly, her adrenaline having worked itself up. She brushed her hair back and realized she had forgotten to bring all the mail she had been in charge of collecting. She knocked again. And again. Chase had to have gotten here by now, surely.

Chase slowly allowed herself to stand up and find her bags which she had set in the front hall. Gripping her wand tighter, she flicked it at the bedroom doors and they sprang open, revealing their interiors, one of which was still decorated like a young girls bedroom, a dragon was painted on a wall, one that moved and blew beautifully decorated fire across the walls, as it stomped around, looking fearsome and beautiful at the same time. Chase did not spare that room a glance though, she merely wanted to air it out some, having been locked up all this time.

Passing the door to the nursery, Chase went into her bedroom, one she had shared with Calvin for quite some time before.. well her life had gone to pieces, an incident which had driven her out of town for nearly seven months, while she tried to get her head back in place, and an incident that had sent her beloved Calvin into the psychiatric ward of St. Mungos.

Without much of a glance around the room, Chase set her bags on the bed and opened the first one. Inside were her clothes, and without much a bother to look at them, she flicked her wand and sent it all off to hang itself up in her closet. While it did this however, Chase opened the second suitcase. Inside of this suitcase, objects filled the space. It was bigger inside than it should have been, and seemed to have a lot of rather large objects. The whole of it was filled with knick knacks and travel ornaments from her months abroad, things she knew could be used to help bring cheer back to the place and interest Calvin when she went to visit him later.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Chase nearly jumped out of her skin. Who in the world would be knocking so frantically on an apartment which had been shut up and decaying for month after month. Chase gripped her wand, and on silent feet, made her way to the front door. Slowly, she leaned forward and put her eye up to the peep hole and looked outside.

Jack Dyllan was standing on her doorstep.

Without a further moment of hesitation, Chase flung the door open and stood staring at her best friend, a friend she had fought with many times, a friend who had saved her life on multiple occasions, and a friend who she trusted dearly. Jack Dyllan had arrived on her doorstep..

"Jack.." Chase breathed, barely able to get out even that word, as she stood rooted to the spot, shock and amazement flowing through her at the sight of her best friend, there in the flesh, after so many months. Chase's jaw was hanging open, and she couldn't say anything else, but wait for Jack's response.

Jack rocked on her heels, certain that she misjudged her place to come here- once again. She always seemed to arrive when people had moved, always seemed to act when they had turned the chapter that had included her, on to a new era that had nothing to do with her, no room to include her. She always called on people at the wrong time. What sort of prankster had a bad sense of timing? She should have alerted Chase ahead of time, she should have left her to live her life without the burden of a friend who would accidentally cause so much trouble.

She turned to go. Perhaps this was good, too. Jack had hoped their reunion would be aided by the fact that Jack had thought to collect Chase’s mail… for seven months. She had even stayed vaguely in contact with Chase’s psychotic, over-involved aunt who was asking weekly if she had heard from Chase. Jack had done what she knew Chase would have wanted her to do- lied and said she had heard from Chase and that Chase was doing well.

Next time, she would arrive and have all that mail. Chase would have had time to settle, to sleep in her own bed. She might even have the time to get to Calvin and move him back in, make sure they were okay, start putting things back into an order so that she felt complete, felt back to normal, felt comfortable. Forcing her presence on her the second she came back from her vacation was not right. It was not fair.

But, the second she took a step away, she heard the door creak open, and she was forced to wheel around on her heels, turning with tight militaristic precision. Her hair had grown from the shaved, spiky style Chase had seen when she left and grown to become the fluffy tangled lion-like mane that it had used to be. However, it framed an older, more feminine face. One that had its own scars and had seen plenty, but one that still knew how to fake a smile.

Chase said her name and Jack blinked, rocking back and taking a step back, still caught off guard by the fact that Chase had actually answered the door. She looked at Chase, taking in the unfamiliar sight of her friend. She looked older too- incredibly worn and almost haunted. The scars had faded, but she still saw them, maybe because she knew where to look. Jack did not find her reaction to be her first instinct, but she knew what Chase would want. She stepped forward and hugged Chase Moor.

Chase was momentarily caught off guard by the sight of her friend, and suddenly, arms were around her. Chase's back went stiff, and she stood there, letting herself be hugged by her friend, before slowly she melted and hugged her back. She knew that Jack did not hug anyone.. Jack was to strong for that, and Jack was only hugging her because that's what Chase would have wanted her to do. Had Chase been the same she had been when she had left.

Chase slowly stepped back and looked at Jack, taking in the lion mane of her hair, and the older face of a friend long since past puberty and Hogwarts. Chase knew that she, herself, looked much older as well. From the vibrant, youthful face she had once had, to a more leaner, shocking face. She seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight, and had new scars to couple the old ones. The old ones were there faint, but the new ones stood out more plainly, but these were not man made. Claws, and bites, scratches and pokes, she had obviously been spending a lot of time around creatures that did not like her attentions.

Chase's hair had grown longer, and now hung almost down to her butt, ragged and wild, unlike it's normal crisp appearance, and her eyes seemed somewhat sunken, dark circles beneath them from to little sleep and improper nutrition. Chase knew she looked a mess, but there was little she could do about it now, but look at Jack, and allow the first true smile to grace her lips since she had left seven months ago.

Chase looked her friend up and down for a moment, before she slowly stood back, and gestured towards the inside of her apartment. She didn't know what else to say, she was at a loss for words, and even more at a loss for thought, the only thing that kept running through her mind was that Jack was there.. her friend, her protector, her savior, Jack Dyllan. "C-Come inside Jack.." Chase said, her voice sounding hoarse from not having used it in a long period of time. "I was just cleaning up.." Chase cleared her throat and waited for Jack to step inside the light apartment, which looked as though nothing horrible could have ever taken place here.

It had seemed Jack had been thrown for a loop more and more often, and she had found herself surprised on more than one occasion. Jack was still getting used to the emotion, and it always felt weird and foreign in her being and her mind, the idea of feeling caught off guard and surprised. Shocked. Fortunately, in this case, her surprise had been incredibly brief. It was Chase who had been caught off guard, this time, because Jack had acted like Chase.

And Chase responded the way Jack would have- the way Jack had responded in experiences prior in which Chase had embraced her when Jack had not been expecting it. She stood stock straight between Jack’s awkward arms, uncertainly wrapped around the redhead, her hands brushing a tangled mess of hair that had grown tenfold during the absence. Slowly, mechanically, Chase seemed to respond and reacted, hugging Jack right back.

After a moment, Jack pulled away, holding Chase at an arm’s length to peer into Chase’s face, take note of every new change, find the familiar that made it more and more ever-clear: this really was Chastity Moor, Jack’s only friend left from Hogwarts. The only other friends she had managed to get during Hogwarts were Andrew and Ariel. Who knew what had happened to Andrew and Ariel… Well, the logical explanation was that he had moved on.

Jack finally released Chase and Chase seemed to flounder for a moment, really obviously uncertain about what she had to do. She invited her in, and Jack stepped in, closing the door behind her. She stepped inside and looked around- nothing in the apartment implied that there had ever been any sort of trouble here. It was the picture of a perfect life and an even more perfect family- minus the family. Jack grinned at Chase. “You sit down.” She went into the kitchen and instructed some food to begin preparing itself. She turned to look at Chase. “So… Seven months. What’s happened?”

Chase wasn't sure what to do anymore. Jack came in, closed the door and walked inside, leaving Chase feeling for the first time confused and overall awkward. Chase walked after Jack, feeling uncertain and heavy inside of her own home, while Jack started to talk, and waved her wand to make food. "Seven Months on the road..." She said slowly, as she sat down on a bar stool at the counter. Chase watched Jack with mild interest, a small shadow of a smile still on her face. "I erm.. went a lot of places.. met a lot of fascinating people.. did some fascinating things.. but it could never beat home.." She said softly shaking her head. "I missed my husband.. my home.. and when I deemed myself able.. I came home.." She said taking very short breaths and not looking directly at Jack as she spoke.

Chase carefully leaned forward and rested her elbows on the counter, knowing it looked fresh and scrubbed when only a few minutes ago it had been covered in a layer of dust and mold. Chase's eyes slowly drifted to the door that stood open, and the dragon could be seen flying along the wall, blowing fire all the way. Chase let her eyes wander back to Jack and she smiles just slightly again. "I helped magical creatures of all kinds Jack... kinds that our Ministry don't even classify.. kinds that only appear in certain areas of the world.. sometimes even only certain forests, and no where else.." Chase looked at her and then frowned and looked at her hands.

"I'm sorry I left so suddenly.." She said, her voice softer this time, her eyes glaring at her own hands, which she had clasped on the table. "It has been a while Jack.. how did you know I was here?" She looked up slowly, her eyes searching for Jack's, haunted, tired eyes, searching for a bright spot in a life that hadn't been all that bright.

Jack waited to see that the food was preparing itself- Jack had never been good with domestic spells, but living on her own had forced her to learn a few tips. Otherwise, she would have surely starved to death and would have been covered in layers of dust and grime and then would have been devoured by her starved pets. No, it would not be a gourmet meal, but it would be macaroni and cheese, something easy on a tired body and comforting to an exhausted soul. Once she was sure that was getting on well enough, she put on a teapot to make Chase some tea. She turned and leaned against the counter and watched her friend with eyes trained to notice any signs of trouble.

Chase explained what had happened. Jack had sort of been hoping for specifics- locations, how had her health and mind been, how was she after the whole... situation. Jack knew that it was a sensitive thing to bring up, and that was why she had hoped that she would not have to put it into plain language- that Chase might be able to just supply the information that she surely must have known Jack would want to know. It seemed like all she had done had been everything that Jack had been up to in Chase's absence. However, add the Vito-drama. She was sure there had been more to the story, specifics, but it seemed Chase wanted to keep some things reflected inwards, which Jack could understand. She had felt the same plenty of times and she still had untold secrets. It was just a tad frustrating.

Chase divulged to Jack that she had dealt with incredibly rare creatures, which usually would have excited the Head of the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures a great deal, but when her friend had returned after a mysteriously long absence, Jack had more pressing concerns pushing on her tangled, overworked mind. Still, she pushed a look of interest and said, "Yeah? I'd love to get those names and locations to add to our research." She smiled. Chase asked how she had known and Jack said, "Word travels. One of my employees at Weasley's knew you vaguely from school and said he saw you at King's Cross. I guessed you would go home immediately."

Chase watched as the food prepared itself, her eyes following it's progress with her eyes carefully. She knew that what she was saying was incredibly vague, that Jack was probably in a turmoil trying to figure out if she was alright. Chase had kind of just.. left.. unable to stay any longer. Calvin had been sent to a mental ward, Chase had run away, leaving only a small note to Jack, explaining that she was going away, she didn't know how long, and she might be back.. but she didn't know when or if she would at all.

Chase smiled when Jack expressed interest in the creatures. "I have them all written down already actually.." She said and stood up carefully, looking slightly stiff, like she had been on the move to much, she even walked with a slight limp. Disappearing into her room, Chase came back with a large picture album from the trunk that contained all of her trinkets. "I made this while I was gone.. thought it would be fun to look at.." She said, limping over to the counter and setting it down so it faced Jack.

The front of the album had Chase standing with two dark haired women, a snake as thick as a man's thigh, and as tall as a tree was wrapped around the three women, but Chase was smiling like a beacon, her hair falling lightly across the scaly head of the snake, which she held in her hand, it's tongue visible as it licked at her face, smelling the air. Chase smiled at the picture and pushed it towards Jack.

The rest of the album had little written accounts in Chase's loopy handwriting, and picture after picture of her with creatures that were beyond imagining. Her sitting in front of a fallen tree, with a fairy that looked straight out of a fairy tale, almost like tinkerbell, except the little horns that grew on it's head, and the wings looked a bit more solid than the fairy out of Peter Pan. Pictures of Dragons, slumbering in a cave, with Chase standing at the mouth of the cave, picking up a scale that had been shed by the beast, slipping it into her satchel, and turning to smile at the camera. Behind her, the Dragon's head had risen an inch, one of it's cat like eyes open. Chase looked at Jack and then back at the book, her eyes watering slightly, so she had to turn away.