#the theo. and his death. whoops

[fishtank32]

throws my ocs at you

[obsessedwithceleste]

Sea You at High Tide

Mattheo Riddle x mermaid! reader

Summary: The beach house had always been a magical place for Mattheo, he’d been coming down every summer since he could remember. But this year, something was different in the water.

word count: 4.8k

tw: mentions of blood, several near death encounters

©️ obsessedwithceleste. all works posted here belong to me and should not be reposted or copied in any way or form.

Mattheo had been visiting the beach house every summer since before he could walk. All his happiest memories were stored there, covered in sand and smelling of salty ocean air. It was a magical place his mother had told him once as they sat together on the beach, watching waves crash onto the shore. That was the only happy memory he had of his mother.

Now Mattheo came out to the small, remote beach house alone most summers. Enjoying the solitude and relishing the freedom the ocean waves brought with them. It was truly one of the only places where Mattheo felt like himself.

“Matt! Come on! Last one to the beach is a crusty sea pickle!” Theo shouts as he sprints past his best friend, heading straight for the white capped waves.

This year Mattheo had company at the beach house. Not that he minded, Theo was his best friend after all. A smile forms on the boy’s lips as he watches his friend grow smaller in the distance before taking off himself and letting the sea breeze whisk away another year’s worth of worry and stress.

He’d missed the way his feet sunk into the sand and the cool spray of ocean mist. Hell he’d even missed the seagulls and the way they followed him around hoping to scavenge for a few crumbs.

Theo’s already in the water, splashing about not even bothering with swim trunks.

“Hurry up Matt!” Theo shouts again before disappearing under the waves, popping back up moments later, hair plastered to his forehead.

Letting out a carefree whoop, Mattheo joins his friend, salt water soaking him to the core as he dives in, the ocean engulfing him with ease. The pair laugh as they splash about, diving beneath the waves and letting the current take them.

“We have to go snorkeling later, there are some reefs right off the point over there. I’ll bring the gear down from the house,” Mattheo tells his friend as the tide carries them back to shore.

The ocean water was warm today near the coast. A welcome change from the colder currents of the deep ocean trenches. You knew it was risky, coming to the surface during the warmer months of the year. The beaches were almost always infested with humans, but you’d found a nice stretch of coast that had remained relatively untouched over the years.

“If you get taken by the humans this year, can I move into your grotto?” Enzo asks, his little tail tangled in your hair, gripping on for dear life as you glide through the water.

You scoff at your little friend, bubbles escaping your mouth as you side eye the seahorse that had hitched a ride on you.

“I’m not going to get taken. I’m always careful,” you reply, giving the seahorse a light poke.

From the way he’s glaring at you, you’re sure he’d bite you if he could. With a laugh, you swim on, your tail propelling you gracefully towards the surface of the ocean. You bask under the warm rays of sunlight as you break the surface, Enzo letting out an agitated chirp as he releases your hair from his coiled tail and plops back into the water.

"You know I can't leave the water," he sneers once you've resubmerged yourself, locking his tail back around a tendril of your hair.

"You're no fun, grumpy," you reply easily, rolling your eyes at the seahorse as you continue on towards the coral reef.

You'd been coming to this particular reef for years now each summer because somehow it had remained untouched by humans for the most part. Sure you'd seen one on a rare occasion, but it was loads better than the infested beaches that now lined the coast.

When you finally reach your destination, you glide along the coral reef until Enz finds a suitable clump of seaweed to latch onto before once again swimming upwards, breaking the surface. It doesn't take long for you to find a nice rock to perch on, the sun warm and bright on your skin. You lived for days like these.

Slowly, warily, you allow your eyelids to flutter closed, fully embracing the serenity of waves rolling in and the gentle ocean breeze. You don't know how long you'd been laying there when a loud splash jolts you into high alert. Eyes wide, you look about frantically for signs of danger, but see nothing.

Not willing to risk anything, you dive back into the water heading back in the direction of your friend. Enz hasn't moved from his comfy spot, his tail gripping onto the long green tendrils of seaweed when you return.

"Make a new friend?" he asks lazily when he notices you approaching.

Your head tilts in confusion and you flick your tail as you furrow your brow at your little friend.

"That weird looking merman that just swam by?" Enz continues, his own tiny fins flicking in annoyance, as if his observation should have been obvious.

This grabs your attention though. In all your years visiting this reef, you'd never seen any other merlife. It wasn't common to run into another merfolk these days, so surely you'd have remembered if you had.

In one smooth motion, you grab hold of Lorenzo and propel yourself forward in search of this mysterious merman. Enz lets out a chirp of protest, but you ignore him as you swim around the reef.

It doesn't take long for you to spot the mystery merman and you're about to approach when a nagging feeling in your gut stops you. You can't quite put your tail on why you suddenly feel cautious, but you quickly dive behind a rock, observing from afar.

“What are you doing? He’s right there!” Enzo huffs, squirming out of your grip and attaching himself to another strand of your hair.

“Shh. Let’s just watch for a minute, okay?” you whisper, hushing your friend.

You can tell he wants to argue, but Enz just lets out a stream of bubbles in protest before nestling further into your hair.

Ignoring him, you watch the merman swim through the water, stopping every so often to watch a school of fish swim by. He looked— weird. Instead of one long tail fin like your own, his appeared to be split in two. You squint, trying to get a closer look. Those were definitely fins at the end of his tails. Strange.

You continue to watch as the merman swims along the reef, rising to the surface every so often, but not quite breaking the surface of the water. You’re about to let curiosity get the better of you and approach when the sound of another loud splash catches your attention. Turning quickly, you watch in horror as a human begins to swim towards the strange merman.

You’re about to turn and flee when you realize that the merman isn’t making any attempt to escape the approaching human. You feel the panic set in, knowing that if even one of your species is found, a whole hunt would begin. Without a second thought, you barrel through the water, grabbing hold of the merman as you propel yourself away from the coast.

You can feel him fighting back in your arms as you swim, but you don’t stop until the coastline is well out of sight before bringing the merman up to the surface.

He coughs and splutters for a bit before ripping some strange head piece from his face.

“What the- what the hell. Get me back to shore! What the fuck are you! Where the hell am I? Help! Help!” He shouts, splashing and flailing about in the water, eyes wide and face ghostly pale as he takes in the long, iridescent tail that made up the lower half of your body.

Oh shit. This was no merman.

He attempts to swim away before apparently realizing that he was in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight before swimming back towards you, head barely bobbing above the water.

“Take me back. You have to take me back,” he demands, gripping onto your arm.

You can feel yourself freezing. You didn't know what to do. This was not a merman. You couldn't take him back now that he'd seen you. But you couldn't leave him out here, could you?

You let your head dip below the waves and see Enzo flitting about.

"Drown him!" he chirps, his tail curling and uncurling anxiously.

Before you can reply, you feel yourself being tugged back up above the waves.

"Please. You can't leave me here. I won't tell anyone I saw you. I swear. They'd think I was crazy anyway. Just please don't leave me out here," the boy begs, trying desperately to keep his head above water.

You look at the boy in front of you, his brown eyes pleading as he struggles to stay afloat. You know what you're going to do, even if you could feel your gut clenching. This might be the biggest mistake of your life.

Before you could change your mind, you grab hold of the boy once more, racing back to the coast where you’d found him. Enzo’s cries of protest are lost in the loud rush of water that surrounds you as you propel yourself forward.

When you finally reach the reef, the boy is limp in your arms. His dark curls are plastered across his forehead, and his eyes are closed, but you can still feel his breath. Carefully, you send him off with the current, watching as he washes up on shore.

It doesn’t take long for another human to find him. They must be friends. He bends down over the boy, shouting, shaking him until he sits up suddenly, coughing and sputtering. You watch as his eyes scan the ocean waves before he shakes his head, rising slowly and removing his fins to reveal two very human feet.

You don’t need to see anything more. Turning, you let your head sink back beneath the waves where Enzo is waiting, ready to chirp your ear off.

“I still think you should have drowned him. What if he comes back? Now we’ll have to find a new reef,” he whines.

Mattheo had no idea what he was doing. It had been exactly one week since Theo had found him washed up on shore coughing up sea water. He probably should have died that day. Any sane person would never step foot on the beach again, he thought bitterly to himself as he slid his feet back into his well-worn pair of flippers.

Before he can talk himself out of it, he plunges back into the water, the cool embrace of the water making him feel at home in the ocean. He didn't truly know what he was looking for. In fact he was almost certain that he had hallucinated the whole thing. But for some reason, Mattheo could have sworn that he had been kidnapped by a mermaid before he was returned to shore. It was stupid. And impossible. But some strange tug kept pulling him back to the ocean.

He doesn't know how long he's out there, splashing about and swimming along the reef. How does one even attract a mermaid anyway? He had to be going insane. Maybe he had swallowed too much salt water and it went straight to his brain.

Just as Mattheo was about to throw in the towel of defeat and head back to shore, what felt like a strong current pulled him below the waves. He was completely disoriented at first, struggling. But then he saw the long, iridescent tail. And a pair of flashing eyes before he was once again pulled up to the surface.

"You- you came back. You're still here," Mattheo splutters, eyes wide as he takes in the sight before him.

The mermaid just blinks back at him for a moment before diving back under the water. Mattheo paddles a bit, trying to keep his eyes on the mermaid when he feels a slight tug on his flippers before the mermaid resurfaces.

"Your fins. How do they replace your feet?" the mermaid asks.

Mattheo glances down through the water in surprise.

"My flippers? They just slide over my feet, so I can swim better," he replies, taken aback by the question.

The mermaid tilts their head, seemingly interested in the rubber that currently encased his feet.

"I thought you were a merman. Before. That's why I grabbed you," the mermaid tells him, dipping below the surface once more to give the flippers another poke.

Curious, Mattheo allowed his head to submerge as well, watching in awe as the mermaid examined the extension of his limb. It was fascinating seeing the iridescent scales up close, seeing every twitch and movement of the tail. Without realizing, Mattheo reaches his hand out to touch it, only to jerk back when a tiny seahorse attaches itself to his finger, its little fins flaring angrily.

The mermaid laughs.

"That's Enzo. He says I should have drowned you when I had the chance," the mermaid giggles, voice eerily clear despite being under water.

Mattheo feels his eyes widen, suddenly remembering all the stories he'd heard about mermaids drowning sailors at sea. Quickly, he pulls himself back up to the surface, doing his best to put some distance between him and the mermaid.

"You- you aren't going to do that though right? I haven't told anyone about you. Swear," he splutters, knowing he stood basically no chance should the creature in front of him decide to pull him to a watery grave.

The mermaid just laughs again and Mattheo has no idea if he should be laughing with them or not. They didn't seem particularly threatening. And surely if they hadn't killed him when they had the chance last time, they wouldn't now. Unless that's why they had found him again. To wrap up unfinished business.

"I won't kill you. You seem trustworthy. For a human at least."

Mattheo lets out a nervous laugh, slowly, timidly extending a hand.

"I'm Mattheo," he offers with a small smile, letting himself float a bit closer.

For a moment it looks like the mermaid is going to bolt, but then to Mattheo's surprise, they meet his hand. The handshake lasts mere moments. Firm with a single squeeze, but there's a weight to it. A silent trust.

"I hope he's lulling you into a false sense of security. When you get taken by the humans, I'm turning your grotto into a seahorse mansion," Enzo chirps in agitation as the two of you wait just under the surface for a familiar brunette with soft brown curls.

Your seahorse companion had been telling you for weeks now that it was time to cut ties with this human you'd befriended. For all intensive reasoning, he was right. But you just couldn't bring yourself to do it. Every time you looked at Mattheo, ready to tell him it was time for the two of you to part ways, you'd see those soft brown eyes and pretty smile and any resolve you'd had would disappear.

You hadn’t meant for it to go this far. After you’d let him wash up on shore, you’d told yourself you just wanted to make sure he was okay. And then when he came back, you can admit you let your curiosity get the better of you.

But he kept coming back. And so did you.

Enzo was right. It was a dangerous game you were playing.

But you just couldn't help yourself. Being a mermaid was a lonely existence and finally you had found someone who seemed to get it. Of course you loved Enzo, and the schools of fish you often swam with, even the different whales that migrated through. But it just wasn't the same. Mattheo made you feel alive.

You're startled out of your thoughts by the gentle tug on your tail which causes you to jolt, whipping around only to find Mattheo grinning playfully at you. You were losing your vigilance.

"We going or what?” He asks with that slanted grin that had begun to make you melt.

You extend your arm out to the boy.

“I can make you an air bubble, but you’ll still have to hold your breath,” you warn him as you both duck beneath the waves.

You can hear Enzo grumbling as you create a bubble around Mattheo’s mouth that should be just enough to get him to your grotto. You feel his firm grip wrap around your waist before you take off through the water. As you swim, you can’t help but glance over at the boy, how he stares in awe at the ocean around you.

Before you know it, you’ve arrived at the familiar cave entrance that would lead into your hidden sanctuary. Mattheo must be able to sense that you’d arrived as he swims forward himself, hand brushing against the walls until he finds himself surfacing in your underwater cave.

It would be dark if not for the soft glow of algae that floated along the edges of the water. Seagrass and corals lined the ocean floor of the cavern while seashells and trinkets you’d gathered over the years were kept above the surface.

"So this is what a merperson's home is like" Mattheo comments, letting out a low whistle as he hoists himself up onto a rock.

"Mhmm. Where do humans live? Do they still live in caves on land?" you ask, resting your chin on your arms next to the boy.

Mattheo laughs.

"No, not anymore. These days people build big houses. They cut down trees to make walls and use other things like rocks and metal."

"I've never seen these houses. Never gotten close enough I suppose," you sigh wistfully.

"Probably for the best. Technology's come so far. Really, I'm surprised that you lot have stayed hidden this long."

You shrug your shoulders limply.

"The ocean is deep and there aren't many of us. We used to live in pods, but- it's easier to stay discreet alone."

You can feel Mattheo's sad gaze on you as you stare pointedly at the ripples in the water.

"Must be lonely."

"It's not so bad. I have Enzo. And all the other sea creatures."

There's a beat of silence as the two of you sit with your words, the only sounds being the slow drips of water off the cavern ceiling.

"I come here every summer. Have been ever since I can remember. The lake house is out in the middle of nowhere. Bout as remote as you can get these days," Mattheo says finally, hand dipping down to swirl water around his finger tips.

You feel yourself smirk.

"You offering to keep me company Mattheo?"

You can see the heat rise to Mattheo's cheeks, a tinge of red painting his face.

"Only for the summer. If you ever get too lonely."

"What about the other human? The one who rescued you? You wouldn't rather spend your summer with him?" you ask, head tilting.

Mattheo laughs dryly.

"That's Theo. He insisted he come this year actually because this place is so remote. Was worried something would happen to me while I was out here all alone. And I guess he was right."

Mattheo is laughing, but you feel a pang of guilt. It may not have been intentional, but it was your fault Mattheo had almost died that day.

"Hey I've got a question. I don't see any gills on you. So how the hell do you breathe under water. And better yet. How do you talk under water?" Mattheo asks, leaning back and getting comfortable as he gazes at you with curious eyes.

The question jerks you from your thoughts and now it's your turn to laugh.

"That's an odd question. I guess I've never really thought about it."

You don't know how long you and Mattheo sit and talk. It just comes easy with him, like you've been friends all your lives. It's not until you notice the temperature of the water drop that you realize how late it had gotten. Mattheo runs a hand through his hair when you mention the time.

"Oh jeez. I better get back. Theo probably thinks I've drowned for real this time," he jokes, sliding back into the water.

He shivers and you can see goosebumps rising on his arms as the cold water engulfs him. You quickly create another air bubble before extending your arm to the boy, leading the two of you out of the cave.

As soon as you're back out in the open ocean, you feel the change. Like a prickle up your back as you swim. Currents of warm water were flowing deeper than they should be. And the rising levels of salinity in the water closer to the surface were beginning to irritate your tail. A storm was here.

"We have to go quickly. There's a storm and I can already feel the surge raising the tide," you say worriedly, knowing Mattheo can't even respond.

Tightening your grip on him, you begin to speed through the water, weaving through schools of fish that were trying to migrate away from the storm. The current was working against you, and you were beginning to worry you wouldn't be able to reach the shore in time. you could always go up to the surface, but with the winds rocking the surface, the waves above might prove to be more deadly than the ocean below. Hopefully Mattheo couldn't sense the real danger of the situation.

You continue to push forward, tail straining under the pressure. Just as you’re about to make it to the reef Mattheo lets out a yell, the air bubble around his mouth popping from the sound. Frantically, you turn your head to see a very angry looking barracuda with a flipper hanging from its mouth.

Mattheo is struggling now, trying to reach the surface as the barracuda rounds back for another attack. You don’t have time to think. All you know is you have to get Mattheo up to the surface. So without a second thought, you grab onto the boy's waist, hauling him upward.

The waves are rough, and rain pelts down from the sky, disorienting you, but Mattheo is able to gasp for breath.

"It's going to be fine, I can see the shore from here!" Mattheo gasps out, trying to swim over to you, only to get shoved further away by another wave.

You have to laugh mirthlessly to yourself at the comment. Yes you could see shore, but it was a hazy outline in the distance. You dive back under the waves, trying to catch sight of the barracuda, but in all the chaos, you'd lost it. Letting your tail propel you forward, you grab onto Mattheo once more, putting everything you had into getting him closer to land.

You can see the beach getting closer, the water finally beginning to grow more shallow when an excruciating, piercing pain shoots through you, dragging you down. You let go of Mattheo as you're yanked under the waves to see the barracuda with its razor sharp teeth sunk into the fin of your tail. The water around you is already beginning to tint red.

With nothing left to do, you turn back, clawing at the fish's eyes and forcing it to release your tail from it's jaw. Bolting down to the ocean floor you're able to get your hands on a good sized rock as the fish dives at you once more. Your heart is beating out of your chest knowing you only have one real shot at this before bringing the rock down on the barracuda's head.

You watch as the fish goes limp, but don't have time to dwell too much on it. Your tail feels like it's been split in two, but you force yourself back up to the surface, eyes searching frantically for dark brown curls.

"Mattheo! Mattheo!" you shout, voice hoarse as you dart about.

You finally see him, barely able to keep his head above the waves, but closer to shore.

“You’re hurt,” he croaks, inhaling sea water before sputtering it back out as you approach.

“I’m fine,” you reply, tugging him closer to shore once more.

It’s all you can do to drag the boy, sputtering and coughing, onto the beach where he collapses on the sand.

“No, no no no, Mattheo. Mattheo you have to get up. You can’t stay out here, Mattheo,” you urge, shaking the boy’s shoulder.

But he doesn’t respond. Instead, his body falls limply on the beach.

This was all your fault. You never should have taken him so deep into the ocean. At the very least you should have been more careful. If you had been maybe you could have sensed the storm coming before it was a danger to the two of you. Maybe Enzo was right. Befriending humans was just too dangerous. Except it had turned out to be more deadly for Mattheo than it was for you.

You feel a single tear roll down your cheek as you look at the boy lying in the sand. You hadn’t meant for any of it to happen. You lay there for a while, not sure if you could bear to leave him lying here when you begin to hear someone shouting Mattheo’s name. That’s right. He had his friend here and the yelling was getting closer.

You give the boy’s hand a squeeze before turning and disappearing back into the ocean. Once you’re far enough away, you return to the surface, rain still pelting down to see the same boy as last time rush to Mattheo’s side. He gives him a shake, but Mattheo still doesn’t move.

Seeing enough, you sink back into the water finally acknowledging the painful ache of your tail and looking down to see your fin shredded. When you finally return to your grotto, Enzo doesn’t say a word, just chirps softly as he gathers plants and seaweed to heal your tail.

He didn’t need to say anything though. You’d never try to befriend a human again.

The sky is dark and the rain had stopped long ago when Mattheo opens his eyes again. The room is dark except for a faint glow in the corner next to the bed. Mattheo turns his head to see Theo engrossed in a book sitting slumped against the chair.

"What time is it?" he asks groggily, trying, and failing, to sit up.

Theo raises a brow at his friend as he closes his book with a soft snap.

"It's late. And you have a nasty habit of trying to drown yourself. You know I was right to force you to let me come out here with you. Keep trying to get yourself killed."

"What happened this time?" Mattheo asks, ignoring his friend's jab.

His head was still spinning and he hurt everywhere.

"Storm hit. You said you were going out to swim the reef this morning, by dinner time you hadn't come back so I went looking for you. Storm came out of nowhere, one minute the sky was clear and the sun was out, the next it was pouring rain and windy as all hell. Don't know how you made it back to shore in all honesty," Theo replies.

"I-" Mattheo stops, brows furrowing as he tries to remember the earlier events of the day. "I remember being out in the ocean. By the reef. I tried to swim back, but the waves kept pulling me back under. And, there was a barracuda."

Theo lets out a low whistle as he rises from the chair.

"And you didn't get attacked?"

Mattheo's head shakes, straining to remember.

"No, no, I did. But, something fought it off. Can't remember what. It's all kind of fuzzy. But it helped me back to shore I think."

He can tell by the way Theo is looking at him that he thinks he's gone mad, but he just can't scrape up any clear memories of what happened.

"Well," Theo says, giving his leg a pat as he heads towards the door, "Get some sleep. You need it after the day you've had. And you've lost your solo swimming privileges."

Mattheo lets out a soft laugh before wincing in pain.

"Alright, alright, heard loud and clear. Get outta here, don't you know you're supposed to let your patients get good rest?"

Theo scoffs, rolling his eyes again before closing the door, letting Mattheo drift back off to sleep. For some reason, all he could dream of that night, was the same shadow swimming through the water with an eerily familiar iridescent tail.

Last week of the AU festival🤗 This has been so much fun. For those of you who follow me, you know I don't really write aus very often so it was a lot of fun to play around with the characters and different ideas.

This definitely isn't my favorite work I've ever written, and I know this isn't the cute, fluff that I normally write, but I'm so glad I took the opportunity to write outside my comfort zone and experiment a little🤭

[hp-hcs]

call me black friday, 'cause i just got a helluva BOGO deal (pt 2 of this fic with the long-ass title) — overprotective! simp! riddle brothers x gender neutral! muggleborn! reader

well, gang, i finally did it. ten months later, and i've finally blessed you plebians with a part 2. after the immediate success of pt 1, i had no clue where to take this story, since i'd originally written it to be a standalone, so i just. didn't. whoops.

1.9k words

⚠️will not make sense unless you've read part 1!!!⚠️

warnings: it gets a little awkwardly raunchy? idk reader is just the most self-conscious thing on the planet, drinking, reader consumes alcohol, mild descriptions of wounds, discussed past violence/murder, kissing/making out while under the influence of alcohol, lotta background ships, is it ooc if they're not even canon characters? tom's voldemort's son in this one so he's just an amalgamation of ideas & also not canon

not edited

for the love of god please comment. fic authors thrive off comments and comments alone.

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“The rules are simple,” Pansy said, clapping her hands together. “When it’s your turn, you spin the bottle in a circle. You have to kiss whoever the mouth of the bottle points to. It’s enchanted to land on the person you’re most romantically compatible with, and the bottle will become stuck in place until you kiss them.”

“I feel like that kind of defeats the point of Spin the Bottle,” you muttered to Hermione, who stifled a giggle. “Half the fun is seeing people who aren’t compatible kiss.”

But even Gryffindor’s token good girl elbowed you and dragged you over to the forming circle on the floor. Pansy, having crowned herself as the moderator of the game (mostly because no one else cared), went first. 

The party was being thrown in the Slytherin common room, in the Riddles’ honor. Although no one would ever dare snitch, everyone knew that what had happened to those two Gryffindor guys the week prior was directly linked to the Dark Lord’s sons. Even Harry, who didn’t condone murder (except for when he did it *ahem* Quirrell *ahem*), was willing to look the other way for the sake of those two known bullies’ untimely deaths. 

You’d finally been released from the infirmary wing, although your trunk was still completely wrapped in bandages and it hurt to move. You sat on one of the common room throw pillows instead of the bare floor, your aching body already protesting.

You forgot all about your aches and pains as the game started, though. Begrudgingly, you had to admit that the magical version was a lot more interesting. Or at least, there were fewer arguments and fights. 

(Cue lots of “aww”s when Pansy’s initial spin had the bottle landing on Neville Longbottom.)

Money exchanged hands from years-long bets when Harry Potter’s turn ended with him kissing Theodore Nott, and even more money was exchanged when Draco’s spin landed on Hermione.

Despite having made fun of the game earlier, your palms were sweaty as you leaned forward to spin the bottle. The glass Ogden’s bottle pirouetted for a moment before slowing, finally settling in place.

The common room went dead silent.

“Who’s it on? Who’s it on?” asked Seamus impatiently, ducking under his boyfriend’s arm to get a better view. 

“I… don’t know,” said Pansy, drawing her wand to cast a simple straight line charm. The magic glowing blue line sprouts from the neck of the bottle, casting outward and hitting the wall instead of a body.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Harry scratched his head. “That looks exactly halfway to me.”

Mattheo and Tom were both staring at the blue line that had landed right between the two of them.

“Welp, them’s the rules.” Theo shrugged tipsily, wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist and holding the Gryffindor in his lap. “Pucker up, L/n.”

Knocking your cup back for a boost of liquid courage, you gingerly clambered over stray legs and half-crushed red solo cups, trying not to injure yourself further as you made your way to the Riddles. Blaise Zabini offered you a hand to keep you steady as you crossed the circle.

Mattheo’s eyes were as round as saucers as you approached, his hands fluttering uncertainly over your waist as you settled on the floor in front of both boys. Tom had no such qualms, immediately reaching out to rest a ring-laden hand on your thigh. 

“Who wears a blazer to a party?” was the first thing out of your mouth as you took hold of Tom’s lapel. The usually stern man’s lips quirked up at the corners into a slightly dopey smile. You doubted that anyone else present even noticed it except for you and his brother, but you knew immediately that he was tipsy.

“Me, darling,” Tom murmured softly, his hand wandering further up your thigh. He gently rubbed his thumb against your inner thigh in a reassuring gesture. “Is this okay?”

You returned his gesture by resting a hand on his cheek and brushing your thumb against the corner of his mouth.

“Yes,” you whispered breathlessly. You didn’t hesitate after that, leaning forward and connecting your lips. You could faintly hear some of your friends letting out obligatory ooooohs, but you ignored them.

His kiss was uncertain: slow but deliberate. At some point his other hand had come up to cup your cheek, and you could feel the cold metal of his rings pressing into your skin.

When you finally pulled away for air, Tom’s mouth tried to chase yours. 

You turned to his brother, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him in for his turn.

Mattheo’s lips were slightly chapped. Distantly, you wondered if the wizarding world had Chapstick. Your fingers tangled in the soft curls at the base of his neck, your noses bumping into each other clumsily. You both giggled, and you felt his lips turn up into a grin against your own.

There was cheering from the other partygoers, who were happy to move on to the next victim of the bottle. But even as the game resumed, you found yourself sandwiched between the two brothers. You found you had no desire to return to your original spot across the circle. You and your boys were quickly forgotten as the group became focused on Blaise and Luna kissing, leaving you three in your own private bubble.

~~~

The revelry of the night continued without any further hiccups. While Tom had sobered up a bit—after all, he was still Head Boy, and therefore technically required to be responsible—Mattheo had continued to drink. A lot.

And he was sloshed.

At some point, he’d started kissing you again on the Slytherin common room couch. He was mostly just slobbering all over your lips, clumsily smooshing your faces together the way a child does with Barbies.

“That’s enough of that,” Tom grunted in displeasure, seemingly appearing out of nowhere to wrangle in his brother’s behavior. “C’mon, Romeo, up you get. Time for bed, before you do something you’ll regret.” He manhandled his younger brother up off of you and hoisted Mattheo over his shoulder. The younger Riddle just laughed, trying to pat his brother’s head in thanks, but ended up missing his target and accidentally smacking Tom in the ear. 

You reluctantly got up from the common room couch, trailing behind them as Tom carried his brother upstairs to their shared dorm.

Shutting the door behind you, you watched as he dumped Mattheo onto his bed, sighing as he got to work untying his brother’s beat up Converse. “Drunk idiot,” Tom muttered.

You laughed, coming over to help Tom undress Mattheo. Drunk Mattheo did not want to be of any help, so trying to wrestle his jacket off was like trying to undress a dead fish. When you reached for the buckle of his belt, he leered up at you. 

“Trying to get in my pants, pretty thing? S’alright, you don’t gotta be sneaky about it. Just ask, an’ I’ll give you the world.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Riddle,” you drawled. “You’d be expected to beg for that.”

“I love to beg.”

“For fucks sake, Matt, shut up!” Tom hissed, lightly smacking his shoulder. “You can flirt when you’re sober. Now is not the time.”

Dragging his jeans down his narrow hips, you steadfastly averted your gaze to literally anything other than your best-friend-slash-crush’s half-naked body. Since when did Hogwarts’ stone walls become so interesting?

“Tommy?” you heard Mattheo say in a soft and small voice you’d never heard before as you busied yourself with folding his jeans into a perfect square, just to have something to do other than stare at Mattheo’s body. “Will you stay with me tonight?”

Tom sighed affectionately once he was done redressing his brother in a clean shirt and a pair of pajama pants, making your lips quirk up in a small smile at the sight of the little cartoony quidditch players zipping across the charmed fabric. Tom leaned down to comb sweaty curls out of Mattheo’s face and press a kiss to his brother’s forehead. “Always, Matty.”

“Can Y/n join us?” he asked in that same soft voice.

Tom hesitated, turning to glance at your stiff and awkward figure. “Y/n? Would you mind joining us tonight?”

��Join you?” you spluttered, dropping the folded jeans square on the floor in surprise. Your voice sounded a bit strangled as explicit images filled your mind. No, no! Not the time, Y/n! Get it together!

“To cuddle?” he clarified, raising an eyebrow at your sudden clumsiness.

“Oh! Uh. Yeah. Of course.” You hurriedly turn away to take off your shoes, cheeks bright red in embarrassment.

When had you started thinking about your friends like that? you wondered.

With a wave of his wand, the older Riddle had managed to transfigure Mattheo’s bed into one a full size larger. “You want some different clothes to sleep in? I can find you some stuff.”

“Sure, that’d be great,” you mumbled. Tom nodded, opening one of Mattheo’s dresser drawers—which was a mess; half-open drawers puking socks and t-shirts onto the floor. Seemingly knowing how to make sense of the disaster, he immediately located what he was looking for and tugged it out.

“Here– you can wear these as shorts. They’re clean, I promise.” He tossed you a wadded up ball of fabric as he wandered over to his own armoire—everything inside was neatly pressed and hung according to color—to find you a shirt.

Instead of questioning why he wouldn’t just give you one of Mattheo’s shirts when he’d literally just been at the younger boy’s dresser—instead purposefully giving you a piece of clothing from each of them—you just unfold the ball of fabric in your hands. 

Oh, Lord.

Boxers. 

He’d given you a pair of Mattheo’s boxers to wear. The really loose kind, plaid in pattern. They reminded you of those muggle Fruit of the Loom kind you always saw in the non-magical stores back home. You gulped when Tom returned with one of his worn-soft casual button-ups. 

“Will you help me with my T-shirt?” you murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb Mattheo, whose eyes were clearly growing heavy as his breathing began to even out.

Tom nodded, waiting for your nod of permission before reaching out for your shirt. He carefully maneuvered the soft fabric up over your bandaged torso, chucking it onto the nearby desk chair once it was off. His fingers hovered over your bandaged ribs, where a line of red-brown had seeped through. Tom’s expression hardened and his jaw set. 

“We should’ve made them suffer longer,” he hissed, eyes tracing the tail of one of your wounds that peeked out of the top of your bandages and sliced across your collarbone.

He then dressed you, buttoning up his large shirt on your smaller frame. He politely averted his gaze, changing into his own pajamas, as you slipped off your bottoms and traded them out for the boxers. 

Tom helped you into bed, so as to not jostle your injured torso too much. You laid on one side of Mattheo while Tom laid on the other. Even with his excellent transfiguration of the mattress, Mattheo’s body still took up most of it, starfished out across the entire bed. 

Once you’d settled into bed, you whispered, “G’night, Tom,” so softly, you’d assumed he hadn’t heard it.

After a long moment of silence, you heard a quiet, “Goodnight, Y/n,” before Tom snuffed out the lamp on the bedside table.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

hey so fun fact i actually hate this

people who wanted a pt 2 like a year ago or requested it from my recent poll lol:

@babyyd0llll @leona-hawthorne @siriuslyobsessedwithfiction @justyourlocalfriendlydinosaur @yufufuyu-mindy-dreamon @pleasantlycrazyworld @amell333 @evanescentlover @like3gremlinsinatrenchcoat @slytherinboysappreciation

[akirasstories]

🤍 theo + liam: birth chart compatibility analysis (aka why they can’t stop fighting OR kissing) 🤍

🔥aries sun, cancer moon, scorpio rising (liam)

🌊scorpio sun, aquarius moon, gemini rising (theo)

aka: the emotionally explosive golden retriever meets the emotionally repressed chess master

🔥 fire (aries) vs 💧 water (scorpio)

→ theo: cool, calculating storm of passion

→ liam: fiery ball of chaos and feelings

→ the energy? electric. the emotions? confusing. the chemistry? off the charts.

☀ scorpio sun + ☀ aries sun

→ both intense, passionate and STUBBORN

→ liam: punches first, cries later

→ theo: schemes for six months, then casually ruins your life

→ constant power struggle potential bc both wanna lead, both hate being wrong

→ emotionally intense in completely opposite directions. spicy.

☀ scorpio sun + ⬆️ scorpio rising

→ instant "i know you" vibes

→ deep, magnetic pull. intense eye contact.

→ love language = possessiveness & loyalty

→ both thrive on emotional depth and connection… but also want control. whoops

☀ aries sun + 🌙 aquarius moon

→ liam acts, theo overthinks

→ theo helps calm liam down (or at least side-eyes him into calming down)

→ both are independent af! can struggle with compromise or admitting they need each other

→ but when they align? power couple energy

🌙 cancer moon + ☀ scorpio sun

→ liam FEELS EVERYTHING and just wants emotional closeness

→ theo is a walking locked door with fire behind it

→ liam needs verbal reassurance. theo offers a vaguely affectionate smirk

→ deep emotional potential but requires actual communication (aka theo's worst nightmare)

communication & misunderstandings (aka: liam yells, theo blinks slowly)

→ theo: gemini rising + capricorn mercury = calm, logical, never says "i feel"

→ liam: cancer moon + aries sun = emotional chaos dragon

→ theo thinks first, liam launches

→ theo might come across as cold, liam gets frustrated and storms off

→ liam wants a love letter. theo sends a “k.”

BUT:

→ both are smart, observant and capable of deep understanding

→ if they learn each other's languages (logic vs emotion), they're unstoppable

trust & loyalty

→ cornerstone of everything.

→ liam: scorpio rising + cancer moon = fiercely loyal, needs safety

→ theo: scorpio sun + capricorn mercury = commits hard once he finally trusts

→ both are ride-or-die once they're in. just takes some dramatic emotional war first.

→ theo might seem unpredictable (aquarius moon), which stresses liam out.

→ liam might seem emotionally demanding, which makes theo spiral.

power dynamics & control issues (hi, yes, there will be yelling)

→ liam: aries sun = natural leader, takes charge

→ theo: scorpio sun = secretly in control at all times

→ both hate being told what to do

→ can either implode in dominance battles or build a power couple empire

→ key = mutual respect (and maybe one of them occasionally backing down. unlikely tho.)

emotional support & intimacy

→ liam is a cuddle monster who just wants to be loved LOUDLY

→ theo loves deeply but very privately

→ liam: "hold me"

→ theo: "you're fine." (but then stays up all night making sure liam's okay)

→ theo fears vulnerability. liam lives in it.

→ can lead to moments where liam feels unloved & theo feels overwhelmed

→ they NEED honest convos (even if theo has to be tricked into them

passion, affection & chemistry

→ aries sun + scorpio sun = magnetic, explosive, kind of insane

→ liam: bold, fiery, emotionally expressive

→ theo: intense, mysterious, emotionally charged

→ physical attraction is unhinged

→ leo venus (liam) = grand gestures, constant affection

→ scorpio venus (theo) = soul-crushing intensity, emotional depth, eye contact that lasts too long

→ theo wants to become one soul. liam wants to scream "i love you" across a stadium

✨ in conclusion

this relationship is high-stakes emotional warfare wrapped in unresolved tension, late-night cuddles and one too many near-death confessions

→ trust and loyalty? elite.

→ communication? working on it.

→ intensity? through the roof.

→ affection? explosive.

→ emotional conflict? yes.

→ soulmates? … probably. if they don’t kill each other first.

liam's chart analysis | theo's chart analysis | thiam sexual energy | teen wolf zodicas

[leaping-toadstool-caps]

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

A/N: Just a lil piece I wrote AGES ago and I figured because it's getting close to the end of winter I'd post it :D

"No, no, I'm sure that Alyn was staying anyway. Anna definitely is, but I'm sure Alyn was too-"

"Students, may I have your attention please?"

James sat up quickly as Professor Weasley's voice rung through the Great Hall. He, Poppy, Alvin, Tori and Theo were digging into breakfast quickly so they could have some time in the snow before classes started.

"Fortunately, Headmaster Black has granted me permission to make this announcement." Professor Weasley continued. "For fear of pupils being unable to concentrate in lesson due to the cold weather, all classes will be postponed for all students for these last two days before the Christmas break. Do be careful out there, it is rather icy and we wouldn't want any students going home with broken bones."

The entire Hall erupted in a loud cheer. Tori whooped, punching James' shoulder.

"Snow day!" Poppy cheered, and Tori kissed her cheek.

"As usual, the quidditch pitch is open despite games being cancelled, if students so wish they may indulge in snow activities. However I must ask that you all please do use your wits and do not perform any stunts that I would class as dangerous."

"Alvin! Theo!" Matty rushed towards the Hufflepuff table looking flushed and excited. "Mum just gave me permission to stay in Hogwarts for Christmas break!"

"Yes!" James gave an excited air punch. "That's almost all of us, minus Cassie, Damien, ermm, Val, I think? Oscar's staying, I have no clue about Freddie, I think we're also missing a confirmed answer from Luci and Alyn. All we have to do is convince a few more adults and then we'll have the BEST Hogwarts Christmas ever!"

"Cassie's staying here." Alvin said quietly as Matty sat beside him. "Trouble at home." James gave Alvin's shoulder a squeeze to try and comfort him.

"Anyone got any news on Freddie?" Tori asked.

"His dad still refused to let him stay, but Freddie said he wouldn't get on that train home if his life depended on it." Jo said as she joined the conversation, sitting herself down. "I do hope he isn't punished for it. You know what his dad's like."

The rest of the group filed in. Val was grinning when she sat down, and she placed a sheet of parchment on the table.

"Professor Hecat herself wrote my parents a letter explaining why I have to stay. I have no clue what the letter says, but Hecat must've been persuasive because my mother let me stay in Hogwarts!"

Everyone cheered, and Matty hugged Val tight.

"Damien! Any news?" Luci asked with a smile.

"I'm allowed to stay" Damien said with a slight flush, though he didn't elaborate.

"Oh good! I had hoped so after-" Ellie cut off as Damien shot her a subtle death stare.

"What about Roan?" Damien asked quickly.

Roan raised a hand. "Easier for me to stay here, anyway"

"Gah, where the heck is Alyn?"

Jo replied, "I'm sure she woke up early, she wasn't in the dorm this morning"

"Alyn said she was gonna miss breakfast. Had something to take care of in the library. But I'm pretty sure she's staying" Luci furrowed her eyebrows.

Val nudged her, "d'ya think she's with-"

Luci quickly shushed her.

"I'm assuming Alex is staying if Alvin is" Val said casually. Cassie immediately perked up, sitting up a bit straighter. "What about the other set of twins?"

"Oscar's still checking things off his apology list. He's trying to make up for the damage he caused in fifth year" Cal explained, "Kiel is staying though. Him and Alvin are practicing for Quidditch"

"In this weather?" Jo furrowed her eyebrows. "I do hope they don't catch a flu."

"They'll be okay" James assured her.

"Jamie, where's Ren?" Cassie asked suddenly. Florence raised a hand from his seat at the end of the table. His nose was buried in a book as always, and he had a dark blue shawl wrapped around him, his pale nose pink from the cold.

"Before you ask, yes I'm staying here" Florence said sounding bored. "And yes, I've heard every word of your conversation. Reading doesn't make me deaf."

James grinned, moving to sit next to Ren. He threw his arm around his shoulder, and Ren shrugged him off pretended to ignore him, but everyone was certain the flush on his face was no longer from the cold.

"Is that everyone? Me, Ren, Cassie, the twins, the other twins, Poppy, Tori, Ellie, Luci, Val, Ale, Roan, Cal, Matty, Freddie, the triplets, Damien-"

James paused, eyes widening. "Damien? Is Sebastian staying?"

Damien flushed. "I... I did manage to convince him. I think he is."

James grinned knowingly. "I think that's all of us! Now, let's head outside because I've been itching to get my fingers on that frozen good-ness all morning"

[gracexthoughts]

of violent delights chap 19

mad as hell

3 september 1996

Mattheo’s POV 

“Morning, Matt,” Astoria says sweetly to me as I take a seat across from her and Theo, Enzo to my left for breakfast. I grunt in acknowledgement and pour myself a cup of coffee. 

“Hm, pleasure,” Tori says sarcastically to me with a teasing smile as I take a sip of my coffee. 

“Good morning, Tori. How are you on this fine Wednesday morning?” I ask, a sarcastic smile plastered onto my face as the boys chuckle. 

“Lovely, why thank you, Matt,” Tori smiles and I roll my eyes. “Really, I just want to know how you are,” she adds, looking down at the fruit on her plate. 

“Fine, why?” I ask, grabbing some toast. 

“Oh, you know, I just saw you last night in the halls,” Astoria says cryptically, forcing Theo and Enzo to look between the two of us confused.  “With Mia. You two seem very close.” 

“Were they snogging?” Theo asks Tori enthusiastically. 

“Aw, they missed each other over the summer!” Enzo cooes from my side. 

“Thank you for that,” I say to Astoria. 

“Hey! I think it’s nice! You guys are great together!” She says. 

“Wait wait, Matt, you gotta fill in some blanks here. Are you guys together now?” Enzo asks, looking bewildered at the idea. 

“No way Mattheo Riddle has a girlfriend,” Theo laughs. 

“No, I don’t know,” I sigh and take a long drink of my coffee, savoring the bitter taste. 

“Elaborate, Riddle,” Theo pushes. 

“Fine. We hooked up the last night before the summer,” I relent, causing all my friends to squeal or whoop loudly. Sighing, my mind drifts to last night. I walked Mia back to her dorm and we agreed we wanted to talk things slow and more private for now. No reason causing a stir if it all goes up in flames anyway. Besides, I don’t even want to deal with Ella and her issues with Mia yet. 

“I knew it!” Astoria gloats with a laugh. 

“”Bout time, surprised you actually did it,” Enzo says through his toast. 

“So now that you fucked her out of your system, now what?” Theo asks crudely. 

“Pig,” Astoria mutters to the boy next to her. 

“Fuck if I know, but she’s definitely not out of my system,” I mutter into my coffee mug, if anything sleeping together engraved her permanently onto my heart. 

“So, are you together now?” Astoria presses. 

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Enzo asks seriously. 

“Why not?” Tori asks. 

“C’mon Tori, we all know something is going on,” Theo mutters, his voice much lower than before. 

“We don’t know that-” 

“Yes, we do. Look at what happened at the World Cup,” he says, looking between the three of us and an uneasy feeling settles into my gut. “I mean, it’s obvious-” 

“He’s dead,” I snap darkly. My friends turn to look at me, surprise in their eyes at my tone but my eyes are locked with Theo’s. 

“Is he? Or just in hiding?” Theo challenges. “Listen, mate, I’m not trying to be a prick. All I’m saying is be careful. My father was acting weird all summer and from what Draco has said, his dad was the same way. Something weird is going on. I just think you should tread carefully going out with The Girl Who Lived. Just because he isn’t around, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t piss off other people and cause trouble for the both of you.” My eyes are locked on my best friend as he talks. I know he’s right, this summer was weird. Ella and Draco spent more time than normal being forced away from the Malfoy Manor, often ending up at mine, and when they were there, there was a nearly endless train of former Death Eaters coming through the house. Anxiety settles in my gut, not for me but for Mia. I’ll protect her, worst comes to worst, I promise myself. 

✦

“Put your books away, you won’t need them,” grumbles Professor Moody, Mad-Eye Moody as he is more commonly known due to his bizarre fake magical eye and highly paranoid attitude, as he hobbles up the aisle towards the front of the classroom. “This is sixth year, yes?” he asks, his voice deep and gravelly, as he reaches the front, turning around to inspect us as we nod in assent. 

I sit towards the back of the class, Theo next to me, as we greet the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, just like every other year. Most people say the position is cursed which is why no one ever stays longer than a year but I say Dumbledore hires idiots and ill fit teachers, examples being a fraud pretty boy by the name of Gilderoy Lockerhart, a secret werewolf, and now an ex-Auror who is infamous for being off his rocker. My eyes drift to Mia sitting up front next to Angelina Johnson, her white blouse and uniform skirt showing off her curves in a way that distracts me far more than fair. 

“Right well, how far have you gotten along on curses?” The professor asks, looking around at all of us. Some Ravenclaw know-it-all raises his hand and gives an exhaustive list of all the curses and countercurses we studied in the last five years for our O.W.L.s and Moody nods along. “But you’ve not seen the Unforgivable Curses?” I sit up slowly in my desk, glancing at Theo out of the corner of my eye. In front of me, Ella straightens her back and I know she is all too familiar with the effects of the Unforgivables. 

“Why would we need to see them?” Mia speaks up, her face in confusion and arms crossed over her chest, and the professor’s magical prosthetic eye swings around to her. 

“How do you expect to fight them if you’ve never seen them?”

“There is no fighting them, not if they’re being cast at you,” Mia responds quickly. “You may be able to fight off the effects of the Imperius Curse but the others-” 

“Yes! Quite right, Miss Potter,” Moody says, seeming to chew on her name for a moment. “You need to know what you are up against, and therefore prepared! Now Miss Potter has graciously named the first one, the Imperious Curse,” Moody continues, digging into a small jar at the front of the classroom. He pulls out a creepy spider and enlarges it with his wand before turning around and presenting it to us. “Imperio!” He casts at the spider, and forces it to swing through the air and onto Lee Jordan’s desk, who jumps slightly at the sight, and forces the spider to stand on two legs and dance. “Total control, the Imperius Curse gives the caster. Complete removal of free will. It can be fought off but takes great strength and is not possible for all. Years back, many claimed that they only did You-Know-Who’s bidding due to being under the Imperius Curse. The problem is, how do you sort out the liars? Constant vigilance!” He barks the last part out loudly, many students jumping in their seats. “Give me another!” 

Next to me, Theo raises his hand slowly, his face set tightly. “The Cruciatus Curse.” 

“Excellent, yes,” he nods as he holds out the spider in the palm of his hand. “Crucio!” he casts. I watch as Ella and Theo flinch and the spider turns in on itself, twitching and rocking and bending in unnatural ways. No sound comes out but I can imagine the horrifying scream of someone under the effects of the curse. “Pain. Excruciating pain. Pain so horrible and terrible it has been known to drive people to madness,” Moody explains with cool detachment, watching the spider twitch even after he has lifted the curse. 

“Next? Miss Potter?” Moody’s gaze switches to the redhead at the front of the class, whose face is still and cold as stone. She stares defiantly up at the professor as if to say ‘you know very well I do’ but she doesn’t speak. 

“The Killing Curse,” I speak up, breaking the eerie silence and stand off between Mia and Moody. 

“Hm, very good, Mr. Riddle. You would be an expert here, wouldn't you?” The professor remarks, almost seeming amused, and sets the spider down on Mia’s desk as he addresses me. “Avada Kedavra!” He casts without warning and a blinding green light shoots out of the tip of his wand and lands on the creature on Mia’s books. Her body flinches and her head is turned away, but even from across the classroom I can see the uneasy rise and fall of her shoulders. . “There is no countercurse, no blocking it, just instant death. If muggles were to look at the body they would be able to find no biological reason for the death. Only two people in history are known to have survived it,” Moody says, his eyes on the lightning scar on the back of Mia’s hand. Mia’s green eyes flick up to the Professor, anger and disgust so vivid in them that I can see it from across the classroom. After a tense moment, she stands quickly and grabs her bag, her eyes never leaving Moody’s until she turns around and storms out of the classroom, Moody’s eyes following her the entire time. 

Euphemia’s POV

I hear the door slam behind me as I lean against the wall of the corridor, my breath coming in rapidly and shallow. My knees buckle and I sink to the ground, my vision darkening and hands shaking as I try to control my breathing. Images flash through my mind, green lights and fire and screaming and a skull and snake and a tall shadowy figure, in rapid fire. I can’t feel my hands or my feet and all I see and feel and hear is pain and fear. My left wrist feels like it’s on fire and my lungs ache for air. I don’t know how long I sit there, frozen in time, until a distant voice cuts through the screams. 

“Phe…. Mia… You’re okay…. You’re safe….” I vaguely feel something wrap around me but I push it off, feeling trapped in my own skin as I try to pull myself out of the depths of my memories. “Give her some space. Mia, just focus on my voice. You’re okay…” 

“I think I know how to comfort my best friend,” someone snaps. 

“You’re okay, Mia. You’re safe, I promise.” Slowly, I open my eyes, to see Fred and Mattheo kneeling in front of me, twin looks of concern on their faces. I’m pressed against the wall in a corridor a little ways away from the DADA classroom. The hall is empty save the three of us luckily. 

“There you are,” Mattheo says with a gentle smile. 

“You okay, Phe?” Fred asks, watching me carefully as I nod and wipe at my face. 

“I’m sorry, I just-” My voice as shaky as my hands, “Godric, I’m sorry,” I breathe out as another tear slips down my cheek and I swipe at it angrily. 

“It’s alright, Phe,” Fred says quietly. 

“Nothing to be sorry for, Mia,” Mattheo says gently, moving from his knees to sit against the wall next to me.

“What can I do?” Fred asks, setting his hand on my knee. 

“Nothing… “M fine,” I mumble, rubbing my face with one hand and the other grounding me against the cold stone, the adrenaline slowly leaving my veins. “I didn’t think he'd actually cast it like that…” 

“Yeah, that was fucked,” Mattheo mumbles next to me, his hand finding mine pressed against the ground. 

“You guys go back in, I’m good,” I say, standing slowly, my knees a little wobbly. 

“You sure, Phe? I’ll go back to the Common Room with you,” Fred offers, his hand settling on my shoulder gently. 

“No, I think I’m going to go walk down to the lake or something. I need some fresh air,” I say, running my fingers through my hair and pushing it away from my face. Fred nods and pulls me into a hug for a long moment and I sigh into my best friend’s embrace before he pulls away and walks back towards the classroom, leaving Mattheo and I alone. I lean against the wall and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry, Mia,” Matt says softly and I open my eyes to look at him and smile slightly. 

“S'alright. Not your fault,” I say as I push off the wall and reach down to grab my bag. “You should get back to class.” 

“Nah, fuck that. I’d rather come with you,” Mattheo smirks, brushing a piece of hair away from my face. “Besides, I think you owe me a cigarette, princess.” 

“How do you figure that?” I ask, chuckling. 

“Hey, I seem to remember leaving you one on your nightstand and I haven’t gotten one back. Or am I remembering wrong?” he responds teasingly. 

“Ah, my apologies, how could I have forgotten?” I laugh sarcastically, rolling my eyes. 

“I’ll forgive you this time, princess, but don’t let it happen again.” Mattheo takes a step towards me and reaches up to cup my cheek. “Sure you’re okay?” 

“Promise,” I say with a nod. Matt nods and runs his hand down my arm to grab my hand and together, we walk through the empty halls and into the warm fall air. 

✦

“So how was your date with Riddle?” Fred asks suddenly, interrupting Angelina’s sentence about Quidditch.  I look up from my dinner plate to see Fred staring at me, his face set in a hard expression, and George, Lee, Alicia and Angelina all looking between Fred and I. 

“What? I haven’t-” 

“He didn’t come back to class. I’m not dense, Mia,” Fred snaps and I lean back from the table, Fred almost never snaps at me. He’s been in a foul mood since our Defense lesson but I hadn’t guessed it was directed at me. 

“We just went for a walk, Fred, that’s not a date,” I respond slowly. I haven’t gotten around to telling the boys that I slept with Mattheo last term, or that we are kind of sort of maybe starting to see each other. I told Ang and Alicia the morning after but had kept the boys in the dark for the most part. Matt and I agreed to keep things quiet for a while, just while we figure out what we are and what we’re doing. 

“You used to hate him, and being nice for the sake of prefect rounds was one thing but now you’re hanging out with him? Tell me to go back to class so you can skip with him?” 

“Hey, I told him to go back to class too. It’s not my fault he didn’t listen!” I snap back, growing frustrated. 

“What is going on with you? Why are you suddenly all buddy buddy with him? His father is the reason you grew up the way you did, Mia! How can you-” 

“I bloody well know that, Fred! We are all fucking babies when it happened and its not Mattheo’s fault anymore than it is yours! If I of all people can look past who his parents are, something he has no control over, then I expect you can as well. Fuck, not even Harry has given me a fraction of the shit you’ve given me about it over the last year. Mattheo is in my life because I want him to be and if you have a problem with that, that’s on you!” Fred and I hold eye contact for a tense moment, our friends in various states of feeling awkward until George speaks up. 

“He’s just worried about you, Mia. Riddle is dangerous-” 

“I can take care of myself,” I interrupt, my eyes still not leaving Fred’s. After a long moment, I look down at my plate and stand. “I’m not hungry anymore,” I mutter as I turn away, my feet taking me out of the Great Hall.

taglist; @purplegardenwhispers @somethingswiftandstyles @weasleyreidstyles @mayamonroem @girlbooklover555 @stxrszurzolo @abaker74

my taglist is screwing up im so sorry !!

[dhr-ao3]

Nobody's Soldier

Nobody's Soldier https://ift.tt/Db947Tq by SmutSpiceAndEverythingNice It’s 5 years after the war, and the wizarding world is still picking up the pieces. In an attempt to promote blood unity and dismantle the aristocratic nature of the sacred 28, the snakes--Pansy, Theo, Blaise, and Draco (fresh from Azkaban)--are sentenced to a prolonged community service/internship (depending on how you look at it) within the ministry, along with muggle studies seminars. Draco is less than enthused about these expectations, and makes it his prerogative to piss as many people off as he possibly can. He gets thrown from minor department to minor department, often with a bleeding nose and a shit-eating grin, confirming everyone’s expectations: no one wants the death eater. Finally, he’s given a choice: Azkaban, or Hermione Granger, who has combined her healing mastery with cutting-edge research in an attempt to alleviate the mental blocks/curses of those who were tortured during the war. Apparently the Minister of Magic felt his potential could be tapped with a little academic rivalry--he was always tailing behind her curly head quite closely at Hogwarts. To Draco, this doesn’t seem like much of a choice. If anyone asked, Azkaban was much warmer than the so-called Golden Girl’s. Words: 3162, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Good Will Hunting (1997) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: Kingsley Shacklebolt, Remus Lupin, Narcissa Black Malfoy Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson/Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott/Ron Weasley Additional Tags: dramione - Freeform, Mind Healer Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy is a Little Shit, Healer Hermione Granger, Fluff and Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Post-War, Draco Malfoy Needs a Hug, collection of snakes, Ensemble Cast, Inappropriate Use of Malfoy Signet Ring (Harry Potter), Healing, Social Commentary, whoops via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/KMRLxwG March 31, 2025 at 06:49AM

[chesters-ocs]

Death: Someone was following you? Huh. I'll make sure they won't follow you ever again.

Yeah, RIP to whoever was tailing Theo. They're so dead after this.

But uh yeah, Death will stand with Theo at the bus stop and then the next few days, Theo won't notice anyone else following him.

Because Death was like "Maybe it is not a good idea for anyone to follow him."

You think so, Death?

theo: hah, yeah yeah. how do you even plan about doing that? not like i saw their face... maybe i shouldve called the cops tho.

at least his mood is sliiightly lightened. he thinks death is joking. but rip death, who cant lie. hit best bet is staying silent, because then theo would just switch the topic after a few seconds. poor baby got a fright of a lifetime and just doesnt want to dwell on it.

but yay for death calling off the people who were supposed to follow theo! whoop whoop! honestly, death could be the one who follows him instead, because then he'd just do a double-take and wave at him, slow down and just start chatting as they walk together

[saturated-rain]

comet, crescent moon and star!

whoops not me forgetting this was in my ask box 😭 ty for the ask !!!

☄️ Comet - Who is your most self destructive character? Why are they like that?

either theo or vern! theo was the first character i thought of, mainly because he is extraordinarily depressed after his friend's death and keeps making awful decisions and trying to sacrifice his life for his friends. now that i'm writing this, i am realizing that he and vern are very similar because vern Also experienced the death of a friend and keeps being frivolous with their life. so uh. yeah

🌙 Crescent moon - Do any of your character have to hide a part of themselves? Why?

nitya has to hide where he came from and what his true goals are, since he would no longer be trustworthy in the minds of his friends (who are also the only people who can help him).

☀️ Sun - Who is your most cheerful and positive character? Why are they like that?

probably vern! they're pretty young compared to the other characters but also came from an abusive household before living with nitya, so they're quite optimistic (at least at first) because in their mind things can't get any worse than how they were before they got away from their family (they're wrong. things get worse.) they also feel the need to put on a bright facade so the people responsible for them don't worry about them

[neverforgetyou]

doing everyone cause heh why not

for season 10/sona season i think syd would be a meister? could be wrong tho idrk myself that well lmaooo

for season 40, cindy and brandon are meisters while willow is a weapon (willow would be like death the kids weapons with their twin)

for season 41, nariko and amane are meisters while hoshiko is a weapon (i feel like theyd all like share each other? like nariko and amane would use hoshiko cause their bond together is just that strong (idr the soul eater rules so if thats wrong then whoops))

for the others, theo and ankoku are both meisters (fun fact mha!ankoku and his relationship with his quirk is based off of crona so :3 funsies :3 and then theo has his soulmate shit with pale so teehee)

chat quickly is your alnst sona/oc a weapon or a meister in soul eater au

Inna is a meister but i fear both Nad and Macbeth are weapons

[afarcry5fromstraight]

🌞🍕🔮📚

I am an addict to her, so these are all for Chloe :D The last one is sad, fair warning. tw for death. @inafieldofdaisies and @verbjectives had asked for some of these as well, I figured it would be easier to post them all together! Thank you so much :') 🌞- Aesthetic 

🍕-Favorite Foods

steak & potatoes, tiramisu, Eli's grilled chicken thighs

deep dish pizza, Theo's thai coconut curry [his wife's recipe], fresh campfire dutch oven bread

key lime pie, naan, gummy bears

🔮- Zodiac [I actually made her entire birthchart whoops let me know if anyone else has done one!]

Pisces Sun

Scorpio Moon

Pisces Rising

📚- Past / Childhood

Dalton, GA.

Vern Felix passed away in a tragic accident after his farming equipment malfunctioned. Meredith Felix held her own, minding the farm and her two children, loving them vivaciously. They did just fine for themselves, never needed to ask anyone for help- with anything. Chloe accidentally set her home on fire when she was 14. No one was home, thankfully. She had run away, panicked and afraid. It wasn't until 3 days later when she returned she learned Luca had been inside. Nothing was ever the same again.

[akindofmagictoo]

manuscript search tag game

from @diphthongsfordays :D thanks!

my words are picture, run, stand, drink, cold

picture (Hurricane)

Theo conceded the point, though he had little evidence on which to put his argument anyway. Concession was the only real option available. “I don’t know why I said that. I’m sorry.” As an afterthought, just in case, he added, “Ma’am.”

“Thank you,” she said, deadpan. “Maybe I won’t throw you overboard.”

His face must have been a picture, because she laughed so hard she snorted. “That was a joke, landlubber. I just said we’re not going to throw you overboard!” She perched herself once more on the edge of the crow’s nest and stretched, rolling her shoulders and back. “So, Theodore, since you’re not a sailor, how’d you end up floating in the middle of nowhere on a plank of wood?” 

run + cold (Dragonsong) (tw swearing, death mention)

“Robin,” said Isi quietly, trying to head him off before he said something he might regret. “I think what SB is trying to say is that there are positives to being powerful. Surely explosions and the like aren’t the only thing your power can be used for.” It was a new perspective for her, too. All her life she’d been taught magic was evil, and well… she’d seen what had happened in Sector Three. But Robin had made the fire that was currently keeping them nice and warm. Without it they’d all be soaking wet and, most likely, freezing cold.

Robin fell silent, staring into the twisting flames. The light gleamed off tear tracks on his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around himself. 

“It’s part of you whether you like it or not,” said SB. “You’re only going to have a worse time if you hate yourself for it.” He gestured aimlessly with his stump. “Shit happens. You’re still a mage. You can’t run away from it, and why would you want to?”

With the toe of his good foot, Robin nudged a log at the edge of the fire. It fell sideways, sending up a shower of sparks. “Mages killed my parents. That’s what they told me.”

stand (Dragonsong) (sadness time)

“So why did we bother?” said Robin. “If they were just gonna come back the second we left?”

He almost had a point. Isi swallowed. This particular fight had ultimately made little difference. She’d become a knight to change things, not to stand by while injustice ran rampant. But it seemed she hadn’t managed to change anything for that town.

But if she had decided back in that tavern that the whole thing was pointless… if she’d stood by and just let it happen, what would it make her? What would that say about who she was?

drink (Hurricane) (tw alcohol, gambling) (whoops more sadness)

Three rounds in, they had a decent pile of winnings in front of them and Aella had drunk just enough to feel a pleasant buzz. Her hand looked set to add to their pile of winnings. She grinned. Right now, life was good. As she examined her cards, she felt eyes on her back.

For the most part, the tavern goers were either very intent on their drinks, or passed out. Franco wasn’t looking in her direction, and most of the Hurricane women were distracted too. Sequoia caught her gaze and waved, but it hadn’t been her watching Aella before. So who was it?

She looked to the window. Despite the darkness outside, Theo was clearly visible at the edge of the pane. His eyes locked onto hers for a brief second, then he turned away.

We don’t even know each other. Leave him be.

I will tag @zmwrites @ashen-crest and @vellichor-virgo! your words are frame, cover, bottle, wrap

[the-knights-who-say-book]

Of a Witch, a Gossip, and a Library

The library on the corner of Oak and Vine was an accident. The crown didn’t bother opening libraries this far out west, so far from any of the major cities—so far that the townspeople joked to each other the king might someday forget to send his tax collectors out there, too. So Feldwidth had never had a library before.

When the local witch died a few years back, nobody quite knew what to do with her narrow corner cottage, with its living space upstairs and walls lined with shelves of witchcraft ingrediants on the single ground floor room. The witch hadn’t any children or relatives to continue living there, and nobody else claimed the space in the months after her death. The downstairs room, shelves on all four walls (even on the inside of the door!), just didn’t invite new inhabitants. No one in Feldwidth, except for the general store owner on Main, practiced a trade which required so many shelves, and no one wanted the tedious task of taking them all down.

It was Margorette Clay, who lived just outside the village and came in once a week supposedly to sell produce but mostly just to gossip, who said they ought to get themselves another witch.

“Not like you find them growing in a road ditch,” Jame Clott said irritably, because Margo was leaning against his fence. As far as he was concerned, no one who hadn’t painted that fence themselves were allowed to lean on it.

“Suppose not. Guess that’s only where you find Clotts,” Margo said, and ducked the dirty sheet that Jame had been beating out on the stone path and was about to beat out on her head. Cawing her distinctive laughter, she ran down the street, apron full of apples jostling and jumping with her loping stride.

Jame leaned over his fence to yell after her, “And they find Clays on the streets after it rains, too dumb to get back into the dirt!”

Margo’s laughter drew Catty Loose to the open doorway of her house as sure as if she’d had a ringing bell to announce new gossip. “What’s got Jame worked up?”

“Cause I said you ought to get yourselves a new witch,” Margo said, barely half-truthful as usual. “Buy an apple? They’re almost as blushing pretty as your kitling.”

Catty’s smallest daughter went red and buried herself deeper in her mother’s skirts.

Another kid, barely older, leaned against Margo’s leg and pulled her hand, nearly spilling all the apples from the apron she was holding up. “Why nother witch? What for?”

“Ah, every place ought to have one,” Margo said vaguely. “It’s the way of things. One apple for each of your kitlings, Catty, and I’ll throw two in free.”

————————

“Margo’s right,” Catty Loose said after temple that Saturday, as the townspeople gathered in the yard to mingle and eat, her arms full of children and another two playing at her feet.

With preternatural hearing, Jame Clott turned from speaking with his husband Willem across the yard to say loudly, “Margorette Clay has never been right once in her life.”

Catty ignored him. “We ought to get a new witch. Sooner or later we’ll want one.”

“That’s crap,” Jame said, coming into the circle that surrounded Catty, which seemed to be half made up of her own children. “What’ll we want a witch for? No one’s been cursed in ages.”

“Aida Macintosh,” someone put in.

“Aida Macintosh ate the red berries by the stream. That’s not a curse so much as a punishment for stupidity.”

No one could really disagree.

“Need one for love shpells,” a tiny Loose kitling named Alfed suggested.

Jame crouched down, his face softening, to look into his small, earnest face. “Love spells are a gross affront against consent and should have been outlawed years ago,” he said gently.

Little Alfed Loose sneezed in his face.

“For getting a baby when you can’t make one yourself,” Mendy Hark said, one hand squeezing her daughter’s shoulder protectively.

Jame, wiping his face, didn’t say anything.

————————

“So how’s one get a witch anyway?” Lukey Keening asked, continuing the conversation from several days ago without preamble, as he tended to do. He and his overly long teenage limbs were sprawled in the grass of the meadow where the families of Oak street gathered once a week for a community meal, conspicuously not helping.

The eldest Loose girl, siblings hoisted on either hip, made a thoughtful sound. “You don’t get one, I think, they get you.”

“I don’t wanna get gotten,” one child on her hip sniffled.

“That’s only bad witches that get you,” Lukey said.

Lettie sighed. “No, I mean, you don’t do something to get a witch, they come to you.”

“That’s right, girly,” Margo Clay said from her perch watching over a pot of stew on the open fire. She had not been invited. Like witches, Margo simply appeared without being fetched. “But I tell you what, you can make them know you want one.”

“How’s that?” Daff Keening asked, arms crossed over his comfortably large belly. His sudden and stout presence made his son scramble up and pretend to be busy helping Lettie wrangle several children, all of whom resembled her as nesting dolls resemble the one they fit inside.

“You make a place ready for her.” Margo’s brash tone, as ever, drew more people from their tasks to pay attention to her. “Like baiting a trap. Can’t expect a mouse to walk into your trap unless you make it look inviting.”

“What do you know about mice?” Sal Hark asked skeptically.

“They’re close relatives of hers,” Jame Clott said, unable to resist. “The better question is, what does she know about witches?”

————————

Margo Clay was an incorrigible gossip, but people who liked gossip liked Margo, so she was listened to anyway.

Catty Loose sent Lettie  to sweep the empty store and dust the unnecessary amount of shelves. Lukey Keening tagged along to clean the small windows and help keep three small Looses in hand. The gaggle of children in and around the shop drew Jame Clott to poke his head in and see what was going on.

“Well! It looks clean, but it doesn’t look like a witch’s shop,” he declared.

“He’s right, Mama,” Lettie told her mother that evening. “I tossed out all the shriveled up herbs she had in there when I cleaned the shelves. Some of them had crumbled near into dust. But with the shelves empty it doesn’t look much like a witch’s place.”

Catty relayed this to the Macintoshes, who were eager for a replacement witch, in case anybody got cursed like Aida had last year.

“Mmhmm,” Catty said to that.

“I think the Harks have the magic books the old witch left,” Theo Macintosh said. “We can put those in there.”

—————————

Sal Hark brought the books around the shop a few days later, squinting in the sunshine at the man who was already there. “Hey, Jame. Witch showed up yet?”

Jame Clott startled back from the window he was peering through. “Nah, no witch is coming.”

Sal let out a whistle of agreement, but his smile was amused, like he thought Jame was wrong.

“Not with the shop looking that shoddy, anyway,” Jame said with a sniff. “There isn’t even a sign.”

“Blew down in a storm a few years ago, I think,” Sal said. “We know what shop it is, anyhow. Not like we’ve got shops every which way.”

“The witch wouldn’t know, since she’s new,” Jame said testily. If the whole town was going to take up Margo’s logic, they had better be consistent.

“Tell you what, then, you ought to paint a new sign. You’re the only one here who knows which end of a paintbrush goes where.”

Jame shook his head and waved goodbye. He wasn’t making a sign for an empty shop, a shop that would remain empty.

That night he saw Willem look out their kitchen window at that empty shop, something sad and wistful in his eyes, several times during their quiet dinner. Their dinners were always quiet, though they told each other about their days in detail, and debated if Margo’s pumpkins were any good at length. It was the quiet of something missing, the kind of quiet the Loose’s house down the street, full to the brim, had never known.

“Sal Hark said I should paint a sign for the witch’s shop, to make her want to come,” Jame said, surprising himself.

Willem tore his eyes away from the window and looked at him. After a moment, he smiled. “Face it, Jame, they won’t get her to come without your help.”

————————

Jame put up the new sign next week, his back so stiff-straight that nobody dared tease him about coming round to Margo’s thinking, though several people gathered across the street to watch.

The sign was big and square and sturdy, and painted on both sides was an open tome with stylized curls of magic shooting from it. Willem held the ladder steady while he hung it up, and Jame felt almost hopeful. Through the shining little windows passersby could see the neat shop room and the witch’s small collection of spell books sitting on one of the many shelves, and it looked almost inviting.

————————

Margo, who lived outside town, was the first one to realize someone had come to town overnight.

“Your witch is here!” she crowed, all but dancing down Oak Street in the early morning. “What did I tell you? Make it nice and she’ll come!”

“Quiet your racket,” said an irritable Jame, poking his head out his door. “Witch isn’t the word I’d use for you.”

“Wheel tracks!” she yelled at him. “Fresh wheel tracks down the road before I left my farm! Who brings a cart into town except for me and the tax collector? And the tax collector wouldn’t have set up shop in there!” She pointed one victorious finger at the corner shop where Jame’s sign swayed gently in the breeze. A rickety wooden cart was collapsed on the ground below it.

Jame opened his mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say.

Down the street, Catty Loose stuck her head out the window. “Margo, what are you whooping about? Oh my—Lettie! Lettie, find my shawl!” Her head ducked back inside, and before the last copper curl had followed it out the window, she was rushing out the front door, Lettie close on her heels.

Jame snapped his mouth shut and hurried after Margo, Catty, and Lettie, following them to the corner shop. A sleepy bundle of Loose kitlings, a couple of Keenings, a herd of Macintoshes and even a Hark or two were all heading in the same direction.

Someone had moved into the witch’s shop.

There were muddy shoe prints down the stone path, a new blue-checked curtain drawn over the window, and Margo standing triumphantly in front of the house, hands on her hips. “Didn’t I tell you! Didn’t I!”

“So you did,” said Sal Hark, “but quiet, Margo, or you’ll wake her up. She must’ve come in dead of night.”

Margo ignored him. “Well, I hope you all remember this. When I’m right, I’m right!”

Behind her, the witch’s door cracked open.

The girl who opened it was no older than Lettie Loose, and probably younger. Her face was nervous, but as she took in the crowd outside her door, it broke into a shy smile. “Oh. Hello. I didn’t expect... I’m not all set up yet. But I suppose the library can be open now if you want.”

“What?” said Margo.

“Library?” said Catty.

“I knew it,” said Jame. “You didn’t catch yourself a witch. You caught a librarian.”

Margo glared at him, apparently lost for words.

The girl looked back and forth between them. “I’m sorry?”

Margo rounded on her. “A librarian! Is that what you are? Then you have to leave. We’re waiting for a witch.”

The girl’s mouth opened and shut, her eyes big, and then she looked down and sniffed.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jame snapped, a protectiveness in his voice so fierce that Margo took a step back from both him and the girl. He glared around him, making sure no one else was going to follow Margo’s lead, and then turned back to the girl. All anger dropped out of his face immediately, replaced by a gentle warmth. “Have you got family?”

“Not anymore,” she said. “I’m... I’ve just been taking my library around. That’s my family. I thought we could stay here, maybe, If that’s alright.”

“That’s just fine. We’ve never had a library before, we’re all real grateful you came. Come have breakfast.” He didn’t wait for an answer, already thinking of having a full kitchen, and Willem no longer staring out the window, and needing to find more eggs for breakfast, and who in town might have extra shoes to replace the worn-thin boots on her feet.

A layer of tension seemed to slough off her. She stepped out of her doorway and a few feet onto the path to follow Jame, then paused. Looking back at them, she said, “When you take a book, write the title and your name in the ledger, and return it in two weeks.”

Skipping to catch up with Jame, she grabbed his hand with an easy sort of trust. She turned her face up to him. “If it’s not for a library, why is it full of shelves? Why were there already books there? Why does it have a book sign?”

“Sometimes,” Jame said, “People think they’re waiting for one thing, but they’re really waiting for another.”

“Were you?” she asked.

He saw the moment Willem noticed them through the window, saw hope dawn in his eyes as he watched them come up the path; his husband, and a girl who looked like she needed a home.

“No,” he said. “We were waiting exactly for you.”

[hp-hcs]

IM THE ONE WHO REQUESTED THE THEODORE X MALE READER THING AND IT WAS AMAZING I LOVE IT SO MUCH OMG

i’m glad!! 😭😭 i was stressing out so much over that one cause there’s no real coherent plot but i pROMISE I KNOW WHERE THE STORY’S GOING

ty to the person who said this could be a five part series. i appreciate your confidence in my attention span.

this fire ain’t the only thing that’s camp (Chapter Two of Splinched) — death eater! theodore nott x splinched! male! muggleborn! reader

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Theodore comes tromping back into the clearing with an armful of branches, twigs, pinecones, and duff. He clumsily dumps the load into the snow, wiping snow off of the log-turned-bench by the fire pit, and sitting down.

“Okay, now what?”

“Build the fire,” you instruct. “Make a pyramid shape.”

You bring your hands together so that your palms are far apart but your fingertips touch, making an ‘A’ sort of shape to illustrate your point.

“The pine needles and dead leaves and stuff, that’s all great tinder. It’ll burn the quickest, and help start the fire. Put that in the middle of your pyramid. Build your pyramid around that with the kindling; the twigs and thinnest branches.”

Theodore does as you say, making a rather shoddy pyramid that he seems quite proud of.

You pull your blanket tighter around yourself. You sit inside the entrance of the tent, the flap open and pinned back so you can still talk to Theodore.

You had caught a nasty fever the day after Theodore’s spell, leaving you incapacitated for days. To make matters worse, an unexpected snowstorm—nearly a month too early—froze the entire forest. The storm itself reeked of bad magic; everything about it seemed unnatural.

Merlin must’ve had a vendetta against you both, because additionally during that time, Theodore’s wand had begun to spark and malfunction. The Dark spell he’d cast must’ve done serious damage to the core. But his wand had fully given up that morning, shriveling up and blackening like a spent match.

You toss him your lighter and watch as he unskillfully manages to light the tinder, by the grace of God, and cheers with a loud whoop! that sends the birds in the nearby trees scattering into the air.

“Now just add the bigger branches as needed,” you advise, your teeth chattering.

Much to his chagrin, Theodore was quite relieved with your silly Muggle knowledge. He had no idea how to make or light a campfire without his wand, but you assured him that it wasn’t difficult to do the Muggle way.

Glancing over at you with a dumb, silly grin on his face, quite proud of his own achievement, he opens his mouth to mock-boast, only to have his breath stolen from him.

You still look quite sickly, rather weak and tired, but you really make quite a sight. Against the dull olive of the tent and the muted dark blue of the blanket you’re completely enveloped in, the red, sick flush of your face stands out quite a bit. White snowflakes dot your eyelashes, and your pretty eyes seem to track his every movement.

Stop it, Theodore. You have a job to do.

Clearing his throat, he makes his way back to the tent, ducking in and sitting next to you while occasionally glancing over to keep an eye on the fire.

Your face barely peeks out from the thick blanket as you peer out at him. You clearly are thinking of asking him something.

Please don’t ask why I did it, please, for the love of Merlin, don’t ask, don’t as-

“Why’d you help me?”

Fuck.

“Hm?” Theo hums, as if he hadn’t understood you, wrapping one of the spare blankets around himself.

“You could’ve just left me to bleed out. Or you could’ve said fuck it and Apparated anyway. Why’d you help me?”

“The Dark Lord doesn’t like his things damaged,” Theo says in a gruff voice, any friendliness in his demeanor completely vanishing and signaling the end of the conversation.

You just nod, retreating back into your blanket cocoon.

You both sit in silence.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Chapter Three

[heliads]

Inked Wrists Chapter 7: Back to School

When you turn eighteen, your soulmate’s name appears in a tattoo on your wrist. What happens when the name on your wrist reads Theo Raeken, and when you have to hide your identity from him?

previous / series masterlist / next

It’s good to have Theo back. Words can’t even describe the happiness you feel when you wake up each morning and sense that he is close to you again. After everything you’ve been through in the past few months, it is paradise to know that he loves you and you love him. It’s funny, saying you love him, because you’ve been hiding it from yourself for so long. You don’t know why, but you felt like you couldn’t love him while you were using the fake name- you kept walls between you two and you weren’t even sure if he wanted you at all. Now, you’ve allowed all your barriers to come crashing down and live happily with your soulmate.

Speaking of living with him, you talked it over with Theo and he decided that he wanted to go back to high school with you. It’s been a few weeks since the incident with the hunters, but you think it’s finally safe to return to normal life. After the hunters’ plan to take down both Scott’s and Satomi’s packs failed, they retreated to their bunker in shame. They launched a few more misguided attacks, but you and your friends were able to repel them, especially thanks to Nolan’s help. At first, you were surprised when the former hunter had showed up at Liam’s door, but he explained that he’d had a change of heart and was more than willing to provide you with information regarding the hunters. He’d been a valuable ally and instrumental in the decline of the hunters’ power over Beacon Hills.

Now, life is back to normal. Most of the hunters were just ordinary people, and they’ve been able to move on from their time as hunters to coexist with werewolves. The few extreme hunters, like Monroe, that couldn’t accept life with supernaturals have fled Beacon Hills. You’re not sure when they’ll come back, if ever, but you know that you and your friends will be able to easily defeat them if they try.

So, with the threat of the hunters eliminated and you and Theo left with no life-and-death conflicts to fill your days, you two decided to return to high school. It wasn’t that difficult to get Theo back in-he had left around halfway through the last year and so he could pick up in about the same place. You’d asked him if he was worried about forgetting everything he’d learned from last year, and he’d just responded with that signature smirk on his face: “I’m not worried about anything. I met this really pretty girl, and I know I can count on her for anything. I even wrote her name down on my arm so I wouldn’t forget it.” He holds up his soulmate tattoo, and you can’t help but laugh.

Thus, you find yourself walking down the halls of your school once more. You pause at your locker, opening it and reaching for the books inside. Down the hall, you see Theo walk towards you and move more slowly so he can catch up with him. Out of the corner of your eye, you see another girl walk up to Theo, wrapping her arm around his and smiling at him through pink glossed lips. “Hey, handsome. Where are you headed?” She oozes confidence, but her smirk turns to a frown when he untangles himself from her. “I’m going to meet up with my soulmate, actually.” The girl puts on a fake pout. “She doesn’t have to know.” Theo stops walking and turns to the girl, looking her straight in the eyes. “You know, one time I was dating this girl who pretended to be my soulmate so we could be together. Do you know what happened to her?” The girl winks at him through lowered lashes. “You enjoyed her company.” Theo grins. “I killed her.” With that, he walks the rest of the way to you, leaving the girl with her mouth hanging open in shock. “You know, I don’t think you have to go out of your way to terrorize every girl who flirts with you.” You laugh at him. “Maybe I just wanted to. Did you see her face?” He grins, and you two walk down the hallway to your next class, talking all the while.

It’s good to be back at school. You finally get to feel like a normal teenager, going to class and doing all the things everyone else does. After you leave class, you head to the lunch table your friends always claim, and sit down next to Lydia. Liam flops down across from you. “Why did Coach Finstock become a teacher? Like honestly, why?” Stiles grins. “Don’t you love his unique teaching style? If he wants to be head coach for lacrosse, he has to teach at least one class, so he chose the one he thought would be easiest.” Liam just groans. “If it weren’t for the fact that I’m on the lacrosse team, I’d just skip all his classes.” Theo walks up from behind you and sits down on your other side. “Are we complaining about Coach Finstock? Guy just told me I look like I have the biceps of a mountain lion. How am I supposed to respond to that?” You can’t hold back your laughter. “A mountain lion? Seriously?”

Liam rolls his eyes. “Get used to it. He gives out weird compliments to whoever he wants on the lacrosse team. He’s always talking about getting new players, especially since Kira left to go train with the Skinwalkers. Coach won’t leave you alone until you either join the team or find some excuse to get out of it, like breaking your arms and your legs and also being dead.” The table dissolves into laughter and friendly chatter breaks out amongst your friends.

On the way back from lunch, though, you can tell Theo’s lost in thought about something. Finally, he turns to you. “I’ve been thinking about what Liam said. Do you think it would be alright if I tried out for the lacrosse team? Like, would they mind?” You smile up at him. “I think it would be a great idea. They’d welcome a new player, and as long as you don’t try to challenge Scott for the title of team captain, you’ll fit right in.” Theo nods. “There’s another practice this Friday. I might go talk to Coach before then and see if he can let me join.” 

Before you know it, Friday has come around. Theo’s delighted- Coach took one look at him and told him he could join the team for as long as he wanted. They have a practice during lunch today, and Theo made you promise that you’d come watch. “I need moral support on my first day.” Thus, you find yourself climbing through the bleachers to sit beside Mason as the lacrosse players warm up on the field in front of you. Mason leans back, grabbing a notebook so at least he can pretend to study. “This is my favorite part of the day.” You laugh at him, taking a notebook of your own out of your backpack. “Shameless.” You tease, and he pretends to frown. “Can’t I support my soulmate in peace?” “Sure, if I thought you were only here to support him and not anyone else.” Mason rolls his eyes. “Yeah, it would be nice if Eight-Pack Brett were here, but we can’t have everything.” You groan. “I don’t know how you can stand the guy. He’s totally not worth your time! I think his ego’s even taller than he is.” As the two of you laugh, you see Theo on the field. He looks up at you and waves, and you return the gesture, letting a light smile cross your face.

Theo ends up really enjoying lacrosse. You’re not sure whether it’s because of the comradery between his teammates, the excitement of the sport, or just because he gets to tackle anyone and everyone who stands in his way. Coach is thrilled, of course, and so the number of kids he sends limping to the sidelines just grows and grows. You don’t mind his liking the game yourself- you’re glad it makes him happy and you’re glad you get to watch him run around on the field during practice, sometimes with his shirt off. Whoops.

You also get to flaunt his jersey in the halls. You’re not sure why, but something about wearing his number on your back makes you feel even closer to him. Theo certainly doesn’t mind, and so you keep stealing it from him.

Before long, it’s time for Theo’s first lacrosse game. The stakes are high- Beacon Hills is playing Devenford Prep tonight, the one team they can’t always beat. You’re sure that with Theo playing, Beacon Hills should have no trouble crushing them, but you can still feel the unease radiating from the lacrosse team when you show up to the game that night.

You’ve snuck around back to visit Theo before the game starts, and he’s only got a few more minutes with you before Coach Finstock starts one of his famously awful speeches. You wish him luck and kiss him goodbye, then run up to the bleachers to sit with Mason, Lydia, and Malia. Lori’s sitting a ways away from you with her friends from Devenford Prep, and you give her a quick wave before turning your attention back to the field.

“Do you think we’ll win?” Malia asks from beside you. Mason scoffs. “Of course we will. If you check the numbers, we’ve got two werewolves and two chimeras against only one werewolf. It’s simple math.” You laugh at that. “Devenford’s got some players who are good without being supernatural.” Mason raises his eyebrows. “Your school spirit is sorely lacking, Y/N.” You shove him playfully. “Don’t get me wrong, I think Theo and everyone else is going to crush them, I’m just saying. It’ll be an interesting game.”

As the players run out onto the field, you make eye contact with Theo, who grins up at you. The Devenford Prep players take their positions opposite them, and before you know it, the game is started.

It’s a fairly even game, to your surprise. You can tell your friends aren’t using their supernatural abilities- they prefer to play fairly, although the same cannot be said of Devenford Prep’s team captain. You swear you can see the yellow glow of his eyes from here. Your friends still manage to keep their cool, until Liam and Theo are sprinting side by side towards the goal. Liam’s got the ball, and he’s about to pass it to Theo until your soulmate gets knocked down from behind by Brett. Instantly, you’re standing, hands pressed to your mouth in horror. The referee is yelling at Brett, something about an illegal move, but that doesn’t change the fact that Theo was knocked down pretty hard. Brett is about to walk away, but decides to whisper one last thing to Theo. You can’t make out exactly what he said, but you could have sworn you heard your name.

It’s the mention of your name that finally unlocks Theo’s anger. He stands up quickly, glaring at Brett. Without a word, he lines up at the starting line, lacrosse stick in hand. When the referee’s whistle blows to start the game, he’s running faster than you’ve ever seen him run before, already in possession of the ball thanks to a quick throw from Scott. Before you know it, he’s already scored! 

Cheering, you clap as loudly as you can. Theo goes on to score again and again, and there’s nothing Devenford Prep can do to stop him. By the time the game is over, he’s helped Beacon Hills maintain domination over the other team. When the players finally leave the field, you run up and throw your arms around him. “You were amazing!” Theo shakes back his sweaty hair from his face. “Thanks, babe. Only for you.” You can’t help but smile.

Once Theo’s showered and finished with post-game rituals, you’re waiting for him at home. You’re finishing up a text on the phone when you hear him come into the room and greet him with a kiss. “How’s the lacrosse superstar doing today?” He grins at you, exhausted but pleased with himself. “Not too bad, actually.” You talk for a while about the game, then settle down for a late night movie.

 It’s odd, though- you’ve barely started the movie long enough for the opening credits, but you hear a loud knocking on the door. You’re not expecting anybody, but the knocking is insistent and echoes throughout the room. You and Theo exchange glances, then get up together to see who it is. The second you open the door, you can’t help the stunned gasp that leaves your mouth.

Standing on the doorstep, covered in mud and scratches as if he’d run through the woods for hours, is a member of your old pack. One who you thought was dead.

Your older brother.

tag list: @linkpk88​

[leaping-toadstool-caps]

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

A/N: Just a lil piece I wrote AGES ago and I figured because it's getting close to the end of winter I'd post it :D

"No, no, I'm sure that Alyn was staying anyway. Anna definitely is, but I'm sure Alyn was too-"

"Students, may I have your attention please?"

James sat up quickly as Professor Weasley's voice rung through the Great Hall. He, Poppy, Alvin, Tori and Theo were digging into breakfast quickly so they could have some time in the snow before classes started.

"Fortunately, Headmaster Black has granted me permission to make this announcement." Professor Weasley continued. "For fear of pupils being unable to concentrate in lesson due to the cold weather, all classes will be postponed for all students for these last two days before the Christmas break. Do be careful out there, it is rather icy and we wouldn't want any students going home with broken bones."

The entire Hall erupted in a loud cheer. Tori whooped, punching James' shoulder.

"Snow day!" Poppy cheered, and Tori kissed her cheek.

"As usual, the quidditch pitch is open despite games being cancelled, if students so wish they may indulge in snow activities. However I must ask that you all please do use your wits and do not perform any stunts that I would class as dangerous."

"Alvin! Theo!" Matty rushed towards the Hufflepuff table looking flushed and excited. "Mum just gave me permission to stay in Hogwarts for Christmas break!"

"Yes!" James gave an excited air punch. "That's almost all of us, minus Cassie, Damien, ermm, Val, I think? Oscar's staying, I have no clue about Freddie, I think we're also missing a confirmed answer from Luci and Alyn. All we have to do is convince a few more adults and then we'll have the BEST Hogwarts Christmas ever!"

"Cassie's staying here." Alvin said quietly as Matty sat beside him. "Trouble at home." James gave Alvin's shoulder a squeeze to try and comfort him.

"Anyone got any news on Freddie?" Tori asked.

"His dad still refused to let him stay, but Freddie said he wouldn't get on that train home if his life depended on it." Jo said as she joined the conversation, sitting herself down. "I do hope he isn't punished for it. You know what his dad's like."

The rest of the group filed in. Val was grinning when she sat down, and she placed a sheet of parchment on the table.

"Professor Hecat herself wrote my parents a letter explaining why I have to stay. I have no clue what the letter says, but Hecat must've been persuasive because my mother let me stay in Hogwarts!"

Everyone cheered, and Matty hugged Val tight.

"Damien! Any news?" Luci asked with a smile.

"I'm allowed to stay" Damien said with a slight flush, though he didn't elaborate.

"Oh good! I had hoped so after-" Ellie cut off as Damien shot her a subtle death stare.

"What about Roan?" Damien asked quickly.

Roan raised a hand. "Easier for me to stay here, anyway"

"Gah, where the heck is Alyn?"

Jo replied, "I'm sure she woke up early, she wasn't in the dorm this morning"

"Alyn said she was gonna miss breakfast. Had something to take care of in the library. But I'm pretty sure she's staying" Luci furrowed her eyebrows.

Val nudged her, "d'ya think she's with-"

Luci quickly shushed her.

"I'm assuming Alex is staying if Alvin is" Val said casually. Cassie immediately perked up, sitting up a bit straighter. "What about the other set of twins?"

"Oscar's still checking things off his apology list. He's trying to make up for the damage he caused in fifth year" Cal explained, "Kiel is staying though. Him and Alvin are practicing for Quidditch"

"In this weather?" Jo furrowed her eyebrows. "I do hope they don't catch a flu."

"They'll be okay" James assured her.

"Jamie, where's Ren?" Cassie asked suddenly. Florence raised a hand from his seat at the end of the table. His nose was buried in a book as always, and he had a dark blue shawl wrapped around him, his pale nose pink from the cold.

"Before you ask, yes I'm staying here" Florence said sounding bored. "And yes, I've heard every word of your conversation. Reading doesn't make me deaf."

James grinned, moving to sit next to Ren. He threw his arm around his shoulder, and Ren shrugged him off pretended to ignore him, but everyone was certain the flush on his face was no longer from the cold.

"Is that everyone? Me, Ren, Cassie, the twins, the other twins, Poppy, Tori, Ellie, Luci, Val, Ale, Roan, Cal, Matty, Freddie, the triplets, Damien-"

James paused, eyes widening. "Damien? Is Sebastian staying?"

Damien flushed. "I... I did manage to convince him. I think he is."

James grinned knowingly. "I think that's all of us! Now, let's head outside because I've been itching to get my fingers on that frozen good-ness all morning"