Ahh the Knight Bus, youre a brave soul then. I do enjoy chocolate, yes. Do you always bribe room mates with sweets?

Maddy shuddered inwardly at the memory. The Knight Bus always was, for lack of a better word, an experience. At least it was consistent. Middle-aged witches at the front looking decidedly green, young energetic boys on their first ride bouncing up and down on the upper levels, and the young adults who had enough experience to resign themselves to the ride but not enough to know that nobody should buy hot chocolate. Of course, her experiences would put her in the middle-aged witch category, so perhaps it was best she kept her theories to herself.

Well, Im not sure. See, youre my first room-mate, so youre my experiment, she said smiling, handing over a perfectly wrapped box which still held its shape despite traveling on that dreaded bus.

Would you like a short tour then? he asked.

She left her trunk on the doorstep as she stepped inside, following Daniel around the flat. Her eyes traveled over the whole room, before landing on the record player. Oh, shed only ever seen one of those before, when Adelie had taken her home for Christmas. But shed fallen in love with it immediately, loving the way that she could just put a record on, and it would play and play and play. A sort of Muggle magic in itself. Unfortunately, Lady Varenkova had happened upon her daughters modest record collection, and in horror had Incendiod the lot. But enough thinking about the record player, there would be time enough for that later. She listened to Daniel talk about the lounge. Brave boy, letting a girl loose to decorate. Maddy could remember her first attempt at redesigning the kitchen, cajoling the servants into charming it for her. Luckily for everyone, shed soon grown out of pink and frills.

And heres the kitchen, fully functional though the freezer needs to be enhanced with a freezing spell every week or so. Do you cook?

Ooh, yes, Maddy replied, as they passed that area. Of course, back at her house all real cooking had been done by house-elves or servants, but as a young girl with little else to do, shed been drawn to the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies. And once her mother had found out about her daughters activities, shed decided it was a useful skill for a wife to have. Like, colbasa and borsch Maybe he wasnt familiar with the dishes. But I can make other food, too, she said worriedly. She didn't want Daniel to think she was weird. Upon first taste, she knew that many people found Russian food strange, likewise, shed first found treacle pudding a most unusual combination of flavours. She'd have to find out what Daniel liked, afterwards.

Maddy thought about that silently while Daniel continued on with the tour, opening the door to her room. It was perfect- which might seem strange coming from the mouth of a Pureblood girl used to luxury, but nevertheless, true. The room was the opposite of hers at home, and that was the way she liked it. If she was going to start fresh, she might as well go the whole way.

And then, another room, which had to be his. Loud barking drew her attention to a beautiful husky which launched itself at her, licking her face as she crouched down to its eye level. Shes absolutely beautiful, arent you Gypsy? Gorgeous girl you are. Maddy kept one ear open to Daniels commentary whilst ruffling Gypsys fur casually.

Dont worry, she doesnt bite or anything. She has a fondness for beds though. So if she gets on yours, just yell at her. She listens really well unless its me telling her and thus ignores me until she feels like it. Shes my guide dog, so you wont get stuck here alone with her that often. Oh and shes a right bum when it comes to food, so ignore her when she starts to beg.

Maddy laughed, not too worried about the possibility of a nocturnal visitor in the form of Gypsy. Guide dog? She roughly knew what they were; having taken Muggle Studies until after OWLs when it had been impossible to conceal from her parents that she had signed up for the class. I thought guide dogs were retrievers? Well, Gypsy must be extra clever. Yes, Im talking about you, girl. Dont go getting a swelled head. The fact that her new roommate was blind didnt faze Maddy in the slightest. He seemed to be doing very well for himself and had obviously been living independently for far longer than she.

The flats absolutely lovely. But, well, I have Vlad, Maddy began, looking around for her pet. He seemed to have disappeared, but she wasnt particularly concerned. Hes my mink, and I guess I see him about twice a week. Generally he takes care of himself and ignores me. I dont think hell bother you, and hes smart enough to keep out of Gypsys sight. And Baby Blue, thats my Jobberknoll. Usually she sits on top of high things and stares at walls, or whatever. Strange little bird, but I love her. I guess shes my replacement owl. Is that okay? She was aware that her strange combination of pets could be a problem for some people.