The house had quieted for the night. The fire in the hearth had mellowed to embers, casting soft, flickering shadows on the walls of the sitting room. It was late, and all but three had gone to bed.
Iris, Hadrian, and Dora lay sprawled across a nest of blankets and pillows pulled close to the fire, none of them willing to speak first — as if words might break the calm of their final night at home.
Outside, wind whispered through snow-laced trees. Inside, warmth lingered.
"I don't want to go back yet," Iris finally said softly, her voice muffled against a cushion.
"Same," Dora replied, her tone far less playful than usual. "I know we'll be back for summer, but it's always strange, leaving this place."
Hadrian stared into the embers. "Strange how it already feels like home."
There was a pause. The kind that settled between people who knew each other well enough not to rush it.
"I never really had a place like this before," Iris admitted. "I mean… where I wasn't treated like a chore."
Hadrian shifted, propping himself up on one elbow to look at her. "You've got one now. You've got us now."
She smiled at him, not tearful, just deeply thankful. "Yeah. I know."
Dora turned onto her back, eyes tracing the wooden beams overhead. "This year's been insane," she said. "I remember that day when Iris joined us and you two found each other — and everything just... clicked."
Hadrian chuckled. "That was the day everything changed."
"I didn't know it would be the start of something," Iris added, "but I'm really glad it was."
They fell quiet again. The kind of silence filled with everything left unspoken — the weight of discoveries, the quiet joy of belonging, the mutual understanding that the bond they'd built wasn't ordinary.
Dora broke it with a sleepy murmur. "Do you two ever think about what's ahead? Like, the future?"
"Sometimes," Hadrian replied. "But honestly... I'm more focused on now. On us."
He looked at them both, his eyes soft. "There's so much we could do, yeah. But right now, just being with you two, learning magic, pranking people, seeing unicorns—"
"—stealing brooms—" Iris added.
"—and sneaking into towns," Dora finished with a smile.
They all laughed quietly, and the firelight danced across their faces like a blessing.
Then, after a beat, Dora sat up slightly and leaned over, resting her head on Hadrian's shoulder. He stiffened for half a second, then relaxed, letting his cheek rest gently atop her hair.
Iris watched them both, her smile thoughtful and kind. She said nothing — just snuggled closer and slipped her hand into Dora's.