ghoulwren - Tumblr blog

ghoulwren · 11 months ago

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Hi hi!! So I have finally written something for Arthur and Daniel. 2.1k words of very self indulgent stuff!! It takes place during third year, when they get attacked by spiders. It's hurt/comfort as Daniel has a nightmare, so I just wanted to expand on that moment ☺️ my writing may not be the best but I'm trying to be better!! I hope you guys enjoy 🪷

Daniel was all too familiar with nightmares. Too often does he experience the same scenario. No matter how fast or how far he runs, he could never catch up to his mum, or get away fast enough from Dementors. Then he wakes up, his hand outstretched in front of him and drenched in a cold sweat. Daniel could get maybe three days of dreamless sleep before being thrown back into the dark abyss, much to his annoyance.

But… this nightmare was completely different. His mother should be right in front of him, Dementors swirling around them as they hunger for the remnants of his fleeting happiness.

Daniel isn't sure if it was the spider venom causing it, but he'll put the blame on it.

Surrounding him was not his mother nor Dementors, but instead, all of his friends stood over him. Lottie, Robin, Kevin, Ivy and Arthur. Glares, discontent and disgusted looks rained down on Daniel, making him feel incredibly small on the floor, as he frantically flicked his eyes between them.

“Guys…? W-Why are you all… looking at me like that?” He stammered, his mouth betraying him before he could even stop himself from asking. Robin was the first to speak among them, clicking her tongue as she placed a hand on her hip.

“Seriously, Page? Trying to act dumb?!” Robin gestures her head at Kevin, who stood behind her. He slammed whatever was in his hand down in front of Daniel, causing him to shrink back from the noise. When he opened his eyes, the Prophet sat in front of him, practically taunting him as he slowly read the title. He felt his stomach drop.

Front and centre on the cover, was Daniel, brandishing his wand and yelling an enchantment at someone. He couldn't tell who it was, the person too dark upon the inky pages. But from the way the body lay still once hitting the ground, Daniel didn't need to guess what Paper Daniel was saying. The headline read, ‘Bloody Pages Invades Hogwarts!’. He felt his head shake as he slowly looked up towards his friends.

“I-I… I would never do this! I-I'm not… I'm not a criminal! I'm not like my father! Or my brother! I'd never-”

“Oh, come off it, Page! We could all see this happening sooner or later!” Ivy interrupted, spitting out his surname like it was poison in her mouth. To Ivy's right, Lottie brought a hand up to her mouth just barely suppressing a giggle that seemed to echo throughout the void.

“Little Daniel Page! Willing to go through such lengths to be with his mother! Hehe!”

The laughter began to intensify, making Daniel's ears ring. He curled himself into a ball, his hands shielding his ears and shut his eyes tightly. Another voice cut through the vicious laughter, causing Daniel to snap his head back up. Arthur's dark eyes were sending daggers down at him, his fist clenched tightly as a small, twisted grin formed on his lips. When he spoke, the voice sounded… nothing like Arthur. Deeper, otherworldly… but somehow, Daniel can hear hints of his voice.

Arthur would never say anything like this… right?

“There's no need to deny who you are, Daniel. Sooner or later, you'll show your true self to everyone you love. No one will stand by you… you'll be all alone~!” Arthur's voice was laced with venom as he began cackling as he pushed Daniel away. Daniel tumbled, until he was stopped by a pair of legs at his back. Students all laughing and pointing at him as Arthur and his friends began to disappear into the crowd. Daniel reached his hand out for them, but it was futile. His breathing picked up, no idea where to even look. Nothing but countless eyes and teeth stared back at him.

“Please! I'm nothing like my father!”

“You know me! I'm not a criminal, please, listen to me!”

… aniel…

“Stop it! Stop laughing at me! Please…!”

… Da… Dan…

“I'm a good boy… I'm Mummy's good boy…!”

“Daniel!”

Daniel shot up, heart thumping loudly in his chest and ears. Sweat poured down his face, vaguely aware of a vice grip on his shoulders. His vision was wet, unable to identify who was holding him. Without thinking, he gripped the person's arm in an attempt to ground and calm himself down. He blinked rapidly to get the tears out of his eyes, now fully able to see who it was.

It was Arthur. His grey eyes, not filled with hatred Daniel thankfully noted, but with pure worry. His long, slightly dishevelled blonde hair spilled down his shoulders, making it seem like he just got out of the bed. He also had his glasses on, as Daniel got a slight glimpse on how pathetic he looks. After a moment, Arthur offered him a small smile, his brows pinched tightly.

“Oh, thank goodness! You're awake! Poor thing, you're shaking like a leaf… Here, you can have some of my water.” After giving Daniel a once over, then double checking to make sure he's actually okay, Arthur got up from the bed and grabbed his water, handing the glass over. The coolness of the glass eased Daniel's nerves slightly, as he gulped down the water. He felt his bed dip again as Arthur sat back down, taking the glass once Daniel was finished. He couldn't look the other in the eye, opting to stare down at the duvet.

“Sorry… I didn't mean to wake you.” Daniel mumbled, hiding half of his face behind his hair. He heard some shifting in front of him, a small giggle coming from in front of him.

“Don't be sorry, Daniel. I was already up, anyway. Admiring the moon…” He smiled, gesturing towards the window, the crescent moon hiding itself among the clouds. Daniel will admit, the moon is just the moon, but he can appreciate the beauty of it. Especially when it lights up the room in a beautiful dim glow. The two say in silence for a little bit, Arthur sending looks towards Daniel then turning his head away just as Daniel glances at his direction. Arthur pursed his lips and opened his mouth.

“Would you, uhm… like to talk about it? Your dream, I mean. You don't have to, if you don't want to. I just thought that- well… it's nice to get it off your chest… whatever you're thinking. Better out than in, as my Gran tells me, ahah!” Arthur asked, rambling a bit as he ran his fingers through his hair, a habit that Daniel noticed. He observed the other quietly, tucking his own hair out of his face as he thought to himself. Bringing his knees close to his chest, he points a finger at Arthur, who in turn points a finger at himself in confusion.

“Whatever I say in this room, stays in this room. I will not hesitate to sabotage all your potion assignments in the future.” Daniel vaguely threatened, already knowing that he couldn't do something like that to Arthur. However, Arthur took the threat very seriously as he placed a hand over his heart.

“It will be taken to my grave, Daniel. Cross my heart.” For full confidentiality and to ease Daniel's nerves, Arthur traced an ‘x’ over his heart. Confused but satisfied, Daniel nodded and dropped his finger, as he debated with himself about how to even begin. Arthur just sat there, patiently waiting with a gentle smile on his face, which made Daniel feel… strangely at ease. He couldn't understand why, but he had no time to think about it.

“Well, you know about my family… When the story first broke, about the ‘Bloody Pages’...” Daniel began to hesitate, fiddling with his fingers, but when he peeked towards Arthur, who was still smiling, he felt his nerves dissipate. Arthur was never one to judge, always eager to help out his friends with their problems no matter what. Daniel has witnessed that countless times over the last three years, even more so within the last few days when dealing with Gridley. No matter what, Arthur stood by him.

Nightmare Arthur was wrong.

“Esme and I were constantly hounded by Muggle reporters and paparazzi. Any time we stepped outside of our home, there was always someone trying to ask questions about our parents. I hated the attention, so I tried not to leave the house much. When I came to Hogwarts… no one knew who I was. For the first time in my life, I could breathe… and since, you know, recent events…” Daniel felt something drip onto his hand, rabidly blinking when he realised that he's crying. Quickly wiping his face from any stray tears, he clenched his fist and very clearly tried to ignore the pity emanating from Arthur.

“All of you found out who I was and… there was so much laughing… Arthur I swear I'm nothing like them! I'd never be like-” As the tears fell, Daniel was suddenly cut off as he felt something warm envelop him. The scent of sweet apples and bergamot flooding his nose as he sat there, completely frozen. Arthur had his arms wrapped tightly around his neck, a hand carefully placed on top of Daniel's head in a gentle caress. Daniel's nose was buried in the crook of Arthur's shoulder. It was a long time, way too long Daniel thought, before he finally accepted the hug as he loosely draped his arms along Arthur's back.

“You'll never be like them, Daniel. I- We all know that. We'll always be by your side. Never forget that.”

Before Arthur could even speak, Daniel wept into his shoulder. He couldn't even begin to care that he could be making his shoulder wet. Arthur didn't even seem to mind, slowly rocking him back and forth while rubbing his back. He whispered comfort into Daniel's ear, telling him that everything will be okay.

It felt like a long time before Daniel fully calmed down. He was no longer shaking, but he's pretty sure his eyes were as red as his own hair. He pulled away from the hug, sniffling twice as he wiped the tear tracks away. Arthur kept one hand on his back, something that brought immense comfort to Daniel. But he couldn't understand why his heart thumped loudly in his chest, the tips of his ears burning when he thought Arthur could hear it. Arthur is just being a good friend. If anyone was upset, Arthur's immediate response was to always give a hug.

‘Daniel, think about it later.’ He scolded himself.

“Do you feel better? I wish I had tea, or something hot. My gran would always make tea whenever I had bad dreams.”

“I'm okay… Thank you. You didn't have to do any of that…”

Arthur patted Daniel's shoulder, his smile never dimming. Then a finger was pointed at Arthur.

“Again, if anything leaves this room… I don't want people to know that I… you know…”

Arthur laughed as he gently took Daniel's hand into his own warm hands. They were really soft too, Daniel noted. Nice, soft hands…

“Nothing will ever leave this room. I mean, we'll leave in the morning when the matron gives us the go ahead, but what we discussed will stay between us. In this room. Forever. Locked in a cage.” Arthur did a locking motion and flicked his hand towards the window. “And the key is gone! Into the Black Lake. Never to be opened again!”

Daniel threw his head back and laughed, with Arthur following. He shook his head as he looked out the window, watching the moon disappear behind the clouds. Arthur let go of Daniel's hand and got off of his bed, crawling back into his own.

“We should probably go back to sleep. It's late and I'll need all my energy for Hogsmeade shopping tomorrow.” Arthur yawned, placing his glasses onto the bedside locker beside him. Daniel got under his own covers, laying on his side to face Arthur, who definitely could not see him.

As Daniel stared at Arthur, thoughts began running through his mind, both good and bad. The worry in Arthur's face, the smile, the hug, everything. The pity in Arthur’s eyes when looking at Daniel… Arthur doesn't seem like someone who scares easily. He's always the one to stand up for his friends and the first to pull out his wand during a fight. In Daniel's conclusion, a selfless and kind person, who sticks up for what's right. He wonders, very briefly, if there's something that does make Arthur afraid.

He shakes those thoughts away.

“Good night, Arthur.”

A loud snore was his response. With a quiet laugh, Daniel closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

#harry potter magic awakened #hp magic awakened #hpma #hpma oc #magic awakened #hpma mc #daniel page #daniel page x oc

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