Best Day Ever

[Dhaval Dandekar]

3rd October

It was a glorious day for Dhaval and Kavita Dandekar and for education in general. The Hogwarts halfbreed ban had been lifted somewhat. Half-breeds were still banned and Dhaval still thought that to be wrong, because everyone had a right on an education. That being said, he was only human and he was relieved that his sweet little sister would be able to attend school come September after all!

"Bring us a bottle of [Cheap Wine Name]!" Dhaval asked the waitress of the Augurey Beak Cafe. "It's on me!" he declared to his friends. It wasn't impressive, but Dhaval wanted to celebrate the good occasion.

"It's a glorious day!" He picked up his baby sister and rose on his feet. "My princess will be going to Hogwarts!" Once he was done embarrassing her, he let her back on the ground to go run and play or something.

@'Jude Wright' @'Esteban Zavala' @'Kieran Abernathy' @'Montgomery Morales' @'Eaton Shelby'

  

[Kieran Abernathy]

Kieran was so preoccupied with his letters to Topaz Urquart that he had not even read the front page of the paper he worked for. So he was not entirely sure why Dav was so happy until context clues tipped him off, and then he was grinning. Dav's happiness was contagious, and Kieran couldn't resist raising his glass in the direction of the Dandekars.

(Topaz Urquart would not be going back to Hogwarts. She wanted to know how to make It calmer, and Kieran had no answers for her.)

"Congratulations," he said. "That's excellent news, Dav."

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   Topaz Urquart

[Montgomery Morales]

Monty wasn't part of the 'inner circle' so to speak but he did show up sometimes to be a general pain in the ass. They didn't own the ABC though so he was free to come and go as he pleased so he was there when Dandeker went on about how his princess could go to Hogwarts. Why would anyone be pleased about having to go back to school? He had only gone one year but look how awesomely he had turned out?

"Hurrah!" He said anyway, despite the fact that he wasn't even fully one of the group, because he was all for free drinks. He'd dance around with a corpse if it meant getting free things that he liked and he probably had some drunken night. Who even knew.

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   Cecily Gallivan, Elias Grimstone

[Eaton Shelby]

Eaton had been half-through his own bottle of wine when Dav offered up the cheap bottle of wine for the group. Eaton heartily raised his near-empty glass at the good news. "Hear, hear!" he exclaimed, genuinely happy for his compatriot. "Everyone deserves an education."

Though Eaton never remarked on how much education or what kind of education, just an education at all should be mandatory. At least she would have a chance at being able to control her magic and that at the very least would be a good thing, because let's be real, shit goes south when shit isn't controlled.

"I'll buy a second bottle of that, Dav. No way we won't finish the first, and I'd feel bad if you didn't get to properly celebrate."

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   Paul Pince

[Jude Wright]

Jude wasn't best pleased that the ban had not been overturned entirely - for even those not fully human - but this news was a hundred times better than nothing, and Jude could do nothing but beam indulgently at Dhaval and his little sister.

"And I'm sure she'll do well!" He added, watching as Dav finally set the poor girl down. (With a brother like Dav, he didn't doubt that she'd be encouraged to make the most of every minute of it.)

He patted Eaton companionably on the back at the poet's additions, though it did take a measure of self control not to dampen the moment and bring up the halfbreed problem again. Instead, Jude raised his glass of wine to join in the toasting. "Well, celebrating it is," he said, feigning a sigh before he broke out into another smile.

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   Arthur Pettigrew

[Montgomery Morales]

More booze was being bought and not by him so Monty was quite pleased. He had chosen a good day to come to the ABC. Raising his glass in salute in the general direction of Dav and his little princess, Monty took a good swig from his glass.

  

[Simeon Graves]

-casually slides in like I was invited the whole time-

Simeon was more than happy to hear that Dav's sister would have the right to attend Hogwarts come next September, but he also knew that only half the battle was won. There were still many that could not attend schooling because of factors they couldn't control — mostly because of their half-breed heritage.

"That's great news, Dav!" he said, joining the chorus of the congratulations. "Have any idea what house she'll be sorted into?" he asked teasingly. While he firmly believed that no one house was inherently better than another, he was definitely partial to Ravenclaw, the house he'd spent seven years in.

  

[Dhaval Dandekar]

On another day, Dhaval would have had a great deal of things to say about halfbreeds being banned from Hogwarts. Today, he was selfishly happy for his sister. Kavita was his pride and his joy, the apple of his eye. He wanted for her to have the best in life, everything that Dhaval had been deprived of.

He shot Eaton a grateful smile for his offering. It was true that Dhaval would only be able to afford one of those bottles.

Simeon asked him about Kavita's future 'house'. Dhaval had a general understanding of the concept. That being said, he could never fully understand what each different house meant and why they were so important. He also thought they were a bit too general. A person could be both clever and brave, yet according to the house system, he could only be one of those.

"Oh, I don't know!" Dhaval replied with a smile. "I think I'd like her to be in all of them!" Meaning that he'd want her to be brave and clever and hard-working and ambitious. They were all important traits. He wanted his sister to be a balanced person.

  

[Jude Wright]

He sipped carefully from the glass of wine, setting it down and circling his fingers around the edge of the foot of it when Simeon raised a question about Kavita's future time at Hogwarts.

Jude smiled quietly at Dav's answer, which was the best sort of response he could have given. For starters, it made sense for that to be Dandekar's opinion, as the one naturally most impartial, the one who knew least about what the Houses were. Beyond that, Jude had long been on the side of those who criticised it as a system, especially since there were so many people for which it was a sticking point, even when their Hogwarts years were well past. It never could encompass a person's whole being - it reduced them to stereotypes, sometimes ugly ones - and it meant so much during one's schoolyears, meant everything, factored in to where one slept and where one ate and whom one was supposed to support at Quidditch, which didn't seem fair, not to allow people to sit with or cheer for their friends in favour of an extremely cultivated sense of house pride. (But maybe, Jude imagined, his feelings about this were misplaced; maybe he was just too swayed by his own experience.)

Which wasn't to say that he was ashamed of having been a Slytherin. They'd had their share of snobbish purebloods and selfish social-climbers, but all houses had wildly contrasting people, which was what made it so awkward and arbitrary, whatever the hat knew that they didn't. After all, Jude thought, glancing around the room: he and Morales had been in the same house at school, and maybe he was utterly wrong, but Jude liked to think they were completely different people.

So really, it was a harmless enough discussion among friends that Jude didn't feel too guilty of idly wondering aloud to the room at large: "Why, which house do you think Dhaval would have been in, if he'd been at Hogwarts?"

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   Ellory Pendergast

[Kieran Abernathy]

Kieran was grateful for the house system for one big reason: Eileen. In sorting both precocious underprivileged youths into Hufflepuff, the sorting hat had given them a foundation upon which they could build a fervent, persistent friendship. He was certain that they would have ended up falling in place sooner or later, but Hufflepuff had certainly made things easier for them.

It was house loyalty as well as factual knowledge of his friends that had Kieran adding, "He would've been a Hufflepuff, obviously!" It was said with an obnoxious sort of bravado, but Kieran was sure that it was true. Dav was the most uncomplainingly hard-working person he had ever met; he had to be a Hufflepuff at heart.

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   Dhaval Dandekar

[Simeon Graves]

Dav was definitely the Hufflepuff sort; anyone with two eyes could see that! Though some would consider Hufflepuffs meek and weak, people with a true understanding of the sorting system understood the benefit of having Hufflepuffs in their lives! They made great friends, being hardworking, patient, loyal, and trustworthy.

"I would say that's accurate," commented Simeon with a smile. "Hufflepuffs are known for being the most friendly and reliable among the four houses. They work hard and are always loyal to their friends," he explained, mostly for Dhaval's understanding.

  

[Dhaval Dandekar]

His friends seemed keen to put him in the house called Hufflepuff. That was the yellow one that had a badger for an animal. Dhaval knew that Hufflepuffs were supposed to be kind and hard-working, just like Simeon had said. There was also a negative sort of vibe about it, at times. As though it wasn't taken as seriously as the other houses. Dhaval didn't really know house prejudices and, in all honesty, why would anyone think being hard-working as a negative trait?

"I've always liked its name the best," Dhaval commented with a smile. 'Hufflepuff' (or 'Hafel-pαf' as Dhaval roughly pronounced it) was a fun name to say.

  

[Montgomery Morales]

They began talking about Hogwarts and Monty supposed he could see Dav in Hufflepuff. Maybe Ravenclaw. As it was, he had otherwise checked out of the conversation and after taking another drink, ambled off to see what other trouble he could get up to.