Closed Feels Like Home

[Harley Tsuji]

Nowhere had ever really felt like home to Harley before she had come to Hogwarts. Her parents' house had never been home, and at first out of a misguided loyalty to Jason, Harley had never wanted Hogwarts to feel like home either. But then her room had been full of such kind, funny girls, all but one of the best friends she had ever had in her life, right there, any time Harley needed them. Leaving Hogwarts, Harley knew she couldn't go back to her parents' house, not even for a day. And now that they didn't have the triviality of school houses keeping them apart, there was nothing to stop Harley from finding a home with all of her friends, together in one big house. She finally got to live with Hayley, with Rose just down the hallway any time she needed her... at last, Harley really felt like she was at home. It was a relief to come home every day to her favourite people, and nothing would ever keep her from doing that again.

With her days at Gambol & Jape's before starting her new job coming to a close, Harley couldn't help being a bit down as she came home. Harley was thrilled about her new job, over the moon, but it meant putting an end to her time at the place that had given her this chance at independence in the first place. The mixture of pain and excitement wasn't something Harley had ever really felt before, and she was counting on her friends in their mad, lovely home to make everything feel alright. "Hooooooome!" Harley called out as she opened the door, stepping into the flat and heading for the living room to see where everyone was. She didn't know if they had plans for tonight, or were just gonna veg out, but either way, Harley needed her friends to take her mind off the day.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

All through her time at Hogwarts, Hayley had chafed at the fact that all her best friends got to share a dormitory, while she was stuck in Slytherin by herself. She’d spent as little time in the dorm as possible, and though their grand plans to sneak her into Gryffindor had never come to anything, Hayley knew where her heart lay. And now, at long last, she got to live with them. Unlike her girlfriend, going back home to her mum for the holidays had always been a safe and welcoming space for Hayley, but she had leapt at the chance to finally live with her best friends. Besides, free from the structure of Hogwarts terms and legally able to apparate, she could visit Mum whenever she liked. In terms of her living arrangements, Hayley had everything she’d ever wanted.

And yet, she couldn’t help feeling a little . . . lost. Aimless. Harley was quitting at Gambol & Jape’s and moving on to bigger things, but Hayley was still there. Her whole life stretched before her, and she didn’t know what she wanted to do with it, or how to achieve the aims she did have. Hayley had a day off today, and she had spent most of the afternoon sprawled on the bed drawing. When she heard Harley’s voice from the front door, though, Hayley dragged herself to her feet, and came to meet her with a lazy smile. “Hey babe,” she greeted, giving her a quick kiss. “How was your day?”