June 28th, 1888 — Diggory House, Swallowbury

“We’re throwing a party”, she announced as she unceremoniously slapped her copy of The Daily Prophet down upon the breakfast table—upon her breakfast, actually; that was unintended. The headline continued to flash up at her: generic fog headline #376 or some such; to be fair, Inès Valentine was past the point of paying attention.

She had come to England—well, Scotland—with the intent of enjoying herself. She’d find love for some, find fame for her, and have a jolly good time with both. This ridiculous fog, though, was putting a damper on things, the tedium in turn fogging up her inner eye. She was not a seer who could See if not in a good mood. A party, though, even one without magic, would help break up the monotony if nothing else.

“I don’t know when, or where,” she conceded sheepishly, “but It Is Known.”

The last was said with, perhaps, more dramatic flair than was needed for her audience of Dolores, but Inès had always been the dramatic flair sort.

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   Edric Umbridge

Dolly had had similar hopes of parties and social outings when she'd returned to Britain with her father and husband, and that had gone just fine—up until a few weeks ago, that was!

Despite the six or so months she'd spent in Irvingly, it was still not the most familiar setting to her, and navigating around it without magic or visibility made things even more complicated. She'd resigned to her home, though was most pleased to have her husband—and, most noteworthy at the moment, dear Inès!—with her.

"You have nothing against muggles, do you?" she asked with a glance up from her knitting. "We could invite some of them; it's not as if we have our magic to hide. I've heard many of them have suffered great tragedies of their own before coming here! The fog may just help bridge the gap between the magic and non-magic communities in the area." she added with an encouraging smile.

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That all sounded quite noble and good to Inès, but in truth, the seer couldn't care less about "bridging the gap", bar the gap that lurked between herself, Dolly, and a jolly good time.

"I see no reason why they shouldn't be included even with magic," Inès answered brightly. "After all, if they've chosen to live so close to magic, they must have some degree of appreciation for it. Now." She leaned forward, entirely business now.

"I thought perhaps a luncheon would be best, maybe with some lawn games though the fog is awfully rubbish for that. We could tout my skills as something of a draw, unless you and Mr. Diggory might prefer a different venue?"

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It was then through Inès' description that an image began flooding Dolly's mind. The ladies could sit and receive readings from Inès while the gentleman played tennis in the lawn; the children could run around, playing schoolyard games until they decided they needed refreshments; and her, the oh-so-humble hostess—it could be perfect as long as the fog didn't cause too much trouble for them!

"Well of course we'll have it here," she agreed with a wave of her hand. "Everyone needs to know where you are so they might find you when needed! If all goes well, you'll have desperate clients knocking on our door in a month's time!" That was probably an over-exaggeration, but still.

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   Inès Valentine

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“Hopefully not too desperate, for that could grow quite wild,” she answered with a smile and glint in her eye that suggested that was precisely what she hoped for.

“Oh Dolly, this is going to be such fun! How long does it take one to plan a party without magic? I’ve never tried,” Inès offered almost dismissively by way of explanation. There were refreshments to be ordered, invitations to be sent, a date to be set…so much to consider! It was almost as good as a matchmaking project. Almost.

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It would only figure that her first season in Britain as a married woman would be spent wasting in a way while fog enveloped their neighborhood, but the dark time in their community offered the perfect opportunity for their party to brighten things up! Perhaps this would solidify her as a stellar hostess in Irvingly, and perhaps it would bring more fame and fortune to Inès! Her smile expressed her excitement perfectly.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find what we need around here. Besides, businesses can't shut down indefinitely—people need to live!" Even if the market had been canceled, merchants would still be trying to support their families; they might even find much-needed supplies for a steal if they were lucky!

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“Living does not always mean thriving,” the witch reminded her friend with rather a melodramatic sigh. "But if anyone is capable, I daresay it is us!"

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"Well," she said resignedly, "I have a prediction of my own: I don't think the fog will last until September," she declared confidently. "As the Hogwarts school year draws nearer, parents and students alike will grow even more anxious, and the Ministry will have do something. Whether it's working harder to rid of the fog or letter us leave, I'm unsure, but they'll do something."

Now in regards to the party, that would put their best chance somewhere before then, but not too much before then. Even if the fog were still around, Dolly now had her mind on hosting it here—and she could not do that if she, Inès, and Gabriel were shipped off to London!

"Perhaps we can plan for...mid-August? At the earliest."

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“So long!” Inès whined in despair, though she knew the sense of it. Without magic to give the occasion the flare it truly deserved, they would need the extra time to make up that deficit. At the very least, though, they would have a project in the meanwhile.

“I do suppose you know best,” the Moroccan allowed.

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Dolly smiled. "It's settled then. We're having a party!" she said, a smile breaking out across her face. This was going to be so much fun, and it would provide them with a little spark of light in these gloomy times.

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