sargeantwoof

[sargeantwoof]

MJ knows - she - no, that’s not quite right. Is - they? She doesn’t -

MJ is figuring things out. She they - MJ is figuring things out.

___

A fascinating take on MJ’s gender identity. Bonus for tooth-rottingly sweet polyamory.

Part of my recommendations for good fics centered around Black characters for Black History Month

[sargeantwoof]

if I, catch fire then I change my aim // throw my troubles at the pearly gates

The name Black, the family name, carried by generations of purebloods through wars and peace, through cultural shifts and faltering families, was withering.

The seed which had once sprouted hundreds of witches and wizards was fading into obscurity, fading into the void.

Regulus knew, he knew, what was at stake. He knew how it would (most likely) end.

He did it anyway.

+++

There was a point in his life, so early in his memory that it was more haze than clarity, more emotion than actuality, where he could remember the sting of a hex from his mother's wand, followed by Sirius' loud voice, and a warm hand clasped in his, drawing him from the library to his room.

He knew nothing that happened after, knew nothing of Sirius' bloodied hands, knuckles raw from their mother's brutality, or his weeks of punishments that would follow, but he knew, as soon as their hands clasped, that he was safe.

When he died, he died with the warmth of Sirius' hands tucked tight in his.

+++

He watched with cool eyes as Bellatrix attempted to court the Dark Lord's favor, her actions growing more and more deranged as he simply watched her.

He held back a sigh as her wand slashed downwards again, the muggle in front of her screaming.

It was... distasteful to say the least.

He glanced across the Malfoy's ballroom, taking in Severus and Lucius across the way, the muted signs of disgust obvious in Severus' body language.

Their eyes met and his body shifted upright, the haughtiness of a Death Eater settling against Severus' shoulders as it had always been there.

Regulus didn't move anything beyond an arched brow but took in the change, marking it down behind fortified occlumency shields.

Severus could play the game well, Regulus knew, but he wasn't a Black, wasn't a pureblood. He hadn't been raised under the hands of a family who made it clear that he was their only hope.

Regulus turned back toward the muggle and the Dark Lord, his thoughts spinning, steadily moving towards a decision.

Dare he try to take on the Dark Lord?

He wasn't sure yet.

+++

When he was in his third year at Hogwarts, he accidentally befriended a mudblood.

Not a loud one, like that Lily Evans, but a quiet one in Hufflepuff who clung to shadowed corners and whispered correct answers under her breath.

They would meet in the library, in the far back North-East corner, by the dusty periodicals dating back to the early 1700's.

He hadn't meant to befriend her - she had been sitting alone when he had stomped by, eagerly escaping the taunting voices of his brother and his friends.

She had peeked up at him, taken in his face, and shoved her books to the side, making a space for him at the end of the table. He had eyed her, before settling in hesitantly, only wrinkling his nose at her a few times.

They didn't speak.

+++

They didn't talk of it but Regulus had kept track of how many times his cousins had tried to kill him.

Narcissa and Andromeda had both tried to kill him once, jointly. It had largely been an accident but he hadn't been able to keep from tensing up around them for months afterward.

(It had involved his broom, a cat, three oranges, a bold lie, and a simple misplacement of his right foot on the back terrace of Grimmauld Place.)

Bellatrix on the other hand...

She had tried to kill him each year since he had gained his wand, cursing the stairs beneath his feet, the walls at his sides, over and over until his shield was merely a thought away and his wand was never far from his hand.

And though it burned deeply, with a sort of hard and low ache, he knew he would not be the man he was, would not be nearly as clever or as quick without her.

She had become the figures of his nightmares far before she killed in front of him, long before she contorted herself to the perversions of the Dark Lord.

She claimed, when she was caught, that she was doing it to strengthen the Black line. That she was making him prove himself, as though she knew the weight of the Black pedigree alone.

+++

Regulus never let himself think boldly in front of Bellatrix. He never let himself think, period.

He kept himself quiet and simple and quick but a desperate there-is-no-other-choice-survive-or-die sort of quick.

And the day before he died, he wrote out every single awful thought he had had about her and left it on his desk, in clear view.

+++

Even in his hallucinations with the poison, she never appeared.

+++

He felt, halfway through the Spring Term of his Third Year, that he almost had made a person of his muggleborn.

They had not spoken, instead mutely offering each other their notes to swap and communicating through glances and eyebrow twitches.

He had noticed though, that she was following his lead, copying his grip on her quills instead of her original ghastly fist, knotting her tie in the correct way, rather than the sloppy muggle way.

He felt, almost proud, of what who she had become.

What he had not realized, but she had, in her quiet and clever way, was that he had changed too. He didn't sneer at his classmates nearly as much as he had, he was far more likely to hold his tongue than engage, and, most importantly, mudblood had slowly been slipping from his vocabulary.

She knew they had not spoken. She knew that they probably wouldn't reunite the next year. But, she also knew, that she had done something far more important than her schoolwork.

She had become human.

+++

That was the most important lesson that she could teach. ((even though it shouldn't have been her burden to bear))

+++

Sometimes, (rarely- very rarely), Regulus forgot that those he lived within his Slytherin dorm had not experienced the same teachings as he had.

They had not suffered through the same beatings, learned the same lessons, followed the same path. They had not been endlessly proclaimed to be the saving grace of a whole family while also being berated for existence.

Heavy lies the crown, Regulus knew.

But heavier lies loneliness, settled in his bones as though it was iron manacles, and so, sometimes, rarely, Regulus slipped up.

He fell too quiet, laughed at the wrong sort of joke, agreed with the wrong sort of sentiment. It was something he eventually trained out of himself but for a few years, in the small awful moments, he was able to wonder at who he would've been able to be without the Black name.

+++

By the time Regulus had graduated and become branded, he was endlessly good at the lingering type of flattery that older purebloods and the Dark Lord adored.

He was good at it, in the same way Bellatrix was good at torture.

It was a shield of its own, a way of keeping the attention off him, onto others without forcing his hand.

The name Black echoed through the Ministry the way a battering ram broke through sturdy oak walls - suddenly in a great cacophony of sound before splintering off and piercing everything.

It was prestigious and cold and a true testament to wizard-kind.

It was power.

+++

((it wasn't enough))

+++

Regulus Black was a true son of Black. Vicious and steady and good at the insidious flattery that men sought to emulate in all walks of life - but especially around the Dark Lord.

It was left unsaid for almost two decades too that he was a son of Black in another way.

In his unyielding spine and his brilliant eyes and his steady deduction and his eventual correction of a mistake made too late in life.

+++

When he died Regulus was his own man, under no obligation to either leader and doing what he could to make things right.

He was alone.

But he did it - one small chip away at the Dark Lord's power, one small wave lapping at a rocky cliff, the shifting of a stone against the others, making a path for the whole cliffside to come crashing down.

It was him. And even though it wasn't anything in the moment - decades later - he had done enough, and that small shift - changed the world.

Such was the nature of the Black family. Power seekers, vicious duelers, and true to themselves, no matter what, to the cold and bitter end.

[sargeantwoof]

bit by bit, I’m gonna build my house in the wildest thickets

She was reduced to - to innocence, the scent of flowers, a scream - things lacking the whole - snippets of what was re-packaged and relayed to men, landing on the ears of her mother and her father.

She was taken - that much was true. She was out, picking flowers, when the ground opened up and swallowed her whole.

She was, she was, she was - until, she wasn't.

***

No one asked.

***

The thing about spring is that often, people forget just how cloying it is.

It appears, nipping at the heels of winter, the sky lightening, the flowers blooming, and people rejoice, because finally, the hard and harsh winter is over - finally they are saved.

People forget how spring's sweet scent covers the rot that froze during winter. How the heady scent rises in the wind, bringing heat and warmth, but also tempestuous storms and thick rains.

Spring comes, as she always does, but she is not the simple joy of flowers growing. She is layered, wrecked against her own edges, her own worst enemy.

***

She was out, before she disappeared, giving her mother a flashing grin and a quick nod as she darted for the trees. She ran through the forest, sticking to the shadows, admiring how cool and lovely it was.

In the world, with no mother and father around, she was free, allowed to be with no constraints. She wasn't quiet or careful, wary of her mother's churning temper or her father's loud bellow. She could simply exist as wild as she was.

So, when she had outrun her attendants and watchers, she slowed to a stop, coming across a thicket of blackberries.

It was there, with juice staining her hands and a wild look on her face as she wove herself a crown of thorns, that darkness himself came across her.

***

Her mother called her Kore, expectations thick on her tongue. Her father called her nothing, he simply expected her to do as he commanded. She gave herself a name, one she whispered in the dark.

Persephone.

***

Darkness was neither here nor there, he simply was.

As he watched the girl set her crown against her brow, the thorns bringing beads of ichor to the surface, he knew.

She simply was too.

***

She winced as her mother tightened her grasp on her arm, plastering a smile on her face at the warning look her father sent her before she dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Welcome All," her father boomed, the floor rattling with the force of his voice. "Welcome to the Solstice."

At his words, the crowd let out a raucous cheer, Persephone's lips twisting at the noise. Her mother cut her eyes to her in another warning before she let go, her words do not embarrass me and stick close unspoken but understood. She dipped her head in acquiescence letting her mother get away from her before she spun towards the edges of the crowd, slipping through the columns to find herself a solitary place.

She slowed as she came across a singular soul, out in the shadows of Olympus.

"Oh," she said, quietly as he lifted his head to meet her inquisitive gaze. "Oh," she repeated, her eyes flashing in surprise as he stood, darkness billowing out from underneath his feet and shadows stretching towards him. He said nothing, inclining his head as he strode past her, the marble bench he had been sitting on in sudden vibrant sunshine as soon as he passed by her.

Lying innocuously on the bench sat a crown of purple-robe black locust, its lilac flower bright and bronze-tinged leaves shimmering.

Persephone reached out, trailing a hand over the crown, grinning when the sharp prick of thorns met the flesh of her thumbs. She placed the crown delicately across her brow, letting the flush of wildness prickle across her skin before she hid it, turning and going back into the party.

***

No one asked.   He asked.

It's just - well - no one believed her when she said yes.

***

She left more often than not, finding excuses to leave, reasons to run, places to hide. She was wild, she had decided, and she was unable to be contained.

She was raw, flesh and sinew, a simultaneous breaking and re-making, a gift and a curse to all who laid eyes on her.

She was her own person, her own body, her own soul.

***

When she stumbled across him for the second time, she left scratches down his arm, watching with narrowed eyes as his alabaster flesh bled ichor, instead of the shadows she expected.

He smiled at her, a grin of fluttering crows and heart-stopping danger and wickedness and cruelty, and he didn't temper the gleam in his eyes.

She narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth, biting her cheek and spitting her golden ichor at him. He laughed, tossing his head back before turning cool eyes on her. She eyed him again and snarled, feeling wilder than ever, her heart thumping in her chest.

If her mother had seen her then, she would've been horrified. Her father would not have even recognized her.

But he did, and in the end, that was all that mattered.

***

Spring is deadly.

She hides her poison in flowers, her stench of death beneath her smell of growth. She does not forget - though others do - that things must die for her to come to fruition.

Death comes for all, but he never looks more beautiful than he does in Spring.

***

They met again and again, days slipping past each other until months had come and gone.

They rarely spoke, content instead to draw blood, to exist, to saunter through thickets and brambles, letting thorns drag on their skin.

Until - until - the day came, and he leaned in close, and whispered in her ear.

***

He was a proud God, a strong one too, though that was neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.

However.

He was so very proud.

And so, with all the nagging of his family to find a wife, to settle down, to get some peace - it all was endlessly irritating but only in the way a fly irritates a cow. There was no real bite to it.

He knew he would not care for a partner who had no desires of their own, who sought to be powerful through him and not powerful in their own right. Any who was afraid of blood was unacceptable.

So, when he stumbled across her in the woods, he did not covet and he did not crave.

He stood and watched the drops of blood fall and thought, an equal.

***

"Would you like to come with me to see how the dead live?"

"Oh," she said, her tone delighted. "Oh, yes."

***

She stole down to his kingdom, slipping through the cracks and crevices he had pointed out to her over their walks, until she found the river of abandoned dreams, Cerberus standing guard proudly. She cooed at him, her wildness crackling over her skin as she scratched his middle head, and watched the steady stream of ghosts slip past her curiously.

She turned to follow, feeling scraped raw and new, with splinters in her lungs as she grasped just how much she did not know.

How much had been kept from her.

She ran along the path, following it to the grey castle built into the dark cliffs towering over the dead. She strode in, tossing open the doors and scowling at his raised eyebrow.

"I want," she said boldly, glaring at him in a dare. "To know." She pointed out the doors she had come, waving her hand about in an attempt to encapsulate what she meant. "All of it."

He leaned back, his body a line of lethal grace. "Oh," he said slowly, smiling at her, another fierce grin of darkness. "The dead do nothing but tell stories," he said, nodding his head at the doors. "And teach."

She grinned at him, fierce and bright and luminous in the dark grey of the Underworld. "I'll return later."

He shook his head, smirking. "I have no use for a cage," he said. "Come and go, it's yours."

She grinned even brighter at him, her crown of thorns scratching across her forehead as she whirled around, heading for the pools of silvers ghosts she could see in the distance, her feet steady throughout the rocky ground as she ran.

***

She stood among the trees in the sunlight, watching as her brother pulled his chariot of sunbeams across the sky. She scowled at the freedom he had, unattached from the earthly coil, unburdened from attendants and watchers. She still had to run for miles to escape, sliding between trees and changing direction, until the voices following her fell fainter and fainter on the breeze.

In the beginning, it had been an exciting way to start her days. Now, though, now, it felt tedious because even with all the time in the world, she had more important things to do than escape the women her mother assigned to be her sycophants.

She had no need for endless praise and everlasting sacrifices. She wanted - craved, really - to know.

She frowned, looking again at the sun. She only knew of one who would let her be.

And, earlier, she had heard her mother whispering plans of marriage into one of her attendant's ears, the nymph flushing green in shock as she met Persephone's eyes.

She tilted her head, resting it against the trunk as she watched the sun crest in the sky. She knew who she wished to marry.

***

"Come now, Kore," her mother said gently, her venomous words held fast behind a façade of sweetness. "We must be going to the meadows, for it's time to gather your bouquet to present to your father."

Persephone nodded once, a sharp dip of her head before turning and heading to the meadow, her mother's gaze heavy on her skin as she started plucking flowers caustically, ripping them from the ground without heeding their roots, their drops of pollen spilling out from between her clenched fingers, her displeasure obvious to all who laid eyes on her.

She paused suddenly, her thoughts whirring. Perhaps not, she thought, sending a savage grin at the ground before kneeling down and gently tugging the roots of the flowers away from the soil. Perhaps not, she thought again, shoving her hand into the red-orange clay and thinking of him.

She nearly gasped at the rush of power that left her, before she stood, hiding her scheming eyes behind her flowers and sighing so that none would look to closely at what she had done. She spun in a circle, grasping the flowers and their stems slowly, letting her mother think she had been cowed into doing her duty.

She took a deep breath, when her mother's gaze finally left her and glanced down, taking in the shifting doorway she had created. She looked up quickly, taking in her distance from her attendants before smiling and stepping down once hard.

She dropped through the earth, a scream tearing from her throat as she fell, her flowers tumbling down with her, pollen and sap spinning through the space with her before she grinned, hitting the ground with a muted thud and snapping her head up to see him, staring at her.

"Oh Persephone," he said, a grin growing in the corners of his mouth. "What did you do?"

***

She would refuse to answer for years, but she knew, in that very moment, that she had chosen a side.

And contrary to popular belief, it had not been his.

It had been hers.

***

Earlier, in their beginning, he had tried, once, to call her Kore.

She had screamed at him, her throat rough and raw from her sudden expulsion of noise, that it was not her name.

He had blinked, one quick flicker of movement before he dipped his head and asked, quietly, "Who are you then?"

* Persephone. Bringer of Destruction. (an aptly named girl) *

"Persephone," she had snapped, a defiant look in her eyes.

He tipped his head back, eyeing her contemplatively. "I like it," he said, grinning at her scowl. "Not that you need my approval for anything."

"No," she said, grinning at him suddenly, her eyes fierce and glittering, a savage twist to her lips. "I don't."

***

[sargeantwoof]

this is love, this is love

love between them is purple, like a fading bruise- purple, like the color of royalty. it is heady and weighty and thick, seeping into their pores and lingering in the insteps of each footprint they leave in the dirt.

it is light, too, though, the scent of smoke in their hair, the tiny tremors when they link their pinkies together, the way that they tap each other gently on the hip as they pass the other one in the hallways.

it feels real in a way nothing else has ever felt.

+++

jj wakes up one morning and takes in a breathe of wet air, her window had been open all night and a storm had blown in, and she knows that she is - she is - she is in love.

irrevocably.

she is in love.

+++

emily wakes up one morning, a morning only two away from jjs sudden awareness, and she realizes that she has been in love from the first moment she had spotted jjs eyes across the crowded BAU offices.

+++

spencer side-eyes them when they come into the office, on the day that emily has realized, his keen gaze just as revealing as their feelings. he says nothing, but he knows and is all the more terrifying for it.

penelope somehow knows as well, yet her awareness flickers like fire light across their skin. she pats emily on the hand as she passes by, sweeps jj up into one of her back breaking hugs, and meanders from the room, pausing once in the doorway to look back at the two of them.

'she's good at keeping secrets?' jj offers, her hands on her hips in a way emily of the future will associate with lies and surprises, two fists planted into the stronghold that is jj.

'no she's not,' emily says, her eyes on penelope's back as she trots down the hallway to her office. her voice is fond and her face is calm and jj relaxes, the last of her tension sliding from her shoulders as if it had never been there.

'no, she not.' jj agrees. her hair almost shimmers in the lights as she tilts her head down to glance at a folder on emily's desk and emily loves her so fiercely in the moment that she cannot breathe, the emotion catching in her chest and rising in her throat. jj says nothing when she catches emily's gaze, twining their pinkies together for a beat before she heads to her desk.

emily watches for a moment before she spins back to her desk, almost flinching at spencer whose perched across from her.

he points at her, his voice pitched low. 'i'm happy for you,' he says simply.  she blinks at him but he rises, contentment clear in the lines of his body. 'some of us chase your ideal for decades,' he says abruptly before turning back to his desk and resuming work.

she blinks after him again but does nothing, following his example and returning to her work.

+++

it takes derek three months and twenty seven days to figure out that jj and emily are sleeping together and an additional twelve days to figure out they're serious.

when he finds out penelope knew the entire time, he scrunches up his face so strangely and goes off on the most ridiculous tangent in the middle of asking penelope for information about a case, that emily laughs herself sick and spends the rest of the day hiccupping.

+++

aaron finds out the day emily makes jj her emergency contact, which she quietly does the tuesday after they move in together.

jj had done it two months before and emily had assumed that aaron had made the connection but, well, he had not.

she is fumbling her way through an explanation, which is going unbelievably poorly because she loses her head when jj is involved- even - especially - in thoughts, when she decides to fuck it.

'i'm asking her to marry me,' emily says, very quickly and quietly, snapping out the words like they would've hurt her had they stayed contained any longer.

aaron pauses in where he's rifling through papers, lifting his face up to meet emily's. she freezes, wincing once before smoothing out her face. she stares at him, her gaze unreadable, her nerves hidden completely behind her façade. he nods once, slowly, setting the papers he had separated out back on top of the stack and reaching down into his second drawer.

emily has to stop herself from craning her neck to see what he's grabbing, forcing herself to stay completely still, nonchalance oozing out from every pore. he blinks at her, setting a folder down in front of her. 'i had hoped it was serious,' aaron says, his eyes the kindest she's ever seen. 'i'm happy for you.'

+++

dave greets her with a kiss on the cheek and a bottle of expensive whiskey and she figures they're fine.

he was never one to force himself into personal things.

when she leaves and gives him a hug, he doesn't mention the tear tracks on her cheeks when she pulls away and she doesn’t mention the way he had clung as tight as he could to her.

+++

jj has felt people die before, she has been in car chases, in shootouts, in knife fights, and hostage situations.

she had never been in love until she suddenly was and it was everything. it is everything.

she orbits emily and emily orbits her, the two of them in their own unique solar system, keeping each other steady, reliable to a fault, their gravity, their selves, anchored to the other, spinning slowly onwards for eternity, each rotation a tug closer until they were almost merged-

+++

jj smiled at emily, the first monday of the third month they had worked together and realized, with a sinking heart, that she knew the tension in her stomach, that she knew the smile unfurled on her face, that she knew, she knew, she- it- more, more was happening.

she left the room, headed to her office, and quietly had a panicked moment before penelope arrived, her familiar gait a balm on jj's wrecked emotions.

'oh,' penelope said, her face open and kind, carrying jj's favorite cup of coffee in her right hand and a case file in her left. 'are you okay?'

jj shook her head, her face suddenly wet in the kindness of penelope. 'i- i- i don't know,' she finished weakly, nodding at penelope when she goes to shut the door. 'i just realized something, and it was startling.'

penelope clucked her tongue, her tone sympathetic. 'is it that you are falling for emily?' she asked bluntly, grinning slightly at the shocked face and punched out noise jj made. penelope nodded sagely, sighing. 'i fucking knew it.' jj frowned and penelope rushed to reassure her. 'i only figured out because i have nothing better to do than watch you people track down unsubs,' she said, holding up her hands.

jj sighed, 'this is crazy right? emily- she- she doesn't even like me like that.'

penelope shrugged. 'i can't tell you anything concrete but-' she glanced around, lowering her voice. 'when you aren't looking, she's looking back.'

+++

aaron narrows his eyes at her, their piercing weight heavy on her face. she shifts in her chair, aware of the secrets she gives away to a profile and doing it anyways. she trusts aaron and she knows that she's not doing anything wrong - it's unusual yes - but not illegal.

'and you want emily, emily prentiss, to be your emergency contact?' he says slowly, waiting for her to dip her head. jj nods, her gaze equally as serious. aaron sighs once, a furrow between his brows. 'fine,' he says, handing her a folder with the papers she needs in it. 'fill these out and give them to me tomorrow,' he says.

jj nods again, her face flushing slightly but rises. she refuses to break their strange ebb and flow by speaking, instead leaving the room in silence to slap the folder down on her desk and raise her eyebrows at emily, a grin making its way across her face at the sight of the other woman already on her way over to her.

+++

jj thinks, sometimes, that out of everyone on the team, of course, it had to be spencer who walked in on them kissing in the archives instead of getting their shit and leaving.

emily had backed her up against the racks, slotted herself between jj's legs, like she belonged there and jj like it, liked it more than she had liked anything anyone else had done, had been awash in the sensations of being so utterly into someone, had been awash in emily, that she had forgotten she was at work.

she had forgotten that she was at work, had forgotten that even though it was 1 am, that others were in the office, and so, when the door had creaked open, she had barely reacted until spencer had cleared his throat and gone, 'oh, i didn't realize this room was occupied by - jj?'

jj had pulled back and peeked over emily's shoulder, locking eyes with spencer who was staring at her.

'i'm gonna go,' emily said softly, pressing an absentminded kiss to jj's shoulder before she turned, sliding past spencer who kept his gaze firmly on jj's, even as the door shut behind emily.

jj held up her hands. 'spence,' she said. 'i don't know what to say.'

spencer blinked at her, hurt swirling in his eyes. 'did you think you wouldn't be able to tell me?' he asked. 'do i give off weird homophobic vibes?'

'what?' jj said, every thought in her head coming to a hard stop. 'no!'

'then why didn't you tell me?' spencer asked, before frowning harder. 'wait, no, this is about you.' he blinked once at her, softening his countenance before her eyes. 'are you happy?' he asked quietly, his face serious.

jj nodded, smiling softly at him. he breathed in once, the air catching in his throat before he nodded. 'i'm happy for you,' he said simply and opened his arms, welcoming her into his familiar circle of warmth. she grinned at him before surging forward burrowing herself into him. he sighed in return, clutching her tightly to himself.

'i'm happy,' jj confessed, her voice low and quiet. 'so happy.' spencer hummed in response, the sound warm and soothing and jj relaxed, the tension she had been carrying relaxing in his easy acceptance.

+++

jj watches emily. emily watches jj.

they revolve around each other, anchored in the other's skin, threaded through their hair, loved deep in the marrow of their bones.

it was never a question, just an expectation of when the dam would burst, when it would rise to the surface until it was all the other could see, echoing in every little thing, i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you.

[sargeantwoof]

Records of Incompletion

"Who are you really?" Luna asked one night, drunk off of laughter and the moon and also the firewhiskey that George had provided her with. She tangled her hand into the sweeping branches of the weeping willow, eyeing the circles that spun out across the lake as she tugged on the tree. She paused in her perusal the ripples, attempting to hold on and yet stay so still that no movement disturbed the top of the water. The tremor in her left hand ruined that.

Theo raised a lazy hand from where it was laying on the docks to let it trail in the water. "I suppose I'm normal."

"Normal?" Draco snorted. "Yeah right. Like a death eater could ever be considered normal." His normally pale face was flush both with anger and the vodka running through his system.

"That wasn't very nice." Luna said as Theo muttered, "I wasn't ever marked, asshole."

Draco let his head loll to the side, taking in Theo's profile in the moonlight. Greg snuffled in his sleep beneath the tree, his exhales mingling in with the creaks of the forbidden forests until no one could tell what sound matched to him.

"Luna!" Harry called, his long legs casting even longer shadows across the lawn. "Luna! I was wondering-" He cut himself off, taking in the three boys beside her.

Luna glanced at him, taking in the slight tilt to his lips that threatened to ruin her perfectly good mood. She sighed, unhooking her earrings and lobbing them softly into the lake. The yellow carnations spun out, casting bizarre shapes across the water before sinking beneath the waves. Harry gaped at her. She shrugged. "The time for yellow is over."

"Isn't yellow happy?" Harry said, after taking a minute to collect his thoughts.

Luna shook her head. "That would be like saying blue is sad."

"Oh," Harry said. "Right." He stood there for a long moment before shaking his head.

Draco snorted again, "Not that this wasn't lovely Potter but was there a reason…" He trailed off, frowning in the distance before groaning and throwing a chunk of grass at the willow. "Great."

"Harry!" Ron called, his hair turning bright green for a single moment before subsiding back to red. "What are you doing over here with these-" He cut himself off before he could insult anyone at the tree more than he already had.

"Ron-" Harry hissed, frowning uncertainly at the other boys, before focusing back on him. "Stop that."

Luna sighed like her night had already be ruined before brightening up with a smile. "Here she comes."

"Who?"  Draco, Harry, and Ron all said together before glaring at each other.

"Theo!" Hermione gasped as she slid to a half-hearted stop at the base of the willow tree. She pointed accusingly at Luna and frowned. "Stop trying to seduce me." Ron choked on thin air as both Harry and Draco's jaws dropped open. Hermione shot them all an unimpressed look before turning back to Theo and Luna.

"Why did you say trying?" Luna asked, tilting her head. "When it's working?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You say that like it means something." Luna smiled at her and held out her hand. Hermione rolled her eyes again but extended her arm obligingly. "Yes?"

She deposited two of the willows seeds into her hand, their soft exteriors briefly taking on the shapes of kittens before fading back into the seeds. Theo raised an eyebrow at the display. "Well then."

Hermione frowned at him. "Theo…"

Theo shook his head with a small smile and held out his hand as a clear invitation for her to take. She hesitated, her eyes flickering to Luna before stumbling over the roots and plopping down next to him. Luna smiled at the two of them as she shucked off her robe.

"Luna!" Harry gasped averting his eyes. Ron patted him on the back.

"She does that mate."

Draco groaned, ignoring Luna's scantily clad body before focusing back on Harry and Ron. "What did you two want?"

"I-" Harry began, his eyes straying back to Luna's body before forcing his face upwards like he was studying the night sky. "I wanted to talk to Luna."

"And?" Theo said dryly, studying the palm of Hermione's hand as if it held the secrets of the universe.

"And I wanted to-"

"Oi- wait- " Ron said, frowning. "Are Hermione and Nott a thing?" He tilted his head to look at the two of them underneath the tree. "I thought Luna and Mione were a thing?"

Draco sighed, and Harry's brow furrowed. "Mione and Luna are a thing?" Draco sighed even louder at Harry's question.

Hermione huffed. "And if we were?"

"That's great?" Harry asked, before backtracking at the look on her face. "I mean- no, that's so great, I'm so happy for you."

"Convincing, Potter." Draco drawled. "We'll make a public speaker of you yet."

Luna cut off whatever retort Harry was going to shoot back at Draco, wandering over to Hermione, and studying her face as it turned redder and redder. Ron groaned at the sight of Luna leaning down and kissing Hermione, before kissing Theo as well. She stood back up, planting her hands on her hips.

"There," she said with satisfaction. "Settled."

"Settled." Hermione echoed weakly.

Draco nodded once, before going over to Greg and prodding him up. "Let's go, before this gets out of hand."

Greg snapped awake, blinking at the scene around him before stumbling to his feet. He nodded to Luna, before eyeing Theo. "Got this?" He rasped out lowly, the sleepiness still clear in his voice.

"Without a doubt," Theo said, giving Greg a smirk. He looked at Harry and Ron before rolling his eyes. "What question did you have again?"

"Oh," Harry said, quietly, glancing at Luna again before averting his eyes. "Never mind." His face turned a red that was clear in the moonlight. "Let's just go."

"Smart move Potter." Draco remarked, striding past him up towards Hogwarts. "The smartest thing you've said all night." Harry followed him, muttering something back. Ron groaned and turned to go as well.

"Well," Greg said, blinking twice. "I guess it's my turn to watch Draco."

Theo sighed as Luna responded. "Draco is a terrible dragon." Hermione stifled a snort and blushed as everyone's gaze snapped to her.

"All bark and no bite." Greg agreed, walking past them. "Later then I guess." He turned and hurried off, chasing after the other three.

Theo waited until Greg's shadow no longer brushed the grass in front of them before lowly asking, "Well?"

"Well what Theo?" Hermione asked back glancing up at Luna before blushing again. "Can you-" she cleared her throat. "put a robe on?"

"Why should I?" Luna asked, looking down at her. "You blush beautifully." She reached a hand out, trailing over Hermione's cheeks before tilting her head to the side to gaze at Theo. "What does it take to make the breach blush?" She grabbed her robe and shrugged it on. "Forward, into the night and all that?"

Theo held her gaze steadily, saying nothing as she settled before them, each of her knees brushing their legs. He offered her his other hands, causing Luna to sigh before placing her hand in his and her head in Hermione's lap.

"That's it then?" Hermione asked, her voice the steadiest it had been all night. She placed her free hand on the crown of Luna's head, absentmindedly dragging her hand through the blonde locks. "Into the night and all that?"

Theo smiled at the two of them. "It's what Luna said earlier. Settled."

[sargeantwoof]

Don’t You Ever Tame Your Demons

There is a boy, awaiting her.

She knows it like she knows the scent of Fall, of the way change, twines within her soul. She can feel it, beneath her, the earth growing and stretching, brushing against her tiny senses. She breaths in once, sucking in the dirt and the rot in the moss under her small hands. She presses down, calling out a greeting in a language she does not know.

Instead of welcoming her, there is a moment of panic, the earth frenzied, before it all dies down. She hears a single note, low enough that she feels it moreso and then her eyes slip shut.

When she awakens, she knows nothing of the moments before she was asleep, just has a slight shift in her mind, an awareness that wasn't there before. Her mother comes over, gently running a hand over her curly hair and her awareness sinks beneath her consciousness, latching tightly into her being, hidden for now.

***

Friendship is nothing like what she thought it would be.

It wasn't that she was expecting anything groundbreaking - except, well, she had hoped. Instead, she was left to the sidelines, vaguely accepted for friendship but more useful for research and books. There were moments, though, moments when her eyes caught on her peers, specifically one. His eyes felt like more, felt like they were tracking over her soul, reaching into places she did not know.

She would blink and look away, her eyes catching on others, watching the way none would ever really look at her the way he would. She paused, fingering her vine wood wand, darting a glance to the left of her where he stood. He offered a small smile and she stared, uncertain with the potential until his smile slipped from his face and he left the common room, his small first-year body slipping from the crowd with ease.

She started, almost standing until a heavy grip landed on her wrist. Ron arched a brow at her, frowning, "I need help with this," he said, his voice rising to become a whine. "You said you would help."

"And I will," she said, slipping back into her place on the couch, the worn threads irritating her for once. She picked up a quill, forcing his exit from her mind. It would be fine, she would make sure of it.

***

She scurried along the hallway, keeping her head down. She had had enough taunts in her single year at Hogwarts to last her a lifetime, and still, hearing Malfoy call her mudblood had almost done her in. She didn't understand for a long moment why she was so upset on the Quidditch pitch until she had gotten back to her dorm room.

She hadn't been hurt so much as enraged. Something had called to her in the moment, to cut and sting and strip those who laughed at her of their very selves. She had wanted to kill them, and in the moment, the emotion had scared her so much that it had become palpable to those around her. Her tears were after her self, her sudden potential of destruction. She had no idea where it had come from, her sudden rush of violence.

She had followed Ron and Harry to Hagrid's hut, swallowing raggedly over and over again until the tears stopped falling and she felt centered. None of them had been of any help, with Ron too busy vomiting and Harry too caught on his own ferocity. She had felt tiny, swamped by the depth of her emotion, until she had suddenly felt completely empty, drained of anything.

When her head had nearly knocked itself against the table in her tiredness, she had excused herself, slipping deftly from the cabin with a small murmur. Harry had been concerned but she had waved him off, heading up the lawn, each stride of hers feeling as though she was walking a mile.

She could not remember when she had last felt normal.

***

He had heard the whispers before he understood them, and in those moments where understanding built, he felt numb, until it crested into a terror he had never felt before. The sudden emotion of fear took him by surprise, leaving him panting in the shared bathroom, curled in a ball.

"Alright mate?" Dean asked, pausing from where he had thrown open the door. Dean stepped closer, ignoring his nodding head. He heaved him up to his feet, splashing cold water on his face. He shivered in Dean's grip, wrenching himself back as soon as he got his feet underneath him.

"I'm fine," he gasped out, ignoring the water trickling down his face as he avoided looking at himself in the mirror, too aware of the disaster that he was. "I'm fine, Dean, thank you." He closed his eyes at the look in Dean's eyes, wiping his face with a random towel left hanging on a hook.

"Sure thing," Dean said after a moment of quiet. "Just be careful, okay?" He shook his head, pressing his face deeper into the towel, waiting until he heard the footsteps leave the room and the door shut behind him. Neville lifted his head, making eye contact with himself in the mirror for the first time in days. The whispers echoed in the back of his head, petrified, petrified, stone, stone, ceaselessly.

"Get it together," he whispered, taking in his red-rimmed eyes and translucent skin. Outside the bathroom, threaded into the stone, a vine shriveled and died, a line of black through striking the middle of the green.

***

"And you still think this is the best route for her?" Minerva said, taking a sip from her tea and watching as a flicker of darkness passed through Albus' eyes. She closed her eyes against the wash of rage that she felt from him before he smothered it.

"Of course my dear," he said, smiling at her. "What's the worst that could happen?" He extended his hand, gently dropping the time turner into hers. Each clink of the chain felt like another weight on her shoulders, another piece she had to carry.

"May I go?" she asked, clenching the turner so tight she was afraid it might break.

"Of course," Albus said, his voice full of smug satisfaction. She turned away before she had to see the look of satisfaction on his face, her shoulders tense, rising to leave. "I would so hate…" he said, trailing off as she reached the door. Minerva stood, her back to him, waiting for him to finish his sentence and counting down in her head until she could leave without causing an issue. He cleared his throat, taking a long sip before continuing. "I would so hate for Miss Granger to not succeed."

"Indeed, sir," Minerva said, pushing open the door and stepping through, forcing back a shudder at the change in tension. "I imagine you would."

***

"…There is nothing that can force the awakening on earlier than 17, though many have tried. Forcing the body through varied stresses and complications can only hurt the potential and as such, all those who are suspected of being an Awakened are told to not do anything too serious…"

   -The Awakened: Guides to Knowledge by Salazar Slytherin

Underlined by three separate quills, in a well-worn book sitting in the Hogwarts library on the Northernmost shelf of the 'Awoken' section. Chapter 2, Page 37, Second Paragraph.

"…Those who have awakened often speak of their urges to do something which had only become clearer when they awoke. Not following those urges had no real ill intent, but many who don't have been heard to wish that they had. This is especially clear for those who follow repeated paths. Rarely will partners be torn apart or disgusted by each other, and reincarnated twins will follow each other through their lives though they may not be born to the same family…"

   - Patterns and Problems by Minister Artemisia Lufkin

An accidentally dogeared page, with smudged ink from the batch of misprinted books from 1932, sitting in the Lovegood library underneath a three-week-old cup of tea. Chapter 5, Page 87, Third Paragraph.

"It is whispered about, what the uncompromised and steadfast chosen are like, said that they are cruel and vicious, unrelenting in their rejection of mortality even as they stride among those who are mortal. There are those who choose to remain on the earth and do not visit the Parthenon remain stuck in an increasingly toxic mindset. Being a God but not returning to Godly soil taints the current manifestation in ways still not understood…"

   -Shaken Faith by Hestia

The burned original, held in the Black family library under lock and key which has not been touched since 745 AD. Page Unknown, First Paragraph.

***

He was watching her again, with a stare that she suddenly felt no matter where she was. She shifted, trying to listen to Professor McGonagall without letting him know how unnerved she was.

She didn't know what he wanted, she didn't know why he suddenly was so interested in her. Unless, she thought, suddenly struck by inspiration, maybe he knew about the turner. She frowned, dragging her hand over her wand, the familiar pattern of leaves soothing to her as always. She knew logically that she shouldn't say anything to him, her secret was only suspected unless she said something and it would do nothing but cause problems if she confronted him.

But.

But if she confronted him, she would have to be near him, and maybe that would soothe the ever-growing ache that she felt when they were apart. She didn't understand it, having gone to Madam Pomfrey the first time she had felt the ache. She thought it was simply a part of growing up, the strange hollowness. She had been checked over, the invasive search yielding no results, her ache still present.

Since then, she had worked in ways to get close to him, helping him with homework when Ron and Harry were busy or walking with him to the Greenhouses when she was on her way to Hagrid's. It was only recently, only this past week, that she had become increasingly aware of just how many times he stole looks at her. His gaze was unending and made her feel strange, like a jolt of caffeine to the system.

"We have a third-year meeting this weekend," Professor McGonagall called before she dismissed them. "It is absolutely necessary, and it concerns the Awakening." At her words, the class stilled, before bursting into a flurry of activity at the toll of the bell. Hermione followed Ron and Harry out the door, sliding away from them as they became absorbed into the larger group of Gryffindors heading to their dorms.

She stood outside the door, waiting for him to appear, only the tapping of her fingers on her bag betraying her nervousness. A shadow slid over her, the sudden change in light causing her to jump. She whirled around, finding Headmaster Dumbledore behind her.

"Miss Granger," he said, smiling at her. "Just the student I was hoping to see. Would you mind terribly if we took a walk together?" He nodded towards where the time turner chain was concealed against her neck, stepping away from the doorway and waiting for her to follow him. "I have some questions about how you're holding up."

***

"Wow," Ron said, falling backward onto his bed, their dorm empty for once. "I can't believe one of us might be a God."

"Or Goddess," Harry mumbled, his face smushed into his pillow. He turned his head, cracking open an eye to take in Ron's disgusted expression, before rolling his eyes and sitting up. He frowned down at his hands. "It  makes me wish that my parents had survived."

Ron arched an eyebrow at him. "What?"

Harry shrugged, interlocking his fingers over and over again, clenching tighter each time. "It just would've been a nice thing to know."

"Oh," Ron said, floundering for something to say. "I suppose."

***

Hermione stared at the flames in the common room, slowly absorbing the information Professor McGonagall had told them. She hadn't realized that some of the Gods were still out there, still waiting to be awoken. She shivered at the thought. It had been a lot to take in when she had been new to the Wizarding World and was being told that the Greek and Roman Gods were able to be reincarnated within their society. To now be told that some were missing, that some had chosen to be returned to a semi-mortal cycle? That the power in the Parthenon was incomplete?

She shivered again, flinching when her arms brushed up against something solid. She tore her eyes from the fire, flinching back again when she made eye contact with Neville. He sighed, scooting over, giving her space. They sat there for a moment, him studying her as intently as she was studying him.

"You okay?" He finally asked. She shrugged, her face softening from the tense lines it had been in and her hair aglow in the setting sun. He nodded, turning away from her. "Yeah, me too." He felt more than saw her turn back to the flames. They sat together, sliding closer every so often until darkness fell outside. By the time the moon had risen, the two were asleep, heads tilted together as though they were telling each other secrets in their dreams.

***

"Oh, I knew that already," Malfoy said interrupting, after having listened in on the conversation that most of the third-year Gryffindors were having. At their upset faces, he smirked. "Malfoy House secret," he said, turning and flouncing away.

"One of these days…," Seamus said glowering at his back and letting his threat trail off. The others nodded in solidarity. Hermione stood still, watching as Malfoy faded in the distance. Neville stayed with her, the others in their group sweeping off towards the tower. "Is something wrong?" He asked when they were alone in the corridor.

Hermione shook her head before turning to face him, curiosity flashing across her face. "Why does he think he's so much better than everyone?" she asked.

Neville shrugged. "Probably because of who his family is," he said, watching her. "When your mother is the Queen of the Gods you tend to get a big head."

"I thought she would've been married to the Headmaster," she said her nose scrunching up in thought. "Aren't they bound for life forever?"

Neville shrugged again, looking back down the hallway where Malfoy had disappeared. "I guess after so many years the sanctity of marriage doesn't mean so much anymore."

***

She knocked on the door of Professor McGonagall's office, waiting for a welcome before stepping through. She fidgeted with the coiled up necklace in her palm, careful to not turn the hourglass too far in either direction. As she entered, she took in the small changes to the room from when she had been there last, at the beginning of the school year.

"Ah, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said warmly, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk. "What can I do for you?"

Hermione sat down on the edge of the seat, balancing on the edge, ready to spring up as soon as she needed to. "I'm here to return this," she said, extending her hand. For a moment Professor McGonagall didn't move, staring at her. Hermione forced herself to unclench her hand, letting the time turner drop. Professor McGonagall, reached out, gently pulling it from her hand.

Hermione snatched back her hand as soon as she was free, sitting on it to fight the urge to grab the turner back and run from the room. Professor McGonagall gave her a long look, before dropping it into a drawer. As soon as it was out of sight, Hermione sagged forward, her tension leaving her frame.

"Miss Granger," the Professor exclaimed, getting up from behind her desk. Hermione waved her off, taking in a deep breath. Professor McGonagall stopped, leaning back against her desk as she waited for Hermione to regain her composure. She took another deep breath, smiling for the first time in ages.

"Thank you, Professor," she said, getting up from her seat and offering no explanation. Before Professor McGonagall could say anything she turned and left, a skip in her step.

For a long moment, Minerva stood at the edge of her desk, thinking. She could not remember giving Miss Granger the time turner. In fact, she could not even remember approving more than the usual classes for her.

***

"It is in the height of summer that certain Gods are said to be strongest, and others are said to be weakest. As with each turn of the year, new seasons heighten powers. The only one rumored to be unaffected by this power is the mighty and unstoppable King of the Gods: Zeus…"

   - Power Dynamics in Gods by Bathilda Bagshot

Albus Dumbledore's private annotated copy, stored among countless other books at the private Dumbledore cottage.

Prologue, Page xi, First Paragraph.

"…Hidden underground is said to be a realm of wealth, accessible by only one God, Hades. Allegedly used for the whims of Persephone, these riches are untouched six months of the year, though even if they were touched every day of every year, the wealth is essentially inexhaustible, with more being churned out. The nonstop growth has many calling Hades the Lord of Riches, though no one knows how much that is…"

   - Powers of the Gods by Unknown, translation attributed to Merlin

The show book in the 'P' section of Flourish and Blotts which is permanently broken on the spine from being held open to the entry of Melinoë, Goddess of Nightmares and Madness.

Chapter 8, Page 134, Third Paragraph.

"..coiled within, the darkness can sing, voices have called, none more appalled, the God of night, the bringer of fright, those who fear, never been more near…"

   - Luna Lovegood's Journal

Tossed underneath her bed at home, the top half of the page is ripped out, with this line written through underneath the tear and a field of flowers drawn underneath. It is unclear if the two are related.

Page Unknown, Paragraph Unknown.

***

"Gods can come down from the Parthenon, right?" Harry asked, not making eye contact with her as they sat underneath an apple tree in the Weasley family orchard. She had to restrain her immediate flinch at the mention of the Gods, instead, turning and cocking her head inquisitively in an unspoken invitation for him to continue. He swallowed, fiddling with a piece of crabgrass in his hands. "I just…" He flicked his eyes up, taking in her face quickly before dropping them back to his lap. "Last year, when Professor McGonagall said all that stuff about how the Parthenon was still looking for some who had been reincarnated and how if we had any they'd be awoken at 17 with the onset of adulthood and whatever, she also said that we could all stay friends." He swallowed hard. "We could all stay friends because we could come and go from the Parthenon."

She reached out, stopping him from ripping up more crabgrass. "And?" she asked. "None of us are 17, we still have like three years - if any of us even are one."

Harry nodded, flipping his hand up so that their fingers tangled. "And so I realized that I use to have two of the Gods in my life but," he paused, making direct eye contact with her. "But when my parents died they left." He frowned, the sorrow and anger deepening his normal scowl. "They bloody left."

"Who left?" Hermione asked, frowning back at him. "Because that might've played a part in it."

"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin." He said, his voice almost a growl. "And I looked up who they are, and they're both important, yeah, but they could've come to visit at least once, you know?"

Hermione nodded, looking away from him so she wouldn't be tempted to ask which of the Gods they were. She could always look them up later, she supposed, which was better than making Harry angrier than he was. Harry sighed beside her, his tension seeping out of him with each quiet moment. "You can ask," he said rolling his eyes.

She shook her head, "If it bothers you…"

"It doesn't," Harry said, "At least not with you."

"Oh," she said, fighting a smile. "Then who…?"

Harry sighed again. "Aphrodite and Hermes," he said. "Which is so weird to me."

She hummed absently, her mind whirling over the possibilities. "Did you ask Headmaster Dumbledore?" Harry nodded. She frowned, her lips twisting. "Ah."

Harry shrugged as though it didn't matter to him, but the expression on his face belied that. "He said that Tom Riddle was closing the barrier to the Parthenon." Hermione nodded slowly as he continued. "He told me all about how he was trying to overthrow him and how he wanted to change everything." He shook his head, a dark look on his face. "Riddle's causing a lot of issues for him."

***

The announcement of others to join them was unexpected. She swallowed down her momentary uneasiness at the thought of foreign Parthenon's joining them at Hogwarts. She knew why it was happening, as it was always good to have friends in high places, but she was confused as to why they would invite Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to their halls if they were incomplete.

She had mapped out the missing Gods and Goddesses, tracing through book after book, stumbling across knowledge she would have thought that Headmaster Dumbledore, or Zeus, would have hidden. Apollo, Artemis, Tyche, Nemesis, Hades, Persephone, Deimos, Phobos, Morpheus; other Gods and Goddess were still missing. She didn't understand why either. For all intents and purposes, they had no reason to become reincarnated.

Rowena, Godric, Salazar, and Helga had remained the same year after year since the founding of Hogwarts. She knew it was a bad sign when Godric, Ares, and Salazar, Athena, were still friends. In the early years of the Parthenon, neither could stand each other. She frowned, tracing over her notes again. Why would they be so close now?

Something was wrong.

There was something rotten in the core of the Parthenon, and try as she might, Hermione could not stop until she found the source.

***

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape called over the ruckus of the exiting students. "I need you for a minute."

"Yes sir," she said, making eye contact with Neville and blushing. She headed to the front of the class, waving off Harry and Ron who tried to wait for her. Harry caught her eyes, raising his eyebrows expectantly. She rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement, she would fill them in later.

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape said, watching her. "Are you aware of who I am?"

"Yes, sir," she said, ducking her head from his piercing gaze. "Professor McGonagall explained just who certain staff members were last year."

Professor Snape said nothing for a moment, steadily trailing his gaze over her. He took in her frizzy hair, the semi-permanent ink stains splashed across her fingers, the way her tie was sharply knotted and placed precisely in the correct spot. "Yes," he finally said, grimacing. "And unfortunately, that means that I am here to offer a word of warning from my other half."

"Oh," she breathed, raising her eyes just in time to catch the flicker of other that he rarely let loose.

"Yes," Professor Snape said again, breathing in. He held it for one moment, and then, "I hope you will listen," Janus said, the haze of mortality lifted for a brief moment. He too studied the girl, watching for her choices and options to come before him. "Trust yourself," he said abruptly. "There is no one who knows yourself more than you."

Hermione nodded, a flash of fear sliding down her spine. "Yes sir," she said again, watching as Janus nodded once before subsiding into Professor Snape once again. "Thank you."

***

Hermione's quiet no was a surprise to everyone in the dorms, Neville reflected. The moments after she said that she had a date, it had almost felt as though time had slowed, her word shaking through the ground until everyone had known. Neville had nodded, offering her a smile, brushing past Ron, whose face was growing redder with every moment that she didn't say she was joking.

He stumbled through the doorway, brushing past Fred and George, ignoring whatever it was they were saying. He walked through Hogwarts, letting the shadows creep over his shoulder as the darkness grew. He left the well-traveled paths, wandering down the stairs, heading for the dungeons. He walked until he was lost, turning corner after corner until he was dizzy, sliding down the wall to sit, the gentle Lumos from his wand the only source of light.

He flicked his wand, extinguishing his light and letting the absolute darkness seep into his bones. He closed his eyes, revisiting the flicker of sadness through her eyes as she said no. He replayed the memory over and over until he felt nothing, blinking open his eyes.

He blinked again, rubbing his eyes to check to see if he was seeing what he thought he was. In the stone before him, a tiny speck of something was glowing. He stood, uncaring of the dig of the rough stone wall into his hands. He reached out, gently prodding the glow, before glancing around, and taking another two spots in opposite directions.

He picked a direction and walked to the spot, peering further down the hallway to see if he could find another. He could, so he moved forward, shuffling awkwardly forward with his hands out, praying he didn't run into anything too hard. He followed the spots, noticing that they grew brighter as he did, before eventually reaching the last one.

The last glowing spot was roughly the size of his fist and as he peered closer, he realized it was in the shape of a door handle. He extended his hand, gripping his wand tight in his other. His palm covered the majority of the glow, which felt vaguely warm to him.

He turned the handle, stepping through into the wide room. The glowing lights were everywhere in it, illuminating the area so he could see without any needed help from his wand. He walked further into the room, his mouth dropping open in amazement as he took in the depth of the room. Behind him, the door swung shut, it's heavy thud heralding change.

He wandered down the rows, taking in the raised beds and the strange plants growing from the walls. He cocked his head, hearing a rush of water. He smiled, a feeling of satisfaction settling into his shoulders as he spun once more, taking in the whole room.

It was perfect.

***

She frowned, taking in the set of his shoulders as he turned away from her. Her lack of desire to go after him only further cemented what he had been whispering in her ear as they stood in the shadowed alcove. Victor was simply not for her.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she considered her options. She could leave, go back to her dorm, have the peace and quiet that it would afford her before the rush of her roommates came back. She could stay and be visibly alone, and deal with the various rudeness that she would get from her peers. She sighed again, her exhale shaky with tears.

She turned, brushing under her eyes once, careful to avoid the mascara and eyeliner as she stepped out into public view once more. No one was around, something she was grateful for, as she took another deep breath.

"Granger," a boy said, appearing at her elbow. "What's the matter now?"

She glanced up, taking in the pale hair and fair skin before dropping her gaze once more. "Victor decided he was better off without me," she said after a moment of consideration. After all, it wasn't like Malfoy wouldn't know the story anyways in the morning.

Malfoy frowned, awkwardly placing a hand on her chin to raise her eyes back up to his. "I didn't take you for someone who would be swept into Tyr's games."

Hermione flinched back, pulling from his grasp. "I didn't realize he was Tyr and not Victor tonight," she said bitterly, glaring at him. "I just thought that he was being Victor."

"He is," Malfoy said, staring at her. "Victor is Tyr and Tyr is Victor. They're the same person." He reached out again, his hand dropping at her twitch away from him. He sighed, scrubbing his hands through his hair. "Did no one explain to you-"

"They did," she said, cutting him off and glaring at him. "And I know that even though I'm a mudblood, I can still keep up."

Malfoy sighed again, frowning. "I don't think they did, Grang- Hermione," he said, avoiding her stare at her name. "And don't call yourself that," he muttered, turning from her to head back into the Great Hall. "Happy Yule," he called over his shoulder as he pushed through the doors, the warmth and light spilling out into the corridor she was standing in.

She shivered, frowning at his words. The silence behind Malfoy's exit was too much and she turned, hiking up her dress and beginning the lonely trek up the stairs to the tower.

***

"…I don't understand, Albus. You tell me it's too much for me to come back. You say that it's dangerous. And yet, when I tried to leave this morning, simply to stretch my legs on Earth, I'm unable to leave at all? Not only does that cross so many lines it isn't even funny, but you've gone to the length to restrict me from my duty. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

   - Sirius Black's Letter to Albus Dumbledore

Sirius's eighth letter to Albus in the past week. It sits unread underneath three others in Albus's study.

Third Page, Final Paragraph.

"…Hogwarts is rumored to be directly descended from the Parthenon, as in it is directly taken from the Mount and was put on Earth as a way to connect to the Gods at all times. Who wouldn't get a kick out of that? Now, readers, I know what you're thinking, how is that possible? And I do not know how it is, but I do know that under the guidance of Headmaster Dumbledore, also known as Parthenon Leader Zeus, that there is nothing the Gods can't do…"

   - Questions for the Gods, Answers for the People by Rita Skeeter

The 1982 article sits among the stacks of other newspapers in the Hogwarts Library, in the News Archive Section in the Eastern shelving unit.

"…Poseidon, Ares, Athena, and Hestia have not been seen since the founding of Hogwarts, leaving many feeling as though something was going wrong. Zeus has been seen every century since, often unchanging and instead simply taking on a new name as he wished. When Hogwarts was founded, Zeus was known to the common folks as Merlin, a title which is often distant from his current name of Albus Dumbledore today…"

   - Where Have They Gone? by Valentina Slughorn

Hidden in Hermione Granger's trunk, under three interlocking wards covered by a blood ward. It is one of the last copies within the British Isles.

Chapter 11, Page 256, Second Paragraph.

***

Neville hummed to himself as he left his cavernous room. It had been months since he had first found it and in that time, he had put so much effort into the room that it was almost unrecognizable from when he had first stumbled in. He no longer brought out his wand to find the room, wandering around until he found the glows. He had finally nailed the turns, memorizing the path to the room. He smiled to himself. He probably could do it blindfolded, and that was a nice surprise.

He paused, hearing a strange noise up ahead. He slid into the closest alcove to him, his fingers tight on his wand as he balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to spring out at a moment's notice. He peeked around the corner, blinking at the lights emanating unexpectedly from someone's wand. He pulled back, moving deeper into the shadows and casting a small notice-me-not charm across himself.

"Are you sure he went this way?" a voice hissed lowly. "I don't want to be down here all night."

"I'm positive," Malfoy responded. Neville flinched further back, his back scraping against the stone. Why was Malfoy looking for him? He gripped his wand even tighter, the wood pinching the skin of his palm. Malfoy sighed, coming around the corner. "He can't be coming down here like this." Behind him, Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass stood, their wands equally bright, but lowered.

"We know," Greengrass said, frowning. She huffed, exchanging a look with Nott before turning back to Malfoy. "How far down do you think he went?"

Neville thought for a moment, his face twisting before he slipped from the shadows, stepping directly in front of Malfoy. Malfoy jumped back, a shout cut off as he clenched his jaw. Nott flinched, bringing his hand up and Greengrass flicked her wand, casting a stunner that Neville neatly dodged.

"Good god, man," Malfoy said, his face whiter than usual with fear. "What would possess you to do that?"

Neville shrugged, leveling him with a look. "What would possess you to follow me here?"

***

Fred knelt on the cold stones, ignoring the aches in his knees as he slid the last piece into place. The runes spiraling around him flared, glowing intently. George tilted his head from where he stood, studying the dizzying array.

"I think you were right," he said. "The runes wouldn't look like this if we weren't-" He cut himself off. "If you weren't one of them."

Fred rolled his eyes, rocking backward to his heels, the sudden rise of his body snapping himself from the runic sequence. The glow disappeared, the room muting in color. "It's going to be the two of us," he said confidently. "Otherwise, I'll have to do something drastic."

George sighed, nudging him out of the way as he took his place in the center. He paused, steeling himself for disappointment before slowly lowering himself to the floor. The glow began again immediately, lighting up the room just as brightly as they did for Fred. George swallowed a laugh, glancing up at Fred whose eyes were shining with glee. "Well that's that, then," he said softly, reaching out and touching a rune.

"Uh-huh," Fred said, scrunching his nose. "Now all we have to do is figure out who we are." He smirked at George. "I think I know who we can ask to help us."

"Oh," George said, a sly grin sliding onto his face. "I bet she would be delighted." He stood, brushing his knees and striding to the door. "Let's go find her now." He swung the door open, hearing Fred follow him through. "Oh Miss Granger," he called, as he walked through the doorway into the common room. He caught sight of her sitting by the window, Neville at her side. He smirked, winding his way over to her through the usual ruckus. "Would you be so kind-"

"No," Hermione said, not looking up from her book. Neville stifled a smirk, hiding his face in his book.

"You haven't even heard the offer love," Fred said, sitting on the armrest beside her. He tugged a curl, taking care not to pull too hard, chuckling when she swatted at him without glancing. "I think you might like this one."

"The last offer you made me involved me letting you charm me for twelve hours and when I said no, you did it anyway."

"But," George said, dragging out his word. "The charm lasted for only one." He smiled at her, prodding Neville over until he was able to slip in next to her. She glared at him. He lifted his hands in supplication, a pleading look on his face. "No charms this time?"

She narrowed her eyes. "No charms?"

"No spells even," Fred answered. "Just a little research." Her expression didn't change. He huffed, "On my honor." She arched a brow, looking between the two of them before glancing over at Neville who shrugged.

She sighed, rolling her eyes and snapping her book shut. "Fine." She ignored them high-fiving over her. "What do you want me to look up?" George leaned over, whispering their discovery into her ear. She nodded once, surprised. "I'll get on that tonight."

"Thanks, love," George said, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her cheek, Fred mirroring him. She blushed and rolled her eyes again, punching him on the shoulder. George cackled, getting up from the couch, waving goodbye to them as he tugged Fred away.

Hermione sighed, her face content even as her blush remained bright on her skin. "So it's like that, isn't it?" Neville teased, smiling at her. He held his hands up as she threatened to punch him too. "Just a joke! Just a joke!"

***

"He said what?" She frowned, staring at him. "And we should believe him why?"

He stared at her, blinking. "Did you not hear a single thing I've said?"

She waved her hands at him. "No, I did. I'm just finding it hard to believe." She sighed. "Let me go over it one more time, just to make sure I have it down. Mrs. Malfoy is Hera, and so Malfoy has known about a lot of this stuff before he was supposed to. Mrs. - Hera, has felt something shifting and told Malfoy to look out for unusual things. He has been and noticed that you've been slipping off and followed you to warn you because - not only is Hera worried but she thinks that Zeus is building up to potentially destroy new Gods?" At the end of her spiel, Hermione was panting, her curls bouncing with every vigorous nod.

Neville nodded, fighting the urge to reach out and pull a curl. "And," he said, his face twisting in a frown. "He thinks I might be one." He paused, before adding. "And you."

"And- Hades?" Hermione said, shifting in her seat. Neville nodded his head. Hermione huffed a laugh, Neville smiling at her. "Well, that's… something."

He grinned. "It is, isn't it?" Hermione rolled her eyes. He gave in to his urge, tugging a curl. "You're taking this awfully well."

"It's bullshit," Hermione said, staring at him. She arched a brow at his look. "There's no way," she held up a hand at him, pausing what he was going to say. "There's no way that's true." She laughed, her voice uncertain in ways she didn't let herself think about. "You- you being an awoken, I can understand, no really," she said, her voice earnest in a way Neville didn't expect. "You're good and kind and you're so smart." She breathed for a moment before continuing. "You could be any of the remaining Gods or Goddesses and it makes sense. Me?" she asked. "Me? You want me to believe that I'm reincarnated, that I'm waiting to be 'awoken' in a few years?" She shook her head. "That's not- I'm not… just no."

"I think you're wrong," Neville said, watching her so intently she had to look away. "I think that Malfoy is wrong about parts too, but," he swallowed. "You're wrong too." He tugged another of her curls, grabbing her hand when she tried to brush him off. "There's something more to us," he said, peering at her. "You can't say we haven't always been drawn to each other, or at least interested in each other in ways that were more than we expected."

She sighed, brushing her other hand over his cheek, "I'll admit to the fascination," she said, blushing lightly. "I don't think you're right about the other stuff."

Neville smiled, tightening his grasp on her hand. "All I needed was one concession."

***

She paused, staring at the greenhouse. The glass room was familiar to her, as beloved as the library. She had taken to following Neville in, working on her homework as he puttered around. By now, the smell of growth and soil was as soothing to her as the scent of inks and parchment. She tilted her head, absentmindedly thinking over the past few months.

She couldn't remember the last time she hadn't sought Neville out. She blinked, stunned at the sudden revelation that she was closer with Neville than Ron and Harry. That wasn't to say that she didn't see them just as often as she had before Neville had really come into her life, but that she would go to him instead of the library when she could which was increasing at the stress of OWLs rose.

It also helped that he was willing to know her. He would listen, really and truly, willing to be all ears for her, just as she was willing for him. With Neville, it was easy, from the flow of conversation to the silence. She felt no pressure, no need to morph herself into something else. She could simply be, accepted and known, completely at ease.

"Are you coming?" Neville said, bumping the door open with his hip and offering her a smile. "I've been waiting for you."

Hermione smiled at him, joy blooming across her face in the way that only he could bring. He smiled back, running a hand through his hair and offering her his other. She skipped forward, gripping his hand tightly. "Of course," she said. "Wouldn't miss seeing you for the world."

***

"There is an issue," Headmaster Dumbledore said, watching the crowd of children in front of him intently. His voice had muted the entire room but the sobriety of his words silenced all of them. He sighed, offering them a small smile. "I know that those in the government wish for me to be cautious with my words, to hold them back in hopes that there will be no spilling of blood, no fight." He paused for a moment, his eyes steady on them. "That is not how this world works," he said. "And even as a God, I know better than that. War will always find its way in, even when Ares is not leading the charge."

"There is another God who seeks to challenge the current positions we hold." He said, making eye contact with various students throughout the crowd. "Tom Riddle, or as we Gods know him, Nike, has been raising issues within our community for many decades but only recently has he gained enough followers to actually pose a problem."  He paused again, letting the tension build. "The Parthenon and I believe that he is going out of his way to seek Hades."

The name of the longest missing Council God sent whispers spiraling through the crowd. He waited a moment before clearing his throat to continue. "Hades is thought to currently be walking among you." At that news, the students erupted into noise, people throwing accusations and pointing fingers. Hades had been missing for so long that the thought of his incarnation walking the halls had people up in arms. No one knew why or how he had gone missing, and everyone wanted to.

Headmaster Dumbledore cleared his throat again, silencing them once more. "As you know," he said, staring down at the Gryffindor table. "Hades is often, though not always, accompanied by his bride, Persephone." He made eye contact with Hermione, a prickle creeping down her spine at his look. "And we at the Parthenon are looking forward to welcoming them home." He dragged his eyes away from her, offering a smile at the crowd. "If you think you know which students are them, please, come forward."

He leaned across the table, his voice darkening as his power of Zeus shined through. "And, if you or anyone you know, have heard of the power this Tom Riddle is attempting to gather, come to me immediately." He smiled, the twinkle in his eyes absent. "I would be most delighted in what you had to say."

***

"…Lord and Lady Potter perished last night in an unfortunate freak accident, leaving their seat on Wizengamot able to be accessed by Lord Zeus, as per usual. Today our hearts are with the remaining Lord Potter, a child of one, who Lord Zeus has assured us has been placed in the appropriate care of family…"

   - Radio Transcript from November 1st, 1981

Stored neatly in the Wizarding Network Radio storage shed in Diagon Alley. Obituary Section, Second Page, Third Entry

"You have gone too far, Zeus. This has become a point of issue for all of us. You know that I was chosen to send this letter because there was the hope that I could appeal to your brotherly nature. However, they do not know what I know, which is that even when we were young Gods, you were paranoid and selfish, filled to the brim with ideas of power…"

   - Poseidon's Seventh Draft Letter to Zeus

It sits in Rowena's private office, full of scribbles and cross-outs, the paper is torn as though the writer had been furious. It and all of the others will never be sent. First Page, Initial Paragraph.

"…keep your eye on them, darling. Even though I am not with Zeus in this life, and I haven't been for centuries, I know what he is like, jealous and fickle, unrelenting in his quest for more. If Mr. Longbottom and Miss Granger are who I suspect they are, then Zeus has known for years. Make no mistake, he will kill them, just as he has in every incarnation since…"

   - Narcissa Malfoy's Letter To Draco Malfoy

It burns in a fireplace. Draco sits, waiting for the letter to become ash, which he will then scoop up and take with him, sprinkling a little bit across every place he visits this year until there is no hope of it being reformed. This is the 16th time he has done this, this year. Third Page, Second Paragraph.

***

"I'm afraid," Hermione whispered, sitting next to Neville in the slowly darkening greenhouse. Professor Sprout had come through, gently closing off the glass windows until the only one that remained was the one in front of them. She hadn't come over to close it or told them to head back to their dorm, instead, she had offered them a small sad smile and left, the vines of plants attempting to cling to her. "You'd think there would be more than this," she continued. "That in the world of Gods and Goddesses that more would be figured out. That more would be known."

He shifted beside her, pulling her closer to him so he could whisper into her hair. "Maybe more is known." She stilled, resting her cheek against his collarbone. He continued, lowering his voice even more. "I think there may have been a sweep of information."

She hummed lightly, thinking over his words in her mind. "I just wish we could have faith in everything," she said. They fell quiet again, content to stay tucked in close together. The sunset passed, darkness falling across them as they watched the sky. Hermione ran her eyes over the stars, mulling over the gaps in her knowledge, the sudden changes in Malfoy's relationship with her and Neville, the fact that Fred and George were set to turn 17 and their badly kept secret of awakening.

"Hermione?" Neville said, breaking the silence in the softest way possible, his voice a mere hint against her skin. She tilted her head back, looking up at him. He blushed, flicking his eyes at her, before looking back out the window. "I just-" he paused, starting again. "I really like you," he whispered. He looked down, watching red bloom across her face. "Would you-" he swallowed hard. "Could we- maybe- labels?"

She smiled at him, reaching out to touch his face. "I've been waiting for you to ask forever," she said, her hands cool on his burning face. He smiled back, before reaching out and twining their hands together. She pulled back, tilting her head up, Neville dropping his down.

Hermione shuddered at the touch of his lips on hers. She had kissed others before, Victor once, Ron, Harry, Lavender, random others on dares in the common room. Nothing felt like kissing Neville, that there was something more, something delicate that felt like coming home. She smiled into the soft kiss, feeling him smile in return.

He pulled back, snapping open his eyes to see her. She reached up, touching her smiling mouth before opening her eyes. Neville swallowed hard that the glint of other that slid through them, his heart pounding at the knowledge that it was true, what Malfoy had told him, that she was more. He knew she would never believe him, so he kept quiet, vowing to tell her as soon as she would be receptive to it.

"Oh," Hermione said, glancing around her. "Oh, that's different." Neville looked around them, taking in the sudden blooming of flowers in shock. Every plant that had a flower had one, their petals open and unfurled, the scent of pollen suddenly heavy in the greenhouse. Neville reached out, rubbing a hand over the flowers, shivering at contact. When he glanced over at Hermione, he was surprised to see how pleased she looks.

At his glance, she shrugged. "I'm just glad - I'm yours and you're mine," she said, a sly look in her eyes. "You're quite a catch." Neville sputtered, his face going vibrantly red as Hermione began to laugh. He sighed, rolling his eyes but his annoyance softened as she settled back into him, the two sliding together as though they were made for each other.

***

"I am concerned," Minerva said, frowning at Filius, Severus, and Pomona. "If he gets worse than this, the Parthenon will fall."

Pomona nodded in agreement, her cup of tea set aside as she busied her hands with the growth of the ivy on the walls of the staff room. "I am concerned for you," she said, expectantly looking at Minerva. "Magic has felt strange recently, are you sure that you are doing well Hecate?"

Minerva shuddered at her name, rolling her eyes. "I am, Dionysus," she said pointedly, ignoring the scowl of displeasure on Pomona's face at her older name. She shook her head, getting back to the issue at hand. "My concern is that he will do something drastic and the Parthenon will fall and we will fall with it."

Filius hummed, sitting in front of the fire, his hands fiddling with his wand. "He has done something drastic, and we all are aware." He looked at Severus, watching the younger man. "We have all made choices."

Severus huffed. "Say what you will, then."

"I mean that we are aware that he has sought out Hades and Persephone each incarnation," he said. "Is there nothing you can do?"

"Of course there is nothing I can do," Severus said, his voice sharp. "You think I have not stood before him asking time and time again to try to choose another option?" He shook his head. "He does as he wants, and damned the consequences." He smirked at Filius. "I thought you would've remembered that, as he stood next to Hera as she threw you from the Mount."

Filius glared. "You forget yourself too much Janus."

"Enough," Minerva snapped, exchanging a look with Pomona. "I do not have time for this, and unless you two forget - you do not either. He will be returning soon and this must be over and done with." The two men inclined their heads, their apologies unspoken. She scoffed. "Now, back to the issue, we all think that Miss Granger and Mr. Longbottom are the two?"

"Yes," Pomona said, inspecting the vine to make sure it was to her standard before grabbing her tea and sitting down. "It's almost obvious in hindsight."

Severus shrugged. "We warned her fourth year." He glanced around the room, taking in the looks of surprise. He rolled his eyes. "I am not so much a complete bastard that the thoughts of one of my students being murdered in my care does not sit well with me."

"Right," Minerva said, a shadow passing through her eyes at the thought. "Nonetheless, we must shield them as best we can." She shuddered again. "I would not see them murdered on the eve of the awakening like last time."

***

He stood, pacing the halls of the Malfoy Manor, its sleek design of no thought to him as he wore down the centuries-old carpet. "Sir?" Bellatrix Lestrange said, cocking her head at him. "Severus has reported that it is almost completely confirmed that the two we suspected are Hades and Persephone."

Tom Riddle spun, smiling at her. "Well, that is excellent news." He walked past her, heading into the office which held Narcissa and Regulus Black. He set himself on the edge of Narcissa's desk, positioning his body so he could see the entire room before asking, "Any other news?"

Narcissa tilted her head, her eternal crown winking in and out of sight as she thought, watching at Bellatrix slid into a seat in front of her. "Well," she said, "Draco says that the twins, whom we have suspected for as long as we've known about them, are set to awake within this week." Narcissa smiled, her face bright and lovely, so much so that the others had to restrain themselves from beaming back at her as well.  "I am hopeful that they will see sense and not be quite so swept up in the usual Weasley support of Zeus."

"That is good news," Tom said, well aware of the fact that Narcissa didn't make such predictions lightly. He turned to Regulus. "Any news from you?"

Regulus nodded, a pained grimace slipping over his face. "Sirius has reached out." He pulled a note from his pocket, smoothing out the wrinkles. "He has been constrained to the Parthenon much like the others."

Tom frowned. "I had hoped that he would have been overlooked."

"No," Regulus said, sighing. "He was friends with James Potter."

"And that's still an unknown piece, right?" Bellatrix asked, her gaze darting from Narcissa to Tom. "Their deaths were sudden and so strange," she said, her brow furrowing in thought. "And then Sirius and Remus were recalled back to the Parthenon and Harry was whisked away."

Tom nodded, tapping his fingers on the wooden desk in front of him. He looked back at Narcissa. "Are the others at Hogwarts receptive to us?"

She nodded, taking a sip of her tea, the gentle clink of china the only sound in the quiet study. "Minerva, Filius, and Pomona would all work with us if they thought they could. Severus said that Minerva has been consistently confounded over the past few years, and the other two are wary of Zeus too, but also that we cannot expect them to assert themselves against him when he is so powerful in his castle."

"That's… understandable," Tom said. "Unfortunate, but understandable." The room fell silent, each contemplating their own thoughts.

"Why is Harry Potter so important?" Bellatrix exclaimed suddenly. "I have been running it over in my head, and Zeus has sought to isolate him from other Gods time and time again. Did he somehow manifest when he was a child and Zeus had to take him out? But why not kill him?" She got up from her seat, beginning to pace. "Which God would Zeus want on his side, to the point that he would not destroy him?"

Regulus shifted, frowning in thought. "If you weren't alive," he said, nodding at Tom. "I would've guessed Nike."

Tom blinked, his eyes widening in realization. "Zeus would love for nothing more than for me to fall on my sword, wouldn't he?"

"Oh no," Narcissa breathed, her thoughts following Tom's exactly. "You think that Harry Potter is Nemesis, don't you?"

Tom smiled a small weary smile. "If Zeus can fashion Nemesis into a weapon against me…" he trailed off, locking eyes with Narcissa. "If we fall, and Hades is unable to awake…"

"The powers will eventually go to Zeus," Bellatrix said, staring at them. "And the Parthenon will fall. For good."

***

The gasps woke George first, the heavy pants emanating from Fred's bed. He frowned, rolling over in the darkness, grabbing his wand and waving it, casting the date in low glow above his bed.

"Shit," he hissed, beginning to pull himself up as the 01.04 began to fade. He sat up, pushing his covers off, before slumping over as heat began traveling through his body. He clenched his teeth, his knowledge expanding, information suddenly slotting in. Across the room, Fred screamed, the sharp noise suddenly cut off as Lee swore, flicking his wand and illuminating their dorm.

"Fuck," Lee muttered, sliding from his bed. He strode over to Fred, asking him questions that he couldn't answer as he lost himself in the awakening. George attempted to stand, getting his legs under him before losing control and falling. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact, but instead of pain, he saw a flash of color from behind his eyelids and he knew no more.

***

"They're going to be okay, right, Professor?" she asked, suddenly nervous at the thought of what Professor McGonagall would say. She had never disliked the twins, in fact, she had always thought that they were brilliant, but she hadn't known how deep her affection for them went. It had only been when she had woken up to the utter madness that was the common room and heard what had happened, that she had suddenly realized how worried she was.

Professor McGonagall nodded, her face worn. "Awakenings are always different for each God, Miss Granger," she said, offering her a biscuit from her tray in her office. "Messrs. Weasley had a hard awakening because of who they are." Hermione nodded, her face attentive. "They are two sides of the same coin, but that coin is one for strife and pain." She sighed at the look of curiosity on her face. "They will tell you who they are when they awake, I am sure," Professor McGonagall said, well aware that Hermione would be able to find out who they were from that sentence alone. "And please, remember that because they are newly awoken they are sensitive to those also reincarnated."

"They are?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowing. "I didn't realize that those recently awoken could tell that."

"It is typically kept quiet," Professor McGonagall admitted. "That way they are not overwhelmed." She sent a stern look over the rim of her glasses. "I trust you will keep that quiet between you and Mr. Longbottom."

Hermione flushed, dropping her gaze to her hands. "Yes, Ma'am."

Professor McGonagall hummed, her gaze steady. "Miss Granger, have you ever considered that you may be one of the Awoken?" She kept herself still and quiet as Hermione's head snapped up. When she gaped but didn't say anything, she continued. "I only ask because there have been some strange instances around you."

"Around Neville and I, you mean," Hermione muttered, her face going pale as she realized what she had said. "No disrespect of course," she said, stumbling over her words in the face of Professor McGonagall's arched brow. "I have thought about it," she acknowledged. "I know that Malfoy thinks that we are Hades and Persephone and that I am Spring reborn, here to soften the darkness."

"And you disagree?"

Hermione stared, her face flat and deadly. "I don't think I'm one to soften the darkness, Professor."

Professor McGonagall nodded her head. "So you think that you-"

She shook her head. "I don't know what to think." She sighed, clenching her fists before relaxing. "I think that anything is possible at this point." She shook her head again as if to clear it. "I think there is something wrong though," she said, her voice sharp and her glance pointed. "And I think you know it too."

***

"…All the Gods are powerful, each with their own domain and their own set of powers. However, it is the three original brothers, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon who hold the biggest sway over the others. Many forget, however, that the power began with none of them, instead, burgeoning with Hestia, the original Goddess of the stomach…"

   - Power Dynamics in Gods by Bathilda Bagshot

Albus Dumbledore's private annotated copy, stored among countless other books at the private Dumbledore cottage. It has been recently moved. Chapter 7, Page 94, Third Paragraph.

"…There is a mystery surrounding the disappearance of all the Gods but none has been more intriguing than the sudden vanishing of Hades. Reincarnation is a piece of the godly powers bestowed upon them, but since Hades has gone, those who attempted to find a new vessel have been unable to. Those who left before him were able to come back, though in some cases it had taken centuries, and others still have yet to appear…"

   - Where Have They Gone? by Valentina Slughorn

Hermione Granger's copy. It is currently bookmarked and stored in Neville Longbottom's trunk. Chapter 18, Page 497, First Paragraph.

"…I'm worried, Albus. They haven't reached out or spoken to me since their awakening. I know that it is typical for a withdrawal to occur but they haven't even told me. I had to find out from Ron. I would just simply feel so much better if you were to check up on them for me, especially as there is the potential for them to fall into Tom's grasp. Oh! It's the burden of motherhood to worry, but I never expected to worry for any of the Gods."

   - Molly Weasley's Letter to Albus Dumbledore

It is opened, resting against a stack of books on the Headmaster's desk. Every once in a while, it is picked up and the last paragraph is reread. Final Page, Final Paragraph.

***

She hissed under her breath, pulling her head back from where it was resting against the couch. She blinked, rubbing her eyes to double-check that she wasn't hallucinating what she thought she was. Neville leaned over her, pressing his face to the glass window behind them. "Is that…?"

"Harry and Ron running off to do something incredibly stupid?" Hermione said grimly, pulling herself up and offering her hand to him. "Looks like it." She rolled her eyes, yanking him off the couch and turning, piling her hair on top of her head as she grabbed her wand. She turned back to him, smiling. "Ready to go kick some ass?"

Neville grinned back at her. "Always." They left the common room, ignoring the glances they got from the others. They strode through the halls, making their way out the front door. As their feet hit the grass he frowned, looking over at her. "What are they even doing?"

She shrugged before sighing and stealing a guilty look at him. "They may be convinced that Malfoy is going to be meeting up with Riddle tonight." At his look, she scrunched up her face. "I didn't think they would fucking leave the grounds," she said, picking up her pace as Harry and Ron's voices began to reach them. "I thought that they'd just use the map." She passed through the first few trees leading into the forest, skidding to a stop. "Where the hell are you two going?"

Ron jumped, whirling around, "Blimey, 'Mione, where the fuck did you come from?" He narrowed his eyes at Neville who came to a stop beside her. "What're you two doing here?"

"She's here to stop you," Luna answered, wandering over from where she had been hidden behind a tree. Hermione arched an eyebrow at her, flicking her eyes to the Ginny who had also appeared from the same tree. Luna waved to Neville, smiling when he waved back. "Isn't that right, Hermione?"

"Yes?" she said, glaring at Harry when he opened his mouth. "Where the hell are you even going?"

"Are you going to let me answer or are you going to bite my head off when I open my mouth?" Harry muttered back, a scowl on his face. She said nothing, tapping her foot and crossing her arms instead. He huffed, "we heard him talking about meeting Riddle in the Parthenon entry tonight." Harry shrugged. "If we go and catch him, we've solved the issue, right?"

"What issue?" Hermione said slowly, Neville steady at her back. "Riddle's not letting other Gods leave the Parthenon," Ron said, his face wane. "Dumbledore told us." When Hermione just stared at him, he shifted awkwardly on his feet. "If we stop him, Harry can see Sirius and Remus again."

"Are you sure?" Neville said, his voice low but carrying. "How do you even know that Malfoy isn't here?"

"Oh," Luna said. "He isn't."

"Luna's right," Harry said. "Also, he's not on the map."

"Nothing I say will convince you to do this another way will it?" Hermione asked.

"No," Ginny answered, speaking for the first time. She and Luna traded looks, something heavy in their gaze. "So I guess you're just going to have to come with us."

***

"What do you mean they're gone?" Professor McGonagall said, staring at Dean. He paled, his eyes wide, shrugging helplessly at her. She breathed in, holding it for a moment before nodding once. "Okay-"

"Professor, Fred and George are gone!" Lee said, barreling into the room with no regard for the meeting she was in. "I can't find them anywhere."

"Mr. Jordan!" Professor McGonagall snapped before his words registered. She pressed her hand to her head, pausing before rising from behind her desk. "Come," she said, ushering them from her room. She asked questions as they walked, heading towards Professor Snape's quarters, getting back nothing concrete from the two boys. She sighed, knocking on the door, hoping that he would be in.

The door cracked, Professor Snape's eyes widening minutely when he was the trio outside his door. "Minerva, Mr. Lee, Mr. Thomas," he said, opening the door and inviting them in. "What can I help you with?"

"Severus, I have been told that Gryffindor is missing students who have supposedly gone to confront Mr. Malfoy at the Ministry." His eyes flickered, the only part of him that changed, causing her to raise both her eyebrows. "I see," she said slowly to the confusion of Dean and Lee. "Well, if this is what I have been told, I must go to Albus." She nodded once to him, before turning to the other two. "Come, you two, I'm bringing you back to the dormitory where you will stay for the rest of the night."

The door shut behind her, cutting off the student's responses. Severus sighed, steeling himself for the dramatic and awful fight that was about to happen. He gathered himself, flooing into Malfoy Manor, where the others waited. He arrived with little fanfare, though the group quieted when they realized he had arrived. He walked through, heading straight for the study where Draco, Narcissa, and Tom were. He knocked, entering as soon as he was bid to. "Nike," he said, inclining his head. "I have bad news and good news. Bad news, Albus will soon be alerted. Good news, the others have been set up and are on their way to the Parthenon entry."

Tom grimaced, "I suppose we must make do." He glanced at Draco. "I insist you return to Hogwarts with Severus," he said. "Tie up loose ends where you can."

Draco nodded, brushing a kiss over Narcissa's cheek. "I'll find Father and let him know," he said, nodding once to Severus. "I'll see you in your office, sir."

He left, the tension in the study ratcheting up. Narcissa studied Tom, a small frown on her face. "Are you certain this is the best path? Won't Zeus' appearance make everything too difficult?"

"No," Tom said, rolling back his shoulders. "The best path to victory is never easy."

***

"This is the entry to the Parthenon?" Hermione said, surprise coating her words. "I expected something more." The room the six of them were arranged in was small, with pale grey stones. There was a runic array full of ancient runes burnt into the floor. She tilted her head, studying them. Every time she thought she understood one, the meaning slipped away as soon as she moved to the next.

"Yeah," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "What, none of your books have pictures?"

Hermione huffed but didn't deign to answer, instead exchanging a look with Neville. Luna and Ginny skirted the edge of the runes, Luna dropping down every so often to trace one. At the front of the room, Ron stood with Harry, both tense, gripping their wands.

They all tensed as the sounds of footsteps reached their ears, Luna rising from her crouch and walking over to stand beside Hermione, Ginny following. She swallowed, gripping her wand so tightly the etched vine leaves pinched her skin.

"Fred?" Ron said, staring at the figures who were striding down the hallway towards them. "George?" He frowned at them. "I don't think you're supposed to be here."

Fred snorted, sliding past him, ignoring the wands trained on him. "I'm fairly certain that out of everyone, you six aren't supposed to be here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry said, lowering his wand. "You two aren't-" He cut himself off, his face falling. "You're here to meet him."

"What?" Ron said, spluttering. "No, they wouldn't- right? Right?"

George sighed, glancing around at their group before shrugging. "We aren't here to meet you," he said. "In case that wasn't clear." He nodded to Neville, offering a smile to Ginny and Luna before raising an eyebrow at Hermione. "Wasn't expecting you to be here."

"Oh?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"

Fred smirked at her, "I think you know by now I can't tell you." She scrunched up her face, nodding.

"Okay, what the fuck is happening?" Ginny asked, frowning at the three of them. "What does she know that we don't?"

Hermione sighed, "I don't know anything that you all don't," she said. "I just know that they want plausible deniability, so they won't say anything that they can't deny."

"Quite right, Ms. Granger," a low voice came from the hallway. Harry and Ron whirled around, their wands at the ready, Ginny's swiftly following. Fred and George frowned, exchanging a look, while Neville jumped. Only Hermione and Luna looked completely unsurprised. "And look," the voice continued. "You were expecting this, weren't you?"

She sighed again. "Unfortunately yes Mr. Riddle." Tom slid from the shadows, flanked by Bellatrix and Regulus.

"Riddle," Harry hissed, his eyes narrowed. "You've gone too far this time."

"I have?" he said his tone mocking. "And just what have I done?"

"You've stopped the others from coming down!" Ron cried, his wand shaking in his grip. "And- And! You've corrupted my brothers," he said triumphantly.

"Oh, no," Bellatrix answered, her eyes glued to Hermione. "I'm afraid you're quite wrong on that one boys." Hermione met her gaze, only a slight head tilt giving away her unease. Bellatrix smirked, her face triumphant, the glint of other sliding through her eyes. "We were right."

"Right?" Harry said, his voice hard. "Right about what?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with," Tom answered, his lips curling into a predatory smile. He nodded once, Bellatrix and Regulus whirling into motion, the two of them casting at the runic array on the floor. The students flinched.

"I knew it!" Ron cried, casting a spell at them. "Harry they're trying to destroy it!" Luna and Ginny exchanged looks, backing up to move with more ease around the room to get a better angle. Neville and Hermione remaining where they were standing, wands lowered and stances tense.

Before the spell could hit, Fred grimaced, flicking his wand out and halting the spell. "Don't," he said as Ron turned appalled eyes on him. Ron spluttered. Fred continued, his voice deadly serious. "You don't know what you're interfering with."

"What are we interfering with?" Harry asked, swallowing hard, his eyes tracking the girl's movements towards Tom.

Behind him, Tom laughed, "You have no idea what you're even fighting for, do you?" Harry whirled, his face set in a mask of anger. Tom sighed, flicking his wand and stunning Luna and Ginny in quick succession. They slid to the ground, crumpling in place.

Ron let out a roar of anger, turning to Fred and George. "You're going to fight for a God who does that?" He said, his wand sparking. He twisted in place, casting towards Tom who stepped out of the way.

George's face fell at the sight, "I know this is a lot," he said, wincing at the look Ron shot him. "But you need to listen."

"I don't need to do anything," Ron cried, glaring at him. "Harry you need to help me take them down." He glanced over his shoulder, taking in Hermione and Neville who were standing to the side. "Figures," he snorted. "Brightest witch of her age - can't even do-" His voice cut out as he crumpled from the stunner Hermione sent towards him, her face murderous.

"Hermione," Harry yelled, staring at her as though he had never seen her before. "What the fuck?"

Hermione glared at him, panting, Neville reaching over to grip her hand. "You need to listen to him, Harry James Potter," she snapped, moving out of the way as Bellatrix spun past her, still casting spells in tandem with Regulus. "He's telling the truth."

"What truth?" Harry cried, his wand aimed at her but lowered. "All I know is that-"

"You know nothing but lies," Regulus said, cutting him off. He cast a final spell, the array glowing suddenly. The stones lit up, their vibrancy blinding as a faint hum pierced the air. For a moment every person fell quiet, the stones capturing all their attention. Harry shuffled forward, his face confused. The brightness grew until it blinded them all. Hermione flinched back, hiding her face behind Neville. When it finally receded, a figure was collapsed among the runes.

Regulus barely waited for the runes to stop before he was rushing forward, Bellatrix following, both of them kneeling and murmuring to the figure. The student's attention so drawn to the scene that they didn't hear the sounds of more people moving towards them.

"Oh Tom," Dumbledore said, entering the room, others following. Hermione shivered, sliding so she was more hidden before Neville than before. Harry frowned, his eyes going back and forth between her and Dumbledore. Dumbledore ignored the others, his focus entirely on Tom. "You have gone too far." He gestured around the room, his grip tight on his wand. Molly Weasley shrieked at the sight of Ginny and Ron collapsed, her glare landing on the twins who had clearly done nothing for them. Dumbledore tsked, the satisfaction of cornering him obvious on his face. "You've done - what? Poisoned bright minds against me? Brought them to a dangerous place, all to sate your need to be the ruler of the Gods?"

Tom raised his eyebrows. "I think you may be mistaken." He shook his head, frowning. "I did not invite any of these underage children here," he said. "I came here, as is my right, and found them here."  His eyes flicked to the side, watching as Regulus was able to prod the man into beginning to sit up. He snapped his eyes back to Dumbledores. "The stunners were an unfortunate side effect as they attempted to attack me."

"A likely story," Molly huffed out, her face set in a mask of anger. "We know what you want." She turned to the three children, her voice pleading. "He's lying to you all," she said. "He wants to use you to overthrow Albus!"

"That's - that's a lie," the figure said, coughing as he rose from the floor, an arm slung around Regulus' shoulders. He lifted his face, offering a pained smirk at the room. Molly stared at him, her face slack. He nodded at Tom, before glaring at Albus. "Now, then, Albus, are you finally going to answer my questions?"

Dumbledore blinked at him, "Sirius, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Sure you fucking don't," Sirius snapped, glaring harder. Beside him, Bellatrix slid to the side, her focus on Tom as she brushed past the trio, slipping a small note in Neville's pocket. She exchanged a look with the twins, the two of them slowly moving to flank the trio. Sirius coughed again, shaking his head. "I am not one to lie in the face of something like this and you know it." He slid his hand down, pulling out his wand.

"Sirius," Dumbledore said, looking pained. "Don't do this."

"Don't do what?" Sirius said, tilting his head. Dumbledore gestured around the room. Sirius shook his head again. "You brought this on yourself, Zeus."

"I was simply worried that you would be unable to see sense but I had hoped that with time you would understand," Dumbledore growled, his pleasant façade fading. "I see now that you too have been corrupted beyond measure." He spun his wand, the others behind him drawing theirs as well. "If we must fight, so be it."

***

Neville had never seen so many Gods fighting in one space, their power destructive and deadly. Fred and George had herded them back against the wall, conjuring a wall to hide behind as the adults attempted to destroy each other. They had accio'd Ron, Ginny, and Luna's unconscious bodies to keep them safe as well. He frowned up at them, taking in their steady positions and the grip on their wands.

"This was a part of the plan," he said, watching at they exchanged looks but ignored his words.

"What plan?" Harry said his face pale. "I'm confused about what happened in the last five minutes, and that's not even with me thinking about how we ended up here."

Hermione sighed, gripping her wand tighter. "It's… complicated to understand," she said. "But I think that I'm going to have to live at Malfoy Manor this summer, so I'll see if you can come too."

"What the fuck?" Harry said, staring at her. "Since when are you friends with Malfoy?"

"I'm not," she hissed, turning to glare at him. "But since I'm positive that Dumbledore wants to murder me, that's the safest place for me."

"What?" Harry laughed, his face growing more and more uncertain when she just looked at him. "That's not- that's not true, right Nev?"

Neville shrugged, looking pained. "Sorry, mate." The three of them flinched at the sudden screams that began, the shrill sounds taking the place of the continuous noises of stone breaking and taunting. They tried to rise before both Fred and George shoved their heads back down.

"Do not get up," George hissed, his grip tight enough that Harry's arm would be purple in the morning. "Dumbledore's gone and started attacking his own people."

Beside him, Fred froze. "Mum," he whispered, George, snapping up to turn around. The two exchanged a look, nodding before striding from where they were. Harry, Neville, and Hermione peeked up, watching as Dumbledore sent three spells towards the Weasley's one hitting Molly. The wall they were hiding behind disappearing as the twins fell.

Hermione sucked in a breath, "That wasn’t an accident." Bodies littered the room and she was uncertain if any were dead, her face pale. In front of them, Sirius and Tom stood, their wands pointing at Dumbledore.

"Give it up Zeus," Tom said his voice quiet.

Dumbledore smiled, shaking his head. "Oh Tom," he said, "What a mistake to make." He twisted, avoiding both spells that were cast at him, before spinning and casting one back. He smiled again, watching as the two of them dodged. "Did you really think that I wouldn't get what I needed tonight?" He said, casting another spell towards them. He paused, studying them before his voice hardened. "I always get what I want." He cast again, pulling back at the last moment to flick the spell at the corner of the room. The foundation shook, the room rattling, as he stepped forward and turned, whirling from the room.

"Is that it?" Neville said, frowning at the space. "It seems like-"

A scream cut him off. Turning to Hermione beside him, he froze, watching as she convulsed once, her hands flying to her throat, her wand falling from her fingers as she tipped backward, her face set in pain. She screamed again, her voice high and piercing before she collapsed, taking Harry down with her.

"Fuck," Tom hissed, his calm façade fading for the first time all evening. He strode over, grabbing her body, ignoring Harry and Neville's cries. "Take care of this," he snapped at Sirius before turning back to the two boys. "Which of you is her chosen?" He said, before shaking his head at the looks of confusion, "Nevermind, both of you, grab onto me." Neville moved first grasping his hand with Harry quickly following. The four of them whirled away, leaving Sirius alone in a room full of stunned bodies.

"Goddammit," Sirius said, frowning at the sight. He sighed, and began awakening those he could, starting with Regulus. At the sight of his brother, Regulus launched himself at Sirius, clinging to him as he hadn't since they were children. "It's okay Reggie," Sirius soothed. "We're going to fix this - I promise."

***

"You can't go in there," Tom said, pulling Harry back from his attempts to get into the room Tom had set Hermione in. Inside Narcissa was tending to her, attempting to cure her before she fell under the depth of the spell. Neville sat, his hands twined, his face in a mask of pain, at her bedside. Harry glared at him and Tom shook his head. "I'm sorry Harry," he said. "You can't."

"Why- not?" Harry panted, glaring even harder at him. He punched Tom on the shoulder, scowling when he didn't even flinch. "Fine," he snapped, slumping in his grip. "You're explaining all this to me then."

Tom nodded once, his tension fading as Harry stopped fighting. "We'll go to the study," he said, leading Harry down the stairs. Harry pulled his arm from his grip, fingering his wand as they walked through the manor, his gaze studying the corridors they passed through. "In here," Tom said, gesturing him through a doorway. Harry leveled him with a suspicious look before following him through. Tom pointed at an armchair, the door locking behind them. "Sit." Harry opened his mouth and he held up a hand. "I'll tell you everything you need to know. Just- a minute."

The two sat in silence for a moment, Harry dragging his gaze away from Tom to study the room. The office was opulent, with heavy velvet drapes, a sturdy oak desk, and plump armchairs. The fireplace smoldered, the main source of light coming in from the windows. Harry twisted in his seat, his eyes catching on a painting of the Parthenon. He tilted his head, studying the people moving among the open-air marketplace, their faces bright and happy.

"That's from 2,000 years ago," Tom said, following his gaze. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It was a much simpler time." He paused his eyes on Harry's. "What questions can I answer for you?"

"What happened back there?" Harry said, questions exploding from him. "Why does Hermione trust you? What were the twins doing? Was that Sirius Black? Why did Dumbledore curse Mrs. Weasley?" He panted, his face red from the force of his questioning.

"Those are all important questions," Tom said, his face serious. "I'll give you the best answers I can, but understand that some of these are speculation." He sighed, getting comfortable, gesturing for Harry to do the same. "Understand that this was not always how things were run. Before Hogwarts, before Zeus became too twisted, there was peace and understanding. We had moved on as Gods from the petty squabbles that had established our power structure in our youth. We had joined together, becoming more cohesive, more of a family."

"There were, of course, smaller issues that sprang up from time to time. But for the most part, things were good. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, the others in charge, they were good." He sighed again, looking pensive. "We had established this issue of reincarnation though, that some Gods wanted to try to be mortal. They wanted to try - not remain mortal. So, there was a trial run, with a smaller minor Goddess attempting it."

"Hecate made it through the reincarnation, completely smoothly. She was able to grow under her parents, keeping relative magical power until she turned 17 and awoke. And once she was back on the Mount, she was full of stories. She had learned and grown in a way that we as Gods were unable to when we were stuck in our whole and complete form." He smiled, the soft look wistful. "It was such a revelation. We, as Gods, had a way to know more than what we held, we could experiment in ways we wanted too, free of the issues that came with our powers."

"So began the mass movement towards reincarnation. We had no idea what we were doing," he said. "We just thought it was a grand old time."

"What were you doing?" Harry questioned, concentration clear on his face.

"We were giving parts of our Godliness over to Zeus," Tom said. "It's hard to explain to those who aren't Gods, but essentially, it's as if every time we became someone new, in the 17 years before we came back, Zeus held our powers-"

"He didn't ever do it?" Harry asked. "Like not at all?"

"No," he said. "Zeus thought it was beneath him, that he didn't need to change, and as Gods began choosing mortal lives for themselves, he began to grow accustomed to the power. He realized what was happening and kept it to himself, seeking ways to make it a larger and larger power grab for him."

Harry shook his head. "I'm confused - did he have the other Gods' powers?"

"Not exactly," Tom answered. "More like he got boosts to his own. He was able to be more powerful, do more on his own without relying on anyone else. It got to a point though, where he was searching for a large boost. And then he realized that the bigger the Godly power, the bigger the boost. So he began a campaign to convince the Council Gods to try it."

"Poseidon, Athena, Ares, Hestia - they had all gone and become the Founders as you know them. So since it had been so close, Zeus gave up on them, instead focusing his attention on the others - Demeter, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hermes, Hades, Persephone, Hephaestus, Hera, Apollo, Artemis. He only had minimal success, with a few choosing to go at a time, but there was a limited boost to his powers."

"How do you know all this?" Harry interrupted, his eyes narrowed. "You seem to have this pretty well known."

"A lot of it came from Hera," Tom admitted. "She has access to his every room until she became who she is today and awoke to find all of Zeus' plans in motion. He offered to let her join him, but she knew he would kill her as soon as she let her guard down so she stole away, finding and collecting like-minded individuals since."

"But-"

"Harry," Tom said, exhaustion coating his words. "I will get there when I can." He sighed, waiting for Harry's reluctant nod before continuing. "Eventually Zeus somehow convinced almost all of the council to go at once, with only Apollo and Artemis withholding, aside from the four founders who wouldn't budge on any of his points. They all choose to go, ending with Hades."

"One by one, they dropped, each one adding to Zeus' power. However, what they didn't consider was the fact that while Zeus collected the power, Hades had kept them on track to be reborn. Without Hades - those who had chosen to go didn't appear after the 17 years that they were expected to. Instead, they seemed to disappear - with some appearing every so often afterward. None of us know what Hades did to keep us on track, but what did become apparent was that the older Gods took for longer to return, with some only returning in the same Hogwarts class as your parents."

"However," Tom said, "We do know that Zeus murdered Hades and Persephone, who always appear together, at least twice."

"How do you know that if he should have taken the longest?" Harry asked.

"I don't know why Hades was able to come back quickly - and I suspect that only Hades can answer that. I just know he was." He held up a hand at Harry's mulish expression. "Keep asking questions and this explanation will get longer." Harry rolled his eyes but subsided. "We're going to fast-forward to the fall of 1980. In early September, Hades awoke, briefly, for under a literal minute, but he awoke in such a way, that the others who were hidden awoke as well." Tom shook his head. "I don't know how it happened but it did."

"The flare caused seven other children to awake as well; Persephone, Nemesis, Tyche, Deimos, Phobos, Morpheus, and Iris. Two were hidden from Zeus' sight, but the sudden drain on his powers alerted him to the fact that he was about to lose everything. He tracked the power down where he could, unable to find Hades because of the muggle world, but gaining access to the others. Deimos and Phobos were in the Weasleys, a family he already had under his control, so he was unafraid of their Godliness. The others, however-" Tom cut himself off, scrubbing his hands over his face. "The others were unknown anomalies, so the parents ended up killed or tortured if they refused to give up their children."

Harry nodded slowly, taking it in. "So you know who the others are?" He frowned. "And I'm confused, why wouldn't Zeus kill them if he killed their families already?"

"Well," Tom said, watching Harry closely. "He needed Persephone to find Hades, and he desperately wanted Nemesis to aid him in the fight against Hera and I. The others I suppose he left alone because they weren't a big enough boost. If Apollo or Artemis had appeared, I suspect he would have killed them."

"Wait," Harry said, "I thought they didn't choose to go with Hades originally."

"They didn't," Tom said. "They went about 15 years after the big group with Hades. They haven't appeared since." He sighed. "To answer your questions from the beginning of this as best I can, in the years since Hades' brief flare, Zeus has become even more paranoid, taking to locking in the Gods on the Mount when he could, luring them up and trapping them. Ms. Granger trusts us- or well, she knows we won't kill her because she's been in talks with Draco since the beginning of this year." Harry scowled at him as Tom laughed. "I expect she didn't tell you because of that reaction."

"The twins have been wary of Zeus for a while, but they waited for their awakening to offer to help us. Tonight was supposed to be their way of proving themselves to us, but that was evidently ruined. We were attempting to open the Parthenon because it's been locked down since 1981 per Zeus' order. We wanted to try to get an open pathway for Gods again, but we were only able to pull Sirius through before we were interrupted as you saw. And as for your final question?" Tom shrugged, "I have no doubt that Zeus will spin that one on me."

"Say I believe you," Harry said. "Now what?"

"Well," Tom said, standing, "Now we get you situated and check up on the others."

***

Neville sat as still as he could manage, his hand clenching Hermione's. Her body was still, the convulsions that had wracked her frame for the past hour had finally faded. Across from him, Narcissa sat, her eyes closed, though Neville could tell that she wasn't asleep. He sighed, gently adjusting his position so he could lay his head down. He closed his eyes, slipping into sleep, waking only when Hermione was moved by Narcissa once. She smoothed a hand over his forehead, her face kind. She whispered something to him, but he had fallen back asleep before her words registered.

He woke up slowly, his arm numb from holding Hermione's hand the entire time. He lifted his head, grimacing at the fuzzy taste in his mouth, glancing around the room. Narcissa was across from him once again. He offered a small smile, yawning.

"Good morning," she whispered, smiling back. "You slept for almost twelve hours." Neville blinked at her in surprise. She laughed softly. "We believe it was partially the bond and partly the fact that you had had an exhausting day yesterday."

"Is Hermione going to be okay?" Neville asked as soon as he processed her words. Narcissa nodded. "When will she wake up?"

Narcissa frowned at the question. "Unfortunately, for as much as I was able to heal her, she still needs time to heal. She was hit by a spell Zeus had made specifically to strip Hades of life, and to take you out as well." He arched an eyebrow at her and she grimaced. "She had been hit by a slightly different but no less targeted spell in her third year if the tests I ran on her were true."

"Then why-"

"I can answer these questions over breakfast," Narcissa said, interrupting him. "Harry is still here and Draco also arrived this morning." She rose, ignoring his glower. "I know you wish to remain here Neville but Hermione would be most upset with me if you were to wither away at her bedside." She smirked, "And I have no desire to have an awoken Hades after me."

Neville sighed, reluctantly unlinking their hands as he stood, the blood rushing into his arm. He grimaced, nodding at Narcissa to lead the way. "But after…"

"After breakfast and a shower, yes, you can return to your vigilance." She ushered him through the door, shutting it with a soft thud. "I have monitoring spells on her if her pain spikes. I promise nothing will happen to her in the hour you are gone." She turned to him, meeting his gaze head-on. "As, Hera, Neville. I promise."

He nodded, his eyes wide. She nodded back, turning away and leading him through the manor. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice they had entered the dining room, only coming back to awareness as a body slammed into him.

"Neville!" Harry cried, pulling him into an even tighter hug when Neville hugged him back. "Thank God you're here."

"What?" Neville said, his anxiety skyrocketing. "Why, what's happening?"

Harry shot him a look, pulling him over to a chair. "I just know you wouldn't leave 'Mione unless you were positive she was okay and on the mend." Harry looked him over, frowning. "Though you look awful."

"Thank Harry," Neville muttered.

"Honestly, Potter," Draco drawled, "That was rude, even by my standards." Narcissa's chiding Draco, doing nothing to curtail the smirk he sent Harry's way.

Harry rolled his eyes, sitting next to Neville. "How is she?" He asked, biting at his nails anxiously. "Tom said I wasn't allowed in to see her until she was more stable."

"She's okay," Neville said, taking a sip of water. He smiled at Narcissa. "It was only thanks to Lady Malfoy that she's as stable as she is."

Harry heaved a sigh, sinking even lower into his chair. "Thank fuck."

"You're taking this way better than I expected," Neville said, nibbling on a piece of toast. "I would've thought you would be long gone."

Harry shrugged. "Tom explained a lot of stuff - like about Zeus and the awakening and stuff." At Neville's arched eyebrow he shrugged again. "It makes sense to me."

Neville snorted. "It barely makes sense to me and I'm the one living it." He put the toast down, his stomach rolling. The room was quiet for a moment, the only sound the clinking of cutlery.

"I always knew 'Mione would be one of the awoken - she's too powerful to not be," Harry admitted quietly. "She didn't believe me when I brought it up to her but, now she has no choice." He was silent for a beat before adding, "You two make the most amount of sense to me. She was always drawn to you. Like in a more than a crush way," he said, blushing. "In a 'love for the ages' way."

"Of course she was," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Persephone is always drawn to Hades." Neville set down his water he was sipping, exchanging a look with Harry. Draco furrowed his brow. "What?"

Neville turned to Narcissa. "You didn't tell him?"

She shook her head, a slight smile playing around her mouth. "I figured you would like to do the honors."

Draco scowled at her, before glaring at Harry and Neville. "What?"

"Hermione's not Persephone," Neville said, a grin growing at Draco's dawning look of horror. "She's Hades."

***

Hermione blinked, her eyelids sticking together for a moment before cracking open. She shifted, taking in the absence of pain, before tipping her head to the side. She was in a bedroom, which she assumed was in Malfoy Manor, as she wasn't dead or still being harmed. She twisted again, pushing herself up and wincing as her muscles groaned in protest. She sighed, slowly reaching over for her wand resting on the bedside table next to her.

She flicked her wand, taking in the glowing numbers of 09:37 before shifting again. She was suddenly aware that she could sense that Neville was somewhere close to her. She slid her legs to the side, contemplating how bad it would be if she put any actual weight on her feet. Shrugging, she decided it was worth it, standing gently. She stepped forward, staggering for a moment before getting her balance. She slowly walked to the bathroom, her burning urge to pee the largest issue in her mind.

While in the bathroom, she caught sight of what she looked like in the mirror, grimacing at the streaks of dried blood that someone had missed while she was unconscious. She spun, smiling at the massive shower that was behind her.

As she showered, she realized that she had no idea what had happened last night. She vaguely remembered burning pain, the awful feeling of convulsions running up and down her spine, her throat raw from screaming, the sensation of someone gripping her hand, which had been the only part of her that hadn't hurt. She swallowed hard, wincing at the sensation, before stepping out to towel off. Her clothes that she had been in had been taken by elves as she had been in the shower, leaving behind the softest pair of pajamas she had ever felt and a thick robe.

She dressed slowly, taking care not to strain her muscles any more than they were. By the time she was fully clothed, her stomach was growling in hunger. She paused for a moment upon entering her room, debating between slipping back into bed or attempting to find the kitchen or dining room by herself. She sighed, knowing that she should stay in bed, but the urge to find Neville and food was too strong to resist so she left her room, leaving the door cracked so even if she got lost she could maybe find her room again.

She walked slowly down the hallway, her eyes catching of portraits and paintings, many of them turning to whisper to others as she wandered through. She paused at the top of the stairs, uncertain if her legs could take them. "Hermione!" a voice called, causing her to jump, her muscles groaning in agony as she landed. She turned to see Fred and George striding towards her down the hallways, their faces concerned. "You should be in bed," Fred said, frowning at her.

"Ne- Neville," she croaked, wincing at the pain. "Ple- please."

The two exchanged a look, before Fred nodded slowly. "I'm going to carry you though," George said, raising an eyebrow at her irritated expression. He shook his head. "It's either I carry you or you go back to bed." Hermione huffed, before nodding, extending her arms to let him lift her.

He picked her up gently, carrying her down the stairs as softly as he could, Fred hovering anxiously around them. "Neville," George double-checked, feeling her nod against his chest. He exchanged another look with Fred, the two of them worried but not voicing it.

Hermione patted his chest, reaching out to Fred to hold his hand. "Do-don't worry," she whispered, offering them both tiny smiles. "Stron-stronger than I l-look."

Fred sighed, his voice fond. "I know, 'Mione." He opened the door for George, hiding a smile. "I think everyone in this house knows it." She grinned at him, squeezing his hand as they entered the dining room. The laughter cut off immediately.

"Hermione?" Neville said his focus on the girl in George's arms. As soon as she heard his voice, Hermione turned in his arms, squirming out of them and throwing herself at Neville, ignoring the twinges of pain in her body. "I was so worried," Neville breathed, wrapping her in his arms, unable to keep the tears at bay at the sight of her awake. He nodded to Fred and George, who were avoiding Narcissa's glare.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Narcissa said, staring them down. Beside Neville, Harry reached out, softly whispering to Hermione, with her reaching out to hold his hand.

They shifted, exchanging looks before they both began to talk.

"Some portraits told us-"

"-And she was just wandering around-"

"-Looks like she's going to fall down the stairs-"

"-Couldn't-"

"I-I was go-going to walk down the sta-stairs, with or without-t them," Hermione said, her vocal cords growing less strained as she spoke. "My choice." Draco watched her the recent revelation clicking several things into place for him.

Narcissa looked at her, trailing her eyes up and down her body, taking in her wet hair, and her change of clothes. "Yes," she said. "I can see that." She sighed. "And it's not like they would've been able to leave you there."

"What does that mean?" Harry said looking up from Hermione. She patted his hand, sliding herself so she was sitting more comfortably in Neville's lap. She leaned back, letting him hook his chin over her shoulder as he gently pulled her back against him as if to reassure himself that she was real.

"They're Phobos and Deimos," Hermione answered, reaching out to pull a cup of tea and oatmeal towards her. "They're kind of like my bodyguards."

Harry gaped at her. "Have you awoken?" He said, looking sick suddenly. "That wasn't what was happening last night, right?"

"No," Narcissa answered. "That was torture." She eyed Hermione, taking in the steady way she and Neville leaned into each other. "I suspect it made somethings clearer for her though." Hermione nodded at her, swallowing down a small spoonful of food.

"I'm also confused as to how you're awake," Harry said, backpedaling at Neville's glare. "Not that it's a bad thing!"

Hermione shrugged, "I don't really know either." She looked at Narcissa who shrugged as well, though her shrug was far more elegant. She looked back at Harry. "Magic?" She offered, ignoring the groans it brought about. Fred and George winked at her, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Well," Narcissa said, rising. "I will be back to check on you, Ms. Granger." She smiled at the eclectic group sitting in her dining room. She inclined her head, towards her, ignoring the cut-off gasp Draco made as she left.

"What?" Hermione and Harry said in tandem.

Draco glared at Harry before swallowing and looking at Hermione. "She doesn't do that," he said, his voice so soft, she had to lean in to hear it. "It's a sign of respect and hierarchy in the Parthenon." Hermione nodded, her eyes steady on his. He grimaced but forced himself to say it. "You are Hades, aren't you?"

Hermione smirked, a mean look flitting across her face before she nodded once. She settled back against Neville, letting him take the majority of her weight as she ate, the smirk playing around the corners of her lips for the rest of the meal.

***

The next week settled into a routine. Hermione would wake each morning, entangled with Neville, rising to stretch and keep her muscles moving before showering. She would gain a hot flash of pleasure at the sight of him in her bed each morning as she left for breakfast. When Neville had the choice, he would sleep in, meeting her at the table later, brushing an absentminded kiss over her head as he sat beside her.

Harry and Draco would join them, always bickering and taunting each other. As the week wore on, Hermione noticed that the taunts became more friendly, their insults taking on a vaguely affectionate air. Draco remained wary of her, occasionally falling silent at her stare, though Harry would always tease him for it later.

Fred and George would shadow her most days, just appearing in the room she was in, checking in on her before going off to wherever Tom had asked or where Narcissa was. As Narcissa put it, Hermione was only in charge of getting better for now, though she looked forward to when she was cleared to help them with whatever they were doing. Harry would follow join her and Neville every afternoon, though he would often spend tea time with Sirius, getting to know him. She had met him at dinner after the first morning, and she had been pleasantly surprised at his kind and welcoming demeanor.

She hadn't known why she had expected the incarnation of Aphrodite to be a rude bitch to her, but she supposed that she had long thought of Aphrodite as just a worse version of Lavender. Sirius was brilliant in his own way, though he was far more heavily invested in getting to know her as Hermione, Harry's friend, than he was in getting to know her as the reincarnation of Hades.

Tom, Bellatrix, Regulus, and Lucius, Draco's father, also joined them each night at dinner. Draco had explained to her in the days after her initial recovery day, that Narcissa had fallen for Lucius before she had known she was Hera and had already decided to marry him when she awoke. Her awakening to the mess that was Zeus had only further confirmed her desire to escape and she had slipped away, marrying Lucius as soon as she could.

At her side the entire time, Neville stood, growing more and more into the man she knew he would become. They were quickly reaching new depths in their relationship, their ability to live and sleep together unhindered only enhanced their already strong relationship. Though she knew Neville had suspected for years that she was Hades, his unconditional support and love meant the world to her, and her love for him grew in return.

They were completely and utterly devoted to each other, two halves of the whole, soulmates; reunited at last.

***

HADES SIGHTED AT LAST - HEADMASTER DUMBLEDORE TELLS ALL

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, also known as Parthenon and Council Leader Zeus, has let the Daily Prophet know that he has at long last found Hades, not yet awoken sixteen-year-old Hermione Granger who was sorted into Gryffindor in 1991. He warns however that, "she has found her way to Tom Riddle's side" and has "let him blind her to the truth".

As worrying as that sounds, Dumbledore assures us that all is not lost.

"She is welcome back at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said at a press conference this past Wednesday. "In fact," he said, smiling at the crowd, "So is Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom." He sighed, his voice weary.  "All I ask is that you renounce Tom Riddle's views." He shook his head. "He wants to drag you down, using you until you have served your purpose." He sighed again, tear glistening in his eyes. "Just look at what he's done to your families."

***

"What the fuck," Harry said, ignoring Narcissa's glare at the dinner table. He tossed the paper further down the table, uncaring of the glasses he knocked over. Tom picked it up, his eyes glancing over the title of the article before raising an eyebrow. "Read it," Harry said tersely.

Tom picked up the paper again, skimming until he hit the third paragraph. "Ah," he said, handing the paper over to Sirius who paled as he read it.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Explain that."

Tom glanced around, taking in everyone's expressions before glancing at Narcissa. She nodded once, before rising. "Everyone out," she said, brushing a hand over Harry's head as she passed. The others, aside from Hermione rose, following her out quietly.

Neville lingered at the door, watching her. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked quietly. "I can go if you want." Harry shook his head, curling his hand around hers. He glanced up, taking in Neville, Tom watching the three of them interact. He sighed, jerking his head to the seat next to her, Neville giving him a small smile as he slid back into his seat.

"So," Hermione said, her eyebrow arching. "What's happened now?"

"Zeus has accused me of destroying your two families," Tom said, watching as Neville absorbed the news. "There is no doubt that he hopes that your rage would blind you to the truth, that you would've stormed in and cast first, asking questions later." He turned, facing Harry straight on. "Do you remember at the beginning of this, when I said that Dumbledore had gone, from family to family, and killed them or tortured as he went?" Harry nodded slowly, a look of horrified realization creeping over his face.

"Yes," Tom said, in response to the unasked question. "You are one of those children."

"What?" Harry whispered hoarsely, his grip on Hermione's hand tightening until she was wincing in pain. "That's not possible." He glanced at Neville, only to see the expression of sympathy on his face. He looked back at Tom. "Who- who am I then?"

"Nemesis," Tom said, his face clear of sympathy. "The one Zeus wanted the most."

"No- no," Harry said, his voice wavering. "That's- that can't be true."

Tom grimaced, "I'm sorry Harry. I thought Sirius had told you already."

"No," Harry said blankly. "He hadn't said anything."

"Hey," Hermione said, squeezing his hand. "We're doing this together, okay?" Harry nodded. "I'm serious," she said, locking eyes with him. "Together."

***

"What's the plan?" Hermione asked, on the morning she was finally deemed healthy enough. She bounced through the door, bringing Harry, Draco, and Neville with her, uncaring of the looks she received. She stretched, smirking at the adults. "I'm ready to kick some ass."

Narcissa rolled her eyes, having given up in her attempts to curb Harry, Hermione, and Sirius' mouth. "If you stopped moving ceaselessly, we would tell you." Hermione smiled at her, pulling Neville over to a chair and sitting on his lap, ignoring the snorts she garnered.

"Okay," she said, once she was settled. "What's the plan?"

"Well," Tom said. "As of right now, the plan is keeping you alive until your birthday in September."

"Oh," Hermione said, frowning as Neville tensed beneath her. "What happens after?"

"Up to you," Sirius answered. "We do expect those we know of will also awake with you." He elaborated at Fred's look. "The pull of Hades should be enough, and if it is, we can definitely overwhelm Zeus - he'll have expected a drop in powers but not one that is followed by everyone else awakening."

Harry shifted next to Draco, ignoring his irritated look. "Can we know the others who will awake?"

Tom and Narcissa exchanged another look before Tom sighed. "We can tell you who we suspect-"

"Good enough!" Harry said, grinning excitedly. He subsided under the looks he got. "Sorry."

Narcissa waved him off. "Well, there's you four," she said, Harry's mouth dropping open in astonishment as he glared at Draco who was pointedly looking elsewhere, a satisfied smirk on his face. "And then, we believe there's Theodore Nott and Susan Bones." She sighed, looking down. "And if we get very, very lucky, Apollo or Artemis might surface as well."

"You didn't tell me you were one of us too," Harry accused Draco. "What the hell?"

Draco shrugged, glancing around the room before looking straight at Harry. "You were the only one who didn't seem to know."

"Hey!" Harry said, glaring at Hermione and Neville. "You're supposed to tell me stuff like this."

"Sorry," she said, badly hiding her smile. "Won't happen again." Harry huffed, crossing his arms. Hermione rolled her eyes, before turning serious. "What happens if- when," she corrected, "when we kill Zeus?" The room instantly sobered, her question ratcheting up the tension immeasurably.

"He'll reincarnate eventually," Tom finally said, his expression pensive. "We'll just have to figure it out with the full council afterward."

***

The few months until her birthday flew by, tensions rising each day, as the adults in the manor began to grow more and more anxious. Earlier in the summer, they had come together and decided it was too risky for the four of them to return to Hogwarts, leaving them essentially trapped in the manor, though as they lived together, the four of them became closer and closer, each simultaneously dreading and looking forward to the return to normalcy. The day before her birthday, she awoke, feeling the tension immediately. She turned her head to meet Neville's eyes, a soft smile spreading across her face.

"Good morning," he whispered, pulling her close to him. She closed her eyes, tilting her head against his chest, pressing an absentminded kiss over his heart. They remained in bed far longer than they normally did, dreading leaving and facing the uncertainty that the day was set to bring.

Though none of the adults were certain, a theory had been floated at the beginning of summer that Zeus would save most of his power for the day before her birthday, attempting to kill her one final time before she awoke. He had taken to sending her curse mail items or mail pieces with portkeys embedded in the paper. Every attempt had been caught, though there had been a few which had almost succeed, leaving her exceedingly wary for the day before her birthday.

She sighed, reluctantly pulling herself from Neville as she rose. She smirked at him, a sudden playfulness in her expression. "Shower with me?" she asked, watching as he choked. He nodded slowly, his eyes intent on her as she slowly stepped from her clothes, leaving them puddled on the floor as she made her way into the shower.

She hissed, moments later, the sudden touch of his bare skin on hers a surprise, even though it was expected. She turned, peering up at him, rejoicing in the feeling of him near her. As each hour ticked closer to her birthday, she could feel him more and more, her senses becoming more attuned with him.

He smiled down at her, bending down to kiss her even as he hoisted her up. She smiled back into the kiss, wrapping her legs around him. He pulled back, a sly look in his eyes. "How do you feel about a pre-birthday present?" he asked, pressing a kiss over her heart.

She smiled back, her happiness clear in every line of her body. "Sounds like the best present possible," she answered, leaning down to kiss him again, more than willing to let him sweep her away.

After their shower, they skittered downstairs, where instead of the smaller breakfast group, the usual dinner crew was waiting for them.

"Surprise!" they cried, flicking their wands, as streamers and balloons erupted from them.  Hermione laughed, hugging each of them before pulling Neville to their usual spots. Around them, bright chatter erupted, though the tension of what could come remained. Hermione smiled at everyone, only her heart betraying her nerves. Neville squeezed her hand, exchanging a look with her before she shook off the vaguely foreboding air that surrounded her. It was almost her birthday, she reminded herself. She deserved this.

***

The day had been excellent in a way Hermione hadn't expected. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, everything progressing so smoothly that she kept glancing around, waiting for the atrocity the Zeus had set up to fail. Narcissa had confessed earlier that he had sent her some cursed birthday gifts, but that they were confiscated.

The hours were ticking down more quickly than she expected, until they were only a half an hour from her real birthday, all of them drowsy in front of the fireplace.

Harry shook himself, glancing around before clapping his hands. "Presents!" He said, pulling a gift from out of nowhere. He nudged Hermione, waking her from her doze, ignoring the glare she sent him.

Neville nudged her too, also immune to the narrow-eyed stare she sent him. "Sorry love," he said, holding in a smile, "Harry's right, we should do presents tonight since tomorrow's a big day." He waited for her to roll her eyes before offering her Harry's present.

She pulled the wrapping paper off, smiling at the sight of a new book. "You know me so well," she said.

"I know," Harry smirked, dodging from her gentle slap. He mock-scowled at her. "Hey, Neville's the one who put this all together." Hermione tried to scowl at Neville, but the look quickly dissolved into a smile. Harry mimed throwing up, rolling his eyes at their sappiness. "Open Neville's next," he said, bouncing in place.

Neville grinned at her, grabbing her present. "Okay," he said, his smile slipping at the feel of his present. "Wait," he said, panic rushing into his expression. "This-"

With a soft pop, Neville and Hermione disappeared.

***

Her and Neville's sudden disappearance stunned everyone in the room for a moment before they slid into action, weeks of prep work suddenly coming to fruition. Fred and George strode from the room to gather their supporters, their wands already out and casting patroni to summon them to Hogwarts.

Bellatrix and Regulus disapparated, immediately heading to the Parthenon entrance. Sirius locked eyes with Tom, waiting for his nod before grabbing Harry and Draco and heading to Hogsmeade.

Narcissa and Tom stared at each other for a moment.

"All or nothing," she said, watching for his acknowledgment before she left the room to go change into her armor. Tom clenched his fist at her exit. All those precautions, all those issues, completely for naught. He shook his head - it didn't matter now. Hermione was mere minutes from her birthday. She would be able to hold on, he knew it.

***

Zeus smiled as they arrived, the shackles snapping into place with two cries of pain. He had expected that they would fall for it. Focus on getting to Ms. Granger, and he would train them to expect threats for her. He shook his head, a smirk gracing his lips. What fools they were, he thought, to even believe that they could outsmart him.

He tsked, striding from the shadows. "Ms. Granger," he said, the smirk only growing at the look of absolute hatred she sent him. "How unfortunate that you couldn't join my side." He tilted his head, ignoring her petty threats of destruction. "I wonder," he mused, walking over to Mr. Longbottom. "I wonder if the bond has progressed enough for you to feel this?" He slid his wand down Mr. Longbottom's chest, shallow slices following. He flinched is his grip but made no sound. At her lack of reaction and continued threats, he frowned.

"No?" He pulled his wand back, stabbing deeply into his shoulder blade, the wound causing Mr. Longbottom to scream. Across from him, Ms. Granger paled, her fingers reaching back to touch her shoulder blade. He smiled. "I thought so."

He repeated the action, taking deep satisfaction on the pained noises the two were letting out. As he finally dropped the knife, letting Mr. Longbottom breathe for a moment, he crossed over to Ms. Granger, he watched her drop in the chains, her face slamming into the concrete.

He shook his head. "That's quite-" Cocking his head he paused in what he was saying, a slow terror sweeping through his body as he realized what he was hearing - the clock tower striking midnight.

***

As the bell tolled midnight, Zeus turned to her, his face suddenly crazed. Hermione smiled, the blood from her broken nose, dripping onto her teeth. In the darkness, he realized that she looked dangerous. He pushed the fear to the side, casting a dizzying array of spells at her.

"Oh," she whispered, feeling the welcoming grasp of power, suddenly feeling the slide of knowledge across her nerves, the stunning rush sweeping her up. She snapped her head up, shifting to the shadows to the left of her and pulling herself through them. She barely paused, sliding from her shackles a moment before the spells slammed into her, pulling herself to Neville.

Neville, who at the toll of the bell, had snapped his eyes open, staring at her. She felt their bond settle at the touch of their skin, needing no words to pull them and Zeus to the front hallway where she could feel the gathering of people beginning. They fell through the shadows, her and Neville landing far more gently than Zeus did.

Upon his realization of where he was, Zeus pulled himself up, doing little to hide his shock at the sight of the gathered Parthenon who was staring at him. "Friends," he said, attempting to smile. "I'm so glad you could join us."

"Shut the fuck up," Sirius said, striding through the room, his face murderous.

Zeus sighed, flicking his wand at the entrance to the Great Hall, which opened to reveal a large group of his supporters. "I did try," he said, offering another smile before narrowing his eyes. "But I guess that's what I get for trying."

***

The two groups collided, though it became quickly obvious that Zeus had done nothing to provide his followers with any sort of idea of who they were following. They were downed easily, but the sheer amount of them was stunning.

Hermione and Narcissa exchanged glances, Hermione quickly pulling Neville away to the sidelines even as he protested before heading into the thick of the battle.

She headed towards Zeus, only casting stunners towards others when the got in her way. "Zeus," she called, staring him down as he turned towards her. "We have some unfinished business."

"Oh," Zeus said, his expression mild. "I hadn't realized."

Hermione growled, launching herself at him. The two exchanged spell fire quicker and quicker, Hermione relying more on her luck and shadows than her actual knowledge of spells. Their fight built and built, with her growing more and more exhausted as time went on.

She shifted to the left, immediately realizing her mistake when it left her wide open. Zeus grinned whirling around, his wand aimed directly at her before freezing as a spell burst through his chest. Hermione stopped, panting harshly, as the last sounds of the battle faded at the sight of Zeus toppling. Narcissa grinned at her, expression fierce, from where she stood behind his body, her face coated in blood.

"Zeus has fallen," Tom said, appearing at her side suddenly. "Long live the queen." Slowly a cheer built up, those who had come down from the Parthenon yelling their support the loudest, until the entire room was full of cheers.

She turned, her eyes searching out Neville's in the crowd. He smiled at her, the two of them colliding with each other, with no regard for any of the attention they were receiving.

"We did it," she gasped against him, pulling as tightly against her as she could. He nodded against her head, gripping her just as tightly. "We fucking did it."

[sargeantwoof]

Wonder and Fright and Nothing that Nice

Seamus isn't the only firestarter in Gryffindor, you know?

***************

"I wonder," Hermione began quietly, slowly dragging out her words as if they were a new spell. "If magic can be more?" Harry glanced up, his face pale in the firelight, but said nothing. Her eyes flickered to him before going back to staring at the fire. The rest of her words got caught up in her throat, weighty in a way that hard questions have to be to make the proper impact.

Beside her, Fred shrugged, stretching out his long legs over the coffee table. "Magic is something more."

"But that's…" She trailed off, before starting anew. "That's not quite what I meant."

Sitting in front of the fire, Luna nodded along to Hermione's words, shuffling her deck of muggle cards. "Magic is magic, Hermione." The sharp snap of the deck lingered in the air. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

"Intent." Hermione breathed out.

Across the circle, George snorted. "Is that what we're talking about?" He leaned forward, rolling his sleeves up. "What are you asking?"

Instead of Hermione answering, Ginny responded. "We're talking about magic…" She trailed off, frowning. "The real question is why are you asking?"

"No." Harry cut in, fiddling with his collar. The firelight made the pale scars of I must not tell lies shine a startling white. "The real question is what are you trying to gain from this," He paused, raising his head to meet her eyes. "Hermione."

Hermione stared at him. Who was he, she abruptly wondered. Where was that boy who stood in front of a troll for her? "I," She wet her lips, breaking from his gaze to glance around the room. No one moved in the moments as she measured them, calculating her trust as if it were a finite number, a singular thing. Her gaze landed back on Harry, watching as his lips titled up in the barest hint of a smile. She rolled her eyes, breaking the tension. "Harry James Potter, I will not be put on the spot like this, it's cruel and unusual and-" She stopped talking, letting her face stretch into an uncomfortably wide grin.

Harry froze. "Hermione," He cautioned. "Think it through before you- hey!" He yelped, flinching away from her silent stinging hex.

Neville rose from his spot beside George, grabbing both of their wands. "That's it you two, c'mon, break it up."

Luna chimed in, never lifting her gaze from the queen of hearts. "Nargles, Neville."

He suppressed a sigh. "It's always something." He settled back down, the warmth of their wands a comfort in the encroaching winter chill.

Hermione smiled at Neville before turning back to Harry. "What were you saying?"

He frowned at her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Why? What are you planning?"

She opened her mouth to respond but before she could the door was thrown open. "Blimey, mate," Dean said from between Luna and Hermione. "That's a lot of snow."

"Fuck off, Thomas," Seamus called from where he was brushing snow off his head. "I'd like you to get through this weather without getting snow on you."

Neville snorted. "It's called a repellant charm."

Seamus flipped him off. "And fuck you too, Longbottom." He strode across the circle, giving Dean a brief kiss before squeezing in between him and Luna.

Hermione shot him a grin and winked, tossing a bottle of firewhiskey at him. "Saved this for you." The rest of the room erupted into complaints of selfishness and cheats and boos, as if they weren't all properly sloshed as well. Hermione ignored them all. "Firestarters stick together." She merely said, toasting him with her glass.

Seamus snorted. "Oh yeah?" He took a swig from the bottle, shuddering as it slid down his throat. "What fire have you started?"

Hermione blushed and dropped her gaze. The room went silent for a moment before Harry started chuckling. "C'mon, Seamus. Like you don't know."

Seamus turned to him. "Know what?"

"Yeah, Harry," Fred said slowly, looking between Hermione and Harry. "Know what?"

Harry glanced around the room, his face morphing into shock. "You guys don't know?"

"Harry, mate, I love you." George began. "But I swear to Merlin that if you don't tell us, it's not going to be pretty." He exchanged a look with Fred. "What's Little Miss Prim and Proper done?"

Harry began laughing, "Holy shit. She's done so much."

"Harry…" Hermione warned, going for her wand before realizing that Neville still had it.

She made to get up, but Fred tugged her back down to the couch they were sharing, a glint in his eyes. "You gonna tell us or not, Scarhead?"

Harry tsked, his lips twitching as he looked at Hermione. "That's not very nice." He held up his hands as George made to get up. "Alright, alright! I'll tell you." He took a deep breath.

"She set Professor Snape her first year." Luna said, shuffling her cards again. "He didn't like it very much." Ginny and the twins rolled their eyes at her, before glancing at Hermione and raising their eyebrows.

"Luna-" Hermione protested, her mouth dropping open, "You weren't supposed to-"

"What?" Fred and George whispered. "You did what?"

Seamus tilted his bottle to her. "I suppose that is worth a toast then." Dean tossed an incredulous look at him. Seamus shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me much," He took another swig. "Lass is full of fire."

"Lass?" Hermione said, disdain dripping from the one word as she grabbed for a wand that wasn't there. "Seamus Finnegan if you ever-"

"Hermione, c'mon," Harry cut her off. "It's Seamus." Hermione quieted, throwing one mutinous glare at Harry before huffing.

"Can we rewind?" Neville asked. "Hermione set Snape on fire?"

"Don't forget-" Fred began.

"-she was a firstie then, too." George finished.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, pressing her lips together as Harry let out another low chuckle. "She's done more than that."

"Harry-"

"Oh no, Granger." George smirked at her, "You're not letting us miss these tales." She frowned for a moment before glancing at Harry. He titled his head at her, raising an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and let the corners of her mouth quirk up into a small smile.

Fred whooped. "Atta girl, 'Mione." She rolled her eyes even more vigorously in response.

"Yeah Harry," Dean said. "Spill the beans."

"Beans?" Ginny asked, staring at Dean. "What do beans have to do with anything?"

Dean closed his eyes, sighing. "Nevermind. Harry?"

Harry grinned. "Where to begin?"

[sargeantwoof]

This Is Not Enough ((have I crossed the line))

unsub team?

slowly fracturing? loosing their place in the bigger picture? more risks are taken? instead of talking them down they trip them up? starts with Elle, carries over to Hotch and Morgan and Reid and then surges up, suffocating Hotch, coating him in Foyets blood, seeping into his brain, until all he can think about is never letting someone have that power over a family again. Morgans slow break starts with Elle and splinters with Penelope and matches with Hotches

*****

it had started far before Foyet. it had started when Elle had cocked her gun and taken a shot, the cool air whipping around her as the sound echoed off the buildings and into the sky. 

she had taken the shot, never realizing just what, besides her, was going to fracture. 

for too long, she lingered on the edges of the teams memories, in the dark crevices that none of them liked to look into. she stood behind them in mirrors, her confident face flashing behind eyelids. 

in each gunshot, Derek, Spencer, and Hotch heard her impatient whisper, felt the curl of her lips pressed against their skin. 

it was enough to drive anyone mad. 

***

with Foyet, things shifted in a different manner, both more overt and subtle than when Elle left. 

they had killed before, shot men and women to death, seen horrific crime scenes, and felt the spray of blood across their face. 

with Foyet - with Foyet, it was different. 

beating a man to death is a far different method of killing than a simple bullet fired from a chamber. 

***

none of them talked about Hankel. 

***

for Derek, Elle was the bullet in the chamber. Hankel was the cocking. 

Penelope Garcia being shot was the trigger. 

***

for JJ, it was a slow burn. 

she knew, she knew, what sorrow was, how it melted through a person, a slow sweep of cold realization, the sudden pit in her stomach that swallowed all emotions that made her feel, the numbness that followed and echoed in her joints. 

she knew. 

hollow people led to hollow decisions and she hadn't felt real in a long, long time. 

***

Penelope had never expected it. 

she was bright. bubbly. effervescent. 

she dug through muck and shit - she didn't absorb it - she wasn't it.

she was simple, colorful, a dreadful gossip, unassuming, harmless. 

she was. she was. 

((she wasn't))

***

Spencer felt the gaps of his ribs, felt the press of his soles to the ground, felt the caress of his curls on his forehead. 

he touched the back of his knuckles, pressed the tip of his tongue to the roof of his mouth, rolled his ankles. 

he felt and searched and pressed and still, still, he wrong, empty, a husk. 

he rattled off statistics, read hundreds of thousands of words, solved cases. 

he was missing something. 

he just knew it. 

***

Strauss had no idea the powder keg she had dumped on the BAU in the form of one Emily Prentiss. 

***

Emily was put together wrong. 

she was missing things, like the right reactions or the correct emotion. 

when she was thirteen, she watched a man die protecting her. 

her mother couldn't look at her for months after, a twisted expression on her face as she watched Emily grow. 

it didn't bother Emily. 

and in hindsight, that was a huge red flag. 

***

Will would sometimes come home and watch JJ, his face open and uncomplicated, his eyes fond. 

she'd extend a hand and he'd come into their room, a small smile making its way across his face. 

'how was work,' Will would ask. 

'good,' JJ would say, tightening her hand just enough so that Will would know that they hadn't just caught the unsub but had put them in the ground where they belonged. 

'good,' Will would respond, the fondness leaching from his eyes for a moment, satisfaction curling in the corners of his lips. 

they would sit for hours, hands latched together, content in their work and their world, something like happiness curling in the air around each other. 

***

none of them voiced it. 

***

Rossi joined the team, clicking into place as though he had been there forever.

he smoothed certain edges, calmed the team just enough, up-lifted them to a new standard. 

he didn't stop them. 

he made them better. 

*** 

the first time he kills someone like they have in the past the team opens up like the sea, pulling back in a low rush of sound, before crashing down around him, thundering through the earth, sweeping him up into an exhilaration he hadn't known was possible. 

he had paused, on the brink, in the moment before he pressed down the trigger, and let himself entertain the thought of not.

in the end though, it was inevitable. 

he was inevitable. 

***

the team broke in places, splintering in more and more devastating ways.

***

Gideon would have been horrified.  

((if he had been able to see it.))

He knew his team like they were his family. 

((he would've been blind until he wasn't and it would've broken him.))

Leaving was the worst thing he had done. 

((it was the best.))

((but not for him.))

***

Spencer watched with cool eyes at the edges of the bar, the smokey air a smooth drag in his throat. his eyes almost like a caress on Emily's skin, her heartbeat a steady thud against her breastbone. 

JJ, her hair glinting in the dim light, Will, a steady presence at her back. Derek, perched on a chair with his back to the wall, looking like someone from a magazine spread. Hotch and Rossi deep in the shadows of the club, whiskey in hand.  Even Penelope was there, tucked under Derek's arm.

Emily knew what she looked like. she knew what she projected. she knew how she was acting. 

drunk, sloppy, easy - a target.

they had never done this before. 

***

Rossi knew the potential the BAU. he knew the good it could do. 

Gideon knew the potential too. and he had his reservations.

((Gideon was right.))

***

Derek grinned across the plane, taking in the smooth inhales of Spencer fast asleep before turning back to JJ. She cocked an eyebrow, a glimmer of amusement in her gaze. 

Derek shrugged back, his face fond and open as Will's was and JJ reached out, clasping his hand in hers, squeezing like she would to Will. 

Derek blinked back at her, before a look of satisfaction crawled across his face and he squeezed back. 

His hands were the same as they had always been. Big, strong, bruised knuckles, with gunpowder residue across his palm. 

JJ grinned at him, letting her delight shine through.

They were good at this. 

*** 

Almost too good. 

***

Elle was the first to find it, the peacefulness in a gunshot, the way the sensation of killing lingered in her hands, the smell of smoke wreathed around her. 

Hotch fell next, bloodied and bruised and damaged, soaking up the feeling of I did this, I did this, I did this, even as this was a broken body. 

Derek tipped over the line, watching Penelope breath with tubes in her nose. he knew what was coming. out of all of them, he knew what steps to take to make that choice. and he did, he tipped right over the line, easy as pie. 

Emily slotted into place, taking up their mantle with only a single blink and a raised eyebrow. 

Penelope followed, drawn to lessening the violence. no one said anything otherwise, even when she crossed lines that none of them dared. 

Spencer watched and waited and learned and read and when he was ready, he put down his books and he took up his gun. 

JJ, his twin flame in all universes smiled, clenched Will's hand a little tighter, and followed him in, feet first. 

Rossi sighed, tipped his head back and stood, the final piece to their puzzle. the beginning to their end and the end to their beginning. 

***

A single gunshot echoed in the air and unbeknownst to anyone, the nine of them began to fall. 

[sargeantwoof]

clementine

"I'm sorry," you say, fist clenched tight, pulpy sticky juice from the clementine crushed in your hand running down your wrist. You focus on the girl standing next to you on the sidelines. She is backed by the other teams goal net in the distance, its frame too large for her even when she's this close.

She doesn't say anything more, giving you a disdainful look. She shifts to the right, inching away in a pattern that will slowly become more familiar over the years. You sigh, touching the tops of your shin pads, frowning when the juice stains the white sock a dull orange.

The grass from the soccer field sticks to your hands when you push yourself up, searching to find your coach. "Can I go in?" you ask, pretending that you have a burning desire to play again.

"No," he says, ignoring you to focus on the posse of your eight-year old teammates, the other more athletic girls steering your team towards a win. You sigh, hoping that your clear unhappiness will get a better response. He drops his eyes to you. "Go sit down," he says. "Have another orange slice."

"They're clementine's," you mutter, flinching back slightly when he drops his hands to his hips. "Yes, Dad," you sigh, tromping back over to sit.

[sargeantwoof]

Bring Me Some Hope

Ned and MJ meet Peter's guardians - formally. Like now everyone knows they're dating.

******************************************

"So," MJ said as they slid into the back of Happy's car, each of them offering him a wave before gripping each other's hands again. "We're invited to dinner?"

Peter flushed lightly, his hands noticeably flexing in both their grips. "Yeah," he said, a small frown making its way onto his face. "But, you guys don't have to come," he said, the words dropping from his mouth faster than he was planning. "It's no biggie, really! I can tell Mr. Stark-"

"Of course we're coming over," Ned said, squeezing his hand. Peter blinked at him, swinging his head around to look at MJ who nodded at him, a smirk set on her face. "We wouldn't miss it for the world."

Peter blushed even more darkly, dipping his head and peeking up through his eyelashes. Ned and MJ exchanged a look, both holding back from rolling their eyes. If it had been anyone else, the nervous, unsure act would have felt fake but since it was Peter, they knew exactly how overwhelmed he could get with emotions.

MJ unlocked his hand from hers, gently looping her hand around his wrist and pushing her fingertips into the steady thrum of his heartbeat, anchoring herself to his veins. "C'mon, dork, whose going to be there tonight?" Peter's pulse picked up, but his face didn't change as he looked between the two of them.

"Uh, Pep wanted to meet you two?"

"Pep?" Ned said blankly before freezing. "Do you- do you mean Pepper Potts?"

Peter dropped his head again, groaning lightly. "Yeah Ned, I mean Pepper Potts."

"Holy shit," Ned said, a grin breaking out over his face. "She's the best!"

"I know," Peter said, smiling at him. "She's apparently excited to meet you too."

"Me?" Ned squeaked, swallowing hard. "She's- she's excited to meet-" He cut himself off, slumping back against the red leather car cushions, waving his free hand at the two of them. "Give me a minute."

Peter laughed softly, looking back to MJ. "You excited to meet her too?"

MJ nodded a quick flash of her teeth the only sign of the excitement. "Moreso because of who she is to you," she admitted after a minute. "Less so because she's Miss Potts."

"Dawww," Ned said, laughing at the glare she sent him. "That's so cah-uyte."

"Okay, fangirl," MJ replied dryly, the quirk of her lips belying her tone. "Like that's not a big reason you're excited and nervous too."

Ned shrugged, leaning further into Peter, who glanced up at MJ to double-check that she was good with him leaning onto her. She reached up, scratching through his hair gently before letting him fall slowly onto her. "I mean, I'm still nervous about seeing Mr. Stark tonight," he said. "And- Aunt May."

"What?" Peter said, his tone indignant. "Aunt May loves you!"

MJ rolled her eyes, reaching down to grip Ned's free hand, the three of them as entangled as they could be in the backseat. "It's because now they know we're dating, dweeb." She squeezed Ned's hand, a quick pulse to let him know that he wasn't alone in his nerves. "I don't think any of us have ever had to do the whole 'meet the parents' thing."

For a moment the car was silent, the only noise the thrum of the engine and faints honks from the street, the three of them absorbing that in before Peter snorted. "Well," he said, a sly tinge to his words. "Technically you still aren't."

MJ's mouth dropped open, Ned yanking his hand from hers and sitting up as quickly as he could, Peter sliding further down the seat as he began laughing, pulling his hands from theirs to try to prop himself back up. "Guys," he said, pausing to keep laughing for a beat before attempting to continue. "You- you should've seen your faces."

Ned glared at him, the fierceness of the look destroyed by the laughter in his eyes. "Peter! You can't just say that!"

Peter laughed again, pulling himself up from the sprawl he was in. "I'm sorry!" He said, biting his lip, the gesture doing nothing to hide his grin. "Forgive me?" He blinked at the two of them innocently.

"Ugh," Ned said, looking to MJ. "I can't be the one to decide this, I'm too weak."

MJ sniffed, a scowl set on her face. "I can," she said, nudging Peter with her knee. "No."

Peter turned to her, his eyes wide and his mouth trembling with the effort to keep from laughing again. "Please? I'll do whatever you want!"

MJ grinned, the sudden smile blooming across her face a surprise. "Then perish," she said. Peter blinked at her, his mouth dropping open. Ned chuckled, leaning over and slapping his hand against hers when she held hers out as Happy pulled into the Stark Industries garage and his subsequent door opening a perfect ending. She hopped out, smirking at Happy who rolled his eyes but obliged her fist bump, shooing them out of the car, Peter following a moment later.

"You're coming up for dinner right?" Peter hollered over his shoulder as he gently pushed them towards the elevator Friday was holding open.

Happy sighed. "Yeah kid," he said. "I'm about to go pick up your Aunt."

"Great!" Peter chirped. "You should let her sit upfront with you," he said, a teasing look on his face. "She likes it a lot."

"Okay, Romeo," Ned said, snagging his hand and yanking Peter into the elevator before Happy could yell back. "One day you're going to push him too far." The door shut behind them, MJ shaking her head at the two of them.

Peter shook his head, a grin playing around his lips. "He and May don't know that I know that they're kinda dating." Ned mock-gasped, his hand flying up to his face before Peter paled, glancing up at the ceiling. "Don't tell Mr. Stark, Fri," he said. "At least not tonight."

"Welcome back Peter," Friday said. "I can hold off on that until tomorrow afternoon if that is okay?"

"Perfect," Peter said, relaxing into Ned's shoulder. "Thanks, Fri, you're the best."

"Why do you have to tell Mr. Stark?" MJ asked a frown beginning to etch itself across her face.

Friday waited a beat, the elevator slowing as they neared the labs' floor. "Mr. Stark asks to be alerted any time Mr. Happy Hogan has a change in his relationship," she said. "The same protocol is in place for Colonel James Rhodes."

"Uh-huh," MJ said, as the doors opened, Peter grabbing her hand and tugging her down the hall. "Does he do that for Peter?"

"Hey!"

"No," Friday answered. "He is a minor and, quote, 'a spiderling'."

Ned nodded sagely. "That's fair."

'Hey!" Peter said again, swinging the lab door open. "Spiderman! I'm Spider-Man!"

"Sure thing, kid," Tony answered, wiping his hands on a towel. "If you say so." Peter groaned as Tony ignored him. "Ned, MJ, nice to see you again."

"Thanks- thank you, Mr. Stark, sir," Ned said, squeezing Peter's hand and flushing at the look he shot him. "What," he hissed, flicking his eyes between Tony and Peter. "I still get nervous and this- it's a big deal."

MJ said nothing for a moment before setting her bookbag down and crossing her arms, Peter's hand still clasped in hers. "Stop bugging my classrooms."

"Oh?" Tony said, delight spreading across his face, as he caught onto what she wasn't saying. "Only your classrooms?"

MJ shrugged, her face impassive. "Big brother is always watching in some way and, well, someone needs to look out for the spiderling." Tony snorted, nodding.

"This is a betrayal," Peter muttered darkly, dropping their hands and heading back to his desk. "See if I ever invite you over again."

Tony shot him a fond look over his shoulder before turning back to Ned and MJ. "So," he said, "what do you kids want to do in Candyland? Ned, you code, right?"

"Right!" Ned squeaked, his eyes wide. "I, uh, broke into the suit-" he cut himself off, paling rapidly. "Coding, yes, I like to code."

Tony narrowed his eyes at him for a beat before grinning. "I already know about the 'break-in'," he said, using air quotes around break-in. "You really thought that Karen wouldn't tell me?" Or, he added in his mind, that you could really break into Stark tech? Ned blinked at him, that panic fading only slightly from his face. Tony suppressed the smile that threatened to break out over his face, resigned, as always, to the burgeoning relationships Peter was dragging him into. He clapped Ned on his shoulder, leading him over to the desk across from Peter. "This is yours now," he said, smirking at the noise Ned made. "When you come with Pete next time, this can be your space." He narrowed his eyes, ignoring Peter's sigh and rolling eyes. "I can't promise I won't look over your stuff," he said. "But I won't tinker too much."

"Mr. Stark," Peter huffed, scrunching up his nose at him. "Leave Ned alone." Ned turned wide eyes on him, shaking his head at the teen.

Tony rolled his eyes, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Sometimes you're nothing but a brat, Parker."

"Learned from the best," Peter shot back cheekily, grinning at the mock-offended look Tony gave him.

He shook his head, turning around to look at MJ. "And you?"

"Me," MJ said, her tone dry.

"She likes to draw people in distress," Peter said, smiling at her. She heaved a sigh, looking back at Tony who was watching the two of them with soft eyes. Peter held out a hand, coaxing her forward. "If you don't want to draw, want to point out all the mistakes I make?"

She stepped forward, snagging a chair, a slow smile on her face. "You know I live for pointing out flaws," she said, dropping into the chair beside Peter, their hands sliding together.

Tony took a step back, not bothering to hide his smile. The three of them were something else, their ease and joy to simply be together a sight to behold. Ned ducked his head, already working hard on something, but as Tony watched, he extended his legs, hooking each of his ankles with MJ and Peter. Tony took another step back, glancing over at one of Friday's eyes and mouthing send that picture to May, Pepper, and I, before he wandered back to his desk, deadset on finally finishing the nanobot tech for Peter's new suit.

The hour passed quickly, each of them rapidly becoming absorbed in their work. At 6:30, a soft chime filled the air, causing all of them to jolt, Tony having remembered set an alarm for once. He didn't want to have to deal with Pepper and May at the same time, especially on such an important occasion.

Peter glanced up, watching fondly as MJ discarded an entire line of chemical equations, Ned grinning across the table at him. "Thanks for the help," Peter said, as Tony walked over to them. "I love it when you destroy months of hard work."

MJ shrugged. "It's why you keep me around," she said, stretching, her back popping. Peter said nothing, his eyes slipping down her body before he realized what he was doing, and flushed, yanking his eyes away from her, accidentally making eye contact with Tony. He blushed even harder when all Tony did was arch an eyebrow at him.

Tony hid his eye roll, instead clapping. "C'mon minions," he said. "Pep is home and I think she and May have broken out the wine."

"Great," Peter muttered, standing. "Tipsy Aunt May."

"I happen to love tipsy May," Ned said, grinning, MJ pulling him up from the chair and towards the elevator. "She always brings out your baby pictures." At Tony's interested look, Ned elaborated, the tension that he had been carrying since the doors first swung open fully sliding from his shoulders. "Peter liked to dress up as Iron Man-"

"Ned! C'mon man-"

MJ smirked at Ned, her hand clasped over Peter's mouth, as the four of them were brought up eight floors. "I don't think I've seen these yet."

"They're a delight," Ned said, as the doors whooshed open, so focused on embarrassing Peter that he hadn't realized the room they were heading into had Pepper. "He's all tiny with messy curly hair and a homemade Iron Man gauntlet."

A laugh broke the four of them from their focus, May and Pepper sitting at the table. "I love those pictures," May said, smiling at the way Peter flushed. "He wanted to be Iron Man when he grew up so badly."

Peter peeled MJ's fingers from his mouth, keeping her hand clasped in hers even. "And the one time I went to an event-"

May nodded, her face briefly pained before she shook it off. "It's always you, isn't it baby," she said, smoothing his hair back as he came to stand next to her, MJ tense at his side. Peter shrugged, leaning in to brush a kiss over her cheek before, pulling MJ closer. May turned her attention to her. "So, you must be the brilliant and mysterious Michelle."

"You can call me MJ, Ms. Parker," MJ said, blushing lightly.

"What!" Ned and Peter said together, glancing at each other before Peter continued. "We had to wait like a month to call you MJ."

MJ shrugged, the embarrassed look fading as Peter's gentle teasing steadied her. "Powerful women get more rights than teen boys."

May laughed, exchanging a look with Pepper. "You'll fit right in here," May said. "And please, call me May." MJ nodded, letting Peter tug her around the table to Pepper, Ned stepping forward to give May a cheek kiss and get swept into a bracing hug, May cupping her hands under his chin. "You, Mr. Leeds, need to come to visit, even when Peter is out." She said, before dropping her hands to point at MJ. "And bring your girlfriend too."

"Mayyyyyyy," Peter said, shifting on his feet, unable to hide his fondness for her under his embarrassment. "Stopppp."

May rolled her eyes, turning back the entrance of the kitchen where Tony stood, She gestured him forward, patting the seat on the bench next to her, leaning into him when he looped an arm around her. Tony brushed a kiss over her head, smirking at the pained look Peter sent him.

Peter held back from rolling his eyes, but only out of respect for Pepper, who caught the instinctive motion and shook her head. "I can't control him," she said, tossing a fond look over her shoulder. "A little attitude won't hurt."

"I'll keep that in line, Pep," Peter said, smiling at her. He reached out, grabbing Ned's hand, ignoring the way both he and MJ tightened their grips on his. "This is MJ," he said, giving her a soft smile. "My girlfriend. And Ned," he said, squeezing his hand tightly. "My boyfriend."

Pepper smiled, her face open and welcoming. "Peter's mentioned you two so much it feels like I'm meeting my own personal celebrities," she said, ignoring his quiet moan of embarrassment. "I hope Tony's made you feel welcome."

"Hey," Tony began, only to be cut off by May's elbow to his ribs.

"We were, Miss Potts," Ned said, his eyes shining with happiness. "Mr. Stark has been super welcoming."

Pepper raised an eyebrow at Ned and glanced at MJ to confirm. MJ nodded, a small smile on her face. Pepper outright grinned, twisting slightly to look back at Tony. "So you can be welcoming," she said. "I'll remember that."

"I'm always welcoming," Tony snarked back, mock-offended. "But I was especially welcoming for the kid."

Peter sighed, having given up on attempting to control any of the embarrassing moments between them. "Where's Happy?" He asked, glancing around suddenly. "He's coming to dinner, right?"

Tony nodded. "He'll be up in a moment," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at May who rolled her eyes. "He's bringing up the food."

"Stop teasing them, Tony," Pepper said, her smile growing as Tony immediately stopped wiggling his eyebrows. "Set the table if you're going to start causing problems."

"Yes, ma'am," Tony said, sliding out from the bench and brushing a kiss on Pepper's head as he walked further into the kitchen, disappearing from view.

"So," Pepper said, gently nudging the bench next to her out with her foot and gesturing for them to sit. "How were all of your days today?"

Peter let go of Ned and MJ's hands, letting them slide onto the bench first before sliding in between MJ and Pepper, May getting up from her spot across from them and sitting kitty-corner to Ned. "It was good," Peter said, hooking his ankle with MJs in an unconscious move. "Pretty boring."

"Boring?" Pepper said, her brow furrowing. "I thought-"

"Where do you want the plates?" Tony said, interrupting Pepper, and offering Peter a sly wink before focusing back on her.

She frowned, things clicking into place before she wiped the emotion from her face. "I figured we could eat here," she said, scooching back a little bit to let him set the plates down. Tony nodded, slinging his legs over the bench and sliding in next to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek before glancing down to May.

"You okay down there?"

May blinked at him, her steely-eyed look fading as everyone looked. "I'm fine, Tony," she said, fond exasperation in her tone. She opened her mouth, turning to MJ but the elevator sliding open cut her off.

"Traffic was awful," Happy said, as he entered, peering over a stack of five large pizza boxes. "Some jackass almost gridlocked Midtown." He placed the boxes down, sighing, before looking over at the three teens sandwiched in-between every important adult in Peter's life. "I see you haven't started grilling them too harshly yet."

"Happy," Peter groaned, as May laughed. "I thought you were on my side."

Happy snorted, opening a box up and sliding it to Tony. "Not after what you pulled today, kid," he said, slipping in neatly next to May.

"What does that mean?" Tony asked, handing a piece off to Pepper.

Happy looked at him for a moment before shaking his head. "Sorry boss, classified."

Tony's mouth dropped open, shock clear in his eyes. Pepper rolled her eyes, patting him on the chest. "Leave it alone," she advised before turning back to face them. "How was your day, Ned? MJ?"

"Oh, it was good, Miss Potts," Ned said, glancing at Peter and relaxing slightly at the smile he got in return. "We just had a mini-decathlon practice, which MJ is the captain of, but, it was really a normal boring day at school."

"Please," Pepper said, taking a sip of wine. "Call me Pepper or Pep, I get enough of Miss Potts at work." Ned smiled at her, delight clear on his face. Pepper continued, "And can I just say that I think it's fantastic that you're the captain, MJ?" She gave Peter a fond look. "It's hard enough corralling one brilliant teen, but trying to make a whole group of them work together? That must be even harder."

MJ shrugged, setting her piece of pizza down on her plate and wiping her fingers on her napkin before looking at Pepper. "Thanks," she said, a light blush dusting its way across her cheeks. "I enjoy it though, and so-" she shrugged again, before knocking her shoulders into Ned's and Peter's. "When they're smart, they're smart, you know?"

Pepper nodded, giving Tony a fond look. "I know."

Tony glanced at her, blinking. "Were you talking to me?" He asked, gesturing wildly with his pizza. "I wasn't paying attention." He glared down the table at Happy. "I was trying to get him to tell me what Pete said."

"I'm sure it was going to work eventually," Pepper said, patting his hand, winking at Peter when he snorted.

Peter grinned at her, his smile almost overtaking his face. He leaned into MJ, taking a bite of his pizza, watching as Ned leaned into her too. As Tony gave up on intimidating Happy and began to tell a ridiculous story about the last time he was in Prague, Ned extended his free arm, sliding it onto MJ's lap. She glanced down and rolled her eyes but freed one of her arms too, snagging Peter's open hand and bringing it to her lap, letting the two of them link pinkies.

May leaned into Happy, watching her nephew settle against his girlfriend and hold hands with his boyfriend and sighed, her heart full of love. She looked across the table, meeting both Pepper and Tony's eyes, all of them in complete agreement about the adorableness of the three. Tony kept talking, the fondness in his eyes unmistakable as he watched them. May sighed again, drowsy and comfortable in the kitchen of Stark Tower, completely and absolutely content.

[sargeantwoof]

Lean Back And Breathe

In a school full of geniuses Peter expected to keep his secret?

Yeah, right.

Luckily for him, those who know aren't that interested in exposing that tidbit of information.

*************************

Peter shuffled to the side, dragging his face buried in his arms across his desk, missing the looks the team shot him. MJ cleared her throat, her face impassive aside from the minor tightening of her eyes.

"Well," she said, "The Yalta Conference was held when? And it was about what?"

Peter slid to the side again, his head getting dangerously close to the edge, knocking pens and papers from the desk. The muted thuds startled him, his head shooting up as he looked around panicked. His eyes caught on Ned first and then MJ, his body softening as he realized where he was.

"Peter?" Betty said quietly, causing Peter's face to swing to hers, his eyes blinking owlishly. When he realized where he was, in the middle of Decathlon practice, his face turned bright red and he groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "Peter," Betty continued. "Are you okay?"

He waved his hands at her, not bothering to lift his head. Above him, Ned and MJ exchanged a look, the glance not missed by anyone else in the practice. The silence lasted another beat before Ned cleared his throat, blushing lightly as the rest of the team swung to look at him.

"Peter- he's, he's fine," Ned said, his voice growing stronger with each word. "He- uhh, he had to get- help his aunt late last night."

"Right," Cindy said, her brow arched. "That's why he's always tired." 

Peter groaned again, lifting his head up, tired annoyance etched across his face. "Why do you guys care so much?" He rubbed his eyes, unaware of the sweet picture he was portraying. In the back of the room, Flash snorted, covering his mouth at the glare MJ shot him. Peter yawned, dropping his hand. "I just- I had a lot of stuff to do for Mr. Stark and Aunt May."

"Oh, I'm sure you did," Flash muttered, keeping his gaze focused above Peter's head to avoided MJ's worsening glare.

Peter scrunched up his nose, blinking at them again, as if he had just realized where he was. "What time is it?" He asked, frowning. He glanced down at his watch, freezing for a moment before swearing and scrambling for his stuff. "Shit!" He cried. "I gotta go, Mr. Stark-" he shoved a pencil in his mouth, shoving his chair back, the two muffling the rest of the sentence. "Gottagobye!" He ran for the door, never looking back.

MJ sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "Well," Abe said brightly. "It really is never dull in practice is it."

"Are we continuing?" Charles asked, glancing around. "Even though Flash is his alternate he really doesn't offer much."

"Hey!"

"No," MJ said, sliding her notebooks in bag. She stood, Ned rising across from her. "We will reconvene tomorrow. 3 pm sharp." She offered the group a blank stare and a nod before she turned to go. "Later losers."

"Yeah, bye!" Ned called cheerfully as they left the room.  

There was a moment of silence after they left. One beat, two beat, before the rest of the team drew closer together.

"So," Betty said, raising her eyebrows at them. "They really think they're fooling us all don't they?"

Abe snorted, Charles rolling his eyes. "Uh huh," Cindy answered, her tone vaguely fond. "Parker thinks he's slick."

"I still think you guys are wrong," Flash said, scooching closer to them. He ignored Sally's scoff and lowered his voice, leaning in even closer. "There's no way that it's true."

Abe rolled his eyes, irritation flashing across his face. "Peter has to be."

"No-"

"DC?" Sally said, interrupting. "C'mon Flash he has to be."

"No," Flash repeated, the word sour in his mouth. "Because if he is, why hasn't he decked me yet?"

Betty huffed, . "It's Peter, Flash. It's like you've forgotten that you, and most of us," she gestured around the group. "Grew up with him." She shook her head, eyeing him with disbelief. "He cried when one of us stepped on a beetle in 2nd grade, obviously he's not going to punch you."

"But-"

"He's protecting people," Charles cut in. "You were gonna say, 'but now he's out there punching people' - and yeah," Charles admitted. "He is." He looked over at Flash, taking in the tense lines of his body. "But the difference is that those people deserve it."

"I called him Penis."

"You still call him Penis," Sally said, a wry twist to her mouth. "I think at this point we all assume it's more of a weird fond nickname than an actual issue."

"But-"

"But nothing," Cindy said, slapping a hand down on the table. "We all know Peter is Spiderman."

A clap echoed from the doorway, the six of them tensing and spinning to look. MJ stood there, backlight by the harsh hallway lights of Midtown. "God," she said, raising an eyebrow. "It took you idiots long enough."

***

Tony Stark: I may have bugged your classroom.         4:23 PM

Peter Parker: mr stark???       4:25 PM

Tony Stark: c'mon Pete, like you didn't have my number before.       4:25 PM

Peter Parker: i didn't realize u'd know mine??        4:26 PM

Tony Stark: You thought that I'd not know your number - that I'd know you were the spiderling but not know your        4:27 PM  number?

Peter Parker: … in hindsight that feels dumb        4:28 PM   wait, y'd u bug my class? Tony Stark: why wouldn't I?        4:29 PM

Peter Parker: basic privacy laws???        4:29 PM

Tony Stark: those don't apply to me. I'm Tony Stark.        4:30 PM

Peter Parker: I think they still do        4:30 PM

Tony Stark: whatever, not the point        4:30 PM The point is that I bugged your classroom and your fellow nerds know Peter Parker: know what?        4:31 PM     wait, mr stark??   they know what??        4:34 PM    mr. stark?? ***

Peter scrambled from the car, his face flushing when Happy sighed behind him. He had told Mr. Stark that he was more than capable of swinging to him after school but the idea had been vetoed every time. He shut the door behind him, mindful of slamming it. The last time he had forgotten about his strength he had crumpled the car door. Mr. Stark had thought it was hilarious but Happy had been more than a little upset.

"Bye Happy!" He called over his shoulder, slinging his bag over his arm and scurrying in through the doors Friday was holding open for him.

"Good afternoon Peter," Friday said, her voice a familiar tone in his ears. "Boss is waiting for you in the lab - would you like me to take you there?"

"Yes, please!" Peter said, glancing down at his phone. Around him the elevator hummed, the doors clicking shut behind him as it began to rise. He frowned at the sight of Mr. Starks texts, still open on his screen. He sighed, shoving his phone back in his pocket, resigned to having to ask Mr. Stark what he meant in person.

The doors opened, a tiny woosh of sound, the hallway empty in front of him. Peter glanced through the windows as he walked towards Mr. Starks labs door, taking in the scattered tools and bits of machinery strewn across the tables inside. He pushed through, the sudden noise almost overwhelming him.

"-And you need to stop!" Tony said, staring at Dum-E, a fond look on his face. He shook the wrench in his hand at the bot, ignoring the way the he drooped in response. "If you go towards the fire extinguisher one more time-" Friday cut the music, startling him into turning around. "Fri- Kid!" He said, grinning at him. "Just in time!"

"Just in time for what Mr. Stark?" Peter asked warily, sliding his bag off his shoulder and setting it on the table closest to the door.

Tony blinked at him, the gleeful expression dipping for a moment. "Are we not re-calibrating the webs today?" He rubbed his forehead, smearing oil over his eyebrow. "I thought we were?"

"We are," Peter said, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "I was just - nevermind." He cut himself off, instead wandering closer to Tony. "Friday can you bring up the schematics from the last time I was here?"

"Of course Peter," Friday answered, the outlines unfolding in front of him in a haze of blue.

"Thanks Fri," Peter said, his eyes catching on a mistake he hadn't noticed before. He fiddled with it for a moment before glancing up and catching Mr. Stark smiling at him. He flushed, yanking his hand back from the schematics. "What?" He said, self-consciously.

"Nothing, Pete," Tony said, his face fond and open. "Just proud of you."

Peter blinked at him, blushing an even deeper red, his mouth dropping open. "Me- me?"

Tony snorted, rolling his eyes. "Who else would I be talking to here?"

"Friday?" Peter squeaked.

"Incorrect," Friday said, her voice as fond as she could get. "Boss is proud of you Peter."

Peter looked down, the action doing nothing to hide the shy smile on his face. "Thanks, Mr. Stark."

"Of course kid."

Peter fell silent, reaching back towards the schematics, his hands much slower than they had been. He worked for another moment before realizing that he had never asked Mr. Stark his question. "Mr. Stark?" Peter said, getting a nod in response, though he didn't look up from what he was working on. "What did you mean earlier?"

"Earlier?" Tony said, highlighting a section of code to be revisited, willfully ignoring the fact that the entire section was basically neon yellow. "Like when I said I was proud of you?"

"No-" Peter said, a tiny smile on his face. "Like with the texts?"

"Oh," Tony said, looking up. "Your nerd friends figured out your Spiderman."

Peter frowned. "MJ and Ned already knew that Mr. Stark."

"No," Tony said, raising an eyebrow. "The other ones who are on your team." Peter's face drained of color. Tony stood, setting down the tablet and striding over to him. "Did you really not know kid?" Peter shook his head, completely mute. Tony sighed, slinging an arm around him. "If it helps, it sounds like they've known for a while."

"What?" Peter said, his face shocked and voice strangled. "Since when?"

Tony bit back a smile at the obliviousness of Peter. "Since DC?" He said, the smile coming out full force when Peter groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

"God," Peter said, his voice slightly muffled. "They must think I think they're idiots."

***

"MJ, heyyyyyy," Betty said, her face slightly panicked. "How long- how long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," MJ answered, her face impassive. Ned appeared over her shoulder, his expression equally unreadable. They slipped inside the room, MJ locking it behind her. The six in the center of the room swallowed hard, fear flickering through their eyes. Though they knew that Peter would've never laid a finger on them, MJ was a complete anomaly.

"We were just-," Flash began.

"Shut up Flash," MJ said, her voice betraying nothing. She slung herself over a chair, turning it so she was bracing her arms on the back of it. Beside her, Ned followed, snagging another chair and sitting in it, his face completely serious. "Here's how this is going to go," MJ said. "We're going to have ourselves a little discussion."

Ned leaned forward, staring each of them down. "No one is going to tell anyone about this discussion." They nodded, Ned leaning back once he was satisfied. He glanced at MJ, gesturing for her to go ahead.

"If Peter Parker was Spiderman," MJ began. "Then he would have quite a reason for being Mr. Starks intern." She glanced at Flash, taking in his rapidly paling face and didn't fight the coil of satisfaction that settled in her stomach. "And,  he would have a well-deserved reason for missing so much practice." She smiled at them with more teeth than needed. "Isn't that just so interesting?"

"He sure would always be tired," Ned said, his voice low. "Would be hurt far more than most." He glanced around the room again, taking in Betty's pained face, Abe's pressed lips, Charles' tightening grip on his water bottle. He blinked rapidly, his face suddenly pained. "Of course, this is all speculation."

"Of course," MJ echoed. "However," she leaned in close to the group, the others leaning in almost unconsciously as well. "If word were to get out that this rumor was spiraling, well," she exchanged a look with Ned. "Someone would have to go down for it, wouldn't they?"

For a moment no one moved, the room falling even quieter, as if the school itself had heard MJ's warning and was committing it to memory. In front of her, Sally shifted, everyone's gazes snapping to her. She blushed, almost lowering her gaze from MJ's but soldiered on.

"No one here would do that," she said, her voice quiet but firm, her conviction backed by the rapid nods of everyone around her. "And we're the only ones who ever even thought-" she cut herself off, her voice quieting. "You don't need to worry."

MJ sighed after beat. "I like you guys," she said, smirking a little bit at Flash's shocked face. "Yes, even you Eugene. But," she said, her face dropping back into impassivity. "This is Peter's life we're talking about." Beside her, Ned coughed suddenly, his eyes wide.

"Uh," Ned said, his eyes on a familiar figure on the window. "I think we're about to get some company."

***

"Activating," Friday said, in response to Peter's query about the listening devices. "Broadcast begins in 3, 2, -"

"Shut up, Flash," MJ's voice came through, Peter's brow furrowing. "Here's how this is going to go. We're going to have ourselves a little discussion."

"Is this old?" Peter asked Mr. Stark, frowning.

He shook his head, his face placid. "This is all live, kiddo."

Ned's voice began. "No one is going to tell anyone about this discussion." There was a beat and then MJ started speaking again.

"If Peter Parker was Spiderman - then he would have quite a reason for being Mr. Starks intern." Peter groaned suddenly, gesturing for Friday to stop the device.

"I have to go," Peter said, glancing at Mr. Stark who was smiling at him.

"Keep your stuff here," he said, reaching over and ruffling his hair. "You and your partners can come back after. I know Pep wants to meet them."

Peter flashed him a smile, pushing his chair back and heading to the bathroom off to the side to go change. "Can you ask if Aunt May can come?"

Tony spluttered. "Your hot aunt can always come," he said, ignoring Peter's familiar Mr. Stark!

He strode out of the bathroom, fixing a glare on Tony before it melted off his face. "Can- can you send Happy to pick us up?"

Tony held up his phone. "Already texted him kid." He raised an eyebrow at him. "Got a change of clothes?"

Peter nodded. "Ned made me stash one in my locker."

Tony stood up, tugging Peter into a hug. "See you in a few hours kiddo."

Peter pulled back, smiling up at him. "Thanks, Mr. Stark," he said, his smile shy. "Love you."

"Love you too, Petey," Tony said, swallowing down a lump in his throat. "Friday can take you up to the top so you can swing from there."

Peter grinned, turning to go. "MJ's gonna wanna have words with you," he called cheerfully over his shoulder. "She doesn't like being bugged." The door shut behind him, Tony watching as he slid his mask on, bouncing up and down in place as the elevator doors opened. He turned, waving at Tony before Friday shut the elevator, bringing him up to the balcony.

Tony smiled, shaking his head. "Friday," he said, the AI already bringing the audio from the device back up. "Keep playing and continue to record. I want to hear these threats."

***

"What?" Sally said, before the window slid open and Spiderman tumbled through.

"Oh shit," Flash whispered, his face dropping. "We're about to die."

Spiderman stood in silence for a moment, the whites of his eyes narrowed at Ned and MJ. In front of them, the others were mostly frozen, their hands tangling together in their sudden nerves as if that would protect them from a pissed off superhero.

"Goddammit," Spiderman said, reaching up and yanking his mask off, the brown eyes of Peter meeting MJ's. "I told you not to threaten anyone."

"I knew it," Cindy muttered, her face splitting into a massive grin. She yanked her hands back, knocking her fist gently against Flash's shoulder. "Ha! You're the idiot now." Flash groaned, his eyes never leaving Peter who flashed Cindy a smile before going back to stare at MJ.

Surprising everyone but the three of them, MJ cracked first. "Protection?" She offered, her mouth twisted. "Cause you wouldn't do it yourself?"

"I wouldn't do it myself because I thought it was just rumors," Peter stressed. "If I had known that Cindy had figured it out, I would've done something."

MJ shrugged, her elbow knocking into Ned's. "We were trying to help." Ned shot her a betrayed look and she shrugged again. "It was a group plan Leeds."

Peter shifted his gaze to Ned, ignoring the fact that the others were enthralled in their discussion. Ned sighed. "You do too much sometimes," he admitted. "We wanted to take something off your plate."

Peter sighed, looking impossibly fond all of a sudden. "Just a little warning next time?"

"To be fair," Betty said slowly, looking between the three of them. "It was very spur of the moment I think."

"Oh," Peter said, blinking. "Just don't do it again?" He offered, grinning when MJ shrugged and Ned nodded.

"How did you know?" Abe said, wonder in his tone. He flushed lightly at the looks he got. "That this was happening?" He clarified.

"Wait, yeah," Sally said, her brow furrowed. "Do you know when people figure it out? Who you are?"

Peter laughed, snagging a chair and sitting in it, neatly sliding into the group. "No," he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. "Nothing like that." He glanced around the room, nothing sticking out to him. "Mr. Stark bugged the room."

"What?" Flash said, his voice strangled.

"That's illegal," Charles said, though his voice was light.

Peter's mask crackled to life, Mr. Stark's voice suddenly coming out of it. "And I'm Tony Stark, what of it?"

The room froze, Peter rolling his eyes at his mentors ego. "Mr. Stark," he said, ignoring the looks everyone but Ned and MJ gave him. "Please stop bugging my classrooms."

The mask was silent for a beat before his voice came through again. "We'll talk about this at dinner," he said, evading the plea. "MJ, Ned, you're coming with him, right?"

"Mr. Stark!" Peter said, fond irritation in his voice. "You know I haven't asked them yet, please, please stop interrupting this."

"Fine," Tony sighed. "I'll leave you to it." The mask crackled once more and when silent.

"Er," Peter said, glancing up at them. "Sorry about him."

Abe grinned at him. "This is the best day of my life," he said. "You've proven me right and I got to hear Tony Stark harass you?" Peter grinned back, grateful that someone was pleased with the turn of events. Abe shook his head. "It's an honor Spiderman."

"Oh geez," Peter said, flushing. "You don't - please-"

"I have questions," Cindy announced cutting him off.

Peter nodded but turned to Ned. "Can you-"

Ned cut him off. "I'll grab the change of clothes." He turned, leaving the room, exchanging a fond look with MJ as he left.

Peter smiled after him, turning back to Cindy. "Sorry about that- your questions?"

"Yeah, how are you Spiderman?"

"Do you produce those webs?"

"When did you become Spiderman?"

"What do you do with Mr. Stark?"

"Have you met the Avengers?"

"Okay!" MJ snapped, her glare silencing them all. "Peter can-"

"MJ," Peter said quietly, reaching out and squeezing her hand, the rest of them watching avidly. "It's okay." She glared at him for another beat before squeezing his hand back. "Right," Peter said, turning back to Cindy. "One at a time?"

Cindy smiled at him, her normally open face even more delighted than usual. "How are you Spiderman?"

"I got bitten by a spider," Peter said, rubbing his thumb over MJ's knuckles. "It was, uhhh, biologically altered and so it altered me."

"What the fuck?" Sally and Charles said in tandem, blinking at each other and then back at Peter.

He shrugged. "It was an Oscorp spider," he said, as though that made it make sense. "It died after it bit me."

Flash snapped his fingers, pointing at him, things clicking into place. "You- you were sick for like a week after," he said, ignoring the look MJ shot him. Peter nodded, smiling tentatively at him. Flash flushed, dropping his eyes and falling silent.

"So," Abe said, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "Those webs- do they come out of you?"

Peter snorted, glancing over at the door and dropping MJ's hand. "It's Ned," he said, nodding to it right before the knock sounded. MJ rolled her eyes but stood to get it as Peter ignored the slightly shocked looks he was getting. "No," he answered, turning back to Abe. "I made the webs myself, and Mr. Stark helped me improve both them and the web shooters." Abe wiggled his eyebrows at him and Peter huffed. "You are not going to get to wear them."

"Damn," Abe muttered, a grin on his face. "I really thought I had you."

Behind Peter, MJ let Ned slide through, relocking the door. Ned tossed the clothes to him, nodding at the teachers closet. "Best place for you," he said, grimacing. "Someone on twitter posted that Spiderman was out swinging so people are frantically looking for you - phones are everywhere, even in the hallway."

"Fuck," Peter said, dragging his hand over his face. "I really thought I could be stealthy this time." Ned poked him, urging him up and towards the closet. Peter sighed but complied, trying to change as fast as he could.

MJ snorted, leaning close to Ned. "He definitely needs to listen to Natasha more," she said in an undertone.

"Hey!" Peter said, popping his head out of the closet, yanking the sweater over his head as he reached behind him, tapping the suit as it folded up. "Not cool, MJ!"

"You heard that?" Betty asked, her face twisting. "I barely could and I'm right here."

"Oh, yeah," Peter said, slipping the suit into Ned's bag and reseating himself, scooching closer to him, his hand snaking out and gripping his. "I've got like super hearing and strength."

"Like how-"

"Stronger than Captain America," Peter admitted, frowning when Flash shrunk in on himself. He glanced at Ned and MJ, only to see the both of them shaking their heads at him. He arched an eyebrow, sighing when all they did was shrug back at him. "Anyways," he said, turning back to them. "I actually do have to be somewhere now," he said, sighing. "I wasn't even supposed to be here, I had stuff to do with Mr. Stark in the lab today."

"That's okay, Peter!" Sally said, cutting off everyone else. "We can definitely text you questions later, right?"

"Sure?" Peter said, before frowning again. "Though I think I'm gonna have to ask Mr. Stark if it's okay - secret identity and all that." His face suddenly got serious, all the humor leaving his eyes. "I really really really need this to stay on the dl," he said, biting his lip. "I will do all I can to answer your questions and stuff but I can't have this getting out."

"Of course," Cindy answered, the rest of them following. "We've kept a secret all this time, we can keep doing it."

Peter smiled at her, the relief clear in his eyes. "Great!" He said, standing up from his seat and tugging Ned up with him. "And like, not a threat, but if Mr. Stark finds out someone leaked it-" he shrugged, his face not nearly as amused as it had been. "He takes that shit seriously."

"Got it," Charles said, shooting a look at Ned's backpack, where the mask lay. "We won't piss off Mr. Stark."

"Awesome," Peter said, grinning at them. "I'm gonna go," he said, gesturing to the door and holding his hand out for MJ to take, which she did with a sigh. "See you guys tomorrow!"

MJ unlocked the door, the three of them exiting, Peter's excited chatter carrying through the hallways for a moment before they rounded the corner and the sound muted before disappearing entirely.

"Oh fuck," Flash said, his face pale. "I'm going to die."

"Well," Sally said, her eyes alight. "I think that went really well." She exchanged a look with Cindy and Betty, the three rising together. "We're gonna go chat about this in a classroom that isn't bugged," she said. "My place?"

"Sure," Cindy said, Betty nodding in agreement. The three gathered their stuff, leaving as quickly as they could without outright running down the hall.

"Fuck," Flash repeated, staring at nothing. "I used to bully Spiderman."

Charles began laughing, Abe grinning at Flash. 'Well," Abe said, his voice bright. "At least it's a 'used to'."

Flash sighed, burying his face into his arms. "My life is a fucking nightmare. God." He sighed again once more before muttering. "Fuck!"

[sargeantwoof]

Well, I Got This Suit of Armor and A Sword I Need to Swing

Hotch has begun to express how much he cares about his team, like, physically.

They are... confused. ((and mildly delighted))

***

The first time it happens, no one realizes it until after Hotch leaves the bullpen, rushing off to pick Jack up from Jessica.

Spencer turns to Morgan, words spilling from his mouth until he pauses, his hand raised halfway to his hair. Emily, JJ, and Rossi immediately look up, all familiar with the way a sudden silence from Spencer normally signifies a break in the case.

Instead, he gently cards his hand through his ruffled curls and goes, "I think Hotch kissed me on the way out the door."

The next time it happens, it's to Garcia.

She's been busy, filtering through search after search with a massive pool of suspects. She knows she's close, knows it the same way she knows how to code, how to knit, how to pull something from nothing.

She standing in the tiny kitchenette, only the dim lights from Hotch's office and the BAU's briefing office lighting the way when she hears someone come down the steps. She turns, hoping it's Morgan, wanting some reassurance. Instead, it's Hotch, his face drawn and wane, as he heads for the coffee pot next to her.

"Garcia," he greets quietly, his eyes on his drink as he pours hours old coffee into his mug.

Garcia offers a weak smile. "Sir," she says. The two stand in the quiet for a moment, Hotch's eyes on his drink, and Garcia's eyes on him. She shifts eventually, as Spencer and Emily pass by in the office window, casting deeper shadows across the room. "Sir- I just- I want you to know that I'm trying, sir, it's just - these parameters and the pool," she says, gesturing, her bracelets clinking softly on her wrist. "I want to find them, and I know- I know! I'm close," she finishes before turning back to her tea, her eyes lowered.

Hotch reaches out, gently touching her shoulder. "Garcia," he says softly. "Penelope," he amends. "I know," he says. "We wouldn't be able to find nearly as many killers and abductors if it wasn't for your work." He shifts closer to her. "I've never doubted your ability to find out what we need."

"Oh God," Garcia says, her stomach knotting. "I feel like you've just sent me up to fail."

Hotch chuckles softly, the sound so out of place that Garcia freezes. "No," Hotch says, dropping his arm to press an absentminded kiss to the top of her head. "Now, I believe in you so, please, find me our guy." He turns and heads up the stairs, his gait steady and even, completely unchanged.

Garcia blinks after him, pushing her glasses up her face before pressing her fingertips to her cheeks. "Oh my god," she whispers, alone in the room. "Hotch just kissed me too."

***

When Garcia hands out the folder and begins reading the case to the group, JJ pauses. She sees it a split second before Garcia says it, the words he's killing siblings of those who had committed suicides, ringing around her head for a long moment before she tears her eyes away and looks up.

Everyone in the room is either very studiously not looking at her or staring straight at her. Only Hotch looks up in the pause and turns to JJ. "Take a minute before we go," he says, not unkindly but firmly. "This is going to be difficult for all of us, and I need everyone's head in the game."

JJ nods, her mind spinning. She's silent the rest of the meeting, only getting up when she registers the others rising as well. She turns from the room, heading out on autopilot. It's only when she realizes that she's in a dark and quiet place that she allows herself to take in the case.

The victim's faces stick in her mind - the original victims - the suicides - as her brain catches on them over and over again until their faces have become Roslyn, layered over each other in an almost horrific amalgamation of projection. Her mind sticks on the dates as well, so close to her anniversary, days away from when JJ would go to the graveyard and visit her older sister, bringing her Queen Anne's Lace, because even though Ros had been allergic they were her favorite.

She takes in a deep breath, closing her eyes and giving herself a minute to center her mind. She is calm, she is cool, she is collected. She breathes out, blinking her eyes open and taking in the room she had instinctively retreated to. Her old office comes into focus, stacks of miscellaneous folders and cardboard boxes surrounding her.

Behind her, someone knocks softly on the doorframe.

"Come in," she says, her voice quiet.

Hotch enters, his stride familiar. "You okay?" He asks in a murmur. JJ nods, still facing away from him. He shifts his weight, his clothes rustling with the movement. He reaches out for her, just as she turns, his hand heavy on her shoulder until he raises his other hand and places it on her other shoulder. She pauses, a flicker of something in his gaze that makes her hesitate before Hotch tugs her in closer to him. "We'll get him," he promises, his hands sliding up to her face before he tilts her head forward and pulls her into him even tighter.

JJ burrows into his circle of arms, tension sliding from her frame as her brain registers the tiny space of safety Hotch is offering. He brushes a kiss across her cheek before letting go, all traces of openness wiped from his face. "Come on," he says. "Wheel's up in twenty."

***

"Hotch," Morgan says, his voice low and warning. "I don't want to have to do this."

"Then don't," Hotch says quietly, his gaze on the folders in front of him as the plane banks sharply.

Morgan sighs, reaching out to halt his tablet from sliding across the table in front of them. The plane is dark around them, Spencer passed out on the couch across from them, Emily and JJ asleep next to each other, their heads tilted together. At the front of the plane, Rossi sits, staring out the window. Morgan sighs again and turns to face Hotch more squarely, angling himself so he can see the man sitting next to him better.

"It just doesn't feel right," he says.

"Well," Hotch says, lifting his gaze to meet Morgan's. "If it doesn't feel right, then don't do it."

"But -"

"But what?" Hotch interrupts, arching a brow. "The first thing we're taught on this team is to follow our instincts." He stares at Morgan, setting the file down. "So what are they telling you?"

"They're telling me it's a stupid idea to try - to try to even explain myself," Morgan says, almost snapping. "I don't want to have to fight it out every time I see my family."

"Okay," Hotch says evenly. "What does feel right then?"

Morgan shrugs, a helpless look on his face. "I don't know," he admits. "I'm just confused."

Hotch quirks a gentle smile at him. "I understand," he says. "It's hard to get even when you're in the thick of it."

Morgan nods rapidly. "And - I just -" he heaves a sigh. "You guys are my family." He blinks, leaning back his seat, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know what to do."

For a long moment, the two of them are silent until Hotch sighs. "I know you'll figure it out," he says softly. "You always do." Morgan closes his eyes, his feelings swirling in his chest. So lightly, he almost thinks he imagines it, he feels Hotch press a kiss to his cheek before turning back to his paperwork. "I believe in you," Hotch murmurs. "Just do what's best for you."

***

Emily blinks at Hotch as she stands in the doorway of his office. "Hi," she says. "Can we talk?"

Hotch looks up at her over his paperwork before gesturing for her to sit down. "Yeah," he says. "What's up?"

"Uh, I just-" She turns and shuts the door, the latch clicking behind her. "Does-" She cuts herself off, sighing and sliding down into the seat. Hotch furrows his brows at her before rising and coming around his desk, sinking into the chair next to her. She sighs again, a short burst of harsh air. "Do you talk to your father?" She asks abruptly, a strange look on her face.

"Well," Hotch says after a beat. "He's dead, so no."

"Oh," Emily says, her voice dropping. 'I'm so sorry, Hotch, I had no idea."

Hotch offers her a small smile. "It's not something I mention much," he admits, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. The room is silent for a beat before he narrows his eyes at her. "Why?"

"Oh, uh," Emily begins before sighing for the third time. "I just - I wanted to talk to you about something but I don't quite know where or how to begin."

"And you thought you'd start by asking about my father?" Hotch asks, arching an eyebrow.

Emily shrugs, quirking half her mouth up in a half-smile. "Wasn't a very smart move for a profiler, was it?" She says. "But no, I uh, I wanted to know if you would've made the same call as me tonight."

Hotch dips his head, running over the case in his mind, laying out all the facts - she had been cornered, at a clear disadvantage, with a gun held on her, and had made the judgment call to signal for a sniper to take the unsub out, rather than talking him down. He inclines his head in a quick nod.

"Yes," he says, cocking a brow at her. "Yes, I would've."

Emily sighs, tension sliding from her frame. "There just- there was something about his face," she says softly. "I thought I was going to die, for real, and I thought I panicked." She blinks at him, rising to her feet. "I - thank you."

"No," Hotch says, standing with her. He steps close, and pulls her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her hair above her ear. "You aren't dying on my watch." He tightens his grip on her before relaxing and pulling away, his face as fond and open as it got in the office. "You made the right call," he says, letting her go but keeping eye contact with her. "The correct call."

Emily grins at him, relief making her expression fierce. "Good," she says, striding to the doorway. "I'd hate to leave you all in the lurch," she says, wiggling her fingers at him. "Come out and get drinks with us."

"Okay," Hotch says after a beat, shutting the folder closed on his desk with a snap. "Lead the way then."

***

With Rossi, it's not a surprise to anyone.

They're drunk at his house, properly drunk, too many glasses of Emilys' infamous punch in, when Rossi decides that he needs to cook them a meal. He sits them down around his counter, pulling out pots and pans, their low chatter a welcome noise in the background.

He points a wooden spoon in Spencer's direction menacingly, at his low question of what the hell are all these for, before shaking his head. "It's like none of you have ever seen a real chef in the kitchen."

"Well," Spencer says, blinking slowly at him. "I drink coffee and eat stuff, so -" He blinks again, turning to Emily. "I eat those donuts."

She pats him on the shoulder. "And you do it so, so, well," she says, grinning at him when he hums in her direction, his attention back on watching Rossi.

Morgan chuckles from beside him, reaching out and nudging Garcia from where she's slumped over the counter. "C'mon babygirl, don't you want to watch the man work his magic?"

"Magic?" Spencer says, spinning to look at Morgan and getting up to find his bag. "Do you want to see magic?"

"Aw, hell," Morgan says, following Spencer from the kitchen. "That's not what I meant Pretty Boy!"

JJ leans further into Emily, her face open and fond. "We should do this more often," she says, rubbing her cheek against Emily's shoulder. "I've missed this kind of de-stressing."

Emily smiles down at her, tugging her even closer before looking over JJ's shoulder at Hotch. "You okay over there?" She asks, her grin blooming even brighter when Hotch turns to look at her with vaguely unfocused eyes.

"Yeah," Hotch says, pulling his gaze away to go back to watching Rossi at the stove. "I'm trying to see the chef."

Rossi laughs loudly from in front of the stove, striding around the counter and planting a loud smacking kiss on Hotch's lips. "And now you have," he says patting Hotch on the shoulder and heading back to the stove. "The food will be ready in twenty," he says, ignoring the looks from JJ and Emily who are alternating between staring at him and at Hotch.

Hotch blinks at him for a moment before smiling and letting himself slide deeper into his seat, taking a long sip from his cup of punch.

"Oh-" Garcia says, her face propped up in her hands as she flutters her eyes at the group in the kitchen. "I fucking love  you guys." From the room over, Spencer and Morgan burst into laughter, the sounds of a deck of cards exploding accompanying them. Garcia sighs deeply, lines of contentment etched into her face. "No," she says earnestly, as the others around her begin laughing too, as a deep swell of contentment rises within the home. "Seriously. Love you all forever."

[sargeantwoof]

Single Tracking Lines of Hope

On the eve of the Tomorrow, in the gaps of the shadows beneath the willow, three figures sought to catch their breath.

"I can't believe you," she whispered, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Her hair rustled like leaves falling, soft and muted, so unlike her. The other two stared at her, blank looks on their faces. She shook her head, the sound rougher and louder than before. "I thought it was over," she said. "I thought we were done."

The tallest of the three sighed, the sorrow of centuries of pain steeped into his voice. "The world turns on," he said. "And we must turn with it."

She stomped her foot, the earth shivering beneath, the one who had been silent so far snorting at the abrupt motion. At his huff, she stopped, turning to glare at him, her gaze menacing. "Is this funny to you?" She asked.

He shrugged, the motion doing nothing to dislodge the cardinal that rested on his shoulder. "I don't think it's funny," he said. "More like - well what else did you expect?"

"I expected rest," she said, her voice softening the accusation. "I expected a moment to breathe."

He shook his head at her. "In this lifetime? Not a chance."

"And the next?" She whispered, stillness falling between the three of them as if her words had sucked all the air from around them. "And the next?"

He shrugged again, turning to look at their third.

"There are moments of rest," he said, haltingly. "Moments where we can breathe."

"And if it's not enough?"

He looked panicked at her question, a crow circling down from the willow branches to land on her shoulder. The two of them turned back to the man with the cardinal who was watching the two of them steadily. "I could break it," he admitted. "But it would spiral, you would be the first - and the last."

"The last?" She said softly, horrified. Around her, the grass shuddered and withered, rot and decay suddenly winding out from beneath her. He nodded, and she sighed. "Well- I- I can't ask for that."

He grinned at her, the cardinal taking flight from his shoulder as the crow followed. "Once more?" He said, the three of them understanding the lie beneath his words. "Into the breach?"

She sighed, reaching out to tangle her hands with his, as they both reached for her. She stared into green eyes, brushing a kiss across his cheek, before turning to the red-headed one and brushing a kiss across his.

"Find me," she commanded as she began to disappear. The two men refused to let go until she had fully disappeared before they clasped their hands together.

The man with the green eyes brushed a soft kiss across the other's cheeks as he huffed. "It's like she forgets she's the one who always finds us," he said as he began to fade as well. "I'll find you," he promised, not blinking as he disappeared. "The three of us against the world."

The final man sighed as he was left alone, his exhale of icy breath freezing the tree beside him. He patted the trunk, glancing up into the tree at the hordes of birds watching him. "Onwards," he said, his hands turning translucent. "Onwards."

                                                           ***

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

[sargeantwoof]

The City Gates

** if you like this find me at ao3 on under the same name! **

It's at the end of the war when Sokka realizes that he has no idea what he wants to do.

"You could go back to the Southern Water Tribe?" Suki offers one night shortly after the comet. Sokka doesn't say anything, turning to look out over the houses and walls of the Fire Nation. He's not sure how to say it, but he's suddenly struck by the fact that of all the things he could do, he doesn't want to go home.

Though, he admits, that's not quite right - he does want to go home. He wants to see Gran-Gran, and Pakku, and even the children he had tried to train. He just doesn't want to go home and get stuck, doesn't want to turn around one day and realize that he's spent his life in one place after saving the world.

And, he thinks privately to himself, that's not even considering what Suki wants to do. If he were to go home to stay, would they break up? Would they stay together and just spend months and weeks apart? Would it even be worth it at that point?

"I don't know if that's best," he says instead, shifting back to face her, his eyes serious and settled in the way that they have been since the war was won. She scrunches her face at him, sticking her tongue out when he grins at her. "And besides," he continues. "I will, eventually, no matter what."

"I know," Suki responds, reaching out to catch his hand, her fingers warm against his skin, her face open in the torchlight. "Family is everything for you."

***

Zuko doesn't say anything in the days that pass after his coronation, but Sokka overhears two servants gossiping in the halls about how even as the Firelord, Mai still didn't want him. Sokka pauses in what he's doing, considering.

One on hand, Zuko could be prickly about things like this, blowing emotional shifts out of proportion, and refusing to talk for days. One the other hand, he had been a great listener when Sokka was talking about Yue, and break-ups always suck, especially when they happen to someone instead of being a mutual decision. Not that mutual decisions don't suck, Sokka acknowledges, it's just, not as much.

He shifts from one foot to the other, fidgeting for a beat before sighing and turning to head to Zuko's room. He wishes Suki was with him as she would know what to say. Instead, it's just him- him and all the incredibly wrong things he could say.

He gets to the door, pausing again to shift in front of it before knocking. Zuko's voice bids him to enter, the tone softening at the end when Sokka pokes his head in.

"Sokka," Zuko says, his face surprised but his eyes warm. "What is it?" He looks panicked suddenly. "Is it-"

"No," Sokka says, looking over his shoulder, before taking a deep breath. "Listen, I have something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh," Zuko says, his face blank, glancing down at the papers in front of him before setting them aside. "Sure?"

Sokka comes into the room, making sure to latch the door behind him. It suddenly is imperative to him that this goes well, he realizes. He turns around, pastes a bright smile on his face, before realizing that would probably give Zuko the wrong idea. He groans, dropping into the seat in front of his desk and burying his face in his hands.

"Sokka?" Zuko says, his voice tentative. "Are you okay?"

Sokka breathes out once, nods to himself, and looks up, staring directly into Zuko's eyes. "Am I okay?" He repeats. "Zuko." He pauses, "Are you okay?"

"What?" Zuko says, his face confused. "Yes, of course, I'm fine - wh-why? Should I not be?" He glances around, clenching his fist. "Is something going to happen?"

"No!" Sokka says, rocketing up from his chair, and waving his arms around. "No, are you okay?" He places emphasis on the okay, dragging it out and raising his eyebrows.

"I'm fine," Zuko repeats, still tense but relaxing, staring at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh," Sokka says, flushing. "Uhm, no reason, I guess."

"No reason?" Zuko frowns. "What's going on? Are you distracting me from somethi-"

"IheardthatyouandMaibrokeup," Sokka blurts out, before dropping his eyes and sighing. "I heard that you and Mai broke up and I wanted to see if you were okay, and you just kept repeating you were fine and looking around and nothing else was going to happen." He squints his eyes at Zuko's gobsmacked face. "Nothing is going to happen, right?"

"No," Zuko says faintly, sitting back down. "Nothing's going to happen." He sighs, looking pained. "I didn't tell anyone about Mai and I because I figured you all had enough on your plate." He rubs the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

"Huh," Sokka says, his face crinkling up as though he was working on a puzzle. "I guess that's okay."

Zuko huffs out a laugh, as Sokka hides a smile at the tiny flame which flickers out of his mouth. "I didn't realize the Fire Lord had to tell you everything," Zuko teases.

Sokka rolls his eyes, relaxing back into his chair. "That's what friends are for," he says, quirking a smile at Zuko. "Duh."

"Duh," Zuko echoes back softly, his face alight with wonder.

***

Zuko feels the way the ocean has always felt to Sokka, he realizes one day. Vast and mysterious, with layers and a whole system of its own, but home. He pauses in his stretches with Suki, freezing at the thought.

"Sokka?" Suki prods, her voice sliding from teasing to serious as she realizes something's happened. "Are you okay?"

Sokka waves a hand at her, before flushing, confusion painted across his face. "I'm fine?" he says, his voice going up at the end, the tone evident that he is not fine. She narrows her eyes at him, her face falling into the stern Kyoshi Warrior aura she wears so well. Sokka shrugs, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just, I realized something," he says, turning from her prodding gaze to face the window.

She hums beside him. "And?"

"And some stuff just clicked into place," he says faintly.

"Does it have anything to do with Zuko?" Suki says after a beat, her tone dry. "Because that whole thing has not been subtle." Sokka spins to look at her, terror painted across his face. She laughs softly. "It's fine," she says, patting him on the chest. "You're not the only one." She turns back to her stretches, Sokka nodding beside her.

It is only when they have gotten half-way through that her words register with him. "Hang on, you like him too?"

She laughs, effortlessly bringing her leg to her head and holding the position for two counts. "Yeah," she says as her leg returns to the ground. "He's Zuko."

***

Katara throws the door open, her face set in stone. "I'm taking him," she says to Suki who grins at her in response. She snags his shirt, towing him behind her, ignoring all his protests.

"Ka-Katara," he splutters as she yanks him up a flight of stairs, bringing the two of them onto the balcony that overlooks the inner courtyard. "What's- what's going- is something wrong?" He settles on, as she shoves him down onto the cool stone. He gives her a look when she doesn't respond, bits of his panic seeping through.

She sighs after a moment, the tenseness leaking out of her. "Is this what you want?" She asks, looking out over the duck pond and the gleaming red roofs. "A life here? Away from ho- the pole?"

He frowns at her. "I don't understand."

She wrinkles her nose at him, groaning. "I knew you were going to bad at this," she mutters and Sokka tries not to feel offended. "Fine," she huffs out, glaring at him. "If this is how you want to play it- that's fine." She stands, brushing nonexistent dirt from her clothes. "I'll be going then."

"Hang on," Sokka says, snagging her wrist when she turns to leave. "You need to explain this for me." He tugs her down beside him again, ignoring the look on her face and the way she rolls her eyes at him. "What are you even saying?" He says after she's stopped twisting around beside him. "Seriously, I have no idea what you want from me."

"You-" she cuts herself off, the anger fading, her face becoming more open. She squints at him, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arm around them before she sighs, low and long. "I thought you were hiding it from me," she says, tucking her face between her knees. "I thought that you didn't want me to know."

"Katara," Sokka says gently. "I have no idea what you're trying to say."

She looks at him for a long moment. "Zuko," she says finally. "I was- I am- talking about Zuko."

Sokka blinks at her. "If that was supposed to clear things up for me, well, it didn't." She stares at him. He shrugs, ignoring the faint rush of blood to his cheeks. "I don't know what is happening," he finally says. "I'm just- here."

"Suki?" Katara whispers, unfolding a little bit. Sokka nods and then shrugs again, scrunching his face up. "But- so, all three?"

Sokka frowns. "More like two, at least right now, I think."

Katara closes her eyes, breathing in deeply. "You sure know how to pick them."

Sokka shrugs for the third time, hopeless and fond. "They chose me, I just stood there."

Katara snorts. "You're good at that," she says, ignoring his squawk of outrage. She grins at him, fully unfolding from her curled position. "You always have a home with me," she says, dipping her head. "And, I miss you sometimes."

"I miss you all the time," Sokka says, his voice quiet. "It was you and me, and Gran-Gran, and now it's you and me and the world." She shuffles closer, their arms pressing together. He huffs, leaning into her.

"Tell me a story," Katara says after they've been quiet for a few minutes like she used to when they were children.

Sokka nods slowly, before beginning. "There once was nothing but ocean, no life but the sea and all her creatures, but the stars looked down and saw a small creature bobbing in the waves…"

***

Sokka blinks sleep from his eyes, the sudden rush of cool air waking him almost immediately. He furrows his brow, tracking the figure pacing across the room, the tiny fires dancing across their hands. "Zuko?" He croaks, his throat dry. The figure pauses, turning slowly to look at Sokka, their fire cupped in their hands, their face gently becoming illuminated.

"Oh," Zuko says quietly after a beat. "I didn't realize this was your room."

Beside him, Suki pushes herself up, her face already unimpressed. "You didn't realize?" Zuko freezes, a strange look flashing over his face before he turns to go. Before Sokka fully processes what is happening, Suki has launched herself up, landing neatly in Zuko's path. "I don't think so," Suki says, bringing her hands up to push him towards their bed. "Sit down before you decide to do something stupid."

Zuko huffs at her, the fire on his palm growing, before he relaxes, letting himself be shoved onto the bed. Sokka rubs his eyes, clearing the last bits of sleep from his brain, and pulls himself out from under the covers. "What's going on?" He asks, quietly, settling in next to Zuko. He tips his head against his shoulder, unable to ignore the warmth the fire bender gives off. He doesn't look but he knows Suki is sitting on his other side.

Zuko tenses for a moment, before physically forcing himself to relax. "Azula," he says, finally, after so much time has passed that Sokka had almost forgotten his question. "I don't know what to do with Azula."

"Ah," Sokka says, his voice faint. He had somehow forgotten, or more like willfully ignored, the fact that Azula was Zuko's baby sister. He couldn't imagine trying to untangle the threads - it made his heart hurt to even contemplate him and Katara in the same position.

Suki clears her throat, softly. "What can you do?" She asks, her voice free of pity. "Logistically, I mean." Zuko shifts next to them, fidgeting for a beat. Suki sighs, before looping her arm with his and pulling him backward. "Shh," she chides, when he pulls back, her strength winning out as she lightly drags him up the sheets. "Lie down with us."

Zuko shoots Sokka a panicked look but Sokka shrugs, his face fond. "I just do what she tells me," he confides in a low voice as he slots himself in next to Zuko. "She doesn't get as mad at me when I follow her lead."

"Oh please," Suki says, tugging the rumpled sheets over their three bodies. "You almost never listen."

"I do when it counts," Sokka says, flashing a wink at her, and grinning at the look of shock Zuko gives him. Sokka rolls his eyes, reaching across his body to take Suki's hand, the fingers tangling together above Zuko's heart. Zuko tenses again, his body becoming stiff. "C'mon," Sokka says, curling deeper into him, and burying his face into the curve of his shoulder. "It's just Suki and I," he says. "You've seen us snuggle with others before."

"I- yes," Zuko says, a little lost. "But- not me?"

"Oversight on our part," Suki says, peeking up at him through her lashes. "We meant to ages ago." She pauses, her face becoming a little bit stiffer. "Unless of course we overstepped-"

"No!" Zuko says, the word bursting out of him and tearing through the small bit of pride he was clinging to. He sighs, relaxing and scooping an arm around each of them, a wordless apology for his standoffishness earlier. "I'm just- wound up," he settles on, gazing down at Suki. "There's so much to do and I just, I don't know."

Suki shrugs at him. "It's no worries," she says. "We both know how to carry weights, so just, don't shut us out."

"I wasn't trying to," Zuko says softly, closing his eyes. His lips curl up when he feels Suki hum against him and get closer. "Sometimes I miss the earlier days when we were trying to save the world."

Sokka twists, bringing his leg over Zuko's and ignoring the way Zuko jerks. "It was a simpler thing," he says, his voice muffled by Zuko's shoulder. "We had a real concrete goal then."

"I- yeah," Zuko says, sagging in relief. "I knew we had to do it or die trying. And now, I have decisions to make and people to help and war efforts to end."

Sokka shrugs next to him, the rise of his shoulders bumping into Zuko's ribs in a way that shouldn't be unsettling but is. Zuko shudders slightly beside him, which Sokka ignores. "I mean, I think that becoming an adult was always going to turn out like this."

"What?" Suki and Zuko say together, both of them looking at Sokka.

He shrugs again, turning to peek at both of them. "Like yes, this is all far more dramatic and stuff but I think that becoming an adult is-" He pauses, propping his chin on Zuko's chest, the line of his throat pressed against his ribs. Zuko very careful doesn't let himself pay too much attention to the way his small action makes him feels, ignoring both the flush of pleasure and the comfort of having him close. Sokka continues, unaware of what he's doing to Zuko. "I think growing up is always about how priorities expand." He takes a deep breath and then looks directly at Zuko. "If Aang hadn't shown up, if this hadn't happened, I would've gone and fought the Fire Nation." Beside Zuko, Suki stops breathing, her silence the clear sign of her surprise. Sokka bites his lip, looking faintly regretful. "I probably would've died, and it would've been okay because I was dying for the world, for the good of it. But, if you had asked me before, when I was younger, right after my mom-" He quiets for a moment, neither Suki nor Zuko moving. "I would've done it for my family. But, growing up, it's like, the expansion of that, if that makes sense?" He finishes quietly, blushing faintly in silver moonlight.

Zuko blinks at him, unable to comprehend a world where that happened. Suki lifts their entwined hands and brushes a kiss across the back of Sokka's. "Well, thank Aang for this world then," she says lowly.

Zuko nods. "Any world that I don't know you is a world wasted," he finally settles on, ignoring the rush of blood to his ears and the twisting in his stomach.

"Thanks," Sokka says, looking pleased. "Any world where this doesn't happen sucks."

***

After that night, Zuko occasionally stops in, sitting with them late into the night, until his brain quiets and he can go to bed. On the rare nights that it doesn't happen, that his brain won't shut up, the three of them will bundle up under the covers, curling into each other, linked together.

Zuko only realizes he has a problem when he wakes one morning and his uncle is standing at the foot of their bed, one eyebrow raised. He just barely resists flinching back, his years of training rushing to the forefront of his brain before not a threat breaks through.

"Prince Zuko," Uncle Iroh says, a strange catch in his voice. "I have been looking for you."

"Whuzzit?" Sokka slurs, twisting from where he was lying, halfheartedly rising. He squints in Uncles direction for a beat before offering him a thumbs up and sliding back into bed. On the other side of Zuko, Suki sits, her lips pressed together. Zuko can't tell if she's angry or trying not to laugh.

"I'll just- I'll be a moment," Zuko says, offering Uncle a nod. Uncle nods back, his face still a little off. He turns and leaves though, so Zuko is counting it as a win. He looks at Sokka, attempting to tug the sheets from him to disentangle himself.

"Hey," Suki says softly, her hand pressing into his shoulder. Zuko stills. "I'll slide out and then you can get out," she says. He nods jerkily, suddenly uncertain in the face of his uncle. Agni save him, but he hadn't thought any of this through. "Zuko," Suki says softly. "Are you okay?"

He nods once, sliding from their warmth and standing. "I'll try to -" He cuts himself off, turns from the two of them, and leaves. He shuts the door behind himself gently, refusing to sag against the worn wood, even as his entire body screams at him to go back.

He heads for his room instead, knowing that whatever Uncle wishes to speak with him about will be best spoken about in privacy. He slips through the doors, fighting the urge to turn and run, both due to Uncle and the residual feelings the Fire Lords private room brought up. He squares his shoulders, turning to face Uncle.

Uncle sighs, a long, low exhale before patting the cushion next to him. Zuko tilts his head in brief accordance but slides onto the seat across from him, his brow already furrowed. They sit for a moment, the steam of the tea filling the air before Uncle finally moves, his hands reaching for his cup, a gentle smile on his face.

"How often," he begins, clearing his throat. "How often do you find yourself with them, Prince Zuko?"

"Please," Zuko says, waving his hand at him. "Just Zuko, here, please." Uncle nods, an unnamed emotion slipping across his face. Zuko sighs, gripping his cup tightly, ignoring the flash of heat against his fingers. "I- they help," he admits, his shoulders slumping as he drops his gaze, hiding his eyes - the truth from Uncle. "Sometimes it can get a bit much."

"Hmm," Uncle says, his tone even.

Zuko refuses to flinch, keeping his eyes averted. The room falls quiet for a long moment, the only sign of time passing the shifting of the sun against the walls. "Uncle," Zuko finally whispers, his face still covered. "I'm afraid."

"Oh, my son," Uncle says after a beat, his voice low and sorrowful. "Love is nothing to be afraid of."

Zuko doesn't move, words stuck in his throat. Most of the love he had ever known had ended in fire and loss, in sharp smirks and angry eyes. He swallows after a beat, raising his head, and meeting Uncle's eyes. Uncle smiles at him, the same smile that had kept him on track for all of his banishment. Zuko pauses but slowly lets his mouth curve up in return.

***

Once Zuko recognizes what's happening he pulls back, suddenly sure that he's ruining everything.

The third time that Sokka makes eye contact with him, only for Zuko to turn and run the other way as fast as he is able, he sighs, letting his shoulders slump as he goes to find Suki. She's in the courtyard, watching her trainees scale the walls of the palace.

He sits under the tree next to the pond, his gaze on the turtleducks even as his focus remains on Zuko. He just doesn't understand what he did, what scared Zuko off. He bites his lip, reaching back to trail a finger over his new boomerang as a pit in his stomach deepens. Had Zuko found out about him and Suki and is so disgusted that he didn't want to be friends?

Sokka blinks, tilting his head back as he feels Suki come up behind him. She bends down, brushing a kiss across his forehead as he leans further back against her legs. "What's the matter?" she asks quietly, her face only showing minimal concern.

Sokka blinks at her again before shaking his head against her legs. "Not here," he says, his eyes catching to some of the women lingering in the courtyard, their curious gazes obvious.

Suki nods, stepping back and waiting for him to rise before she spins sharply about, pinning the girls with her glare. "If you have time to gossip," she says, her voice even. "You have time to run laps of the palace." She raises a hand at the beginnings of their groans. "Three laps and then you're released from training for the day," she says before pointing towards the exit to the outer palace wall. "Go."

The three of them exchange a look but go, leaving Sokka and Suki alone in the pavilion. "C'mon," Suki says, her gaze still watchful. "Let's head up to our room."

***

When Sokka finishes telling Suki what had been happening to him, she smiles, a tiny fleeting thing before nodding. "I know what to do," she says as she stands from the bed, absentmindedly looping her fans to her belt. She bends down, kisses Sokka's confused face and pauses, their foreheads resting against each other. "If you thought you were intruding, would you run?" She asks, her voice quiet. She pulls back a tiny bit to slot her mouth against his for another quick kiss before standing straight. "I'll be back," she says, watching the emotions flicker through Sokka's face. "I'll be back with him."

***

Zuko flicks his eyes up at the soft knock, casting his gaze out the window and taking in the setting sun. He frowns, but quietly bids the knocker to enter. When Suki slides in, he bites back a curse, beginning to gather his stuff as he searches for an excuse to get out.

Suki latches and locks the door behind her, shaking her head. "I don't think so," she says, pinning Zuko in place with her stare. "We've got some things to talk about." Zuko shifts in his seat, setting down the papers down in front of him and grimacing. Suki watches him for a long moment before sighing. "How long have you been in love with him?" She asks gently, before sighing again. "How long have you been in love with us?"

***

Upstairs, Sokka stands, pacing in front of the fireplace. He fidgets, tugging on his clothes, brushing a hand over the familiar blue of the water tribe. He pauses, frowning, thinking over the build of them, thinking about how it had turned and stopped and spluttered and somehow still continued. He stares at their bed, the one he had begun thinking of as theirs - all three of them.

He stills completely before he whirls around.

He runs.

***

Zuko stares at her, his face paling. "I meant no harm," he says, his voice firm. "As soon as I realized what I was doing, I backed off." He drops his gaze to the paperwork in front of him. "I apologize for any inconvenience- it wasn't- it isn't, fair of me." Suki opens her mouth and Zuko raises a hand. "Please," he says. "Just-"

The door flies open.

***

Sokka stands in the doorway panting. He comes into the room, gently shutting the door behind him and scooping up Suki's hand, dragging her over to Zuko's desk.

"We're in love with you," Suki says quietly. "That's why I came down here. That's why I asked."

Zuko blinks at her, turning stunned eyes to Sokka. He shrugs, quirking his mouth up in a half-smile. "I think I liked you even when you were trying to kill me."

"Oh," Zuko says. The room falls silent for a moment before he raises his eyes back up to them, clearly steeling himself for something. "I'm in love with you two too."

***

It's at the beginning of the reconstruction when Sokka realizes what he really wants to do.

"I'm so glad you stayed," Zuko says, a warm line against his back. "If you hadn't-" He breaks off, laughing underneath his breath. "Well, you know."

Suki rolls over in their bed, her eyes still shut. "I'm glad we were able to figure it out with minimal issues."

Sokka and Zuko exchange fond glances, their love clear in their eyes. Sokka tilts his head back, brushing a kiss over Zuko's mouth. "I'm glad I stayed too." He says, his eyes bright in the moonlight of their room. "Family is everything to me."