we grow happy as a new dawn

"C'mon boys!" Wini called down the hall as she grabbed her cross body purse, patted Phillip (the pygmy puff, not the Ravenclaw) on the head, tickling him under the chin, before she checked her hair in the mirror once more before pulling the door shut to her room. Today was going to be a great day, she had decided. And she wouldn't accept any other outcome.

Wearing a jean skirt with big brass buttons going down the center, a basic white tee, and her favorite white sneakers, Wini waved a goodbye to William and told him they were going out. He waved a hand in an absent-minded motion without glancing up from the article he had been laboring over for days and Wini huffed a sigh. He glanced up with an apologetic smile, asking where she was going and when they would be back (just like Wini had taught him), and she answered with a little smile and then turned on her heel to get the boys. Teaching a parent how to parent was not something she expected to need to teach, but she had enjoyed her time with William this summer.

With Marin and Phillip in tow, they made their way to Diagon Alley, headed for the ice cream parlor that Wini had owled Billie about. Now, she didn't know the whole situation because Lip was being his usual tight-lipped grumpy self, but she did know that he and Billie were sort of a thing. There was that secret little diary he was always writing in and she kind of thought it was secret love letters to Billie, but he had been careful to do a particularly tricky locking charm that she hadn't been able to crack yet.

No worries though, she took matters into her own hands. She had owled Billie herself and invited her to join her, Marin, and Lip for ice cream. Luckily, she had said yes, even though Wini didn't know Billie that well and vice versa. Marin was staying with her and William for a few days (she had owled his mum asking permission) and thought it was the perfect plan to do some Phillie recon. She wanted Lip to be happy and if Billie was that for him, she told herself she was going to be excited about it for him. Wini just couldn't be completely sure if she 100% approved of it until she could get to know this girl herself.

So as they stood outside the ice cream parlor, Wini glanced at her two friends before looking down the alley, trying to spot the other Ravenclaw they were meeting. "What kind of ice cream are you guys thinking of getting?" she asked with a nod toward the window where the current list of ice cream flavors were sparkling merrily in the sunlight.

@Marin Clare @Phillip Donnelly @Billie Fay

"Coming," Marin called, half a step behind. “Er,” he said, looking Wini up and down. He hadn’t meant to match, but he’d worn plain jeans and a plain white polo shirt and accidentally ended up looking like a part of her dance troupe or something. He shrugged, following her outside.

Marin wasn’t sure what he thought of all of Wini’s diabolical sleuthing. On one hand, if he kept a journal - which he didn’t anymore, after he’d caught Wini reading his in his second year - and someone tried to break into it, Marin would feel deeply disturbed. On the other hand, did he want to know what was going on with Lip? Well… actually no, not really. Lip was quiet and generally inoffensive and Marin enjoyed fulfilling prefect duties with him. He didn’t need to know who he was or wasn’t dating.

That being said, however… Had he looked up basic locking charms and ways to disarm them? Perhaps. He liked Lip well enough, but he was always on Wini’s side, and if it made her happy to invade the Ravenclaw’s privacy and send his girlfriend secret letters behind his back, then Marin was going to be right there, organising the owl.

“Maybe unicorn rainbow swirl,” Marin answered flatly. When Wini looked at him, he amended. “Just vanilla.” Of course. Marin didn’t love ice-cream. It was too cold, and hurt his teeth. But when he had it, he always had the same thing; plain vanilla in a cup, not a cone. Marin had always preferred plain foods, and didn’t like to get too experimental. He liked chocolate, but not like, dark. Or with popping candy, or fruit in it. He liked his basic meat and veg. Pasta. Margharita pizza. Bread. The simple things.

Phillip wasn't really sure how he felt about this whole event but Wini had been persistent, even more so than she usually was, and when he'd found out why (that she'd sent Billie an owl inviting her too) he had finally agreed. He liked hanging out with Wini, Marin was cool because he didn't talk much, and Merlin knew he liked being around Billie, but group settings made him extra uncomfortable. Phillip barely liked being around himself let alone a whole array of people. He wondered if Wini was even going to tell him that she had invited Billie or if this was another one of her devious machinations. Either way Billie had let him know via their connected journals.

Journals he knew Wini was trying to break into. He'd put a good charm on it, thankful for being able to do magic outside of school, but when Marin had come to stay with them too he couldn't help but wonder if she'd called in reinforcements.

Showing up the to hallway a few seconds after Marin Phillip couldn't help but stare at the two of them for a second, a bit of a frown showing up on his face as he noted their matching outfits. "Uh, cool." He said flatly, and trying to remember if this was something Wini had told him to do too, but even if she had, there was no way in hell he was going to dress to match the two of them. He looked down at his dark gray shirt, one chest pocket, round hem, it was one of a three pack he had. And one of six shirts he owned in total. He stuck his hands into his dark jeans as they headed out.

When they got to the Ice Cream shop Phillip did a double check to make sure she hadn't brought them to Sugar & Spice by "accident" and then rested his back against the wall to wait with them. He was eager to see Billie, as always, but he tried not to let it show. Every time he saw a little pop of blond hair int he crowd though he craned his neck to see if it was her, giving himself away. "Vanilla too." He replied after Marin, smirking a little at the other wizard's sarcasm and waiting for Wini to start campaigning about sprinkles.

She had a moment of 'someone is going to have to change' before she just grinned and rolled her eyes. Was it weird that her and Marin were so in tune that they were dressing similar now? Then again, she glanced at Lip with a smirk, wondering how much he would grumble if she told him he had to match as well. She was giggling as she bounded down the stairs, her blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders.

"Really?" Wini asked, looking surprised as she glanced at Marin. "The unicorn rainbow swirl is soo good. You'll love it!" she said before she caught the look on his face and her smile fell a bit. "Hardy har har, Marin. Very funny," she retorted and then glanced at Lip hopefully. "You guys are so boring," she complained even as a little smile pulled at her lips. Her two friends were getting the plainest kind of ice cream while she was over here dreaming up how many toppings she could fit onto her cone. She threw a speculative look at Lip and wondered what ice cream Billie was going to get. She couldn't wait to spend a little more time with her and get to know her and figure out if she approved of this match for Lip. She was sure this other Ravenclaw was sweet, but Wini was firmly Team Lip. She had to look out for him first.

"Let's wait a little before we go in. The line is soo long right now," Wini said as she tried to glance down the alley to see if she spotted their surprise guest. The line inside wasn't that long, only a small family with two kids and an older couple, but she knew the boys wouldn't really care. And if they complained, she was used to it.

She hadn't exactly told Lip that he had invited Billie. Well, she had said she was inviting some friends and Marin had showed up yesterday to stay for a few days. It wasn't her fault if Lip didn't ask any follow up questions. She was nearly dancing with glee at the idea of surprising Lip and she wondered how he would react. "Marin, did your mum get my last letter and homemade cookies I sent her?" Wini asked as she tried to distract them as they waited for the last member of their little party to arrive.

Marin felt like he was probably least in the loop here. Were Lip and this fifth year dating? Did Winifred have strictly platonic feelings for their Ravenclaw friend? There were so many mysteries here, and he was having trouble deciding just how invested in he was. At the moment, he felt a little at the edge of things, so it could go either way; apathy or investment? He checked his watch; Lip’s friend was late. Marin glanced at their Ravenclaw friend, wondering what Wini had told him, and what he thought of her antics. He’d been close with Wini almost as long as he’d been at Hogwarts; he was used to her by now.

“Sooo long,” Marin repeated, not bothering to look into the shop. He was sure the line was quite short. “Er, yes she got them,” he answered, looking at her this time and giving small, genuine smile. “Butterscotch.” He shook his head, “I’m just waiting for the news that she wants to swap me for you,” he commented. “Hmm,” Marin gave her a look, then nodded at the crowd in the distance, his rather attentive eyes spotting a head of pale blonde hair still quite far away, but heading in their direction.

Phillip turned to look at the line when Wini said it was long and shrugged his shoulders. It didn't seem that bad but he really did hate lines, and people, and crowds, and the insides of public places, and the outsides of public places, and well.. you get the picture. He rested his weight against the brick wall they were standing by and waited patiently for Billie to show up.

He snorted when Wini asked Marin about the cookies she had sent his mum and shook his head. "You sent his mum cookies?" He asked even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. He thought for a second she had been joking, there was no way she really did that right? And then he thought better of it. This was Winifred after all. And he snorted again when Marin replied.

Having been looking their way Phillip noticed the head nod from Marin and his eyes darted back across the street to where he'd motioned. He caught sight of her blond hair immediately and recognized it. He stood up straighter, pushing away enthusiastically from the wall, brushed the shirt fabric across his chest a little straighter nervously, and then realized he was being an idiot and even worse: Wini had probably seen the whole thing.

She smiled back in response to Marin's small smile, rare but just as gratifying as it always was. And then she laughed, a warm, happy sound as she swatted at his arm playfully. "She wouldn't do that," she assured her friend even though the idea did send a thrill through her. She loved Marin's mum even as much as she loved her own mum. She already had a bonus dad, what harm could they be in adopting Marin's mum as her own too? "Course I did, his mum loves me," she boasted and stuck her tongue out at Lip.

The blonde looked at Marin, deciphering his look before following his gaze to where he had nodded and then spying the pale blonde hair that meant Billie was almost here. She immediately slid her gaze to Lip who, to her delight, started fussing. Was he.. smoothing the wrinkles on his shirt?? Her brown eyes lit up and she grinned at him. This was a great idea, her best idea yet. She had never seen Lip.. care so much.

"What are you doing, Lip?" she tried to ask casually, but there was this gleeful tone to it as she glanced between where she saw Billie getting closer and Lip was was standing up straighter. She gave a big wave to Billie even as she spoke to Lip from the side of her mouth. "Don't forget to fix you hair. And give her a compliment or something," she instructed, trying to help him out. Then a question struck her and she turned a bit towards him. "Are you going to hug her? You should hug her hello!"

"Nothing." He said shortly, trying to pretend like he hadn't just been fussing which was something he absolutely wouldn't do. "I'm not doing anything." He cringed, realizing the double defense was not doing him any favors and shook his head. There was nothing wrong with his hair, now she was just messing with him. Annoyed he exhaled with an exasperation directed entirely toward Wini and shook his head. "A compliment?" Eyes snapping to her he didn't realize he was also sort of looking at his hair in the reflection of the window behind her. He patted it down a little. "I shouldn't of told you anything." He grumbled under his breath even as his cheeks got a little warmer.

Phillip wasn't the over emotional, romantic, whimsical type but he couldn't help but feel his stomach doing flips as Billie got closer and Wini kept whispering her advice at him. It was all moving too fast and he wasn't prepared for this. He gave Marin a 'save me' sort of look in the last moments before Billie was nearly close enough to hear them.

"Shut up shut up." He whispered quickly to Winifred but kept his eyes on the newest addition headed their way. He prayed Billie hadn't heard any of what his Hufflepuff friend had been telling him but also wished he had had more time to prepare. Maybe he should of thought about what he was going to do before this moment. They had went on a date, he thought it went well, they even kissed, but he hadn't seen her since then and they hadn't spoke of it so honestly he had no idea where things were. Was he supposed to kiss her again? It felt even weirder to think of doing it in front of an audience. What about a hug? That felt forced, he wasn't really the hugging type, would she think that was strange? He sighed one final time before Billie arrived and instead of doing any of the things Wini suggested he choked and said two whole words.

"Hey Billie."

Billie was nervous.

At first, she’d been confused; she was an avid letter writer, so she got a lot of mail, but it was extremely rare that she would receive something from someone whose handwriting she didn’t recognise. Winifred Gwartney had never really talked to her before, so there had been a small frown on her forehead when she’d opened her letter. And it hadn’t gotten less confusing when she identified the sender.

Naturally, Billie had written to Phillip straight away. She’d asked if he knew that Wini was inviting her to this group hang out, and if it was really okay that she was coming. Secretly, she wondered if he’d told his friends about the night they’d kissed, and that was why she was suddenly getting letters out of the blue. That thought didn’t calm her nerves at all; she and Phillip hadn’t talked about it since then, and she felt a little displaced, like she wasn’t sure where she stood.

She saw Phillip first, of course. Even across the alley, with people in between them, it was like she knew exactly where to find him. Her smile bloomed instinctively as their gazes met. After a beat, her pale eyes reluctantly scanned beside him, first to the Hufflepuff prefect Marin Clare, and their friend Wini. Her nerves amped up a little; Wini was overbearing and intimidating even just through written text, she wasn’t sure what to make of the older girl. It was reassuring to know that Phillip liked her. The blonde adjusted the collar of the pale green blouse she was wearing underneath her summer robes, and resisted the urge to check the matching ribbon she’d tied her hair back with.

She closed the distance between herself and their little group, quietly checking to see if there were any more of them. “Hello,” She said to Phillip, stopping beside him. She felt self-conscious and suddenly shy; were things different now? Should she hug him? She’d been hugging him hello a lot more these past couple of months, but never in front of other people. Billie settled for a light, lingering touch on his arm and a small, smile.

“Hello,” she said again, turning to the other two. She felt quite a bit out of her depth. “You weren’t waiting for me, were you?” she asked, concern in her expression as she looked from Wini back to Phillip.

This. Was the. Best Idea. Ever!!

Wini grinned wider and wider as Lip fussed and fluttered at the mere sight of Billie. Ugh. She was so happy with herself for dreaming up this little scheme. Of course, she wanted to read his diary and know what secrets he was so intent on keeping from her. But this?? This was so much juicier. She could tell just by the way he was so adamant about shushing her. She glanced between Lip and the curly haired girl who was just in front of them. Wini had never really met her officially before, but she looked familiar. This gave her the chance to study her a bit more closely, noticing her pretty robes and how the ribbon in her hair matched her shirt. She was cute and she seemed almost Marin-shy. Wini immediately wanted to know how she had made grumpy Lip fall all goo goo over her. What was the secret? Not that Wini wanted to inspire that sort of reaction in Lip, but it might be helpful when she wanted him to go to Sugar & Spice with her.

Her gaze narrowed in on the little touch Billie gave Lip in hello before she even greeted her or Marin and if she wasn't grinning like a Cheshire cat, she might have been impatient to get her own hello. Lip's simple and understated 'Hey Billie' was very underwhelming and she wondered if he really did need her tips and advice. It was a good thing they were staying together for the next few weeks so she could advise him.

"Hey Billie! Thanks so much for coming! Do you know Marin?" she said warmly, nodding toward her friend next to her, making sure all the introductions were made. It's not like Marin would pipe up to introduce himself, although he had been getting better lately. "No, no, not long at all. We were actually trying to decide what kind of ice cream we wanted. The boys are getting plain vanilla," she supplied, with a roll of her eyes, explaining how boring she thought they were.

Marin just frowned at Lip’s comment about Winifred sending his mother cookies. Judgey much? The thought was a bit ironic; Marin was one of the most judgemental people he knew. He gave Lip a slight shrug as the other boy shot him a help me sort of look. Sorry, he thought. What could one do when it came to Wini's machinations? Not much.

Marin watched it all with mild interest. As the tallest, he’d spotted her first, and he watched the way her face lit up when she saw… Marin glanced at Lip. Yep. There it was. The conversation he and Winifred had had in his dorm at the end of term echoed in his mind as he watched Billie approach Lip, watched the way Lip responded. He wondered if they were feeling all of the things in the way she’d described; if it was a sun-like feeling. If they couldn’t stop thinking about each other.

The thought crossed his mind that if Winifred did secretly have a thing for their Ravenclaw friend, then she should probably start looking for a new crush. He shot a sidelong glance her way, a little check-in. Marin had been Wini’s shoulder-to-cry-on many a time.

She just looked sort of impatient and gleeful though. He gave Billie a tight-lipped smile as he was introduced, and even raised his hand in a half-wave. Billie was pretty in a particular way. All soft and wispy. She’d look good on paper, he thought distantly. Marin looked back at Wini, waiting for his next cue. “I’m gonna…” He tilted his head at the ice cream place and then moved inside.

He watched her gracefully join the group, her hand resting on his arm for a second, and he forced himself to take a breath and give her a half smile. He was uncomfortable with most social situations but this was a new sort of uneasy. He was used to Wini and her antics, he didn't know Marin very much, and he looked forward to seeing Billie, but putting them all together made for a strange mash up. He was frustrated with his Hufflepuff friend, but also kind of super relieved she had been nosey and a good enough friend to invite them all out together. After he'd kissed Billie he'd kind of thought things between them would change but they just got more confusing. He wasn't sure where they stood, or what it meant to her, and he wasn't really trying to ask yet. He'd even found himself struggling to write letters to her lately because he didn't know if things were different in a good way or a bad way or just not at all. Wini had broke that ice without him even knowing it.

"Hi." He said back to Billie, even though he'd said hello first, but this was more of a whisper just for her when she came to stand beside him. It'd be a lie to say he hadn't thought about that kiss a hundred times since it happened, or that he wasn't thinking about wanting to do it again right now. When she leaned to greet the other two Phillip was reminded they weren't alone and he nodded. He gravitated to Billie like he was caught up in her orbit but he'd have to remind himself it wasn't just the two of them today. Wini started talking and Lip struggled to follow her fast words and full sentences. She'd answered the Ravenclaw witch's question before he'd gotten a chance to but he nodded. They hadn't been there too long, and the line was really long remember..

Marin spoke up next and Phillip was relieved he was keeping things moving even if he barely spoke. "Yeah ice cream." He said, turning back toward Billie and nudging her shoulder lightly. He wanted to reach for her hand, everything inside him telling him that would be a nice thing to do, and maybe a step toward figuring out where they were, but he didn't. Instead he put one foot in front of the other and followed Marin inside before holding the inside swinging door open for the two of them to join. "Wini is going to order eighteen types of sprinkles, watch." He said with a smirk to no one in particular but with his eyes on Billie.

Billie was determined to make a good impression, so she stayed bright and attentive as Wini spoke. “Thank you for inviting me,” she replied politely. Her eyes turned to Marin. “We haven’t properly met, I don’t think,” she replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She gave Marin a smile, then belatedly held up a hand too, mirroring his wave. He was taller than Kendrick, she thought distantly. And quiet, she noted.

“Oh,” she said, watching Wini’s eye roll. She wasn’t exactly sure about how to respond to that. She couldn’t recall ever talking about ice-cream with Phillip before. “I just tried lavender for the first time,” she offered with another small smile, tentatively feeling for Wini’s approval. “I might get something fruity?” Billie followed Wini inside as Phillip held the door for the pair of them. She felt all too aware of how close they were as she passed him, and then far too aware of him coming to stand behind her. "Nothing wrong with some sprinkles," she answered over her shoulder, before turning back ahead.

"What are you getting, Wini?" she asked politely.

Phillip couldn't help but watch as Billie navigated the words that came from Winifred and he appreciated her tact. He could never be as well behaved as she was, especially not with a badger on him like Wini. He had a hard time holding conversations with the sparkle-aholic most days but he did his best. Billie was doing it gracefully right out of the gate.

When they stepped inside the shop he was immediately struck by the wizarding pop music that was blasting from the wireless speakers. Of course it wasn't actually that loud, but Phillip didn't like it all the same. He cringed at the sound and let the door shut behind him as they moved to the queue. There were still a few people in front but it'd give the girls enough time to make their decisions. He was still firmly in the plain vanilla corner and he wasn't about to budge. He nudged Billie after she'd asked Wini what flavors she was getting and leaned down a little so he could whisper to her. He hoped the proximity, his lower voice, and the music would keep Wini from over hearing but he honestly doubted it.

"Let me buy yours?"

Wini was honed in on Lip and Billie's reaction like a hawk. Did he actually smile at her?? They were standing closer together than Lip usually elected to be around others. Oh my gosh. Was he in love?! Wini could barely contain her glee. She shared a look with Marin like 'are you seeing this?!' Of course, Lip could work on his conversational skills. His "hello" and "hi" weren't exactly cutting it, but Wini wasn't going to complain. This was hugee progress for him. Between the emotional moment and hugging (!) they had had at the end of term feast and this half-smile and flustered actions for Billie, Wini almost didn't know who he was anymore. What was he going to do next? Laugh out loud at someone's joke? Greet someone he didn't know with a smile?? The options seemed endless!

She turned as Marin directed them back towards their goal of ice cream and she fell into step with Billie, smiling widely at her. "So happy you could hang out with us today! I haven't tried the Lavender yet. Was it good? You can't go wrong with sprinkles," she told her before she heard Lip's sarcastic remark and she threw a look at him. "I will, if they have that many. And I'll dump some on your plain vanilla too if you're not careful," she added playfully before sweeping past him. Billie's comment in her favor had her smiling though and she nodded at the boys. "See? That's what I'm talking about. I like you already."

Shuffling up next to Marin, half-turned so she wasn't excluding Lip and Billie, but also so that she wouldn't miss any cute moments, Wini looked through the list. She hummed the song playing in the shop under her breath, tapping her fingertips along her thigh absentmindedly as she tried to decide. "Hmm, not sure yet," she said in reply to Billie's question. "Maybe Cotton Candy? Oh! No, Bubblegum! What do you guys think of Salted Caramel Blondie?" she asked glancing around at the group.

Then she heard Lip's whispered offer to buy Billie's ice cream and it was the sweetest, cutest thing ever. But then she gave him a pointed look, waiting for him to offer to get hers as well. Not that she couldn't buy her own. She had been saving up money and didn't need a hand out. But she wanted a boy to offer to buy her an ice cream out of the goodness of his heart. Wini turned and gave Marin a look next. Billie had all the luck.