Tent of @Amadea Campbell @Adam Harringtom @Ami Procoppio and @Scott Alexander

The four lucky residents of the Intense In-tents Tensions Tent are camping in luxury. From the outside, the tent looks like any other normal camping tent; the group did not put too much effort into the outward appearance of their tent. On the inside, however, the tent is decorated in a simplistic and elegant way. Two large king beds could be found against two of the walls of the interior of the tent for the four to sleep on. There was a large pillow seat in the middle of the floor and a book cart stood in the corner to house books and other trinkets that needed to be stored. There was a small coffee table next to one of the beds and four chairs sat along the wall opposite to the beds. Lanterns were hung on each wall of the tent to provide light during the night hours. It seemed as though the tent could sense the tensions within it, as there was plenty of room in the center of the tent for a wall to be erected (if the campers so desired). Because there were only four people staying in their tent, the tent has an open floor plan with much room in the middle for the group to talk, play games, and have a grand time. There was even enough room for Scott to fit his grandfather clock.

── ❋ ──

July 1, 2020

𝓐madea was on edge as she paced around the outside of the tent. She was nervous, and justifiably so. For one thing, she still wasn't keen on the idea of spending the month of July camping out to watch a Quidditch game. While she didn't mind the camping part and she knew that she should show her house pride since they were the ones competing against Durmstrang, she knew that her anxiety spiked even just watching people fly around on brooms. It didn't matter that she wasn't the one in the air; she was nervous for all the players even when watching them which was why she didn't attend many Quidditch games during the school year. Secondly, Amadea was still rattled from the end of the school year. All of the talk about the horrible things that had happened to the students throughout the year was worrying her. Even though they were in London - which was another fact Amadea was trying very hard not to think about - and not at Hogwarts, she was concerned. And thirdly, she was nervous because of the people she was about to meet.

When Amadea had learned she needed to find tentmates for this trip, she had immediately asked all of her friends, albeit there were not that many of them. She wanted to make sure she secured some buddies for her tent before all of them were claimed by someone else and she was left with no one. Her fears would not come true, however, as all of her friends minus Cecily (who was camping with her Quidditch team) had responded with a yes. That left Amadea in a tent with three of her other friends: Ami Procoppio, Adam Harringtom, and Scott Alexander. What Amadea had failed to think about when inviting her friends was the horrible argument that Ami and Scott were currently in. When she was inviting them, she hadn't mentioned who else she was inviting in the tent but had figured that it would simply be implied; after all, it wasn't like she kept her friend group a secret. However, when both of them had accepted her invitation without hesitation, Amadea realized that it might not have been so obvious after all. She had debated for days about what to do, stuck with what decision she should make. She couldn't exclude one of them from the tent after already inviting them; fathoming that action was impossible for Amadea. She was too nice to do anything like that.

So, she decided to spin a positive light on the situation. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. She could help them repair their friendship. Plus, with Adam there, maybe tensions would ease and everyone would get along. It had been a few months since Ami and Scott had initially argued, so they had plenty of time to cool off and think about their actions. Maybe with some parent trapping tactics, Amadea could help them reunite and talk everything out. Then they could be one, big, happy friend group again. She refused to think about the possible negative outcomes of this situation. Spending July in a tent with two of her friends that were feuding sounded less than ideal, but Amadea simply prayed that things wouldn't play out badly. She also felt bad for roping Adam into this mess; if only she had thought before inviting everyone into the tent. Alas, it was too late now. All she could do was continue pacing around the outside of the tent where she had told her friends to meet her and greet them with a friendly smile.

── ❋ ──

Upon first hearing about the international tournament, whilst admittedly still excited about the prospect, Scott hadn't even considered the possibility that he'd join in on the trip himself. After all, he'd never spent a summer at Hogwarts before... To remain with the professors and the rest of the students (as lovely as Scott still found them all), instead of hopping on the first available train back home to his family? It was a foreign idea to him.

Yet it had slowly grown more and more appealing the closer to graduation he got.

He'd really told himself, hadn't he, that everything would be back to normal by July. Surely by then, he'd look forward to seeing his parents. He'd itch to meet Silas. He'd pester his mother via letters, weeks beforehand, about coming to Northern Ireland with the rest of them instead of working.

But feeling as he'd done lately, Scott didn't look forward to seeing his parents, he didn't feel like spending time with Silas, and he hadn't written to his mother once, before writing to tell her he'd be going to London- only not to stay at home, but to live on a campsite... a mockingly short way away from their apartment.

She hadn't liked that very much. Scott could tell by the way she'd expressed her approval.

But there he was, anyway, outside the giant London Quidditch Stadium. This was where he was supposed to be, wasn't it? It felt right, somehow... A bit confusing and new, sure. But so many other things in his life had felt confusing and new lately, so why shouldn't his summer do so? If things were going to change then he might as well let them, and maybe even try to have some fun doing it.

Quidditch was fun. Camping was fun.

Well, he'd never actually been camping... but he did like pretty tents.

Speaking of, where was his? Scott had only just arrived to the stadium via a portkey, alongside his housemates, and had followed them all to the meeting spot where their Heads of House had held their announcements... But he wasn't to share residence with the Gryffindors, was he? No. Amadea Campbell had invited him to her tent already before they graduated, and Scott had gratefully accepted, keeping in mind how (despite the significant youth of their relationship) she just might be the one friend he had, who'd be able to keep him in this nowadays quite rare positive state of mind. Especially in the middle of all this newness.

She had a calming effect, the Hufflepuff, she really did.

So, taking steps in whatever direction he felt over the giant field of grass, spinning around every other one so to take it all in, Scott kept his eyes wide open in search of a familiar face.
So once a head of long, red hair distinguished itself in the crowd as one stood still and waiting outside of a particular tent, Scott heaved his large trunk to rest against his hip as he picked up his pace in that direction.

"Oi! Over here! Hello!"

Marching towards her, and almost losing his balance to the heavy packing as he gave in to his urge to wave, Scott stumbled over his last steps there and took to grab one of the outer poles of the tent for some support.

"Oh, I'll be glad to be rid of this, now. Can barely feel my arm anymore..."

He panted, but putting the bag down in the grass for a moment he couldn't help but smile, too, as he circled their tent once or twice. The warmth of the summer sun bringing sweat to his brow made the boy grateful to have remembered not to put on his uniform this morning (something he often did even on days it wasn't required, out of habit alone) and was instead mercifully wearing a white polo shirt and pressed linen trousers.

"I don't see your baggage, so I suppose you've put it inside? How exciting! I've never spent more than a night in a tent myself. We all tried it when I was younger, outside my grandparent's house, but there was, well, an ant incident..."

Stopping his pace by the opening, Scott kicked the ground a couple of times as if checking for the small insects, then turned to Amadea with a smile instead of entering.

"I'll wait here with you though. Trying to get the others to find the tent, aren't you? Won't be a problem, eye-catching as we are!"

So, he happily joined the girl in searching the campsite with his eyes (though he, of course, had no idea for whom to look) and readied himself to greet whoever it was that would reside with them these exciting summer weeks...

Hopefully Amadea understood how grateful he was.

Amadea had totally read Adam's mind. After the two students had teamed up to conquer the hell out of an obstacle course back in spring, he'd realized how little they actually hung out. Adam thought of the Hufflepuff girl as a good friend, but he didn't know very much about her. They had to have more in common than Cecily Quinn — right? He'd resolved to find out, but she'd beaten him to the punch in the last few weeks of the school year. Amadea had invited him to share a tent with her for the school trip to the London Quidditch Stadium and Adam had accepted the offer enthusiastically. It was exactly what he'd been hoping for: a chance to spend time with Amadea and do some good-natured bonding. As much as he was disappointed to learn that Cecily had already found another tent, turning their trio into a duo, Adam was still super excited to be spending his summer with Amadea.

With the day finally at hand, Adam tugged on the handle of his trunk and felt it bump over the grass as he searched for his tent. He'd learned quickly that it was a pain to lug the heavy thing around, especially with his tendency to overpack, and installed wheels on it with the help of his mother last summer. Unfortunately, the tiny wheels were no match for Hogwarts' moving staircases, but he was still glad to have them now. His all-terrain suitcase hopped across the uneven field, following Adam towards the spot where Amadea was waiting. He wished he could remember if she'd mentioned anything about other tentmates. If she had named any other names, they'd completely slipped Adam's mind. He guessed that it would have to be a surprise. Adam scanned the encampment with narrowed eyes, just about to call out for Amadea when he finally spotted her.

"Hey!" he called as he jogged up, almost sending his trunk airborne. Adam winced as he came to a stop in front of his friend and the heavy thing smacked into his ankles. Ouch. "I found you! Man, there's a lot more people here than I thought. It's crazy! The team's going to have a lot of spectator support." The blond boy had greeted Amadea with a wide grin that faltered only slightly as he registered the other boy standing next to her.

He was a stranger to Adam, although his face was kind of familiar. There were bags at his feet, giving Adam the answer he'd been looking for: this was their third tentmate. In that case, immediate introductions were in order. Adam gave him a friendly smile and stuck his hand out for a handshake. "Hi! I'm Adam. Nice to meet you!" He wondered briefly how the other boy knew Amadea. Maybe he was a fellow Hufflepuff? Well, he'd probably find out before long. If he was Amadea's friend, he could surely be Adam's by the time they left London. "Have you guys ever been camping? I haven't done it in years. I'm excited!"

No one made any moves to go inside the tent, and while Adam was eager to find out what it looked like inside, he guessed that they were still waiting for more people. Amadea was more popular than he'd thought! Adam grabbed his trunk and tugged it with him to Amadea's other side, putting his back to the tent and scanning the crowd of students seeking out their own tents. It really did feel like all of Hogwarts was here, much more than any other year. Nobody wanted to miss such a big field trip, it seemed. Adam knew that he definitely didn't.

After a moment, Adam's curiosity got the best of him, and he had to ask the question. "Who else are we waiting for?" Adam usually got along with everybody, and he doubted that Amadea would keep any bad company, but he knew that his tentmates could make or break this trip. Even if they didn't spend much time together at the campsite, they'd still be living together for a whole month. He was eager and just a little nervous to find out who else was on their way. Letting his question hang in the air, Adam looked out over the field again and waited in anticipation.

── ❋ ──

𝓐madea felt a wide smile spread over her face as she spotted the first one of her friends approaching. It was none other than @Scott Alexander who was lugging his giant trunk behind him. She rushed over quickly to help him with it. "Scott, hi!" she said, wondering if she should over to help him carry the trunk. She looked quizzically at it; Amadea herself had brought her own trunk filled with her belongings as well but it wasn't nearly as heavy as Scott's appeared to be. Like the Muggle saying went, it seemed as though he had brought everything but the kitchen sink.

"Same here, I've never really been camping before, but honestly this seems more like glamping to me; we're camping in luxury!" Amadea exclaimed. Camping was something that she had never really tried much, especially since hearing the horrors of the Hufflepuff camping trip that had occurred during her first year; she felt like she was betraying her house if she ever went camping after hearing about all of the terrible things that had happened. Hopefully none of that would happen here.

Amadea was about to suggest that Scott go inside and settle his things, one because it seemed like he had a lot of things to put away, and two she hoped that maybe if Scott was busy inside the tent, she could greet Ami outside of the tent before they saw each other and try to diffuse the situation before they even saw each other. Unfortunately, he seemed content to stay outside with her. "Uh, okay," she said, hoping that he didn't think she didn't want him to be there; she as just feeling very nervous and uncomfortable about what was inevitably going to happen.

She tried to steady her breathing as she scanned the area with Scott, looking for any of their other tentmates. The next one to arrive was the other blond boy, @Adam Harringtom. Amadea hadn't hung out much with Adam during her third year but she was glad that she could spend some time with him this summer; she was also hoping that his calm demeanor would help to lower the tensions between Scott and Ami though she knew how horrible it was to throw him into this mess.

"Adam, hi!" she greeted him with a smile. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding the tent!" There were a ton of people here, more than Amadea had expected, though with three different schools attending she probably should have figured there would be a lot. "I was just telling Scott I haven't really ever been camping...but I'm excited!" she said. Realizing that she didn't know if the two boys had ever met before, she quickly scrambled to introduce them. "Oh, um, Scott, this is Adam. Adam Harringtom. Adam. This is Scott Alexander."

Adam then asked her who else they were expecting in the tent. Amadea glanced over at Scott, unsure if she should unveil the secret that she had been keeping or brush off the question until the other redheaded Hufflepuff arrived. Fortunately...or unfortunately, she was spared from answering the question as she heard a voice coming from behind her. It was the familiar sound of her best friend, @Ami Procoppio. It seemed like she hadn't spotted Scott yet as she came bounding over to where the trio was standing. "Hey Ami," Amadea replied trying her best to sound as upbeat as she could. Her smile faltered slightly as she looked down and saw Ami's cat, Leo padding along behind the girl. Ever since the ink stained cat had clawed at her face, Amadea had been wary of the creature, glad that Ami was in a different dormitory than her so she didn't have to worry about him stepping on her face while she was sleeping. They had a magical tent now; maybe Amadea could ask it to build a special cat bed that made sure Leo stayed in one place during the night.

As Ami's voice suddenly turned icy, Amadea was snapped back into the moment, reminded that Leo was the least of her worries at this moment. Amadea glanced between the two, trying to gauge their emotions. Ami was clearly upset. "Ami, I-" she tried to say but Ami was already speaking again, calling Scott Mr. Yacht Party. "Hey!" Amadea said, trying to maintain some sort of peace between everyone. Okay, maybe Scott did look a little like a Chad in his outfit, but there was no need for Ami to call him out. "Come on guys, can't you be civil? You guys were best friends. Sharing a tent will give us plenty of times to talk everything out, air out your grievances." Amadea cringed. She definitely had some explaining to do.

"Look, I swear when I invited you guys I really wasn't thinking," she rambled. "I was set on camping with all of my friends...which weren't that many and I didn't want to get stuck without a tentmate so I just panicked and asked all of my friends, I wasn't even thinking that you guys....um. But then I thought maybe this would be a good opportunity for you guys to talk. And. You know. Talk things out. I know you guys are angry with each other but. You guys had such an important friendship with each other and it's something that's worth salvaging." Then Amadea turned to Adam, the poor fourth wheel who must be so confused right now. "I-I'm sorry," was all she managed to get out to him. As she looked around at all of her friends, Amadea felt a tear slide down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away and blinked quickly trying to try up the rest of the tears that were threatening to fall. All she had wanted was to spend a nice summer with her friends before she had to go back home and face...everything but instead, she had just made it worse for everyone. She didn't deserve any of these people as her friends.

── ❋ ──

Shaking Adam's hand enthusiastically, Scott studied the unfamiliar boy's appearance from top to toe. He wasn't doing it in a calculating way, nor even meaningful one- but was simply (or rather fortunately, if compared to the mood he'd otherwise grown used to) as excited by a new face as he always had been. That is, in Scott's case, very. He had no idea how many people Amadea had invited before summer started, and so to see his future campmates was thrilling to him.

Now, having grown up with a formal introduction always resting on the tip of his tongue, Scott was impressed by the speed at which Amadea took on the job of introducing the two boys to each other, faster than he could tell Adam his own name himself. Good on her.

"Yes, yes, that's right. Scott would be me. And I haven't ever camped before either, not properly... But you seem more than prepared!"

Scott pointed in delight to the small set of wheels on the sides of Adam's trunk. He'd seen them rolling across and over the grass a moment ago, and had had time to study them closer once the boy stopped outside their future tent.

"Ravenclaw, must be, with a trunk like that! Innovative, creative... I think I might've bruised my hip, myself. Here,"

Scott gestured miserably to his right side, where indeed his own bag must've left quite the mark under his shirt. The truth was, though, that Scott possessed more than a faint memory of seeing Adam before- wearing Ravenclaw robes. But a quick deduction always did seem more charming, and in most cases, also more flattering.

"Who else are we waiting for?"

"There are more?"

As the other boy had turned quizzically to their mutual friend, Scott did the same.

"Would definitely not mind more. But you see, inexperienced as I am in this regard, I do find myself continuously glancing over to this tent of ours. It's bigger on the inside, I have to remind myself, though naturally it looks quite cramped already!"

Laughing, and momentarily turning away from the two of them, Scott stroked the top of the tent once more. He really was childishly fascinated by the idea. But even as he listened still to their conversation, Scott couldn't hear Amadea answer Adam's question... They were interrupted.

"Hey guys! Man, this summer's gonna be fun!"

In a short and strange fit of confusion (in which a very young principle was allowed one tenth of a second to fight a very old instinct), Scott spun around at the speed of light with a huge grin on his face- the sound of that voice filling him with as much familiar happiness as it always had.

Memories of their previous summer came flooding back to him as Ami carried her luggage before her across the ground just the way she had done a year ago, and with the same smile... The idea of getting to once again experience the same excitement their adventures had given him then? Well it's fair to say it made the hint of nervousness and fear he was still feeling in his chest, go right away.

And then it came back.

"...Amadea, what the hell is he doing here? Absolutely not.
I'm not sharing a tent with Mr Yacht Party."

Just as her brown eyes had locked furiously on him, his own had darted shakily to the ground just as quickly.

Oh no.

Scott could feel his face heat up and his ears turn pink at her words, and so he started tugging frustratingly (and self-consciously) at his clothes... His sleeves, mostly, but also at the end of his shorts once his cowering stance allowed for him to reach them.

"Then don't." He wanted to say to her, but didn't. He felt beat. Suddenly drained of the energy he'd felt only return so recently. It was fortunate for him, then, that Amadea took it upon herself to say something:

"Hey!"

Though Scott was barely listening to her. It wouldn't have been completely unjust to suggest that the boy was panicking, if only a little bit. He didn't feel like he had felt by the lake, that is furious, nor the way he'd done the past few months, that is dejected. He supposed, in the end, that he was feeling what he would've felt much sooner had the two of them not been such absolute experts at avoiding each other: all the places they used to go together, were now the places neither of them went. It'd worked out very nicely.

Until now. Go figure.

In the midst of not knowing how to act or what to say, Scott found his eyes landing on Adam once again. It felt like the safest place... Ami he couldn't look at for obvious reasons, and Amadea was difficult too because she appeared to be making sense. So Adam it was... It always had felt easier to focus on other people's feelings rather than his own, hadn't it? Though he couldn't precisely appreciate how the Ravenclaw boy was receiving all of this yet, anyway. Only recall how he himself always felt when he didn't know what was going on. It wasn't a very nice thing...

"I- I'm sorry."

Amadea, as usual, must've felt the same.

Snapping back to reality, or at least in part, Scott looked to the girl who'd invited them all to this stirring corner of the field with the still dazed expression of somebody sympathetic, though not yet aware what of. She didn't look alright, either... She was apologising to Adam, of course, but Scott still took the very blunt step forwards from the tent, so to be able and turn to see her face after she'd spoken. And looking at her now, horrified by the bare emotions she was displaying, all the words she'd said started registering with him in retrospect. And to his even further alarm: the process brought anger to him.

Yet another person knowing best.

"Don't tell me what to do," He wanted to say to her, but didn't. At the moment, Scott couldn't think of a single person less deserving of that kind of retort. She really was trying her best, that's what he could tell. That's all he could tell, too, and it greatly simplified the situation: a friend of his was upset.

In a selfish way, Scott had missed that simplicity. Other people being sad was easy, it's what he'd known all of his life... It was his own distress that was the tricky bit.

Placing a careful hand on the Hufflepuff's trembling shoulder, Scott leaned in to rest his forehead against her hair. It was a move very familiar to him, but one he only used himself when words failed. Or, that's not true- because they weren't failing him now. Scott was instead purposely keeping quiet, a feat in of itself, because he knew that the thoughts rushing through his head as he tried to process Ami's arrival and Amadea's explanation weren't... kind. As much as it shamed him to admit it.

"You're being a good friend." He said eventually, but in a low voice and with little energy. "A real good friend. We're all happy to be here..." He still didn't dare look at the newest arrival, fearing he just might derail from this at least seemingly controlled state should he let his eyes wander. It would be a mistake.

But we all make mistakes, don't we?

Meeting her gaze again, Scott didn't even have the time to gather whether her disgusted expression had faded after Amadea's plead- since disdain washed over him like a cold shower. She would've looked all the same to him.

"And she's right, Ami." His voice was significantly less soft and quiet as he removed his hand from Amadea's shoulder. With his heart still beating loudly in his chest, Scott cursed himself and the situation internally as he backed up a few steps to pick up his heavy trunk again... and gave Adam a hopefully apologetic enough half-smile as he did so. What an unfortunate first meeting. "So if you can't be decent enough if only for the sake of it, then please do it for your best friend."

With that, Mr. Yacht Party nodded to Amadea, and stepped inside the tent.

Adam smiled sheepishly as Scott complimented his rolling trunk. Innovative? Creative? Gosh... The other boy was laying it on a little thick, but it didn't bother Adam all that much. It seemed like Scott was a genuinely nice person — Adam got the feeling that he meant every word he said, even if he embellished them a little bit. "Well..." he responded with a nervous laugh, "...the Muggles have been using them for years, I think. But thanks!"

The trio made small talk for a little while, revealing that they were all novices when it came to camping, and Adam started to think that he could really enjoy a summer with his two tentmates. He'd already been looking forward to spending time with Amadea; now he was excited to get to know Scott before the month was up. There was bound to be plenty of time between activities when they could retreat to their tent and talk, or play games, or just relax in each other's company. As Adam looked across the campsite full of students, he realized that he was getting ahead of himself. He'd assumed that Scott and Amadea were his only company; why, then, was Amadea still waiting outside? Was she looking for someone else?

No sooner had Adam voiced his question than he got an answer. The sound of pounding footsteps accompanied a familiar, enthusiastic voice, and before long Ami Procoppio had joined their ranks. Adam's one-time Gobstones opponent was, for lack of a better term, a complete wild card. He never knew what to expect with her, although it was always something that would make him laugh or grin. Adam wasn't sure that they could call themselves friends just yet, but if they really were going to be living together for a summer, that would certainly change. Once he got over the surprise of seeing the Hufflepuff girl, Adam was thrilled to have her there. Ami herself summed things up perfectly as she dropped her bags: "Man, this summer's gonna be crazy fun!"

He stepped forward to greet the newest arrival, but she beat him to it, getting halfway through a grinning hello before stopping mid-sentence. Her face fell like Adam had never seen before. For a moment, he was scared that he'd done something to upset her, to deserve the icy stare that her smile had hardened into. He followed her gaze and found it landing not on him, but over his shoulder to...to Scott. Palpable tension weaved itself through the air as Ami spoke solemnly, never looking away from their Gryffindor companion. "What the hell is he doing here?"

Adam looked to Amadea in confusion. Ami had dragged her into the conflict by name, demanded an answer from Adam's friend. Amadea looked like she'd rather be anywhere else in the world — but to her credit, she handled the situation without breaking apart. She urged them together, pleaded with them to make up their differences and play nice, and Adam got a small peek into the drama that was rearing its head before him. He lingered on something Amadea had said: "You guys were best friends." It was chilling to hear that word: were. It brought nothing but bad tidings.

Amadea was still desperately explaining the situation, laying out her reasoning in the most reasonable way, when Adam felt himself being watched. His eyebrows narrowed in confusion and he glanced to his side, where he found Scott looking at him quietly. He hadn't said anything since Ami had shown up, and there was no telling what he was thinking. Maybe he was the guilty party — maybe that was the reason for his silence. Maybe he was just too afraid to stand up against Ami, who was clearly set in her ways. Whatever the case, Adam felt a pang of guilt as he met Scott's eyes. He'd almost lost a best friend, once. It was in their first year, when he'd been stupid enough to try and force Eris Fawley away. He was lucky that Eris was so persistent, or he might have lost a friend for good. He didn't want the same to happen to Scott. Adam tried to give him an encouraging smile, though he was afraid that it just appeared unsure. He wished that he could do more to help, to intervene, but he didn't know anything about the situation. Action beyond a soft smile could just make things worse.

"I-I'm sorry." Adam heard the tremulous apology in Amadea's voice and turned to her in surprise. What would she have to apologize for? The realization slowly dawned on him that she was apologizing to him, to Adam, and he felt his heart drop. He didn't want to add any more stress to the moment. He hadn't meant to cause trouble just by being here. He felt himself turn red as he noticed Amadea brush away a tear and tried to reassure her.

"It's..." Adam began, but trailed off as he realized what followed. Fine? Okay? It clearly wasn't fine or okay. He shifted uncomfortably for a second before lamely finishing with, "...not your fault." Scott chose that moment to take action, stepping forward to look at Amadea in concern, and Adam saw a way out. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder and muttered something about unpacking — though he doubted anyone was listening — before turning around and wheeling his trunk inside the tent as quietly as he could.

It was a comfortable looking place, as fine as any other to spend the summer. Adam might have been able to appreciate more if he couldn't feel a wall of tension pressing against the door. He threw his trunk onto one of the large beds and sat down on the other, propping his elbows against his knees and resting his hands. They were going to have to (seriously) talk about the fact that there were only two beds in here eventually, but now didn't seem like the right moment. Adam didn't even feel like unpacking at all. He'd been looking for an escape to the alien situation, but now he felt cruel for abandoning Amadea. He wasn't going to be able to flee the scene for an entire month. He needed to help out somehow, even if it was just by being there to talk to (or in Scott's case, to look at). Though it sent butterflies racing through his stomach, Adam got up off the bed and paced back to the door, slipping back outside.

Ami's name was the first thing Adam heard as he returned to his spot. Scott's hand was leaving Amadea's shoulder and he was picking up his trunk, decisively leaving the argument behind. He smiled at Adam sorrowfully and Adam returned it in kind, still thinking it best to stay silent until he knew which side he was supporting. "So if you can't be decent enough if only for the sake of it, then please do it for your best friend." Scott's last words echoed in the uneasy silence as he took his leave, and Adam hesitated just a second before following him back into the tent.

"Hey," he muttered as he zipped (?) the door closed behind him. Adam was giving Scott a wide berth, like he was handling a dragon, unsure of how he'd react now that the tension had broken. "Do you...want any help unpacking?" It was kind of a lame offer, but Adam hoped that Scott would see through it to the sentiment beneath. Waiting for an answer, the blond boy sidled carefully to his own trunk and popped it open, pulling out the few possessions that he wanted to display.

Though he was trying to stay positive, Adam couldn't stamp out two dark thoughts. They chased one another like twin devils. What have I gotten myself into? What has Amadea dragged me into?

"Come on guys, can't you be civil? You guys were best friends. Sharing a tent will give us plenty of times to talk everything out, air out your grievances."

"... But then I thought maybe this would be a good opportunity for you guys to talk. And. You know. Talk things out. I know you guys are angry with each other but. You guys had such an important friendship with each other and it's something that's worth salvaging. I- I'm sorry."

"You're being a good friend. A real good friend. We're all happy to be here..."

"So if you can't be decent enough if only for the sake of it, then please do it for your best friend."

── ❋ ──

@Ami Procoppio | @Adam Harringtom | @Scott Alexander

𝓢he took a deep breath, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. Why was she the one crying? It wasn't like she didn't know the consequences that could have arose from her actions. She was the one who had planned this entire thing. It wasn't like she was the victim in this situation, and yet she was still victimizing herself. Amadea turned to say something, to anyone. But it seemed like everyone else was talking so she just listened.

Scott was reassuring her that she was a good friend. Amadea fought the urge to laugh out loud. A good friend wouldn't put their friends in this awkward situation. A good friend wouldn't force a reunion with two estranged friends simply because she thought it was time for them to make up. A good friend wouldn't invite a third friend who wasn't involved in the situation to also be part of this and suddenly pull them into this drama as well. Amadea might have been a good friend, but this was certainly not the right instance to prove it. If anything, she was proving exactly the opposite here. "Happy to be here?" As much as Amadea appreciated Scott's words, clearly trying to reassure her that everything was fine, Amadea was not so naive she didn't realize that everyone was not having a good time. Scott and Ami were clearly in shock and probably angry too with having to see each other. Adam was probably confused out of his mind. And Amadea had wished she just hadn't invited anyone to be in her tent. At this point, she would have rather spent the entire summer alone instead of making everything worse with her friends.

Before Amadea could say anything more, Scott had stalked off through the opening of the tent with his trunk, Adam quickly following behind. Unpacking. Right. That was what they were all supposed to be doing right now. As she turned to follow the boys into the tent, Amadea looked back at her fellow Hufflepuff. The redhead looked less shocked than she initially had been and offered another apology to Amadea, explaining how she was out of line. If Amadea was completely honest, she was shocked by Ami's apology. For one, she knew how hard it was to apologize. And secondly, Amadea felt like she should be the one apologizing to Ami. She shouldn't have forced this situation upon either of the two and by doing this, she put them in an awkward situation. "No, Ami, I should be the one apologizing," she said to her friend. "I'm really sorry I didn't say anything...I really thought this could be good for you guys but clearly I was wrong. I should have just talked to you guys and not put you in this situation." If Amadea could learn anything from this situation, it was that good intentions don't always lead to the happy results that you want. All she had wanted was to reunite her friends so they could be one, giant, happy group. Instead, she had just made things 10x worse. But now, she had to live with the consequences of her actions.

Beckoning Ami to follow her, she stepped inside the tent that she had decorated while waiting for her friends. She hoped that they would at least be appreciative of this. She had made it sized to perfectly fit the four of them, leaving plenty of space for their belongings and space to just sit and relax. Ami dropped her stuff next to one of the beds so Amadea made her way over to it and plopped down on the comforter. The boys could have the other bed. They were now all standing around in awkward silence; Amadea was unsure of what to say or do next. Even though she knew that she was the one who had organized all of this and they were probably waiting for her to say something, Amadea was not an expert on making small talk or dispelling any awkward silences. "Um," she said. "Have you all finished unpacking? We could. Play a game or go for a walk or something..." What did people do for fun? Amadea silenced herself, looking around at her friends hoping that they would have some good ideas.

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