For Luck, For Laughs, For the Unknown
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Illowy had been flitting about the house all day finding one thing or another that needed tidying or fixing or adjusting. Not that the small flat has ever really been dirty since Illowy had moved in.
The flat itself was still fairly modest. The furniture was arguably a bit dated, it had been left there initially and Ilowy had been told she was free to use or store it as she pleased, but it filled the space nicely. It felt a shame to waste the majority of it in storage. There had been plenty of shelving along the walls to hold her collection from school and home, with space to keep adding. She had a little desk near the window that currently had her application for Auror Training waiting on her to complete it. Here and there along the walls were framed photos of her friends or family, as well as a couple pieces of art she'd done over the years. Something to just fill the wallspace.
On the hall table by the front door was the bowl Bridget had given her for her birthday, painted to look like the Slytherin Common Room windows, though she moved it once in a while, still trying to find the best place for it. Other little bits and bobs and collected treasures from Hogwarts had little homes in spaces on the shelves or on tables. Towards the corner of the room, nearest the fireplace and amidst more random knick-knacks from the woman who owned the flat was an old radio that Illowy had taken to leaving running most of the time. Something to fill the silence that felt so loud in the place.
Illowy was fairly certain this was the most time in her whole life she'd been so properly alone in her day-to-day. After years of twittering teenage girls fluttering around the dorms and the dull hum of students in the halls and Common Room, the silence of being off on her own sometimes felt overwhelming. Hence, the radio that she occasionally switched through between the news cycles and music. Most often music.
Today, however, the silence would be filled with more than just music and her occasional chattering out loud to Killian. Ruby was coming over today, which felt like the event of the decade.
Despite their history and reconciliation, they'd never actually spent time together outside of school. Granted, Illowy hadn't spent time with most of her friends outside of school, but the point still stood; she wanted to make a good impression. The flat needed to look nice (even if it did look more like an old lady lived there), and she wanted her space to feel warm and welcoming, and like a place people would want to come back to again. One could argue whether that was a feeling reserved for Ruby's visit, or generally... but especially, she thought, she'd like for Ruby to want to visit again.
Illowy had sent a letter inviting the other new grad over, figuring they might catch up on what one another had been up to this summer or what their plans were, or just mindlessly talk. Illowy hadn't had a chance to see what Ruby was planning to do before school ended, both of them having been busy completing the last of their work before graduation. Just as well, Illowy might've been a little desperate to make sure the thread of connection stayed in tact with the people that mattered most to her, and that included Ruby. That was a relationship she was determined to not allow decay. She'd promised. No matter what.
Her plan was to keep it all simple. She had tea waiting on the coffee table with a handful of snacks and the music was low enough to hear but not to distract. No intense plans, in case Ruby wasn't able to stay long. Illowy wasn't going to get her hopes up high. At least, not too high. That being said... in the event Ruby did stay longer, she had a recipe marked in one of her new cookbooks on the kitchen counter and everything she would need for it, plus a few other drink options. Ya know... just in case.
I was told I was dangerous. When I asked why, they said, "Because you don't need anyone." That's when I smiled.