When nothing happens, she pauses, breathing heavy and looking around.
So, I take my cue, sprinting from our hiding spot and splashing into the pond, too.
Tera’s eyes light up at the sight of me, and to match her energy, I land a kick right to the cardboard cutout Voldemort’s chest, bending him in half before he falls into the water.
Then, Tera and I are screaming and laughing and hugging and crying and all the memories of when I found out Skyler was my Big rush back to me in the most vicious, most beautiful flood.
“I’m so glad it’s you!” Tera says when we pull back, both of our eyes glossy.
I sniff. “Welcome to the family, Little.”
Skyler joins us then, and when Tera sees her, she covers her laugh before wrapping Skyler in a hug.
“A fine Ron Weasley you make, President.”
“You can call me G-Big now,” Skyler says, and when they’re done hugging, she holds up her wand and says, “Now, what’s the spell to make a very strong cocktail appear?”
We all laugh, already making our way out of the pond and waving to the spectators who had watched the scene. Some of them are snapping pics, so we pose with our soggy Voldemort and take a few of our own.
“Are we changing before we go out?” Tera asks.
“Absolutely not,” Skyler answers. “Fully committed to the Harry Potter theme tonight. We need to look up a recipe for spiked butter beer and order it at Ralph’s.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Something tells me we can’t trust any bartender at Ralph’s to even remotely know how to make a drink that isn’t three parts whatever alcohol you want and one part soda.”
“Fair,” Skyler concedes. “But we should try anyway.”
“Oh! Before we change, I told Adam we’d video chat him,” I say, pulling out my phone.
Tera is all bright smiles and red cheeks, and she, Skyler, and I cuddle in close to make sure we’re all in frame as the phone rings. Skyler touches up her hair while Tera fixes her glasses on her nose, and then the screen connects.
“Merlin’s beard!” Adam answers, completely on theme. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a new Gryffindor.”
“Hi, Adam! Nice to finally meet you,” Tera says. “Virtually, anyway. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Same here, Tera. Welcome to the family.”
There’s a voice somewhere near Adam — a female voice — that makes my heart stop.
It’s then that I notice his surroundings, a candlelit restaurant with plush, deep red booth-like seats and chandeliers hanging above him. Mahogany wood trims everything in sight, and he’s not in his normal Alpha Sig polo, or in any of his chill clothes.
He’s got on a suit and tie.
“Yes, it is! Here, come say hi,” he answers to the girl, patting the seat next to him. A second later, she scoots over next to him and waves at us on the screen.
Which means she couldn’t have been that far away to begin with.
“Hi, Cassie! Oh, my gosh. You guys look amazing!”
Skyler and Tera do some silly movements with their wands to get the full effect, but I just stand there, trying to remember to breathe, trying to force a smile.
Because I know without looking at myself in the screen that I look crazy right now — wild, frizzy hair, baggy cloak, puffy scarf around my neck.
But she — the girl with Adam — is the one who looks amazing.
Her dark hair is pin straight and hanging over her shoulders, her eyes lined like a cat’s, and tinged with smoky eyeliner. Her lips are painted a blood red, spread wide to reveal her perfect, straight white teeth. I can’t see everything she’s wearing, but I can see her quite impressive cleavage and the thin black straps straining to hold said bosom in place.
Skyler gives me a look, and it’s enough to make me clear my throat and remember to speak.
“Hi!” I say.
Simply.
Stupidly.
“I’m Chandler,” the girl says. “Adam has told me so much about you. I can’t wait to meet you when you come visit!”
“Same here,” I manage, and it’s not a complete lie. Adam has told me a lot about her, too.
The part about not being able to wait to meet her, though…
“Chandler scored a free dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in town,” Adam explains.
“It was a gift since we booked our dinner before our semi-formal here,” Chandler adds. “But I didn’t want to come to this fancy-schmancy steakhouse by myself, so I dragged your boyfriend here with me and told him we could talk business.”
I force the most pathetic laugh of my life.
“Where are you girls off to now?” Adam asks.
“Ralph’s, of course,” Skyler says. And she must sense that I’m uncomfortable, must know that Tera is about two seconds away from knowing the same, so she grabs the phone from my hands and smiles wide at the screen. “And we better get going. So much to drink, so little time.”