“Are you sure about this, Kendis?” Isiah asked her, lifting an eyebrow. Kendis took her wand, and with a muttered word and flick of the wand, the candles were lit.

It had been a few days since her confrontation with Tony, and she had desperately needed a distraction. And luckily for her, planning for Hortense’s birthday was the perfect distraction.

Alke whined as she paced back and forth. Her small, pointed ears were perked, and her little stubby tail wagged excitedly.

“No, Alke,” Kendis said. “Cake is bad for you.”

Alke sat at her feet and gave another mournful whine.

“You act like I never feed you,” Kendis muttered under her breath as she waved her wand at the cake, and then it began to float in the air.

“Hortense is going to love it,” Kendis replied to Isiah’s earlier question. “Now, take this beggar out of here.” She nodded towards the dog. “Give her a treat. I know Hortense has a stash hidden inside her desk.”

Isiah gave her a sloppy salute and then whistled. Alke obediently got up and trotted behind him.

Kendis barely stopped herself from laughing at the dubious look he threw back at her before he disappeared down the hall. Hortense was the type of woman who said she didn’t want any fuss on her birthday, but then would get huffy when they didn’t go all out.

But Kendis didn’t mind. Hortense had been cut off from her family after fleeing to America to escape an arranged marriage. From what Hortense had told her, her family didn’t understand why she didn’t want to be some pureblood asshole’s broodmare.

And Isiah was a muggleborn whose ultra-religious family cut him off when he did some accidental magic when he kid and had to go to the Salem Institute at age eleven for his own safety.

Even though Kendis had the Weasleys and her friends back in England, when she first came to Los Angeles, she had been just another magical misfit in a foreign city. Those two were the start of Kendis building her own little American family, and she made sure to show them how much she cared at every opportunity.

Kendis examined the purple and white buttercream cake she had specially ordered from Hortense’s favorite bakery on Alameda Avenue.

Tucking the purple and silver present under her arm, Kendis made the cake float out of the room and down the hall. As she entered the lobby, she saw Alke happily chewing at her treat. Great, that will distract Alke long enough for me to put the cake down.

But she paused as she saw Isiah suddenly pull Hortense into his arms. With her back to Kendis, Hortense rested her head on Isiah’s chest.

Despite their obvious physical differences, Hortense and Isiah looked perfect together. Hortense was every inch the diva in her pink Eloquii pantsuit. But even in her four-inch Manolo Blahniks, Hortense was still a few inches shorter than Isiah’s five-foot-eleven. Isiah, meanwhile, was all muscle; his white t-shirt and tight ripped jeans stretched tightly against his dark brown skin.

Isiah was a poor trans muggleborn, and Hortense was a spoiled cis pureblood. They shouldn’t work, but they do.

If Hortense and Isiah are happy, maybe Tony and I have a chance. Despite the class differences between Hortense and Isiah, they were both magical. Whereas Tony was just a muggle with delusions of grandeur.

She impatiently shoved Tony Stark and all the inconvenient feelings he brought up away.

With a sigh, Kendis considered returning to the break room and giving the couple their space, but Alke barked and scampered over to Kendis. Hortense spun around, her eyes widening as she spotted Kendis and the floating cake.

“Kendis!” Hortense chided. “You shouldn’t have!”

“Oh, hush.” Kendis grinned, and then Kendis and Isiah started to sing the birthday song.

“Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to you!”

Isiah’s smooth baritone and Alke’s loud, jubilant howls soon joined Kendis’s voice. Hortense couldn’t maintain her stern look for long and her mouth broke into a wide, delighted smile.

“Blow out the candles.” Isiah kissed her on the forehead and gave her a soft smile. “Make a wish, sweetheart.”

Hortense closed her eyes for a beat, and then she blew out the candles. Kendis and Isiah clapped and whistled.

“Now, the presents!”

Hortense perked up and practically bounced up and down as Isiah handed her a big, blue-wrapped box, which was tied with a bronze bow.

“Ravenclaw colors?” Hortense cackled. “Really?”

“It was an accident.” Isiah shrugged sheepishly. “But I figured I couldn’t go wrong with your old house colors. I know how seriously you Brits take house pride.”

“You cheeky man,” Hortense said as she slapped him playfully on the shoulder. And then she turned back, and with a wave of her wand, the paper slowly and neatly peeled away to reveal a white box.

Hortense was more than a receptionist. She practically ran the business side of Enchanted Engines, and Kendis usually appreciated how meticulous and thorough she was. The woman was clever with a mind like a steel trap, but if Hortense took one more second to unwrap this present, Kendis was going to scream.

Alke huffed and plopped herself next to Kendis. She scratched between her dog’s ears and glared at her friend. “Hortense, just rip the sodding paper.”

Isiah laughed at Kendis’s annoyance while Hortense rolled her eyes, but Kendis noticed the small smirk on the woman’s lips.

Kendis shook her head at her friend’s antics, but her sanity was preserved as the box was now completely stripped of paper and the infuriating woman opened it. Hortense gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

“Isiah.” Hortense looked at her boyfriend in amazement. “You didn’t!” She turned back and pulled out a large purple Telfar bag.

Isiah leaned down and kissed her. “I saw you eying it when we went to Westfield.”

Hortense shook her head. “It must have cost you a small fortune.”

Isiah shrugged. “I had to save up for a few months to afford it. But lucky for me, my boss gave me a raise.” He threw Kendis a grateful look.

“That’s why we both suddenly got a pay bump?” Hortense gasped and spun around.

“The shop has been doing well,” Kendis said. “Besides, you both do good work.”

Despite the size of the mechanic’s bay and the overall size of the compound, the business was a small operation. It was mostly just the three of them, with some occasional help from Richie. Kendis was just lucky that she had found Hortense and Isiah.

“Kendis?” Hortense asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. Kendis shook her head and sighed. “Sorry, got lost in my head.”

“Typical.” Hortense snorted but gave her a fond, rueful smile.

Kendis rolled her eyes and handed Hortense her present. Hortense muttered the spell from earlier to unwrap the present, but thankfully she didn’t see any further need to torture Kendis and quickly unwrapped it.

Hortense opened the box and frowned as she took out a brochure. “What is this?” She gasped as she read it, and Isiah quickly moved to read over her shoulder. Then his mouth dropped open.

“A month’s vacation with an all-expenses paid trip to Isla de Mánea!”

“It’s a beautiful island in the Caribbean,” Kendis explained. “Bright sandy beaches, full-service luxury magical spa and resort, and tons of stuff you can do on the water.”

Hortense spluttered, but Kendis put her hand up. “The portkey is in three days. Go have fun and take plenty of photos.”

“Three days?!” Isiah shook his head. “This is short notice. Is that enough time to get the paperwork sorted?

Kendis shrugged. “I pulled some strings.”

“Kendis!” Hortense said. “This is way too much.”

“You deserve it,” Kendis replied. “You two more than earned this holiday.”

“Even with Richie helping, we’ve still got loads to do,” Hortense shook her head. “We are completely booked for March, and the Cantrell order is due next month.”

“I finished Cantrell’s chopper yesterday,” Kendis shrugged. “And we can cancel any other appointments.”

“Kendis,” Isiah said, “We can’t afford to close for a month.”

“Actually, I can. Lucky for all of us, I’m filthy rich,” Kendis said. “And you know that the shop is not my only source of income.” 

Kendis was proud of her small business, but the endless disposable income she got from both her Potter and Black inheritance made making this decision so much easier. “Besides, I had something come up back home and won’t be around much. Your time will be better spent on a sunny island somewhere.”

Even though she hated lying to her friends, Kendis knew she had to do her best to protect them. And with the pace at which Chester was sending her letters was increasing, Kendis knew this was the right choice. Isiah finding a black envelope in the break room a few days ago was her breaking point. Kendis would not be taking any chances with her friends’ lives. Hell, if she could get the Weasleys and the rest of her friends to go on holiday without raising their suspicions, she would

I should send Alke away, too, Kendis thought to herself. Alke had been her constant companion for three years, and she barely could handle being separated from her for the two days she was in Vegas.

It was as if her dog knew what Alke was thinking—she finished her treat, and the dog ambled over. Her dog whined, and Kendis patted her on the head.

Kendis looked up just in time to notice that Hortense and Isiah were having one of those weird silent couple conversations with their eyes.

“If you are in trouble—” Isiah started to say, but Kendis quickly interrupted him.

“I’m not.”

Hortense shook her head. “Kendis…”

“Please,” Kendis begged.

Hortense and Isiah shared another long, silent look before her friends finally agreed.

Kendis sighed in relief as the couple started to talk excitedly about their upcoming trip. Just as she was about to cut the cake, Alke let out a growl. Kendis looked down just in time to see another black envelope suddenly appear.

“Kendis?” Hortense frowned at the envelope in Kendis’s hand. “What is that?”

“That looks like the envelope I found a few days ago,” Isiah pointed out.

“It’s nothing!” Kendis said, forcing a smile, “So, how about some cake?”

Kendis focused on the cake, pretending everything was fine even though she was about to lose it over another letter. Any appetite she had was gone the moment she saw the envelope, but Kendis managed to force herself to choke down a piece of the red velvet cake.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kendis was able to make her excuses and she made a beeline for her office. Her fingers trembled as she opened the letter.

You are so beautiful when you cry. Will you cry for me when I come inside you?