Dorm Room 4 Girls...best in the wizarding world!

[Katalina Harker]

"Mattyson Andromeda Harker! So help me Merlin if you do not get down here and park that broom this instant I will come up there and get you and there will be severe consequences young lady," Katalina yelled, very red faced and flustered. In her mind she realized just how much like her mother she sounded, a thought which made her shudder and chuckle all at the same time. As she stood there with arms crossed and foot tapping the brunette watched as a very miniature look alike cackled while lowering the children's broom she was riding. The tiny five year old crossed over to her and looked up at her with those emerald green eyes she got from her daddy, which almost broke Kat every time because she remembered a time when those same eyes could melt her heart with just one look. Luckily, she didn't break quite as easily anymore. "Yes, momma?" The former Gryffindor cocked her brow at Matty and held out her hand. "Give it back. And cut the crap because I know you have it," she said with a warning in her tone. Sheepishly the small girl reached around in her back pocket and produced a wand. "I wasn't gonna use it, momma. I was just gonna play pretend with it. Be just like you!" "And just like you she is," the young mother heard from behind her. "Alright kid, you're off the hook this time, but you know better than to play with my wand. We don't want a repeat of what happened last year," she said scooping her little one up and spinning her around. Matty was giggling and that was always sweet music to Katalina Harker's ears. She settled her daughter back on the ground before turning to her husband who was leaned against the doorframe with his cocky Slytherin smile stretched across his face. The brunette glared at him before sticking her tongue out. "You, Mr. Harker, are just a cauldron full of laughs today, aren't you? She's not lways just like me..." Chace cut her off before she could finish. "Kat, that kid is basically your clone. If it weren't for those devilishly good looking green eyes of hers then I'd swear she wasn't mine," he said with a smirk before kissing his love on the nose lightly. Katalina laughed as she playfully nudged her husband in the ribs. She caught sight of the time and sighed heavily. "I'm going to go now before it gets much later. I'd like to spend as much time there as I can since I missed going last year. I'll be back before dinner with our parents tonight, I promise!" The young man enveloped his bride in his arms. He knew this was always hard on her, but he also understood it was something that she needed to do and that she needed to do alone. "Take all the time you need. We'll be here when you get back. Tell her I said hello and that we all miss her. Maybe eventually you can take Mattyson to meet her." The lioness kissed her husband and daughter goodbye. She grabbed the amber colored bouquet of roses she'd had and apparated with a loud 'pop'.


She appeared just outside the gate. No amount of Gryffindor courage, past or present, was ever enough to prepare her for this each year. She'd missed coming last year because life just got too busy and she'd felt rotten about it ever since. Katalina made a vow that no matter how hectic life got she'd always make time to visit her. It was hard to believe that it had been eleven years. Pushing through the gate she wound her way down the path until she found the small piece of stone she was looking for. The brunette placed the roses down on the ground next to the stone and then sat cross legged in front of it. "Hey Andy! Sweet Merlin do I have a lot to catch you up on," she said as tears rolled from her blue eyes down her pinkened cheeks. "Chace sends his love. Said to tell you that we all miss you. Because...well we all do." Kat had been coming to this cemetery every year for the last eleven years, with the exception of last year of course. For some reason it made her feel better to be able to sit for a while and talk to her best friend again. She remembered a time when they'd made a pact that no matter where they were in this life (or the next one) they'd always be best friends. So year after year Katalina came to visit her friend. She would catch her up on things going on in her life and her family's life. She knew that there had been one time that Serena had brought Schuyler here to visit her godmother. It was the closest that her niece would ever get to knowing her...or her father for that matter since Harrison had fallen off the face of the planet after Andy's death. It occurred to Kat that her best friend hadn't gotten to be there for her wedding or the birth of her daughter and that there were so many other memories to be made that the redhead would never get to be in on and that broke the young brunettes heart more than anything. Reaching in her jacket pocket she pulled out the most recent photo of Matty. "She's five now. Can you believe it? Five. It doesn't even seem possible that she's that old now. And let me tell you, she's every bit of a handful. Not sure where she gets that from. Do you," she laughed as she ran her hand across her face to dry it. Even though Katalina knew that Andy couldn't answer her she always felt closest to her here. "Have you seen Kiera or Cyndi recently? We send owls occasionally. Just to say hello and things of that sort, but life has just been so busy for all of us. Some how the three of us all grew up and you...you get to stay exactly the same. Never changing, Andy. You're just gone. And sometimes I'm mad as hell at you for that."

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera held Jemma's hand with one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other as she apparated to Cameron and Cyndi's house. She tousled the little girl's redish brown hair. It was quiet these days around the house with the twins off at school. Most days it was just Jemma and Kiera, not that Jemma wasn't a handful on her own. Kiera suspected that Jemma would be the wildest of all of her children. Maybe it was because Jemma didn't have a strong male role model in her life. She had hoped that Carter would have been that for Jemma, and Link and Lyra as well. She shook her head, pulling Jemma up the drive and knocking firmly on the door. Cameron opened it, smiling at his sister. He might be the Minister for Magic, but he had rearranged his schedule for his wife and his sister. He knew that this day was an important one for them, and they needed this time to themselves without the children in tow. Kiera didn't have anyone else to watch Jemma and was thankful for the support of her brother and sister-in-law. She would have never made it through the last five years without them. She grinned as she saw her nephews running around in the living room. "Mummy! Can I go play now?" Jemma demanded. "Yes, alright but behave yourself for Uncle Cam. He has enough to do without worrying about you too." Kiera said, tweaking her daughter on the nose. Jemma made an impatient noise of annoyance at her mother before darting through the doorway. "Thanks for watching her, Cam. I owe you." the brunette said, nodding at Cyndi as she stepped through the doorway. "Happy to do it, Kiera. I will see you two for dinner, yeah?" Cameron said, kissing his wife on the cheek. He tried to make it to at least one family dinner a week and that was today. Kiera nodded her head and smiled before apparating away.

With a pop, Kiera arrived at the graveyard, still holding the flowers in her hand. They were for Andromeda. She knew Cyndi would be right behind her. They had agreed to do this together, as they did most years. The brunette walked towards the direction of Andy's grave. She hadn't been here in a year, and so many things had changed since then. Last year, all of the children had come with her as she hadn't had anyone to watch them. She had explained to them about her friend, and the fun times that they had at school. She hadn't told them about the darkness that had crept into Andromeda as she aged, not wanting to remember her friend like that. She hadn't been that way. Not really. As she approached the grave, she saw someone was already there. Kiera recognized the voice before she saw the face. Katalina. "She knows you well enough to know that, Kat." Kiera said, catching the last bit of the younger woman's speech. "Sorry to eavesdrop, but it sure is good to see you." Kiera said, throwing her arms around the other girl in an embrace. She didn't see or speak to Kat as much as she would have like to, but it was hard being a single mom to three children. It didn't mean she didn't care for Kat or her family because she always would.
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[Katalina Harker]

She didn't startle at the sound of a familiar voice. Her heart became full and an overwhelming peace came over her. She didn't even have to look to know who it was. She stood and beamed at her old friend. "I suppose she does know me well enough. You too," she said as she embraced Kiera tightly. Kat tried to remember the last time she'd seen her. She'd still been pregnant with Mattyson. The young brunette had seen Cyndi once since then, just after her daughter had been born, but other than a few letters every couple of months she didn't hear much from either of her former roommates. It was difficult with her little family being in England and everyone else being here in New Zealand. She made a mental note that she would do better at keeping in touch. "Andy always tried to be the glue that kept everyone together. Bet she didn't know that even now, like this, she'd still be trying to keep us all together," Kat stated solemnly as she looked back to her friends grave. The first year or two after Andromeda's death, the three remaining girls would come together to visit her grave. As the years went on Kat began coming on her own once a year. And now, eleven years later and here stood two of the three. "Cyndi coming today?" She was genuinely hoping that the three of them could be here. Together. Somehow, if that happened, Katalina felt as if then it would almost feel like the entire group was together again. Being here, at Andy's resting place, there would be some sort of completeness.

Looking at Kiera, she noticed that her friend was tired. Who wouldn't be? Widowed, with a set of twins and another child. Raising three children on her own. Kat didn't know how she managed. "The twins started school this term, didn't they? And how is little Jemma? She's close to the same age as Mattyson, right?" Hearing her questions out loud broke her own heart. How had she let herself get so distant from the people she once loved and cherished more than anything?

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Shooing her sons and their enchanted dragons out of her bedroom, Cyndi tried her best to finish getting herself ready. As she stared into the mirror, the woman couldn't help but notice her age today. She didn't have many gray hairs (and those she did she quickly vanished), but she was feeling all of her thirty-four years today. It happened every year on this day, her mortality slapping her in the face as she got ready to visit one of her dearest friends. It was the hug from behind, her husband's arms wrapping themselves around her waist that brought her back from her morbid thoughts. Cyndi stared at their reflection in the mirror, her eyes locking with the reflection of her husband before she let herself smile. Turning, the woman buried her face in his arms. She didn't need to say a word. Cam knew how difficult this day was for her and Kiera. With a sigh, Cyndi pulled back, giving her husband a kiss before she finished getting dressed. She headed downstairs, stopping to give Jemma a quick peck as she ran past to join the boys. Cyndi hoped Cam was ready for the craziness that would ensue.

Keira had already gone ahead, and Cyndi was just about to apparate when she realized that she had nearly forgotten the flowers that she'd purchased the night before. With a start, Cyndi rushed back into the house to grab the flowers. Jacob was holding them in his hand, but he quickly held them out to his mother when he saw her. "Here you go mummy" he stated innocently. Cyndi narrowed her eyes at him. She knew better. A minute later and the flowers would have been destroyed, no doubt part of some game. "Thank you, Jakey" she called out as he dashed off. With a wave, Cyndi left the home once more and apparated away. She landed with a loud crack in the graveyard. Even though she was changing, it always appeared the same to her. The woman patted her pocket as she walked, feeling for the tissues she had thrown in there. As she moved closer to the grave, Cyndi was surprised to see that it wasn't just Keira there waiting for her. Cyndi's heart leapt, her throat catching as she instantly knew who it was. Even from this far, she was able to catch the end of the sentence.

"Here I am" she stated as she crossed the gap and dropped to her knees and enveloped her friend in a hug. It had been far, far too long since she'd last seen Kat and even longer since they'd all been together. "Leave it to Andy to make sure we ended up here at the same time" she added with a chuckle, the tears so far staying at bay. "We would've been here later but tonight's the night that Cam is free for dinner so we decided to come early this year" Cyndi explained. The Gryffindor let go of her friend and settled onto the grass, her legs crossed and the flowers in her lap.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera smiled at Cyndi as she answered Kat's question. She knew the last dorm room four girl hadn't been far behind her. She felt so glad that the four of them could be here together because she knew Andy was here with them even if they couldn't see her. The former Gryffindor dropped down to her knees and places the bouquet of flowers on the grave stone. Andromeda would be young forever. The brunette quickly brushed away a tear as she stood back up. Kiera nodded her head to Katalina's question. "Yes, they are. Link and Lyra both ended up in Gryffindor. Bless your heart, by the way, Cyndi. I know you will have your hands full with them alone. I don't know how you run that house." the woman said to her sister-in-law. She had heard that Link and Lyra had both already lost the house points. Surely, they would grow out of that. She hoped they would grow out of that. "Jemma is wild. She's stubborn, fearless, and as sassy as you ever were, Kat." she said with a laugh. "She's giving me a new grey hair every day. She turned five a few months ago, so they are about the same age." she said with a laugh. She really should arrange a playdate for Matty and Jemma.

"I just dropped her off with Cameron. Merlin, I hope he can handle those boys and Jemma." she said, laughing and shaking her head. She saw Cyndi on a regular basis, but Kat was a different story. It made her sad not to know what was going on in her everyday life. "How's Chance?" she asked, hoping Kat was as happy in her marriage as she had once been.
​

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat's heart swelled with joy as Cyndi embraced her tightly. She hugged her old friend back, feeling nothing, but love and nostalgia. She grinned and said, "She always was one to get things done her own way on her own terms. And for once, I'm glad she has." The former Gryffindor looked from Cyndi to Kiera and then to the head stone with Andromeda's name on it. "Are you happy now, you stubborn little ginger? We're all here. Together. Just like we used to be," she said, her voice breaking at the last. A few deep breaths in and out and she regained her composure.

Hearing Kiera's words she smirked and replied, "There was never an ounce of sass from me. Ever. And how dare you even imply such a thing!" Katalina thought that she needed to get Mattyson together with the children of her friends. That way her daughter could know the people whom Kat had spent the majority of her teenage life with. "He's doing wonderful. Feeling sorely outnumbered in that house of ours most days, but still wonderful. Mattyson has her daddy wrapped tighter around her little finger than I ever dared think possible," she stated in response to how her husband was doing. Katalina hope she didn't sound insensitive saying things like that. She couldn't imagine her life without Chace, the way Kiera was living without James and she hoped she'd never have to. "How is Cameron doing? He was up to watching all of the little ones this evening? What a man," Kat said in admiration for Kiera's brother and Cyndi's husband.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi's gaze was on the grave before her, her fingers running through the dirt as she listened to Kiera and Kat catch up on things. Glancing back up, the Gryffindor Head of House shook her head. "You two have no idea. The school is going insane this year. I swear I haven't seen things this crazy since the year of the prank war. Do you remember that?" she asked, shaking her head and hoping that things wouldn't get that crazy.

"Well, you know, we didn't give him much of a choice in the matter" Cyndi chuckled, giving her sister-in-law a glance. Cameron was usually really good with the children, so barring them all ganging up on him, which was entirely possible, she was confident that the house would be in one piece when they returned. "I think he'll be ready to go back to running the country after tonight though. It'll probably be a loooong time before we get him to watch the kids again" she smirked, knowing that Andy would have loved their children if she'd had the opportunity to meet them. "Maybe we can get Chace to watch the children next time...or Carter" she added with a sly smile. Cyndi usually exchanged owls with Kat once or twice a year, but it was never enough to let her know what was going on in her life as she had when they'd lived together.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera squeezed Kat's hand as she got teary-eyed. This day was hard on each of them, but probably the most difficult on Katalina. Andy had been the closest to her even though they all shared an unbreakable friendship that not even death could change. Kiera smiled at the gravestone, imagining her friend standing there instead of the cold stone.

"Oh yes. I certainly remember." Kiera said, laughing. She had always loved to hear Cyndi's stories about the little cubs and even more so now that Cyndi could help Kiera keep tabs on her twins. She rolled her eyes at Kat as she denied having the sass gene. The brunette was glad to hear that things were going so well with Chance and Mattyson. She wanted her friends to be happy. They all deserved happiness.

Kiera shook her head at Cyndi. "I don't know that Carter's ready for that yet. It would be like feeding him to the wolves! I think he's still adjusting to having full time children since he moved in." she said. It had only been a few weeks since they got married, and most people didn't know it. In fact, Kat didn't know it. "I may have acquired a new last name since we last spoke, Kat." she admitted sheepishly, knowing that Kat would probably give her hell for not telling her about it. Cyndi knew, but Kiera spoke to Cyndi on a much more regular basis. Not to mention her father had spilled the beans before they even got back from eloping.
​

 

[Katalina Harker]

"So what I'm hearing is that we were all practically angels. Is that correct," Kat asked with a semi-straight face before snorting slightly. She knew good and well that there was nothing angelic about being a teenager. Especially not one learning to harness their magical abilities. Hormones and a wand were a very dangerous combination. The good thing was that out of all of them Cyndi had the most patience to deal with anything that the little lions were able to throw her way. Not to mention any of the other houses.

She chuckled as she heard Cyndi joke about Cameron being ready to run the country after having to deal with all of the kids at once, but something else perked her ears and caught her interest. She was just about to ask what was going on when Kiera mentioned that she had a new last name now. There were very few moments that the brunette was rendered speechless, but it took Katalina a moment to find the words she was looking for. She could remember a time, many years ago, when her friend had broken similar news to her in a very similar manner only then they'd been sitting in their dorm room. "You got married? Again? You got married and I haven't heard a peep about it? Again," she started, just shaking her head. "KIERA KINGSLEY!!" No matter that they were married, she still thought of them as Kingsley and Weasley and probably always would. "You sly little lioness. And just who is the lucky man?"

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera grinned at Katalina's reaction to her news as she had expected and predicted almost this exact reaction. It almost mirrored the reaction Kat had given her fifteen years ago in Dorm Room 4 when she had sprung the news of her secret marriage to James Potter on one of her very best friends. The brunette was pleased to see that no matter how infrequently they got together there were somethings that would never change. "I did. We eloped two weeks ago." she said with a sly smile to her friend. It had been Carter's idea, and she hadn't had time to warn anyone before it actually happened. Kiera laughed and shook her head. "Trying to keep it out of the Daily Prophet for now." she explained. She knew it shouldn't be that surprising that Kiera would do something like this. She had a track record with secret marriages.

"His name is Carter Kaster. Surely, I told you about him?" Kiera asked. Could she really have failed to mention Carter in her letters? It was possible that she hadn't. She only exchanged a letter with Kat once or twice a year, and she certainly hadn't seen the younger girl in years, a thought that made her a little sad. "Anyways, he ran against Cameron for Minister, and that's about the time we met." she said, briefly touching on a sensitive subject. Kiera glanced at Cyndi. Cameron had not taken the news that she was dating his competition well at the time. "He's wonderful, really he is. Romantic and kind and smart and stubborn as a mule." she said with affection for her new husband. His stubbornness was her most favorite quality. "We are having a reception of sorts over the holidays. You, Chace, and Matty are invited of course." she said, hoping her friend would be able to make it.
​

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched Kat's face and could see just when she figured out what they were going on about. It almost made her forget that she was sitting at a gravesite, mourning another year of her best friend being gone. The eldest Lioness snorted, her hand going to her mouth as she pretended to hide her laugh for a second, the giggles taking over as she shouted at Kiera. Cyndi and Cam had found out from the eldest Kingsley. He'd let it slip while the pair were off eloping. Cyndi had wanted to be angry about it, but she completely understood Kiera wanting to keep some aspects of her life private. Now that Cameron was the Minister, her family was followed by press eager to get a snapshot of their lives. It was unnerving.

"They're so cute together, it's kind of disgusting" Cyndi kidded, poking her sister-in-law in the ribs with her elbow. "They're really adorable. Wait until you see them" she grinned. The height difference between the pair was massive, but it was adorable to watch them interact. Carter looked at Kiera as if he didn't notice the height difference at all. He worshiped her, and he got along smashingly with Cameron now that they weren't at odds. Cyndi was happy to consider him family. "You have to come. I haven't seen Matty and Chace in ages!" she replied. It was so rare for the three of them to meet up, and even more rare that they gathered their families together. They were long overdue for it.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Katalina embraced her dear friend tightly to congratulate her. She most certainly remembered what a time Kiera had had when she'd married James in secret all those years ago. The media was all over it and at times it had become quite disgusting to see how twisted things could get. She didn't blame Kiera and her new husband one bit for keeping a tight lip on things for the time being. She'd wondered how well Cameron had taken his sister dating and now marrying his competition as she'd remembered Marleigh mentioning how incredibly protective he was over his sisters. "Definitely understandable. I remember what a time you had with that horrible woman, what was her name? Cynthia...something. Is she still sticking her nose in places it doesn't belong," Katalina asked curiously before adding, "I am really thrilled for you Kiera. You deserve all the happiness in the world after all you've been through. And you of all people need someone stubborn to match that slightly pigheaded streak you have in you sometimes." The young brunette stuck her tongue out playfully at her friend.

She laughed at Cyndi's response of how disgustingly cute they were. "Well now I can remember a time when we all had that disgustingly cute and adorable part of our relationships. Though I certainly can't wait to see the two of them together," Kat chimed in cheerily. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm sure Chace would love to see both of you again since it's been ages and I can't wait for you both to see Mattyson and have her get to know my best friends." She choked up a bit at the last part and looked at the grave stone etched with Andy's name. "I suppose she's old enough now to get to know all of you the way I want her to." Katalina grabbed both of her friends hands and gave them a light squeeze. The former Gryffindor was so thankful that they were all here together again.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera grinned as Cyndi poked her and teased about how disgustingly cute Kiera and Carter were. The brunette made a face at her sister-in-law, all in good fun. She was blessed to have a wonderful family. Kiera, Carter, Cameron, and Cyndi were all very close, and frequently got together to do things, or at least when Cameron had the time. He was very busy these days. Kiera was blessed to have a wonderful, supportive family. She wished Kat and Chace lived closer so they could all get together more often. Kiera rolled her eyes at Kat's question. "How could I ever forget Cynthia Vandervoort? She was completely horrible to James and me. I haven't heard from her recently, but there are others like her. I imagine she's lurking in the shadows bidding her time." she said, shaking her head. She certainly wouldn't put it past the woman. She was an awful person.

"Pigheadedness? Me? Never!" Kiera said, acting shocked but knowing Kat was completely right. That was part of the reason that Carter and Kiera were so good together. "I'm so glad you are going to come! Carter has been wanting to meet you for ages." she said excitedly. She couldn't wait for Carter to meet one of her very best friends. After all, he had heard so much about her. As Kat grabbed her hand, Kiera took Cyndi's. She squeezed them both. "I wish she could be here with us like this. Celebrating the changes and achievements in our lives." she said, knowing that for all of them, Andy would always be a part of their lives. They would never forget her.
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[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi remained quiet as the conversation drifted to Cynthia Vandervoort. She had nothing good to say about the woman who had made Kiera's life miserable for years and years. It had been ages since Cyndi had seen her name in a byline, and she was gleeful rather that the woman had lost her relevance. "Or maybe they've transferred her somewhere dreadful like Alaska or something" the woman replied with a smirk. She hated the cold, and Alaska was the coldest place that pooped into her mind.

Nodding somberly, Cyndi glanced down at the simple headstone that marked their friend's grave. She reached a hand onto the headstone, her fingers touching the rough stone. Now, the link was complete. Andromeda wasn't physically part of their lives anymore, but she always had a part. In all of their moments, the good and the bad, Cyndi knew that Andromeda's presence was around. Cyndi depended on that thought anyway. "I do too" the woman replied quietly, taking a moment to gather herself. "I'd like to think that somehow she does keep tabs on all of us."