This is utterly fabulous! Thank you so much, MA. The pairing is inspired; I can imagine that it took you by surprise, but I'm very glad you went with it, because it just works. I love the humour of the whole piece, I was grinning all the way through, despite the harsh mood swing brought about by the morning after confrontation. It might seem that their relationship is over even before it began, but this is not how it feels. It feels like the beginning of something, not the end.
I did spot the Pratchett-ism, naturally, and you know what? The entire story is very Pratchett-esque in that it is a lighthearted humorous piece on the face of it. But just like in Pratchett's books, the humour mostly derives from your turn of phrase. Underneath, it is a poignant and melancholy character piece with a bittersweet ending, sketched very skillfully with only a few words. So much remains unsaid, lurking just outside our field of vision: the ongoing conflict between the magical and the Muggle world, Marjorie's deep trauma, Rita's attempt to leave herself behind and be somebody else.
The little glimpses of Rita's background are perfect. They are woven in seamlessly into the narrative, painting Rita very much as her own magificent, larger-than-life creation. Rita becoming a correspondent for the Daily Mail makes so much sense. The Daily Mail would not care that she was a witch, as long as stories and scandals kept coming in.
I adore your characterisation of Marjorie. I bet you had a lot of fun coming up with all those little details that show what kind of woman she is. No Charity indeed. And then you take that utter misanthrope who has barricaded herself behind walls, fences, barbed wire, signs and a battalion of bulldogs and put those photos on her bedside table. Ouch. I also like how you use the dogs. They are an integral part of the story, not just because Daisy is Rita's ticket to Marjorie's house, but also because they are used to characterise Marjorie, and to provide commentary on Marjorie and Rita's relationship.
This fic reads actually like a teaser, the prelude to a bigger story: you can tell that Rita and Marjorie would be a good match. They would fight constantly, but they would fight on equal terms.