Back-dating to January 2nd 2023

Simon had not been in London for quite some time now, so when his best friend Madison invited him to stay with her family for a couple of days he instantly said yes. His big sister Clara also lived in London where her health and beauty company was based. Simon had stayed with her in her new apartment for one day. And that was quite enough – all Clara did was sit by her phone, answering phone calls, making social media updates or answering 'important e-mails'. She had also been having a terrible headache since New Year's Eve so she was not the most sociable.

It was a dull Monday. Clara drove a silver colored Toyota, reflecting the greyness of London and the pale house facades. Simon, however, was almost bursting with excitement. He had missed his friend terribly since they said goodbye at the end of the autumn term at Hogwarts. Now he was finally about to see where she lived and meet her family whom he had heard so much about.

Along the way, Clara stopped to buy a take-away caffe latte decaf. Simon sat in the front, wondering how his sister could drive and press all those buttons in the car with her long finger nails. When they finally arrived at the market place where Simon was supposed to meet with Madison, Clara helped him with his suitcase from the trunk of the car.

It was a bit chilly outside, but when he turned around and spotted Madison at the market place, he felt warm.

"There she is", he said with a smile.

"Is that Madison?", asked Clara. "Wow. She looks very fashionable."

Yeah, because you don't think that magic folk can be fashionable, you prejudice snob, Simon thought.

"You have to introduce me to her!"

Simon waved with his hand to catch Madison's attention before rolling his suitcase towards her. "Hey, Madi!", he said, blushing a little before giving her a long warm hug. When they let go of each other Clara took a step forward and held out her hand with a smile.

"Hi, Madi. I'm Clara. I've heard so much about you. Apparently you like my products. Simon told me", she said with a wink.

Oh my god, now she is going to try to bond with Madi, he thought and hoped his sister would leave them soon so he could spend time with Madison alone. He did not want to waste any time.

As they approached Madi's house, Simon realized it looked a whole lot neater and tidier than his house in Edinburgh, which was more rustic and in darker shades. Her house had an impressive facade, probably with an equally impressive interior.

When they entered the door, Simon was met by that typical scent of a foreign fabric softener and detergent that seemed to be unique for each and everyone of his friends' households. There was something in the scent that, not surprisingly, reminded him of Madison. How her clothes sometimes smelled when they were at Hogwarts. He was amazed to see how big the Entry Hall was. The house seemed clean and the interior looked expensive.

Madison called for her parents and soon her dad arrived. It was so weird because he had always pictured Mr. Bennett with blond hair, same as Madison, and a shaved face. But Mr. Bennett had dark hair and a dark beard.

"Dad, this is my friend Simon, Simon this is my Dad, Atticus."

"Nice to finally meet you, Simon."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Bennett", said Simon and smiled. Mr. Bennett had a firm handshake and radiated self-confidence. "So nice of you to let me come visit and stay for a couple of days."

"I'm just whipping up some French Toast for your mum and I, but we'll be having homemade Pizzas for lunch later if that's ok with you two."

"Oh, absolutely. Thank you so much", said Simon, doing his best to be polite to his host and give a good impression.

"Sounds great dad, I'm going to give Simon a tour of the house and we'll be down for lunch later. Are you ready to see the rest of the house?"

"Oh yes, you have to show me around now. And I wanna see your room!"

He took his jacket off and put his suit case to the side in the Entry Hall to bring it up later.

Despite not meeting the expectations to count as a castle, the house seemed to be a miniature of a castle with its many rooms and floors, a bit smaller perhaps, but still with the jaw-dropping spaces.

"Through that door is something I'll show you later but through here, is my bedroom."

As Madison presented the room, Simon gasped. In the middle of the room was a big bed that looked so soft and cosy. There seemed to be fluffy blankets, plaids and pillows all over the room, not to mention the white soft carpet. As soon as he got a look on the hanging chair, he felt like he wanted to have a chair like that himself. That would be a perfect furniture for reading in his bedroom, but perhaps not with the pink pillows. The room was very 'girly', he thought, but somehow it reflected the Madison he knew. At least one side of her. At Hogwarts, they were usually outdoors or exploring new rooms and areas that seemed to have not been properly cleaned for ages, ending with either Madison or Simon or both of them being covered in dust or dirt.

"So, what do you think Ori, does it live up to your expectations?", asked Madison, as Simon examined some of the photos on her wall.

"I think it exceeds my expectations", he said, laughing. "It's really nice. Truly. If I had a room this cosy, I would never leave it, I think. So, this is where we will..."

'Knock, knock!'

A blond woman entered the room. She was just as magnificent as Mr. Bennett. He could totally see the resemblance between Madi and her mother. Madi was like a younger version of her.

"Hey, mum, this is my friend Simon from Hogwarts, Simon, this is my mum Victoria."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Bennett", he said with a smile and held out his hand for her.

"Hello Simon, I'm sorry i didn't greet you sooner, I had to get some work done for the ARS but it's lovely to meet you at last. I hope my daughter hasn't been dragging you into too much mischief."

"Oh no, not at all", said Simon, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks thinking of all the mischief he had dragged her into. "You have a very beautiful house, Mrs. Bennett."

"Oh no, not at all", said Simon, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks thinking of all the mischief he had dragged her into. "You have a very beautiful house, Mrs. Bennett."

Madi giggled but stopped when her mum looked at her in a very parent type way. "Well thank you Simon, and please call me Victoria, I get called Mrs Bennett enough at work she says, looking at Simon with a smile and then at Madi, "Madison, I want to have a word with you later, but for now, i'll be downstairs with your father, you kids feel free to come down whenever. Lovely to meet you again Simon" she says before closing Madison's doors and going downstairs.

Madi sighs and then smiles at Simon "And that is my mother" Madi says with a faint smile. "I know my room is very girly, but my mum didn't want me to have a dark color, so I chose pink instead. I'll update my room one of these years, just not right now" Madi says as she shows Simon the rest of her room.
"Come on, I wanna show you what's behind the other door" she says, leading Simon out of her bedroom and into the living room area. She closes her doors and then walks over to the ones on the opposite side. She opens the double doors and walks in with Simon behind her. She closes them and then, after walking through a short corridor they enter her Wardrobe.
"Everything in here is coloured coded and ordered by type of clothing. My shoes and stuff are through there but we don't need to go through all of it, i wouldn't want you getting lost in a sea of pink" Madi says with a giggle. As she walks through with Simon, her shelves and racks of clothes all move around, ready for Madi to say what items she wants to wear.

"Oh and to answer your question from earlier before my mum came in, you can either sleep in my room with me or my study area has been turned into a bed space too if you'd rather sleep in there. I'm actually just going to change really quickly, i'll be right back" Madi says with a slight blush. She walks further into her wardrobe and gets changed before walking back towards Simon and smiling as they head back to her room.

Once Madi and Simon were back in her room, Madi, who was sitting in her hanging chair, smiled and said "This room probably shows you a different side of me huh? The girly side if you will, but that's the way my mum raised me to present myself, especially in the area we live in. If I walked and talked the way I do at Hogwarts back here at home, my mum would have a fit. You should see the look on her face when Dad and I came back from practice one time. We were both filthy and very dirty and mum looked like she'd seen a ghost, she was mortified but to dad and I, it was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing" she said with a giggle, handing Simon a framed photo of her as a 6 year old, in quidditch gear, with her child size broomstick. "I have some of my happiest memories playing Quidditch with my dad, you'll see how funny he is this weekend I hope, but I was kinda thinking we could go for a wonder today and tomorrow and I could show you around Kensington, what do you think?" Madi says with a smile.

"Well thank you Simon, and please call me Victoria, I get called Mrs Bennett enough at work."

"Okay, I'll make sure to remember that", he said, smiling.

When Victoria asked to have a word with Madison, he wondered what it was about. Something about him? Had he done something wrong? Victoria seemed humble and kind, though, so he doubted it was something like that.

"Lovely to meet you again, Simon."

"You too, Victoria!"

When her mother left the room and closed the door he looked at Madison.

"And that is my mother." She smiled. "I know my room is very girly, but my mum didn't want me to have a dark color, so I chose pink instead. I'll update my room one of these years, just not right now."

"Oh no, I like your room. I mean, it suits you, since you're a girl and all", he said, before realizing how stupid it sounded and he mentally made a facepalm.

After the tour through her room they went over to the secret room she wanted to show him. What do they keep in there? A safe room? A treasure vault? A private museum, like the one we have in our basement?

Madison opened the door and he peeked inside. Of course, he thought, when a walk-in-closet was revealed before his eyes, as girly as the rest of her floor.

"Everything in here is coloured coded and ordered by type of clothing..."

"Of course it is", he said with a cheeky smile. Simon thought that the girly side of Madison was very cute and he appreciated getting to know her even better; the Madison beyond Hogwarts, beyond school.

"Oh, and to answer your question from earlier before my mum came in..." (Simon did not remember finishing his question, but it was typical of Madison to know exactly what he was about to say. After all, they were best friends and had spent a lot of time with each other during the last few months). "... you can either sleep in my room with me or my study area has been turned into a bed space too if you'd rather sleep in there. I'm actually just going to change really quickly, I'll be right back."

"Oh yeah, sure, no problem." Simon turned around, looking out the hallway instead.

Did he want to sleep in the study room or Madison's room? The study room would give him some alone time in the end of the day, and he usually was a bit tired when there were a lot of new people and new impressions to digest. But sleeping in a study room felt a bit lonely. He was very comfortable around Madison and rarely got tired of her company. She was one of those friends that seemed to constantly give him energy, rather than drain him of it. He concluded that he would rather stay with Madison in her room but he wanted to make sure to ask her what she preferred.

When she got back she had a white skirt and a pink cardigan. This departed heavily from the regular school uniform in shades of black, grey and yellow that he was used to see her in.

Back in her room, Madison told him about her mother's expectations and exhortations. When Madison got the point where she and Mr. Bennett had returned home from a Quidditch practice, covered in mud, he laughed.

"... I was kinda thinking we could go for a wonder today and tomorrow and I could show you around Kensington, what do you think?"

"Absolutely! I'd love to see the area. Maybe if I unpack my bag, we can go after we've had lunch with your parents?"

"It's a little different to school uniform huh? What do you think though Ori, do I still look chic and smart?"

"I would say both", he said with a smile. "And you know I'm always honest with you, Madi!"

Back in her room, Madison told him about the reason why Victoria wanted a word with her. Apparently she wanted Madison to be 'presented' at some ball. It sounded a bit weird. As if Madison would be some kind of ornament or object. He knew that his own mother would have a saying or two about that, being a sociologist and very well-read on gender, social norms and something his mother called 'commodification', which she talked quite a lot about.

"I don't want to be presented, that's not who I am. It's who my mother was, but not me. Goodness Ori, you know me, I would ghastly in a dress that makes me look like a meringue, i'd rather be the girl wearing sweats and watching a movie with her best friend then going to some stupid ball."

"Honestly, a ball sounds like fun, but I get what you mean. I prefer movie nights too, but I'd love to go to a ball some time. Although, I don't think it sounds very pleasant to attend only to be 'presented' for whatever reason..."

"You unpack, i'm going to wash my face and then we can head down for lunch ok? I'm really glad you're here Ori, I've missed you", she said and hugged him.

"I've missed you too, Madi." He answered the hug, holding her for a couple of seconds.

It was a nice feeling being near Madison again. Hearing her laugh. Hearing her talk. It was like being back at Hogwarts, except they were not at Hogwarts. Despite living at Hogwarts, this felt even more like a home in the sense that they could be even more private. Professional environments always had a certain effect on Simon, making him a bit more reserved and mindful of his behavior, a habit he had from his previous schools where manners was very important. Here, with Madison, he felt like he could relax completely.

Simon went down to the bottom floor to get his suitcase. He smiled to Mr. Bennett as he passed the kitchen. Back in Madison's room, he started unpacking the most important stuff – his toiletry bag with his tooth brush, shower gel, deodorant and all other things needed for the trip, his sleepwear, the charger for his phone and the present for Madison's parents. He let his wand lay in his suitcase since he was not allowed to use magic outside school either way.

After that, he went looking for the bathroom. A door opened and Madison came out, her cheeks a little rosy, since she had just washed her face. "Meet you downstairs", he said. "Just gonna leave this stuff in the bathroom."

It was a beautiful bathroom, completely white and with a transparent glass shower with marble walls. She even had her own bathtub! As if it was not enough with the cool hanging chair in her room, now he was really jealous. As he put his toiletry bag on the bench he could not help but notice the various products Madison used, several of his sister's products being among them. It was surreal to see his sister's name in her bathroom, giving an idea just how influential his sister actually was.

––––––––––––––––––

The pizza in the oven looked delicious. Simon instantly got hungry and his stomach made a little noise as they entered the kitchen. He had the present for Madison's parents with him. It was a box containing various luxurious cheeses, peppers, Serrano ham, olives and more. He and Clara had bought it during the morning and his mom and dad had payed for it, as a sign of gratitude for letting him stay with them.

"Here's for you and Victoria. From me and my parents."

The Bennetts family had a spectacular kitchen as well. There were drawers beyond count.

"Pretty cool huh?", said Madison as she gave him a glass of water. "The whole kitchen is magical, except the oven and stove top since dad likes to cook so much."

"Yeah, I love how magic can be used to make life a little easier. Although my mom likes to cook, she is quite pleased that dad can use magic to do some of the house cleaning", said Simon.

"I hope you've been keeping a watchful eye on my girl Simon, she can be very cheeky at times."

"Oh, don't worry, sir", said Simon with a smile, playing along with the jargon. "I'm keeping two eyes on her."