In the weeks that went by, Celeste took her time to pack for her move back to England. In a way, it was easy and hard to empty the house she grew to love, along with the country and job she would miss dearly. Still, Madame Maxime at Beauxbatons assured her that she was always welcome to come back if she had the opportunity to do so.

She was nervous to go back to England, having to face the people she left behind and the memories she intended to remain buried. A part of her wanted to stay in France and forget that Dumbledore even sent her a letter in the first place. But with the guilt weighing on her as she tried to live her life without trying to think any more about it would only do nothing but drive her mad. For all she knew, maybe going back would bring her closure.

When Celeste arrived at the train station with her trunks, she still felt anxious about leaving France, her heart beating fast yet aching at the same time. She watched as other families got on the train without a second thought, rushing their children. Celeste took her time as she paid for her ticket and hopped on the train, placing her things in the compartment above her seat. Sitting down, she looked out the window at her view of people walking in different directions of the station, huffing a sigh.

"Excusez-moi," a voice from behind her said, to which she turned around and was surprised to see who it was. "Is this seat taken?"

Celeste opened her mouth and smiled a little. "Philibert. You came."

"Well, Dumbledore's letter was very convincing, wouldn't you say?" he said, chuckling as he put his things in his compartment, then taking a seat across from her.

"Oh, is that the only reason?" she relied, raising her eyebrows and grinning his way.

Philibert playfully rolled his eyes. "If you already know the answer to that question, then why even ask?"

"Just to see if you'll answer it, or at least admit the main reason you're going back is because of him," she responded.

"So what if I am?" he asked, leaning back in his seat. "I think it's about time we know the truth, oui? Don't we all deserve that much?"

Celeste nodded her head. "Yeah, we do," she said.

Philibert huffed a sigh, folding his arms. "I mean, it's a big risk, I know, but I think twelve years is enough time to finally put things to rest, don't you think?"

She bit her lip and stared at her friend. Sure, it was time to get things settled, but how well would that go? What would the outcome be, having another fallout and more innocent people get killed in the process, then running away to avoid any more trouble from the Ministry? Everything could crumble like before, and then even more tension would arise between the friends. If that were to happen, Celeste might lose all of her friends for good, maybe never seeing them again. She couldn't bear the thought, especially with how well she and Philibert had done keeping in contact with each other over the years, even if they only saw each other for one day and it was just for a few hours.

"How different do you think things will be once we get there?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "We'll find out in a couple of hours."

"Are you nervous?"

"How can I not be?"

"Exactly how I feel."

Philibert let out a chuckle. "Well, we're definitely in for an interesting return, aren't we?"

Celeste grinned in response. Honestly, with not knowing what to expect after being away for so long, things would get rather interesting.

When the train left the station, the two looked out the window and took in the breathtaking view of France, wanting to remember the beautiful sights of the country before they would leave it behind. Celeste saw the way Philibert held a sad smile at the scenery, and she knew how much he would miss France, most likely more than she would. Both of them took a few more minutes before staring at each other again and getting comfortable in their seats for the journey.

So for the next two and a half hours, the two friends went back and forth with their conversations, reminiscing of their time in England during the summer and at Hogwarts for the rest of the year. They wondered as to how much the place had changed since they graduated, and both of them expected it to be exactly the same.

"So what are your plans for work once you get back?" she asked him.

The boy shrugged his shoulders in response. "Dunno. Being a bartender at the pub wasn't a bad gig. Maybe there'll be some openings at the Leaky Cauldron for me."

"Would you really want to work there?" Celeste raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, it's not ideal, no, but it's something. Unless you've got a better suggestion."

"How about the Three Broomsticks?" she suggested. "It's a lot nicer than the Leaky Cauldron, and you'd be closer to Hogwarts."

"You mean, I'd be closer to you," he corrected her.

"Don't say it like it's such a bad thing, Philibert. We'd be able to see each other a lot more often if you were close by."

He sighed. "I suppose it is nicer than the Leaky Cauldron. Come to think of it, it sounds nice having to only deal with students most of the time, even if they are...well, les enfants."

"See? It's already sounding better the more you talk about it, right?"

He chuckled. "I'll look into it, then. What would I do without you looking out for me, Celeste?"

"You'd probably be miserable, that's what."

Smiling, he playfully rolled his eyes her way. "Peu importe."

Before they knew it, the train stopped at their station, signaling that they arrived in England, home at last. Gathering their things, the two made their way off the train and onto the platform, taking a look around at the station they once were familiar with before, everything being the same when they departed for France so many years ago.

"Wow, it really hasn't changed, huh?" Philibert spoke up.

"Not at all," Celeste replied. "It's strange, though, being back for the first time in years."

"Well, I'm sure outside is even stranger," he stated. "Come on, I'm starving. Let's get some lunch, yeah?"

And so the two headed out of the station and outside, the weather being hot as it usually was in the city of London. The Leaky Cauldron was their next destination, and the two seemed more nervous than anything to get there, knowing that anything unexpected, good or bad, could happen.

Arriving at the pub, inside was as crowded as they anticipated, but still being able to get a table near where the entrance to Diagon Alley was. As they set their things down, a waiter came by and took their order, to which the two friends thanked the man and sighed in content.

Philibert looked around with raised eyebrows, seeing the drunks lined up at the bar, shouting and laughing, along with those snoozing at their own tables. "Now I understand why you suggested the Three Broomsticks."

"You'll thank me later," Celeste said.

As their food and drinks came around, the two ate in silence, enjoying getting some food into their stomachs after the trip from France. When Celeste heard the front door open, she saw a young couple entering inside with two kids, both of which hardly looked like they were old enough to go to Hogwarts just yet. It was when the woman lifted up her head to reveal her bangs that Celeste instantly knew who she was.

"Oh my Merlin," she said, standing up. "Ember?"

The brunette turned her head and widened her eyes, her mouth opened. "Celeste!" she exclaimed, rushing towards her. "Merlin's beard, you're here!"

Celeste welcomed her with open arms, the two embracing each other for a moment. "It's so good to see you."

"Hey, you can't forget about me, can you?" Philibert teased as he stood up from his seat.

Ember pulled away and turned to face the boy, grinning. "Of course not, Philibert." She pulled him in for a hug next, squeezing him tightly for a minute.

"So how are you?" Celeste asked. "It's been...well, years since we've seen you."

"Gosh, it really has," Ember said. "Well, I've been good. Dirk and I were in Romania, which I'm sure you knew from the papers." She let out a chuckle. "But we've decided to move back to England, actually. Our oldest son is starting Hogwarts this year."

"Your son?" Philibert repeated. To him and Celeste, this was news.

Ember nodded her head. "Yeah, we've got two. Hey, Dirk! Look who I ran into!"

Dirk moved around the tables with the two boys, smiling at the sight of Philibert and Celeste. "Oh, hi, guys! It's been some years since we've seen you two."

"Yes, it has," Philibert commented.

"Ember's been meaning to write to you two for a while now, right, love? You kept mentioning it to me not too long ago."

The brunette sheepishly nodded her head. "I mean, it was just a thought, really. I wasn't sure if you two were still in England or..."

"Well, we just got back, actually," Celeste spoke up. "Philibert and I were in France."

"Oh, that sounds nice," Ember stated. "Of course, it makes sense, seeing as you two are, well, French." She let out a small laugh, though it sounded as if she was nervous.

"Yeah, we just moved back from Romania a couple of weeks ago," Dirk explained. "I was promoted to the Head of the Goblin Liaison Office at the Ministry."

"That's wonderful," Celeste said with a smile.

"Congratulations, mate," Philibert added.

"Thank you, and it worked out, seeing as Ember was eager to come back as well."

Nodding her head again, Ember chuckled nervously. "I missed being back, and it worked out with Rowan about to start school, too."

Noticing the awkwardness, Philibert stepped in and looked at Dirk. "Anyway, your wife here was just telling us about your sons."

"Ah, yes, these two troublemakers," he joked, then pointing at the older boy. "This is Rowan." His hand went to the younger son next. "And this is Newt. We're just heading into Diagon Alley to get Rowan his supplies for school."

"Which we better get going before the lines get too long and then we'll have to wait forever, and you know how quickly Newt's patience wears out." Ember motioned her children towards the back, then waved at her friends. "It was nice seeing you two. We'll have to get together sometime."

"Yes, of course," Celeste agreed.

With that, Ember gave one last smile before hurrying the rest of the Cresswell family out of the pub and onto Diagon Alley.

"Well, I don't know about you, but that was strange, don't you think?" Philibert asked as he and Celeste sat back down in their seats.

"Yeah, very strange," she stated. "I mean, it started out okay, and then when Dirk mentioned moving back here..."

"You think she got a letter from Dumbledore, too, and Dirk doesn't know about it?"

Celeste shrugged her shoulders. "It didn't look like he knew anything." In a way, she thought he was completely oblivious with the move, and she wondered if his promotion was something Dumbledore set up or if it was just a coincidence that everything worked out just around the time Sirius broke out of Azkaban.

"Kind of odd for her to not tell her own husband about it," Philibert commented.

"The last thing we need is another person to get involved in all of this," Celeste pointed out.

"That is true, and with Dirk's new position at the Ministry, it's better if he didn't know." Pausing, he finished off his drink before continuing. "So, when are we going to contact Di and Lia?" he asked.

"The sooner the better," she answered. "I leave for Scotland at the end of the month, so we need to go ahead and do it so we can figure things out." She couldn't help but huff a sigh. "I didn't think we'd be in this mess after almost twelve years of laying low, and now we're back here, trying to clean up the mess we made. With Sirius on the loose--"

"I know, Celeste," he cut her off. "Look, we'll get the Runaways together so we can have this sorted out, alright?"

"Do you even think Di and Lia will want to see us after all these years?" she pointed out. "After all, parting ways and going into hiding was Lia's idea in the first place."

"Given the circumstances and Dumbledore informing us that we're all in danger, she'll have to speak with us if she wants this to be forgotten like the rest of us do." He exhaled loud as he paused for a moment. "We're going to settle this one way or another, no matter what. It's what needs to be done, especially since we're all back in one country now for the first time in almost twelve years."

Celeste sighed again. "I suppose you're right." While she knew Philibert was right about that, there was no telling how things would go during their reunion, and most likely, it wouldn't end very well.

~~~~~~~

A/N: TRANSLATIONS:

Excusez-moi = Excuse me

Oui = Yes

Les enfants = Children

Peu importe = Whatever

Shoutout to for creating Ember!

Anyway, the besties are about to have their reunion. Wonder how that's gonna go...

Comment, vote, more to come soon!

-A