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The Great and Unfortunate: Chapter 3 - The Prince of Enchanters

Story Title - The Great and Unfortunate (ffn link)

Story Description - Rowena will stop at nothing to teach the exceptionally-skilled Merlin how to properly harness and use his powers, even if he is Salazar’s student. Meanwhile, Salazar’s hatred for muggle-borns only grows, and Merlin’s skills as a parselmouth, as well as his loyalty to Slytherin house, gives way to the development of a gruesome plan.

Story Rating - teen (T)

Story Characters - Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Merlin, Morgana le Fay, Cliodna, Sir Cadogan, Arthur Pendragon

Story Pairings - Salazar/Rowena, Merlin/Morgana, Merlin/Cliodna

Chapter - 3) The Prince of Enchanters

"Tell me, Merlin: what do you know about Charms?" Rowena asked as she slowly paced around the room.

Merlin stood in the middle of the stone room and fought the urge to turn around like a dog chasing its tail. There was something distracting about the way Rowena was circling him. "Nothing, I s'pose," he replied.

"You suppose?" she questioned.

Nervousness washed over Merlin like a tempest. He felt like prey, and Rowena seemed to be the predator eagle on the Ravenclaw crest. There was something about the noblewoman that unnerved Merlin and made him question every word he said. He had never before felt so frustrated with himself.

However, as he thought about all this, he realized that it forced him to improve on his weaknesses.

"I dun' - do not - know anything 'bo - about - Charms, Lady Rowena," Merlin stuttered.

"But you said that your father taught you how to levitate objects," she reminded. Her blue robes came into his peripheral vision, swishing like ocean waves.

"Yes, that he did," Merlin confirmed. "Is that a Charm?"

"Indeed. The Levitation Spell," Rowena answered as she came to a stop in front of Merlin. "Can you tell me the incantation?"

"Levioso," Merlin replied. "Emphasis on the first 'o.'"

"Levitate that goblet over there," Rowena ordered, pointing to a table behind Merlin. "Try not to spill the wine, of course."

Merlin whirled around and settled his gaze on the silver goblet. He walked up to the table it was resting on and looked at it for a moment, painting a portrait of it in his mind. He closed his eyes, imagined the cup rising into the air, thought the incantation, and, finally, tapped the goblet with his wand. When he opened his eyes, the goblet was levitating just above his head.

He turned around to face Rowena and awaited her response. She merely stared back at him with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide.

"Did you - did you do that non-verbally?" she asked incredulously.

Merlin nodded. "Was I not s'posed ta?" he asked nervously.

"No, no, I just..." she trailed off, her gaze moving to the goblet, which was still levitating in the air. She swished her own wand and set the goblet back on the table before turning back to Merlin. "I did not expect you to be able to perform non-verbal magic."

"I can only do it for this spell, Lady Rowena," he replied.

"That is still very advanced magic, Merlin," she said. "No matter. We will have to focus on more difficult Charms."

Merlin felt the same nervousness wash over him. More difficult? That did not sound very good to him.

No. Steel yourself. Something told Merlin that Rowena appreciated people that took on challenges, people that attempted to conquer all. Moreover, the young boy did not want to run anymore. Not like he did on the day the wandless wizard took away his parents.

"No Charm will be too difficult," Merlin declared confidently.

A surprised smile graced her features. "Go to the other end of the room, and summon the goblet from there," she ordered. "The incantation is accio, and the wine is yours if you can keep it all in the goblet by the time it reaches you."

It was late when Merlin returned to the Slytherin House dungeons. His stomach grumbled - an irritating and familiar reminder that he skipped both lunch and supper - and he swayed from side to side as he walked, possibly due to the goblet of wine he had earned himself.

When he opened the door to the room he shared with the other wizards, he was immediately enveloped in darkness. Not a moment later, though, Merlin heard a hushed, "Lumos," and got momentarily blinded by a soft light.

"Declare yourself!" one of the boys shouted.

"Merlin. And keep quiet," Merlin answered.

The wand lowered to reveal its owner - Arcturus. He had a confused frown on his face. "You disappeared after lessons," he said observantly.

The corner of Merlin's mouth twitched with a sardonic reply, but he had quickly learned that Arcturus Black was better as an acquaintance than an enemy. "Yes, I s'pose I did," Merlin replied as he strode towards his bed.

"Where did you go?" Arcturus asked.

Merlin heard the groan of another boy, along with the ruffle of sheets as he sat up. "Wha's wif the noise?" a muffled voice asked.

"Merlin has been going on solitary escapades through the castle," Arcturus explained. "I am asking about his adventures."

"I was only summoned by Lady Rowena," Merlin replied bitingly. He did not want the Black boy spreading untrue rumours.

"What she want?" the groggy voice asked. Merlin thought it may have been Diodorus.

Merlin changed into his nightgown and slipped under his sheets before coldly answering, "Nothing."

"It could not have been nothing," Arcturus whined. "Father says that Lady Rowena is a man in a woman's body, that if any witch should be burned at the stake it is her."

Merlin ground his teeth to keep himself from jumping at Arcturus's throat. "She is trying to find out who my parents were," he lied.

"Who were they?"

"I do not know yet."

"Oh, but you must - "

"Good night, Arcturus."

Merlin pulled his sheets over his head and hoped that the other boy would take that as a sign to keep his mouth shut. He was not sure why, but the smugness and overconfidence of Arcturus Black had irritated Merlin from the first time he heard him talk. Perhaps it was his wealth, or the way he paraded it, but something about the heir to the Black fortune caused a tingling sensation to run through Merlin's fingers.

The same sensation he felt when he had used a jinx on that dead rat.

Helga kept a protective arm around the young girl's shoulders as she guided her through the darkened castle. She hoped that her three colleagues would not be too irritated about being awoken in the eerie morning by her Patronus, for she desperately needed them to be in the best of sprits for the matter at hand.

She had found the girl wandering the cold Highlands alone, ropes still binding her wrists together. Helga could not fathom leaving her, even if she knew the risk of bringing a complete stranger to Hogwarts, especially when the school was still so young.

But she could not just leave her.

"Dawdling in Dreams," Helga muttered to the gargoyle leading to the Headmaster's Office. It spun to reveal the spiral staircase leading to what used to be the study of Lord Roderick Ravenclaw.

When Helga arrived, Godric, Rowena, and Salazar were already waiting. Godric had made a poor attempt at appearing well-rested, and Rowena stood next to his desk with her lips in a taut line, dark circles under her eyes. Salazar stood on the other side of his desk, a permanent scowl gracing his features.

All three gaped when they caught sight of the girl in Helga's arms.

"You must allow me to talk, and not interrupt me," Helga started.

Godric nodded and waved his hand, although he seemed none too happy about the request.

Helga took a deep breath before diving into her explanation. "This is Tolly. I found her on the outskirts of the castle grounds. She claims to have escaped a burning at the stake because her parents are a witch and wizard. Tolly, unfortunately, is a Squib."

"What?" Salazar bellowed.

"I am not finished!" Helga shouted. The mere occurrence of the kind Welsh woman shouting was enough to silence him. "We must care for her, somehow. There must be some use for her in the castle."

"Filth like her is the reason we have these obscene muggle-born wizards, Helga!" Salazar shouted. "Why would you bring her here?"

"Because she's not filth, Salazar - she's just a girl, and she'll be burned at the stake just for being in a magical family," Helga explained patiently. "Has your blackened heart finally crumbled?"

"You drive me mad, do you know that?" he seethed in reply.

"It was rather reckless to bring her here," Godric said. "You cannot be sure that she is telling the truth."

"Look at her, Godric!" Helga pleaded. "She is frightened, cold, and helpless. We must help her."

Rowena sighed and looked at the young girl. She could not be any older than sixteen, and her mousy brown hair was thin and matted. She had streaks of mud all over her face and body.

"I wish to hear from her," Rowena decided. "What do you have to say for yourself, Tolly?"

"I - I dun wish ta cause trouble, Your Ladyship," she stuttered. "I can leave, Your Ladyship."

"Do you wish to leave?" Rowena asked.

"Rowena, surely, you cannot be considering this!" Salazar exclaimed.

"You forget that this is my castle, Salazar," Rowena replied airily. "So, Tolly? Do you wish to leave?"

"Tru'fully, n - nay, Your Ladyship," Tolly muttered. "I can help, I can! I's very talent'd at sewin' and cleanin' and I can cook barley bread easy 'nough."

"I am unsure of this, Rowena," Godric commented.

"And would you rather I throw her back out into the cold?" Helga retorted.

"No," Rowena answered. "Tolly, you will stay here, at Hogwarts Castle, under a few conditions. You must help clean the castle, as well as aid the house elves in the kitchens. You will be sleeping in the kitchens - we can place a cot there for you."

"Rowena," Salzar started as he strode around the back of Godric's desk to stand next to her. "Do not do this. She does not belong. She is a Squib."

"Salazar, you would do well to remember that anyone can be a Squib," Rowena replied icily. "You could have been one, your children may be Squibs... do not tempt Fate."

"This school will go to pieces if we let all of this filthy blood taint it!" Salazar exclaimed, his gaze moving to Godric. "We need wizards and witches like ourselves."

"We are not educating her," Helga said with a roll of her eyes. "We are simply housing her. Is a good deed beyond your comprehension, Salazar?"

"Do not make me out to be the villain, Helga," Salazar seethed.

"You make yourself out to be as whatever you wish to be, Salazar."

After two weeks of practicing the Summoning Charm with Rowena, Merlin could non-verbally summon a table from the other side of the castle.

Declaring the Summoning Charm more or less mastered, Rowena moved on to teach him its counter - the Banishing Charm.

"The incantation for this Charm is depulso," Rowena explained. "Place emphasis on the 'u.' To start, try to just send it away from you. Once you have that mastered, we will work on banishing objects to specified locations."

Rowena turned to a cushion resting on the only table in the room. She swept her wand in front of it, her gaze unfaltering, and the cushion went flying out the door. After a few seconds, she summoned the cushion back into the room and turned to Merlin with a proud smile.

"Now you try," she commanded.

"Lady Rowena, may I ask how these spells will help me win a duel?" Merlin asked. "You said tha' - that Charms would be an easier way of winning duels."

"They are," Rowena replied. "These are the simplest Charms - you cannot build a house from the roof down, Merlin. And, of course, this particular set of Charms will allow you to summon a weapon or banish an enemy's weapon. Do not fret - we will learn more useful Charms, but only when the time comes."

Merlin nodded in understanding and turned towards the cushion to work on the Banishing Charm. The Charm came easily when he had its counter mastered. All that he required was to imagine the exact opposite.

Rowena observed the boy as he banished and summoned the cushion repeatedly. Each time, the cushion flew a little farther away from him. She thought there was something endearing about his determination.

No, not endearing... powerful.

Merlin's determination had a severe edge of potency. This was a bittersweet revelation for Rowena.

The bitterness was due to the fact that he was Salazar's pupil, and not hers.

"The boy is incredible. Not only for a wizard of his age - for a wizard of any age!"

Godric raised his eyebrows skeptically and turned to Salazar. "Can you confirm this?" he asked. "He is your student, after all."

"Merlin performs as expected in my lessons," Salazar answered. "He can perform each jinx just as well as the next wizard of his age. Perhaps he catches on a little faster than most, but the strength of the jinxes he performs is not of particular note."

"Perhaps jinxes are a waste of his talent," Rowena suggested bitingly. "He excels at Charms."

"Jealousy is unbecoming of you, Rowena," Salazar replied in a venomous tone.

Rowena's eyes fluttered shut and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. When she opened her eyes, she fixed Godric with a determined stare and said, "He could be a master enchanter if I had the opportunity to teach him more, Godric. However, it is quite difficult when this can only be done in private lessons in the evenings."

"What are you suggesting, Rowena?" Godric asked.

"That Merlin is to be moved to the house of Ravenclaw," Rowena replied.

"Are you raving mad?" Salazar bellowed.

"Salazar!" Helga scolded with a mortified glare. She turned to Rowena with a huff. "Do you not remember what I told you about Merlin, Rowena?"

"Of course I do, but - "

"Then leave this matter well alone," Helga interrupted sternly.

Rowena turned to Godric with a helpless expression. "Godric, surely, you must understand."

"If I am to be honest," Godric started, "I do not believe you should be giving him special lessons at all."

"What?" Rowena exclaimed.

"I am glad you see it my way, old friend," Salazar said with a pleased smirk.

"Do not mistake me, Rowena," Godric said. "I understand that the boy is gifted in Charms, but he is Salazar's student and it is therefore up to Salazar to educate him. I do not want students believing that we practice favouritism at Hogwarts."

"It is not favouritism - "

"It is," Godric interrupted.

"Salazar will never teach him the Charms I intend to!" Rowena exclaimed.

"Oh, he will learn the Patronus Charm, eventually," Salazar commented dismissively, "but why waste time learning the Baubillious Charm when one can simply use a Blasting Curse?"

"How can we unlock the potency of our students if your 'old friend' is so stubbornly ingrained in his ways?" Rowena asked challengingly.

Salazar observed his colleague with a sense of victory. Rowena had always been excessively competitive and hubristic, and he revelled in the joy of seeing her so flustered by the mere fact that the situation did not model her desires. He had tried once, in their youth, to teach her how cunning could get her anything she wanted, but the proud Ravenclaw had dismissed his efforts.

It seemed that the past was punishing her, and Salazar could not be more pleased.

"Very well, Rowena, I will try to appease you," Godric said, pulling Salazar out of his musings, "if only so you may quiet yourself."

"How do you plan to appease me, Godric?" Rowena asked icily.

Godric smirked. "Well, if you were any other woman, I would gladly show you."

"Your chivalry is astounding," Rowena snarled sardonically.

The corners of Godric's mouth twitched, his smirk faltering for a moment, and Salazar could not help but think that his friend was ill-prepared to handle Rowena's temper. "If you so deeply desire to teach Merlin, then you must offer these lessons to every student," Godric started, "and the rest of us must do the same."

Any traces of joy on Salazar's face immediately disappeared. "I must be hearing incorrectly, Godric," he snapped.

"No, you are not," Godric said pointedly. "You will provide your lessons in Potions and that Dark Magic you insist on teaching to the rest of the students if they so wish to learn. All of us will teach our specialties to every student. Of course, our own students will be required to attend our lessons, but the rest of the day would be up to their desires."

"How do you plan to organize this, Godric?" Helga asked.

"Each of us will teach the students of our house for two hours every morning," Godric explained. "After that, we teach another house for two hours. For example, I will teach Rowena's students, Helga could teach Salazar's students, Rowena may teach my students, and Salazar may teach Helga's students. Then we repeat this twice more for the other two houses of students we have yet to teach. Simple enough?"

"This is not necessary, Godric," Salazar commented.

"I understand that you think your lessons are sufficient, but - "

"No," Salazar interrupted sharply. "I merely do not wish to teach the mudbloods. Why is it that every single time we are in this room, you all seem to be defending the scum under our boots?"

"Salazar, we have discussed this at great length," Godric said sternly. "If a man has magic, he is a wizard. That is the end of that."

"The whole point of these houses - "

"Was to appease your picky nature," Rowena interrupted coldly.

"I think I am the only one justified in calling people picky," Helga commented as she gave Rowena a pointed stare. She turned to Godric and said, "You, as well, are exceptionally idealistic in your selection."

"Idealistic? I would hardly - "

"Godric, please," Helga interrupted. "All of you make me sick to my stomach. Our goal was to educate wizards and witches, not to exclude them because of their origins and personalities. I quite like this plan, as I am quite certain that none of you would ever teach your students a damned thing about magical plants and animals."

"What would be the use?" Salazar muttered.

"Ask me that the next time you borrow dittany for your foolishly earned injuries," Helga snapped as she glared at the dark-haired man.

"Helga is right," Rowena said quietly. "We must rely on each other to make up for our shortcomings, even if we do not wish to admit that they exist."

"Very well," Godric agreed with a nod. "I will make the announcement to the students when we are breaking our fast tomorrow."

Helga smiled gratefully at Rowena. "Now then, would anyone like some honeyed wine?"

Merlin stood up without a moment's hesitation as soon as Salazar declared the lesson of the day over.

Ever since Godric's announcement that students could learn from the other professors, Merlin had been eager to explore the facets of magic left untouched by Salazar and Rowena. After lessons with Salazar, the students of Slytherin House could learn from Helga Hufflepuff. According to her quick description in the morning, she taught of the many uses and properties of magical plants, as well as the taming of magical animals.

Most of the students in Slytherin House scoffed at Helga's introduction, which Merlin found strange. Surely, they were in the school to learn. What would they learn by scoffing at new ideas?

Whatever the answer was to that question, it was beyond Merlin's understanding. He yearned to learn more, to master more magic.

As Merlin reached the ground floor of the castle, he stopped in his tracks. Students were milling about the entrance hall, creating an entangling crowd of people trying to find their way. Suddenly, a blonde boy in scarlet robes appeared in front of Merlin.

"Good morning!" he greeted cheerily. "You are Merlin, correct? The boy that can speak to snakes?"

Merlin simply nodded and returned to searching the crowd for a way out of the castle and outside. Helga's lessons were often held on the edge of the forest on the castle grounds.

"My name is Cadogan Lynch," the boy continued. "I was selected by Gryffindor, you see. That's why my robes are scarlet!"

Merlin looked back at the boy. "That's impressive," he said monotonously.

"You should meet my friends!" Cadogan exclaimed. He turned to the crowd and waved his arms frantically while shouting, "Mabon! Aldreda!"

A few seconds later, two people appeared at his side. One was a tall and lanky redhead with a very freckled face and brown eyes. The other was a short girl with short, frizzy brown hair and scars on the skin of her tanned face. Her grey eyes were almost milky in contrast to her brown skin.

"This is Mabon Weasley," Cadogan introduced. "He is a muggle-born - very hard for them out in the real world, you know?" He paused and turned to the girl. "This is Aldreda Mercer. She is a half-blood."

Merlin nodded at them kindly, but his eyes remained focused on the girl. "Yer the one that cut off the thief's arms. That true?" he asked.

Aldreda shrugged and answered, "I hacked at the bone a few times, and then gave up. So not really true."

Merlin felt a combined surge of fear and admiration. And maybe a bit of jealousy. He wished that he had had that much courage when his parents were in danger.

"I should introduce you to some of the Hufflepuff House students," Cadogan decided as he grabbed Merlin's arm and led him into the now dispersing crowd of people.

"I really mus' get to Lady Helga's lessons," Merlin said.

"Nonsense - this will only take a moment," Cadogan replied before coming to an abrupt stop in front of two boys in yellow robes. Pointing to the one with long red hair and the beginnings of a moustache, he said, "This is Hengist Abbot, and this," he moved his hand towards the other boy, shorter and with black hair, "is Aeron Longbottom."

"Nice ta meetcha, Merlin!" Aeron greeted.

"Cadogan, I've got mah lessons," Merlin grumbled as he wrestled his arm out of the boy's grip. He forced a smile at Aeron and Hengist, "'Twas nice meetin' ya, too."

Merlin turned to leave the castle, but Cadogan followed right behind him. Once he caught up with the dark-haired student of Slytherin House, he said, "We should spend time together, Merlin. I think we would be great friends."

"Do you not have other lessons to get to?" Merlin asked irritatingly.

"Just Lady Rowena's lessons," Cadogan said dismissively. "She will not mind if I am late."

He will be in for quite the surprise, Merlin thought to himself with a trace of amusement.

"So, what do you say to my proposition?" Cadogan asked as the two came to a stop at the edge of the forest. "We could be great friends, Merlin."

Merlin nodded, if only to appease the boy. "Quite the plan," he said.

"Fantastic! Have a great lesson, Merlin!"

Cadogan turned to run back towards the castles, his robes billowing behind him. The boy nearly ran straight into Lady Helga as she was heading for the forest, but the woman did not seem offended. She merely laughed jovially and waved at the boy as he continued to run past.

Merlin did not know what to think of Helga's immense kindness. It was comforting, and it was she that he had to thank for bringing him to Hogwarts, but he found it difficult to see the benefit in being so optimistic and jovial. She was a soft-spoken woman, and it was a wonder that no one had taken advantage of those two particular traits - amiability and femininity.

Then again, being a powerful witch probably helped.

Once she reached the edge of the forest, Merlin realized that there was only one other Slytherin House student attending Helga's lesson - Merwyn Yates. The boy was very unnerving for Merlin, and so he tried to avoid being around him. It seemed, however, that it could not be avoided in that instance.

"Very well," Helga started cheerfully, seemingly unfazed by the small audience. "Let us begin with a lesson on dittany."

#*tgau #*writing posts #*merlin sayre #*cliodna o braonain #*morgana le fay #*salazar slytherin #*rowena ravenclaw #*salazar x rowena #*merlin x morgana #*merlin x cliodna #salazar slytherin #rowena ravenclaw #merlin #morgana le fay #slytherin #ravenclaw #fanfiction

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Cliodna Isibeal Sayre (née O Braonain)

Blood Status - pureblood (druidess)

School (House) - Hogwarts (Ravenclaw)

Birth Date - 10 April 979

Occupation - Seer (979), Hogwarts Matron (998), Healer (998)

Parents - Toran O Braonain, Isibeal O Braonain (née O Ciardah)

Siblings - Mordred O Braonain

Partner - Merlin Sayre (m. 1002)

Children - Fionn Sayre II

Other Family - none

A soft-spoken and intelligent witch, Cliodna is often filled with amazing insight that will awe the masses. Her skill as a Seer is peculiar and almost possessive. Through thick and thin, there is no one that Merlin trusts more.

#*tgau #*cliodna o braonain #*character profiles #harry potter #fanfiction #hp #hp fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #cliodna #sophie turner #ravenclaw #rowena ravenclaw #merlin #seer #potions #potioneer #witch #aesthetic

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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The Great and Unfortunate: Chapter 2 - The Wand and the Wizard

Story Title - The Great and Unfortunate (ffn link)

Story Rating - teen (T)

Story Characters - Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Merlin, Morgana le Fay, Cliodna, Sir Cadogan, Arthur Pendragon

Story Pairings - Salazar/Rowena, Merlin/Morgana, Merlin/Cliodna

Chapter - 2) The Wand and the Wizard

"This will be your new home, until those of you with families leave for the harvest season."

The small crowd of young wizards - all six wizards and two witches - crowded around Salazar like a flock of helpless and blind sheep.

Salazar made this comparison with some distaste. The children before him were far from the noble and powerful practitioners of magic he hoped he could shape them into. Of course, he was not one to turn from a challenge, and they all certainly had potential.

There was Arcturus Black, standing at the front of the crowd with an overconfident smug. The child was irritating at best, but Salazar knew quite a lot of the Black family to be convinced that he would make a brilliant pureblood wizard. After all, their motto was toujours pur.

Then there were the Greengrass twins - Agatha and Solon. It was a wonderful rarity to see twins in his lifetime, and rarer still for them to be so starkly different as the twins before him. Agatha had olive skin and long midnight black hair, while Solon had short, white blonde hair that almost blended with his alabaster skin. They were the best dressed of the crowd, of course. Nothing but the best was to be expected from the Greengrass family.

Those of lesser note were Diodorus Nott, Annabella Burke, Merwyn Yates, and Richard Smithson. They came from known pureblood families, but they were working class families, and Salazar really only took them under his wing out of pity. Although, Salazar was mildly impressed with the cunning that fourteen year-old Richard exhibited - even if he was a bit dim for his age.

And, last but not least, there was Merlin. He was standing at the back of the group, his face void of expression. He was dressed in the same forest green robes that Salazar had provided to all eight of his new students, but he seemed uncomfortable in the garb. Salazar expected great things from him, as the only parselmouth in the group.

"There are benches and chairs scattered around," Salazar continued, gesturing around the common area of the dungeons that would house his students, "as well as tables, should you need to write anything. We will be teaching you how to read and write, of course. The fireplace is there, and please, do not bother the - "

"Is that a mermaid?"

Suddenly, all eight children rushed to one of the windows overlooking the depths of the Black Lake to try to get a look at the merperson peering into the dungeons with blatant disgust. Salazar could sympathize.

"Ahem."

The chatter stopped abruptly and all of the children turned to face Salazar, who now had a very displeased look on his face. "As I was saying, do not bother the creatures of the Black Lake."

"Why is it called the Black Lake, sir?" Arcturus asked with a smug smirk. Salazar did not doubt that the insolent child thought it was named for his family.

"Because it is believed to be bottomless," Salazar replied stoically.

Arcturus's smirk dropped. "Is - is that true?"

Salazar raised an eyebrow. "If you keep interrupting me, you will be able to find out," he answered. "Now, what was I saying? Ah, yes, do not bother the creatures of the Black Lake. The wizards' rooms are up those stairs, while the witches' rooms are up the opposite stairs. You will find two spare sets of forest green robes on your bed, supplied by the house elves, along with fresh parchment, quills, and ink. Please do not use the parchment unless you are asked to do so by a professor. Now, are there any questions?"

Annabella stuck up a shaking hand. Salazar nodded towards her. "How will we wash our robes?"

"There are baskets at the entrances of your rooms," Salazar explained. "Place your soiled clothing in there and the house elves will have them washed within the day. Anyone else?"

No more hands went up. Salazar gave them all a curt nod and exited the dungeons. The portrait did not even fully swing shut behind him when he heard the room erupt into chatter. With a roll of his eyes, Salazar strode down the halls and far away from the noise.

"Is it true?"

"Speaking to snakes - what a gift!"

"Can you show us?"

"There isn't a snake around, you insipid girl!"

"Maybe he has a pet snake!"

Merlin could felt his eyes widen as the room filled with more and more questions about his skill - or gift, as some called it. Questions that he could not really answer. Questions that he had asked himself. Each word was like a slap on his cheek or a hit on the head.

He wanted nothing more than to escape the rambunctious crowd and hide in his bed. A real bed. He still struggled to believe that. It was what Helga had promised him when she found him trying to break into the kitchens of a pub, and the soft-spoken Welsh woman did not seem like a liar to Merlin.

The boisterous chatter seemed to divert from questioning Merlin to the now bickering Greengrass twins. Merlin took the opportunity to run up to the wizards' rooms and escape the noise. He ran into the first room and shut the door behind him, leaned his back on it with a sigh of relief.

"Ah!"

Merlin shakily drew his wand and pointed at the silhouette in the room. The person slowly stepped forward, and the light revealed it to be Salazar. Merlin lowered his wand and gaped at the towering man.

From the moment Merlin had seen him, he knew that Salazar Slytherin was a powerful and ambitious man. His black hair was cut short in the Roman fashion that was often mocked, yet the nobleman wore it proudly. His beard was equally peculiar - almost like a sharpened point of obsidian. And yet, Salazar Slytherin had the most evident grace out of all of the Founders sitting at that floating table. Godric had been too boisterous for Merlin's taste, and Rowena attempted to exhibit a man's grace, which only clashed with her woman's grace in a very confusing way. Helga, meanwhile, emitted the aura of a loving mother, and that made it difficult for Merlin to look at her like some godly being.

Salazar, on the other hand, was a marble statue. Stoic and not a fibre of his being out of place. And, most certainly, not someone that would bend his knee for the comfort of others.

"I - I thought you left," Merlin stuttered out.

"I did," Salazar said in agreement. "This castle has many secrets."

Silence filled the room and made Merlin feel like his ears were ringing.

"I must discuss some matters with you, Merlin," Salazar started. "You must know that you are an extremely special boy."

"No."

Salazar raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"I'm jus' a boy, sir," Merlin replied meekly. "There isn' one special thing 'bout me."

"Well, we will have to work on that horrid accent of yours," Salazar agreed, "but you have more potential than any of the children in that crowd."

"I do?" Merlin asked cautiously.

"Yes, of course. Let me see that wand of yours," Salazar said.

Merlin handed him the wand and twirled it between his fingers. His eyes trailed across it as if he was attempting to memorize every groove. He gripped it with his left hand and wielded it, aiming at a wall. A bright light burst out of the tip and shattered a lantern. Then, Salazar swished the wand again and the lantern was repaired. With a small frown on his face, he handed the wand back to Merlin.

"Very interesting," he said. "Wood of oak, phoenix feather core. Very rare, and very powerful."

"Does it matter?" Merlin asked as he eyed the wand warily.

Salazar's stoic demeanour faltered for a split second before he coldly replied, "Of course it does. The wand makes the wizard."

Merlin looked from his wand and into Salazar's eyes. "M' father was killed by magic from a wandless wizard, though. He was more powerful, even without a wand."

Salazar was silent for a moment, his mind scrambling for a proper answer. "Wandless magic is archaic," he finally said. "While some wandless wizards are strong, they can only do so much without a wand. You are powerful without a wand, Merlin. Imagine what you can do with one."

The wizard makes the wand, not the other way around. Always remember that, son. That was the first lesson his father had given Merlin, but the young boy wasn't sure if he would win an argument with Salazar.

"What's so special 'bout me?" Merlin asked.

"As a parselmouth, you have the world at your fingertips," Salazar answered. "Once you improve that skill, sharpen it like a warrior's sword... anything will be possible for you, Merlin."

"Is tha' what I'm called?" Merlin questioned. "Parselmouth? Persons tha' can speak ta snakes?"

Salazar nodded. "I am one, as well, and it is an amazing gift. People will call it a skill, but only the best of wizards are gifted with this skill."

"So you can teach me?" Merlin asked eagerly.

"I will be teaching you a lot of things in these coming years, Merlin," Salazar confirmed. "That brings me to my most important point. In your time here at Hogwarts, people will attempt to steer you in the wrong direction. You should not let them, Merlin. You are a strong, powerful wizard, and you should not allow yourself to be brought down for the benefit of others."

"I should try ta be selfish, then?"

A faint smile graced Salazar's stony features. "No, Merlin. You must be selfish."

Merlin walked down the staircase with heavy steps and prayed to whichever deity happened to exist that they would not swing around for the third time that morning. His stomach grumbled in agreement.

He nearly let out a sigh of relief when he placed his foot on the main floor, but he was cut short by another body hurtling into his back. Merlin stumbled forward, then swiftly turned around to face his attacker. It was a tall, gangly boy with a crooked smile on his face. He was dressed in the royal blue robes of house Ravenclaw.

"Can you believe it?" the boy asked. "They's feeding us, too. I woulda taken to books long ago if I knew that! Mah name's Uric, by the way."

Merlin nodded faintly as the boy sped into the Great Hall. He followed after him, and was shocked to see four tables taking up the previously empty room. Each long table was covered in a cloth to resemble the house colours. Merlin made for the table with the forest green cloth.

He sat down next to one of the witches - Annabella, if he remembered correctly - and across from Arcturus. There was a bowl of cooked barley in front of him and... Merlin's eyes widened considerably as he took in the small burgundy slab resting on top of the gruel.

He could not remember the last time he ate meat, but he was quite sure that it was from a squirrel his father had caught, and the strip of meat in his bowl of barley looked a lot more fatty.

"Barley and pork," Arcturus said with a trace of disgust. "Is this what one must suffer through for a good education?"

Pork? Merlin continued to gape at his bowl. He had never before seen actual pork. His parents never had enough money for that, but if Arcturus was right...

Merlin did not waste another second. He grabbed his spoon and dug into his meal before it could disappear. He noticed Arcturus watching him with a grimace in the corner of his eye, but Merlin did not particularly care. They came from different worlds, and he was not about to stop eating the most amazing meal he ever had for the sake of justifying his animalistic behaviour.

As Salazar led his students out of the Great Hall to begin lessons, Merlin could not help but admire the structure of the castle. It was enormous and very sturdily built. It felt as if every stone held some magic in it, and most of the walls were covered in talking portraits. The portraits were mostly of Ravenclaws, according to the plaques, which Merlin found curious. He resolved to ask Salazar about it, if the opportunity presented itself.

The group entered a room in the dungeons of the castle. Salazar wordlessly waved to the tables and chairs around the room and the students took this as an order to take their seats while he took his place at the front of the room. Each table had a clay jar with a lid in the centre.

Salazar did not even pause before starting his lesson. "Today, we will be studying a particular jinx. Can anyone tell me what a jinx is?"

His question was followed by silence.

"Of course you cannot," Salazar continued with an unpleased edge to his voice. "It is a form of Dark Magic. Jinxes are minor Dark Magic. Hexes, which we will touch on soon, are moderate. Curses, which we will learn about a little later, are the most severe form of Dark Magic. Does that make sense?"

The students nodded collectively.

"First, the Stinging Jinx," Salazar started. "The incantation is mordeo, with an emphasis on the first 'o.' The key to jinxes is to keep your movements decisive and firm. Now - "

Salazar pulled out his wand and swished it. As soon as he did that, all of the lids on the clay pots rose to the ceiling, and the objects inside floated out. The objects were rats - very large and likely dead, but seemingly preserved - and they each came to land in front of a student.

"Practice your stinging jinx on these rat corpses," Salazar ordered. "Remember: mordeo. Decisive and firm."

Merlin looked around at the students at his table. Merwyn had a peculiarly pleased expression on his face, Annabella was turning an interesting shade of green, and Diodorus had inched away from the table. Merlin returned his gaze to his rat.

The thing was grotesque, but he had seen plenty of rats in his short life. Dealing with them was necessary when stealing from pubs was the only way he could get food.

Merlin stood up from his seat and backed away a few feet. He firmly wielded his wand toward the rat and shouted, "Mordeo!"

A white light shot from the tip of his wand and hit the rat, causing it to jump slightly, as if the magic jolted some reflex. Only a few seconds later, its skin began to bubble and swell around a red scorch mark.

"Very good, Merlin," Salazar praised from behind the boy. He looked towards the rest of the class. "What are you all waiting for? The spell will not come out of your wands without your magic."

Merlin sat back down at the table as Salazar moved away from him and milled around the room. There was a strange tingling sensation running through his fingers. He itched to pull out his wand and try again. Another rat, another spell, another target.

There was something about magic that made it simultaneously frightening and addicting for Merlin.

Once every student had successfully performed the spell, Salazar dismissed them and allowed them to go to the Great Hall for lunch. Merlin was pushing his chair in when Rowena Ravenclaw strode into the room. He hung his head and started to walk out of the room, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I am here for you, child," Rowena declared as she removed her hand from his shoulder. She looked up and her gaze met Salazar's. "Surely, Salazar, you do not mind if I steal Merlin away for a mere moment. Only to give him some advice on his practice."

Merlin looked back at his mentor, who was standing in the middle of the room now, cold and stony gaze fixed on Rowena. The young boy could not help but notice how Salazar did not move to greet Rowena like men were expected to greet noblewomen - a small curtsy and a kiss on the hand. He wondered if this was because of Rowena's attempt to exert leadership befitting of a man, or if it was for another reason entirely.

"No, of course not," Salazar replied cooly. His eyes moved to meet Merlin's. "Remember our discussion, Merlin."

Merlin nodded meekly. "Yes, sir."

"Come boy," Rowena said to Merlin as her hand rested on his back and guided him out of the room. After they turned a corner, she asked, ""What have you been learning under the supervision of Slytherin?"

"We did a simple jinx today, but he says we're ta learn some hexes and curses, too," Merlin answered.

"Did you enjoy the lesson?" she asked kindly. When Merlin looked up at her, though, her gaze held a mischievous glint.

"That depends," Merlin replied vaguely.

"Oh? On what?"

"On what the professors want me ta be speakin' of their classes."

Rowena laughed airily. "You are a very smart boy," she decided. "I want you to speak the truth. There is nothing that I value more than the truth."

Merlin paused, thinking of a proper answer. "Truthfully, Lady Rowena, there's not much exciting 'bout the jinx," he said. "There's no one we can be throwin' 'em at, and I wouldn' want to, really. Even if I had to, there mus' be easier ways to win a duel."

"Well, Merlin, there are easier ways," Rowena said in agreement as she stopped in front of a room. "I wish to teach you, if that is appropriate."

"As long as it wouldn' be against Professor Slytherin's wishes, then I s'pose I'll learn,"

Rowena smiled down at him and gestured inside the room. "Then, please, let us begin. And do call me Professor Ravenclaw."

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Morgana Cateline le Fay (formerly Pendragon, née Beaumont)

Blood Status - halfblood

School (House) - Hogwarts (Ravenclaw)

Birth Date - 9 December 979

Occupation - Princess of Camelot (987), Dark Witch (999)

Parents - Gorlois Beaumont, Igraine Pendragon (formerly Beaumont, née le Fay)

Siblings - Morgause Beaumont, Elaine Beaumont (deceased)

Partner - Merlin Sayre (996 - 1000)

Children - none

Other Family - Arthur Pendragon (half-brother), Uther Pendragon (stepfather, deceased)

A sweet, ambitions, and intelligent girl that has an insatiable curiosity. No one, not even Merlin, could have predicted that that curiosity could be quite so deadly...

#*character profiles #*morgana le fay #*tgau #harry potter #fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfiction #morgana #morgana le fay #morgan le fay #adelaide kane #hogwarts #ravenclaw #morgana pendragon #avalon #animagus

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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The Great and Unfortunate: Chapter 1 - The First Sorting

Story Title - The Great and Unfortunate (ffn link)

Story Description - Rowena will stop at nothing to teach the exceptionally-skilled Merlin how to properly harness and use his powers, even if he is Salazar's student. Meanwhile, Salazar's hatred for muggle-borns only grows, and Merlin's skills as a parselmouth, as well as his loyalty to Slytherin house, gives way to the development of a gruesome plan.

Story Rating - teen (T)

Story Characters - Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Merlin, Morgana le Fay, Cliodna, Sir Cadogan, Arthur Pendragon

Story Pairings - Salazar/Rowena, Merlin/Morgana, Merlin/Cliodna

Chapter - 1) The First Sorting

Salazar had to keep himself from shuddering as his eyes scanned the small crowd of children congregated in the Great Hall of Rowena's castle.

At least, he did not shudder outwardly.

When Salazar had first approached Rowena about helping with his and Godric's plan to start a wizardry and witchcraft school, he had not expected her to be so apprehensive. Rowena had abandoned her monumental and formidable castle, despite the fact that it had been built and lived in by Ravenclaws for several generations. He had expected her to be thankful for being given an opportunity to put the fortress to other uses. Its stone walls reverberated with memories that Rowena did not wish to live amongst. At least, with children milling around, she would be distracted from its perpetual echoes.

And yet, she was anything but thankful. In fact, her compliance to his and Godric's plan came with several conditions, one of which was enlisting the aid of Helga Hufflepuff as a founder of the school.

Salazar did not doubt Helga's import as a founder of Hogwarts, as they had decided to call it. She was a natural educator, and had been teaching witches and wizards in an abandoned pub, or something of that sort, for many years. In fact, the jovial witch was the most knowledgeable in the field of education of the four of them, and the remaining founders had much to learn from her.

No, it was not Helga's import that Salazar doubted - it was her values.

The witch wanted to educate everyone. If she found a child in a muddy ditch that could make flowers appear in her palm, Helga Hufflepuff would do everything in her power to turn that filthy muggle into an all-powerful witch. It absolutely disgusted Salazar. The rare obscenities of the muggle world that possessed magic were just that - rare and obscene. In Salazar's opinion, they were not meant to be accepted by anyone - muggle or magic - but to perish until none remained. They were a dark spot of chaos on the face of an orderly world.

Of course, Godric's boot would have found his bottom if he terminated their arrangement with Rowena, and the founders had to reach a compromise, because it was not only Salazar that was picky with his students.

Rowena was, as she ever was, extremely pompous and hubristic in the matter. She felt that only the most intelligent of children deserved to be taught. After all, as Rowena had put it, what purpose was there to wasting valuable time on an idiot by birth?

Salazar had taken the opportunity to assert that pureblood wizards and witches were likely the brightest, which caused Helga's features to contort into an irritated glare.

As for Godric, he was as impetuous and hotheaded as always. He believed that only the bravest children should be taught magic. There was nothing more disappointing, as Godric had argued, than a wizard or witch that was too scared to put his or her skills to use.

So that was how the four witches and wizards had compromised to educate who they preferred, separate from the other founders. The students would be in separate houses, living in separate parts of the school, eating at separate tables. Even in classes, there would be no more than two houses present in one room.

Salazar was not pleased. There were still muggle-borns in his school.

"Salazar," Godric hissed at him. "Pay attention."

Salazar left his thoughts behind him and returned his attention to the crowd in front of him. They were huddled together like scared animals, staring up at the four adults with a mix of admiration and fear. Most were about eleven years old, while some of older ages were scattered amongst them. The four founders were sitting at a levitated table at the farthest end of the hall. Salazar spread out the rolled parchment on the wooden table and read the first name.

"Morcant Ahearn."

The boy was skinny and covered in mud. He could barely speak proper and coherent English - a common trait amongst muggle-borns that had begun to explicitly stand out to Salazar. The frail boy flinched each time one of the adults spoke.

It was no surprise to Salazar that he was picked for the house of Hufflepuff.

Going through the list was insurmountably dull. Salazar had found a few students that were pure of blood, some that were extremely ambitious to master magic, and a very cunning fourteen year-old. Yet, to his dismay, there were no parselmouths.

He should not have been too surprised at that. It was a rare gift to be a parselmouth that very few were born with. Usually, it had to be inherited. It was rarer still to find a witch or wizard that was the first parselmouth in a family.

"Aldreda Mercer."

The girl that stepped forward was small and covered in unbecoming bruises and scars. Her brown hair was violently shorn short and matted beyond belief. Despite all this, she stood the tallest out of all of the students, even those that had already been sorted. Her arms hung stiffly by her side and she looked Salazar directly into his eyes when he called her name. Salazar figured her to be only about twelve years of age.

"Tell us, girl: who are your parents?" Salazar asked.

"My mother's name was Jocosa, and she was a witch," Aldreda replied with unexpected confidence. "My father's name was Elric, and he was a muggle merchant. He kept her secret."

Salazar leaned back in his seat and whispered to Rowena, who was sitting next to him, "This disinterests me."

"Of course it does," Rowena replied with a light sigh. Then, she asked, "Where are your parents now?"

Salazar was not surprised that Rowena was interested in the girl. She spoke nearly perfect English, for a girl that originated from a clearly impoverished family.

"Dead. Killed by thieves in our home," Aldreda replied, her face stony. "They tried to kill me too, but I managed to cut off the arms of one of them with my father's knife, and ran with my mother's wand before the other could do anything."

In the corner of his eye, Salazar saw Godric sit up, his interest piqued. "What have you been doing since then?" he asked.

"Living day by day," Aldreda answered. "I have faced more than my share of thieves in that time, I'm afraid."

Godric stood up. "Then let those days end," he declared with a booming voice. Salazar rolled his eyes. His friend had such a mood for theatrics. "You are now welcome to the house of Gryffindor, Aldreda."

"Very well, next up," Salazar started as Godric sat down. "Merlin."

A small, skinny boy dressed in rags stepped forward. His hair was black as pitch, yet his skin was pale and ashen. Every part of him, from the way he stood to the way he hung his head, expressed fear and uncertainty, and yet his childish features were set in a determined frown.

"We don't seem to have your surname, boy," Salazar observed. "What is it?"

"I don't have one," the boy replied.

Salazar raised an eyebrow. "Do you not have parents, or grandparents, boy?"

"I used to," Merlin replied quietly.

Salazar grimaced. There was no way for him to confirm his blood purity now. "Well, who were your parents then, Merlin?" he asked, more so out of formality than interest.

"They was a wizard and a witch, sir," Merlin replied. "But they was killed by another wizard."

At least both parents were magic. That showed some promise to Salazar. Yet, he remained disinterested. For all he knew, they might have been muggle-borns. He could see Rowena's mind working harder than it ever did before, and he decided to stay out of her path. She was an unstoppable force when she set her sights on something.

"I suspect, then, that you grew up around magic," Rowena started. "Were you taught anything?"

"Yes, madam," Merlin replied. "My parents were teachin' me magic before they was killed. My papa always let me use his wand."

He pulled out the worn wand to show them, and held it as if he was a practiced wizard. "Very good," Rowena praised. "What are your skills, then?"

"Makin' things float, I can do that, as well as turning rocks into birds," Merlin answered. Suddenly, he grew uncomfortable before adding, "I could do somethin' that my papa and mum couldn't, too, and they thought me special 'cause of it, 'scept I'm not too good at it, madam."

"What's that, then?" Rowena asked. Her eyes gleamed with interest. Salazar had to keep himself from yawning.

"I can speak to snakes, madam."

Immediately, Salazar sat forward. He could feel Rowena's searing glare. "What do you mean, boy?" Salazar demanded.

This had certainly piqued Salazar's interest. None of the children before Merlin were parselmouths, and here stood a boy that was likely the first in his family, an even greater rarity in itself.

"When snakes hiss, it don't sound as hissin' to me, sir," Merlin answered. "And when I try talkin' to snakes, my tongue forms hisses, not words. They understand, and they like me."

"Rubbish!" a boy in the crowd shouted.

"Silence!" Salazar demanded, raising a hand. "That is very impressive, Merlin."

Suddenly, Salazar felt the nails of a hand digging into his arm. He looked to his right to see Rowena's angry complexion. "This child is mine, Salazar," she hissed.

"He's a parselmouth, Rowena," Salazar whispered back.

"You cannot even confirm his blood purity," Rowena argued. "He is an intelligent wizard, for his age, and belongs in the house of Ravenclaw."

"I can't possibly imagine a wizard of filthy blood being bestowed the gift of speaking parseltongue."

"I eagerly await the day that you are proven wrong, Salazar."

Salazar's face morphed into a glare to rival that of stubborn Rowena. "I demand that Merlin be placed in the house of Slytherin," he growled.

Rowena let go of his arm, but kept her eyes fixed on him. "In that case, I demand that you all leave my castle."

Anger bubbled in Salazar's veins, even though he knew Rowena well enough to know that she would never follow through with that threat. "You mad - "

"Salazar, Rowena, please," Helga interrupted. Salazar's angry stare turned to her.

"Don't tell me that you want the boy, too," Salazar hissed.

"Nothing of the sort, dear friend," Helga answered. "I would not get so sharp with me, if I were you, as I am supporting your cause."

"Helga, what do you mean?" Rowena asked, her gaze turning frantic as she looked at Helga.

"Rowena, the house of Slytherin has half the students of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, and a third of Hufflepuff," Helga explained. "Merlin will be in this school, and you will likely get the opportunity to teach him something, but it only seems proper that we allow Salazar this boy. He cannot help that he is so prickly and unfriendly."

Rowena's glare softened and she returned her attention to Salazar. "Very well, then," she said quietly.

Salazar nodded in satisfaction, ignoring Helga's jab, and stood up. "Welcome, Merlin, to the house of Slytherin."

An ambitious smile spread across the young wizard's face. "I am honoured, sir," he replied.

Salazar took his seat, the remnants of his victory smile still gracing his sharp features. He had never before met a child that shared his skill of parseltongue, so it brought expected joy to the experienced wizard.

Merlin would be, without a doubt in Salazar's mind, the proudest product of the house of Slytherin and one of the greatest wizards the wizarding world would ever see.

#*tgau #*writing posts #*merlin sayre #*salazar slytherin #*rowena ravenclaw #*cliodna o braonain #*morgana le fay #*salazar x rowena #*merlin x morgana #*merlin x cliodna #merlin #harry potter #fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #slytherin #ravenclaw #salazar slytherin #rowena ravenclaw #hogwarts

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Kristopher Shacklebolt + Zhara Shafiq

“Said he didn't want to break the professional boundaries between Head Girl and Head Boy too soon, but we both knew he was just intimidated.”

Began dating 28 March 1970. Married 1 June 1972.

#*bmas #*pariahs #*zhara shafiq #*kristopher shacklebolt sr #*kristopher x zhara #*pairing profiles #shacklebolt #shafiq #ministry of magic #slytherin #head girl #head boy #hogwarts #audrey weasley #percy weasley #fanfiction #harry potter #idris elba #salma hayek

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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The Pariahs: Chapter 2 - The Ghosts of Greengrass Manor

Story Title - The Pariahs (ffn link)

Story Description - "You always hated your parents' purist crap." "Not for the right reasons." - At the end of the war, they are the only ones left to blame; unfortunately, this is not their cross to bear. The Malfoys and Greengrasses are not used to being the outcasts of a society, but in this new Wizarding World, the law concerning former Death Eaters and their families is clear: eat or be eaten.

Story Rating - teen (T)

Story Characters - Draco Malfoy, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Keegan Shacklebolt (OMC), Fiona Greengrass (OFC), Archibald Greengrass (OMC), Narcissa Black, Lucius Malfoy, Kristopher Shacklebolt I (OMC), Zhara Shacklebolt (OFC), Audrey Weasley, Percy Weasley

Story Pairings - Draco/Astoria, Keegan/Daphne

Chapter - 2) The Ghosts of Greengrass Manor

If there was one thing that Daphne still liked about Greengrass Manor, it was the silence. Some would find it eerie, unsettling, creepy, the list goes on. For the eldest Greengrass girl, though, it was peaceful and productive. She was not a chaotic person - the best working environment for Daphne Greengrass was minimalistic and deathly silent.

On that particular day, Daphne was examining a supposedly magical geode rock that was given to her as a training assignment. When Daphne had first chosen a career as a Curse-Breaker, Draco had looked at her as if she had just grown a third eye. However, it truly was the perfect job for her. While her love for jewels and gems often got dismissed as girly and pretentious, the truth was far more complex. It wasn't just the beauty that Daphne admired - it was the history. Every artefact, no matter how ruined or beautiful, had a story to tell. The magic that concealed that story was even more interesting. Being a Curse-Breaker meant that unravelling that story and that magic was her job.

Daphne gently rotated the rock that she was holding with her tweezers as she ever so slightly adjusted the magnification and focus on her magnifying spectacles. If she could get the perfect focus, perhaps she could see -

"Ah, there you are, Daphne!"

Daphne jumped in her seat, startled at the shrill voice and let out an exasperated sigh as she glanced through her spectacles and noticed they were once again out of focus. Bloody brilliant, Daphne thought to herself as she gently set down the geode and removed her spectacles.

Turning her head to glance up at her mother, she said with a bored tone, "What is it now?"

Fiona Greengrass was a beautiful woman, but her beauty had been worn down by the war. Her honey blonde hair that once shone in the sunlight now seemed dull and graying, and while her skin may have once been described as porcelain, it was no more pallid. The wrinkles of worry on her forehead and around her eyes were more prominent now, especially as she confusedly moved her gaze between the geode and her daughter.

"What on earth is that, Daphne?" Fiona asked, her tone clearly expressing her bewilderment.

"An assignment for training," Daphne replied with a shrug.

"Ah, right, you're still in that silly Curse-Breaker phase," Fiona said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

You cannot hex your mother, a voice in Daphne's head reminded. You can move out, though. Taking a deep breath, she instead asked, "Is that why you came over here?"

"No, no, of course not," Fiona replied in a cheery tone. She sat down across from her daughter as she continued, "I need your help with a little project."

"Project?"

"Er, dinner party."

Daphne rolled her eyes and shook her head at her mother. Of course, the woman wanted to host a dinner party, of all things. "I hate to remind you of this," Daphne started, "but with what money? You don't work, Astoria's in school, and if you think I'm contributing to this nonsense from my meagre trainee salary then you are in for the shock of your life."

Once upon a time, Daphne would have been utterly terrified to speak to either of her parents like that. Now, though, things were different. There was no longer any fear hanging over her head. Her parents had been on the losing side of a war, her father's trial was finally coming to a conclusion, she had done her part and given her names, and now she was steadily on the path to her own career. All Daphne wanted now was as much distance as possible from the traditions that her name stood for.

"Oh, honestly Daphne, you can be so full of yourself," Fiona bit back with a roll of her eyes. "I only want your help in the planning process. You know, a little mother-daughter project."

The skepticism was evident on Daphne's face. "All right, what kind of dinner party is this?" she asked.

"It's to... make amends, of sorts - you know?"

Ah, there it is. Daphne let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "You're really something, you know that?" she muttered.

"Daphne, listen to me: we have nothing," Fiona said sternly. "The Ministry looks at us like scum - us! And because of how close we were with the Malfoys and you and Astoria fighting against the Dark Lord, even our peers hate us. We need to do damage control, love."

This was the sort of thing that Fiona Greengrass considered a national crisis. Everyone hates us - even the mudbloods! It drove Daphne mad. She would be the first to admit that, at first, she had done anything and everything to defy her parents' pureblood ideals simply because of her father's abusive nature. As she got older, though, Daphne truly started to understand how tiring it all was. And for what? A few fake friends that would all rather save their own arses anyways? It was honestly pitiful.

Still, she lived in the Greengrass Manor - for now - and the least she could do for her distraught mother was humour her in some way.

"What did you have in mind?" Daphne asked tiredly.

"Well, I've been thinking that it really would be useful to have a nice mix of families," Fiona started with an innocent shrug. The skeptical look reappeared on Daphne's face, "you know - old friends and new friends. And it just came to me - you have quite a good relationship with a certain well-liked pureblood family."

"Oh, so you just want me to get the Shacklebolts here - not to actually spend time with you," Daphne stated, the bitterness very evident in her tone.

"Oh, come off it, love," Fiona said dismissively, "it would be a huge favour to me."

Just like everything else I do, Daphne thought to herself. Still, if there was one useful thing she learned growing up in a pureblood family, it was to keep your thoughts to yourself.

"Fine - it'll be easier than dealing with your cold shoulder, anyways."

Daphne fidgeted with her hands as she suppressed a shiver - a response to the cold winter wind blowing in her face as she waited just outside the doors of Greengrass Manor. Her mother had put her on door duty for her long-awaited dinner party. Who better than the Greengrass daughter that was both famous and infamous for defying her parents' ways? Truly, let's parade her on the street while shouting 'shame!' at the top of our lungs.

Daphne was, possibly, a tad bitter about the whole arrangement.

Her demeanour softened just slightly as she spotted three very familiar faces approaching the steps of Greengrass Manor: Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa. Lucius and Narcissa weakly returned her smile, while Draco stepped forward and hugged Daphne.

"Fiona's got you playing hostess for this charade, has she?" he asked with a laugh.

"Draco, be polite," Narcissa chided mildly.

"It's quite all right - he's not far off," Daphne said to Narcissa. "I've still gotta wait out here so I'll see you lot inside."

"Don't cause too much trouble," Draco joked as he gave her a nudge and walked past her.

"No promises!" Daphne replied cheekily.

It took a few more minutes of waiting in the cold for the last of the party guests to make their way to the manor. Daphne's features spread into an unbreakable grin as soon as she recognized Keegan, his parents - Kristopher and Zhara - closely following behind him.

The Shacklebolts and Greengrasses had always gotten along decently well - until Voldemort came back, of course. After that, her father had gone and ruined practically every relationship their family had had with anyone remotely normal. Still, when Zhara had planned Keegan a surprise party to celebrate the end of his Obliviator training a couple of years back, the Greengrasses had been added to the guest list. That had been the day that their flirtatious adventure had started.

Unfortunately, a month after that, the Minsitry had fallen to Voldemort. Keegan and his younger sister, Audrey, had joined the Order and Daphne... well, she did what every other Slytherin did: returned to Hogwarts and tried to act like everything was fine. Except for Daphne, it really hadn't been fine.

In any case, at the end of it all, Daphne had been surprised to find Keegan right where she had left him - figuratively speaking, of course. They had tried their best to pick up where they had left off, but still kept things under wraps. With her father still on trial and his Death Eater aunt, Kelsey Rowle, at large, it was best to keep their relationship hidden. Then, one day, Kelsey had been captured and next thing Daphne knew, Keegan was standing on the steps of Greengrass Manor saying she deserved more.

Well, who was she to argue with that logic?

Once they had told their families about their relationship, the reactions were more or less as expected. Fiona had been shocked that her daughter was dating a pureblood, even if he was from a blood traitor family. Kristopher and Zhara had easily taken a liking to her on account of actually being able to hold an intelligent conversation about something other than floral arrangements - which was apparently the most they expected from traditional pureblood women. Regardless of everyone else's reactions, Daphne was certain of one thing: her life was finally looking up.

"You're looking quite lovely," Keegan remarked as he approached Daphne with a smile.

He bent his neck to give her a short kiss just as his parents approached. "Kristopher, Zhara - I'm so glad you could make it," Daphne greeted politely. "Mum will really be delighted to see you."

"Oh, I'm sure she will be," Zhara replied, her smile somewhat contrived. She clearly wasn't a fan of the whole arrangement and, frankly, Daphne agreed.

"We'll see you two inside," Kristopher suggested as he gently ushered his wife inside.

"So, no Audrey?" Daphne asked curiously. She wasn't all too surprised. Audrey Shacklebolt was often regarded as peculiarly headstrong and proud for a Slytherin - until she would dupe you in some clever way and shamelessly remind you why she was sorted into the house of the snakes in the first place. Like their mother, Keegan's younger sister was amazingly talented at exuding authority.

"No, she made it pretty clear that she wasn't coming if Percy wasn't invited," Keegan replied. "In fact, her exact words were 'I don't want any of her shitty discriminatory wine if she can't even stand the thought of a Weasley in her own home.'"

"Well, I tried my best, but you know how Mum is," Daphne said with a shrug. Her mother had been adamant that the purpose of this dinner party was to make amends with old friends, not befriend 'pacifist blood traitors.' Sometimes, Daphne wondered if the whole war had somehow been erased from her mother's memory.

Keegan nodded knowingly, laughing a bit. His eyes suddenly shifted to the side of her neck and he raised his hand to gently touch the scar that stood out on Daphne's pale skin with a light frown on his face. "No Glamour Charms today?" he asked as he met her eyes.

He knew all too well how horrible her father was. Bruises on her arms, scars on her back, face reddened in the shape of a hand... the list of ways that Archibald Greengrass' anger could manifest was endless. The scars Daphne had received from her father over the years were always her biggest insecurity and she hid them as much as she could, but Keegan had always been comforting about them. He would say they were the scars of a survivor, not a victim.

"Mum wants to make amends," Daphne started, "what better way to do that than with honesty. Took a bit of convincing, but Astoria isn't using any either."

"Good," Keegan said with a nod and a reassuring smile on his face, "you have nothing worth hiding, Daphne."

Daphne smiled back at him. "All right, let's head inside before Mum starts sputtering some nonsense about my innocence," she joked as she linked her arm with his.

Keegan laughed and muttered, "A little late for that, isn't it?"

Daphne lightly smacked his arm but couldn't stop the laughter from escaping her or the red creeping up her neck as the made their way through Greengrass Manor. The sound of classical music only got louder, until they finally reached the spacious sitting area where their house elf, Silas, was eagerly scurrying around and serving drinks. Fiona was laughing about something trivial with Wilma Crabbe, while Xavier Nott silently sat in an armchair as he sipped at his wine. Everyone else was dispersed throughout the room making small talk, and as for Draco...

Daphne sighed as she set her eyes on her friend. He was practically frozen his place, unmoving. At first, she thought he was having yet another one of his ridiculous, fatalistic episodes - and of all bloody times to do so - until she realized how steadily fixated his gaze was.

"Do you see what I see?" Daphne quietly asked Keegan.

Keegan shifted his gaze to Draco, watching the younger man carefully, until realization clouded his face. "Oh, that's interesting," he whispered.

"I think I'll go talk to him," Daphne decided.

"Daph, don't meddle," Keegan warned, giving her a knowing look.

"Me, meddle? Never."

Alas, she was quite the meddler.

At first, it had almost irritated Draco how right Daphne had been. He was being fatalistic, and truly a horrible friend. More than that, though, he was being a self-centred prick. It never really mattered to him if other people thought that of him, but Daphne... well, she was supposed to be his one true confidant. If she couldn't trust him, then he must have truly fucked up.

After Daphne's warning to get his life together and stop moping around, Draco had done just that. He had cleaned up and started helping out with the Malfoy Manor's financials - meagre as they were - as well as taking a job at a shop in Knockturn Alley. It was all for the time being, anyways. At the end of the day, Draco was hoping for something a bit more professional.

The major upside, though to getting his life together had been winning back Daphne's friendship. They were finally back to their light joking and good-natured gossip. When Daphne had told him about her mother's ridiculous dinner party idea, they had taken turns imitating her reaction to different party guests. Draco had figured that, once the dinner party actually came around, they would be doing something very similar in a corner with the added bonus of some elderflower wine.

Unfortunately, Draco's vision had dissipated as soon as he had laid eyes on her.

He had been in the poshly decorated sitting area for scarcely a minute when his eyes saw a flash of nearly pitch black hair and his ears perked at the sound of an elegant laugh. Turning his head, mostly out of curiosity, Draco found himself freezing in place as his eyes landed on Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria had always been a bit aggravating to Draco. He vaguely recalled her trying to force herself into the games and secrets that him and Daphne would have when they were kids. Her trademark while at Hogwarts had been frizzy hair pulled back into pigtails with green ribbon and a childlike, wide-eyed stare. She had been two years his junior and a hardly noticeable thorn on his side.

But then, in that very moment, he hardly recognized her.

Her dark hair was sleek and smooth, hanging loose in waves down her back. Her warm brown eyes drew him in as she laughed. Astoria Greengrass was no longer the annoying, childish, little sister of his best friend. No, as far as he could tell, she may as well have been a woman that ruled her own empire.

Draco could fill the inner turmoil of being attracted to his best friend's sister already begin.

A hand clasping onto his shoulder brusquely snapped Draco out of his dreamy staring at Astoria. He turned to see who had startled him and felt himself tense up as his eyes met Daphne's.

"Daydreaming?" she asked. Her tone sounded innocent but he could see the knowing glint in her eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Draco replied cooly.

"Oh, so you won't mind if I just call Astoria over and - "

"Daphne, for the love of Merlin, this stays between us."

A victorious smile on her face, Daphne let out a sigh and removed her hand from Draco's shoulder. "Don't get your hopes up, Draco," she warned.

"Why's that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because she's here with her new boyfriend."

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Draco turned his gaze to Astoria once more and this time found that someone else had joined her. He recognized the boy - Sebastian Daley, a Slytherin in Astoria's year. Draco felt a mix of disappointment and hatred surge in him as he watched Astoria's supposed boyfriend snake an arm around her waist and kiss her cheek.

"Look - I'd be surprised if he's 'the one' or anything like that," Daphne started, "but please promise me you won't push him out of a window or something. This is my sister we're talking about."

Draco turned his head to look at Daphne once again and forced a soft chuckle. "I promise, don't worry," he said. "Guess I should take care of myself first, anyways."

Daphne gently patted him on the pack, a kind smile on her face. If she was being perfectly honest, the Draco she had known before the war would have been absolutely perfect for Astoria. Pureblood idealism aside, he had always been a perfect gentleman and had had quite the knack for the kind of sweet romantic gestures that Astoria lived for. Now, though, things were different, and Daphne had thought Draco had put it quite well - better to take care of himself before involving anyone else.

Their brief moment of comfort was, unfortunately, rudely interrupted in that moment by the sound of a disgusting splat. With frowns on their faces, everyone looked around the room, searching for the source of the sound. Again, splat. This time, everyone saw the gooey substance dripping down one of the windows.

"What in Merlin's name is that?" Draco asked as he nodded toward the window.

Daphne felt a displeased glare forming on her face. "Eggs," she muttered darkly. "Someone's egging my fucking house."

Turning her head, Daphne found her mother's eyes and curtly said, "I'll handle this," before turning on her heel and briskly walking out of the room.

She faintly heard Keegan's voice say, "I'll go after her," before hearing the sound of his footsteps running to catch up with her.

As soon as he had fallen into step with her, Daphne coldly said, "I can take care of this, I don't need a supervisor."

"I know, but if you need me, I'm here," Keegan replied as Daphne pushed open the front doors to the manor.

Daphne came to a stop once they reached the gates and turned to look at Keegan. She could see the worry very clear on his face and smiled at him. "Look, I know what I'm doing - trust me," she said quietly.

Keegan simply nodded, and that was all Daphne needed.

Turning to face the gates, Daphne took out her wand and cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself. Then, she stepped forward and every so slowly pushed open the front gates of the manor. As the gate opened wider, she could see the perpetrators - three young-looking boys - freeze as their wide eyes fixated on the gate. There was newfound fear in their gazes, because from where they were standing, the gate was opening all on its own. They looked to be about second or third years, so it didn't take long for Daphne to formulate the perfect plan.

Daphne walked towards them quietly and went behind them. She leaned forward, her mouth close to one of the boys' ear, as she hoarsely whispered, "You've upset the ghosts of the manor, boy."

All three boys yelped, jumping forward at her voice. "Where are you? Who are you?" he shouted, panic etched on his face.

Daphne mustered a rather comical cackle. "I am the oldest Greengrass ghost, and now that you've defiled my home, I will haunt you for the rest of your days!"

With that, the three boys shrieked loudly and ran off. Daphne watched them round the corner before taking her wand out and removing the Disillusionment Charm. She crossed her arms, a proud smirk on her face as Keegan stepped through the gates and walked towards her. He looked down at her with an amused grin.

"You really are quite crazy, you know that?" he asked jokingly.

"Oh, you know you like it," Daphne replied with a sly smile.

"Well, I guess I can't deny that," Keegan admitted with a shrug, his hands moving to Daphne's waist. "This place is wearing you out, isn't it?" he asked quietly as he met her eyes.

Daphne slowly nodded, the smile on her face transforming into a look of worry. "I'm the only one that works - and I'd hardly call Curse-Breaker training a steady income," she said quietly, "and Mum just drives me mad, but I guess... family legacy is family legacy, even for me."

"What if..." Keegan started slowly as he pulled Daphne closer to him, "I happened to have a spare key to my place with your name on it."

"You want me to move in with you?" Daphne asked, a surprised look dawning on her face.

"Sure - but on the condition that the ghosts stay here," he replied cheekily.

"I... I have to think on it, if that's all right," Daphne replied slowly. Her gaze shifted to the manor as she quietly added, "It may seem silly but the idea of leaving this place for good... it kind of scares me."

"Of course that's all right," Keegan replied softly. He gently grabbed hold of her hand. "Shall we head back inside then, ghost of Greengrass Manor?"

"Her full name is Lucretia Octavia Greengrass, mind you, and she says yes."

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Zhara Yasmine Shacklebolt (née Shafiq)

pureblood, Slytherin, Unspeakable, Lead Researcher of the Time Room, Head of the Department of Mysteries, talented Legilimens

#*bmas #*pariahs #*zhara shafiq #*moodboards #shacklebolt #shafiq #slytherin #ministry of magic #unspeakable #department of mysteries #moodboard #harry potter #fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfiction #salma hayek #audrey weasley #percy weasley #percy x audrey

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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The Pariahs: Chapter 1 - Outcasts

Story Title - The Pariahs (ffn link)

Story Rating - teen (T)

Story Pairings - Draco/Astoria, Keegan/Daphne

Chapter - 1) Outcasts

Daphne let out a small sigh as she peered through the crack of the slightly opened door. She could just barely make out a form sitting in the armchair by the fireplace - a mess of light blonde hair sticking up, a bony hand gripping a glass filled with clear liquid (that she knew very well was not water). As Daphne stood still for a moment, watching him, all that could be heard was the cracking of wood as a fire burned in the fireplace and the anxious tapping of a foot.

Deciding she had bided her time for long enough, Daphne gently pushed the door to the library open and winced as it let out a horrible creak. Draco's head snapped towards the sound and a scowl set on his face when he saw who had just entered the library. He turned away in silence, setting his gaze on the roaring fire once again.

Discouraged but not surprised, Daphne approached him and sat on the ottoman across from him. She watched him carefully, taking in the dark circles under his eyes, which were a touch bloodshot, his wrinkled shirt, and his unkempt hair. Slowly, he raised the glass to his lips and took a sip, still refusing to look at her.

This was not the Draco Malfoy she knew.

"I miss you, you know," she finally said, once it had become obvious that he would much rather pretend she wasn't there.

Surprisingly, he responded. "I'm right here," he snapped.

"No, you're not."

Again, he turned to her with a scowl. Daphne steeled herself and remained unfazed.

"Seriously, Draco - I don't recognize you," she continued, her tone a bit softer now.

Her nose is buried in a book. Not just any book - a torrid romance novel she stole from Mother's library before leaving for Hogwarts. Not at all befitting for a twelve year-old, surely, but in that case her mother really ought to hide these things better. Ideally, the woman would never notice it was gone or forget all about it come December. Of course, Daphne did consider the possibility that her mother would both notice and remember to scold her daughter by the holidays, but she will deal with that if it comes down to it. For now, Daphne is enjoying the silence and solitude that comes along so rarely in the Slytherin Common Room.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. Daphne is reminded of this as a Quaffle crashes into her book and falls into her lap. She looks up with a murderous glare to meet the proud eyes of Gregory Goyle. Vincent Crabbe stands right next to him, a similarly proud look on his face. Bloody gits.

"Pass it back, Greengrass," he orders, "if you can even throw a Quaffle, that is. Daddy might get mad if you get your hands dirty."

She is seething with anger. Not so much because she was disturbed, but more so at the mention of her father. Hogwarts is supposed to be her chance to get away from that devil of a man, and yet it seems that she still can't escape his presence.

Before she knows what's happening, her small hands are gripping the Quaffle with all of their strength and she violently throws it back to Goyle. He doesn't expect this and it hits his abdomen with a satisfying thud, causing him to double over. As she smirks, she notices Crabbe draw his wand and step towards her with a menacing glare.

"You think that was funny?" he demands.

"Yes, quite," Daphne replies smartly.

He looks just about ready to shoot a spell at her - what, exactly, she hardly knows. Crabbe is not exactly the epitome of intelligent. However, before he gets to unleash any of his magic unto the young girl, Daphne hears a quick, "Expelliarmus!" and the wand flies out of his hand. He now fixes his glare on his assailant, but it quickly disappears as he recognizes the student.

Draco is by Daphne's side in a matter of seconds. "I highly doubt your father would be happy with you if you hurt a Greengrass," he comments. "I've told you before to leave her alone - it seems you might be going deaf, Crabbe."

Crabbe simply mutters something about loyalties under his breath and turns to leave the common room, Goyle following behind him. As soon as they leave, Draco drops himself onto the couch, taking a seat next to Daphne as he turns to look at her with a smirk.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" he boasts.

"That was the first thing we learned in Charms this year, Draco," she deadpans.

"Saved your life, though," he continues, his boastful tone only slightly diminished.

"I would hardly consider Vincent Crabbe a deadly opponent," she replies.

Draco laughs. "That is a fair point," he admits.

"Still, I suppose I should be grateful that the one and only Draco Malfoy is watching out for me," Daphne continues with a joking tone. Then, leaning toward him slightly, she adds in a whisper, "All the other girls are positively green with envy."

He stared back at her with a blank look for a moment, silence filling the space between them. "Get your eyes checked, then," he finally muttered as he turned his gaze back to the fire.

"Prat," Daphne muttered with a shake of her head. He didn't react.

Draco had been in this half-drunk, unkempt state for a long time. After the war, he had completely shut everyone else out, finished his real seventh year, then simply returned to Malfoy Manor with the sole purpose of maintaining the shut-in personality he had constructed for himself. His parents may have evaded Azkaban by providing names, but that simply meant they were hated by both purebloods and blood traitors. At the end of it all, even over a year later, he felt like he didn't deserve to be alive.

Daphne, however, knew very well that this state had been inevitable even before the Battle of Hogwarts. They had been close friends for their whole lives. They both had their social cliques - Draco with the pureblood sons of his parents' friends and Daphne with their daughters - but at the end of the day those friendships were nothing compared to theirs. They had trust, and that was rare to come by in Slytherin. That was why it had become so painfully obvious to Daphne when things had started to head south in their sixth year.

She had been stupidly hopeful that, someday, the old Draco would return. That hope was getting smaller every day, though. She understood where he was coming from. How do you go from being at the peak of society to jaded outcasts?

"First year, you were annoying and full of yourself," Daphne started, deciding that if he was refusing to open up, then maybe he could at least listen. "Truly, I often fought the urge to smack you - but you were there for me when that Ravenclaw ruined my braids."

"It was Roger Davies and he was a prat," Draco muttered quietly.

Progress, Daphne thought to herself proudly. "Second year, getting that Nimbus 2001 really rushed to your head - but you were still humble enough to open up to me and tell me you were scared of the creature in the Chamber of Secrets."

"I wasn't scared - "

"Your words, not mine," Daphne interrupted with a smirk. "Third year, I got on your case about teasing Potter with that Dementor crap and you actually admitted you felt bad for it. Fourth year, you went with me to the Yule Ball after you'd heard that Montague cheated on me with Tracy Davis."

"I also gave him a bloody good Bat-Bogey Hex," Draco pointed out quietly.

"That you did," Daphne admitted with a small smile. "Fifth year, your ridiculousness peaked with that Inquisitorial Squad shite, but you weren't afraid to come to me in tears when your father got thrown in Azkaban."

This time, Draco stayed silent and kept his eyes focused on his lap.

Daphne took a deep breath. "Sixth year... I lost you, Draco," she said quietly. "You kept secret after secret, you shunned me... but still, when you saw that new welt on my arm from my father, you were there for me. Even then."

Cautiously, Draco looked up and met Daphne's eyes. He could see there was pain and empathy in her gaze, and he instantly felt bad for shutting her out so much. He couldn't help it, though. After the war, he had been at a loss for what to do. For who he was. His whole life and system of being had been stomped on and thrown out the window, and now that he had graduated he was simply expected to fit in. How could he if he couldn't even tell right from wrong?

"Why can't I just be like everyone else?" he finally asked quietly. "Why am I so fucked up."

"Draco, you are not fucked up," Daphne said with a confident tone. "All of us went through the same war."

"You didn't," Draco said quietly. "You always hated your parents' purist crap."

"Not for the right reasons," Daphne pointed out, "I just had an abusive father I wanted to spite."

Draco looked down and shook his head. "You were right, though. And I was wrong. The things I did - "

Daphne stood up from the ottoman in that moment and forcefully grabbed the glass from Draco's hands. He stared up at her with a look of disbelief and annoyance, but she simply stared back with a raised eyebrow.

"You've got to stop feeling sorry for yourself," Daphne started. "It's not all about you."

Draco scoffed and looked away from her, crossing his arms as he looked out the window. It was snowing, he realized. Once upon a time, that would have brought a smile to his face. Now, he felt nothing.

Smack.

"Ow - what the hell is wrong with you?" Draco exclaimed as his hand went up to his head, where Daphne had just given him a slightly jarring smack. He frowned at her and she glared back.

"This is what you missed while you were too busy being fatalistic to be my friend," she said angrily as she tugged on the collar of her jumper to reveal the scar on the left side of her neck.

Draco's eyes widened as he took in the scar, spanning from just above her collarbone to the back of her neck. It looked like the job of a knife or a dagger and as he met Daphne's eyes he knew exactly who had done that to her. His grip tightened on the armrest of the armchair as he felt anger overcome him. For the first time in a while, he could feel himself swelling with resentment - an actual strong emotion compared to his usual bleak demeanour.

"Why?" was all that Draco managed to get out.

Daphne sighed and let go of her jumper. "After Uncle Axel had been kidnapped, Father noticed I hadn't been around and suspected I knew something," she explained. "Unfortunately, he was right."

Draco remembered that night. It had been around Christmas time and the younger Greengrass brother had decided to throw a masquerade party. It was very typical of Axel - kick back and have fun, purebloods are entitled to that much. He also very vividly remembered the room suddenly going black and everyone somehow being disarmed all at once. Next thing they knew, Axel was gone.

"It was Keegan," Daphne finally said quietly. "The Order sent him and he told me to get out. When Father found out I was 'sleeping with the enemy' as he put it, he had been furious but... I saw that glint in his eyes. He knew it was useful information."

And then there was Daphne's boyfriend: Keegan Shacklebolt. He was older than them, but most Slytherins remember him on account of being an enigma - otherwise known as a well-liked Slytherin. Daphne's relationship with Keegan had been yet another thing he had missed when he had been too busy doing Voldemort's bidding. Her timing could not have been worse, unfortunately - a month later, the Ministry had fallen to Voldemort and Keegan and his sister had joined the Order with their Uncle Kingsley.

And Draco hadn't been around for her.

Daphne sat back down with a sigh and reached forward, her hand covering his. He met her eyes again and found kindness in them now. "We all have our demons. No one expects you to get over everything in an instant," she said softly, "but you have to at least try, Draco."

"I suppose it doesn't look too good that you knew exactly where to find me in the middle of the day," he admitted with a wry laugh, attempting a small smile.

Daphne smiled back. "Definitely not your proudest moment," she agreed.

Standing up, Daphne reached her hand out to him. He looked up at her, pausing for a moment, before taking her hand and standing up. She didn't hesitate to pull him towards her and tightly embrace him, and Draco found himself quickly hugging her back. He had forgotten how comforting Daphne could be. As far as Slytherins and purebloods went, she had a warmth about her that was unique.

After a moment, Daphne let go of him and took a step back, her expression serious once again. "All right, now there's only one thing left to do," she declared.

"And what would that be, Daph?"

"Get you into some cleaner clothes, you filthy animal."

#*pariahs #*writing posts #*daphne greengrass #*draco malfoy #*keegan shacklebolt #*astoria greengrass #*draco x astoria #*keegan x daphne #draco malfoy #astoria greengrass #astoria malfoy #daphne greengrass #shacklebolt #malfoy #greengrass #slytherin #death eaters #harry potter #fanfiction

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Kristopher Lamar Shacklebolt

pureblood, Slytherin, Auror and Hit Wizard, former Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, Department of International Magical Cooperation, and the Auror Office

#*moodboards #*kristopher shacklebolt sr #slytherin #pureblood #auror #ministry of magi #shacklebolt #audrey weasley #percy weasley #fanfiction #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfiction #moodboard #moodboards #idris elba

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Forbidden Fruit: Chapter 3 - Long Lost and Newly Found

Story Title - Forbidden Fruit (ffn link)

Story Description - Oliver stared back at Sabina as she uncrossed her arms and extended a hand to him. He felt Gabriel give him a nudge, but Oliver’s eyes were fixed on Sabina’s expectant gaze. It seemed, in that moment, that he had two choices: one, he could stay with the boys and get nagged to death for being a killjoy, or two, he could go dance with the girl that kept putting a smile on his face.

Story Rating - mature (M)

Story Characters - Oliver Wood, Sabina Kopitar (OFC), Percy Weasley, Audrey Shacklebolt, Borislav Kopitar (OMC), Danica Horvat (OFC), Dimitrij Kopitar (OMC), Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Bill Weasley, George Weasley, Molly Weasley I

Story Pairings - Oliver/Sabina, Percy/Audrey

Chapter - 3) Long Lost and Newly Found

31 December 1999

"Your Ocka will have an aneurysm when he sees you in that dress," Danica stated as she reached forward to try to pull up the neckline of Sabina's dress.

However, before she could do so, Sabina smacked her mother's hand away and gave her a glare. "Yes, that is every twenty-one year-old woman's concern - her father's opinion on her clothing choices," Sabina replied sarcastically.

In her mother's defence, Sabina had really outdone herself as far as dressing up went. She wore an off-the-shoulder gown that revealed the most prominent trait she had received from her mother's side of the family: bloody amazing cleavage. The gown was a deep royal blue that made her stand out against the silvery theme of the ballroom and had a slit along the left side that run almost all the way up to her hip. Her mother had put her hair up in an elegant braided updo, but Sabina had done her own make-up.

Danica's lips pressed in a taut line as she shook her head and muttered, "Too much makeup. You are practically a raccoon."

"Yeah, love you too," Sabina grumbled as she raised her champagne flute to her lips.

"Yeah, chillax with the makeup, Sab," Dimitrij, who was standing between the two women, said pointedly.

Sabina glared down at him. "Give it three years and you'll understand these things," she told him simply.

Tonight was the New Year's Eve party at the Shacklebolt Estate. Ever since Sabina and Audrey had formed their unbreakable friendship back in their first year, their families had grown rather close - so that meant that every grand, over-the-top party that Zhara Shacklebolt, Audrey's mum, planned would include Sabina's family. This year's party was bound to be more exciting than previous years, anyways, and that was mostly because it was the first Shacklebolt New Year's Eve party since the war had ended.

"Ah, there he is," Danica said with a smile as she spotted Boris approaching them.

Sabina's father was dressed in some of his finest dress robes and had a wide grin on his face as he gave his wife a kiss. Dimitrij was at his legs soon after that, standing proudly by his father as if willing people to see the resemblance - unfortunately for Sabina's little brother, he was the spitting image of their mother. Turning to Sabina, Boris' grin faltered slightly.

"Sabina, pull up your dress," he chided.

"Oi, what is wrong with the both of you?" Sabina exclaimed as she looked between her parents, her mother giving her the trademark 'I told you' look that all mothers seem to master. "Leave my bloody dress alone!"

"You'll regret it when the team gets here," Boris warned.

Sabina blinked rapidly, her heart stopping at her father's words. "Team?" she squeaked out.

"Ja, the team I work for, Sabina," Boris elaborated with an exasperated shake of his head.

This was turning into an absolute nightmare. "Oh - the team is invited, are they?" she asked.

"Ja, Sabina, like they have been every year - how much champagne have you already had?" Boris asked with a frown. Looking around the room, a grin appeared on his face all of a sudden. "Ah, here they are now!"

"Oh, look - I think I see Audrey!" Sabina quickly exclaimed, wasting no time to leave her parents' sides as soon as she caught a glimpse of Oliver's familiar cheeky grin.

Thankfully, Sabina had actually seen her childhood friend milling around the ballroom and quickly pushed her way through the crowd to get to her. Tonight was supposed to be fun - drink a little champagne, poke a little fun at Audrey and her boyfriend, Percy, flirt with some Ministry men. Easy as pie. No complications, no drama. Until, of course, it turned out that she would have to spend the whole night avoiding Oliver. She hadn't seen him in over a month and now that they were in the same room, Sabina was quickly realizing that she was hardly ready for a reunion.

"Sab! I'm so glad you're here," Audrey said with a smile as Sabina approached her. The two women hugged, but that did nothing to ease Sabina's very evident skittish behaviour.

"Aye, glad to be here. Nice to see you again, too, Percy," she greeted, looking around rather frantically.

"Likewise," Percy replied slowly. "You all right?" he asked with a concerned frown.

Sabina sighed heavily and met Audrey's eyes. Damn Percy for being observant. It wasn't bloody fair that her best friend was dating a former Order spy. "I've got a situation," she declared, a bit breathless. "Your dad told my dad to bring the team."

A confused frown appeared on Audrey's face. "Like he always does," she said slowly.

"Merlin's crotchless thong, I need to be more hammered," Sabina muttered with clear exasperation, quickly downing her champagne and summoning another glass.

"Oh, look - I didn't know Oliver would be here," Percy said as he spotted his friend just entering the hall. He moved to wave him over but Sabina quickly smacked his arm down and sent him a searing glare as he frowned at her.

"Are you mad?" she hissed. Shaking her head, she added, "Jebemti, I need to get out of here."

Before Audrey and Percy could say anything else, Sabina dove into the crowd once again, quickly downing the champagne flute in her hand and summoning yet another drink. She milled around the crowds for a while, making small talk and trying her best to blend in. The champagne started to creep up on her a lot faster than expected, however, so after a while Sabina found herself heading for the open balcony doors for a breath of fresh air.

The sounds of the party faded behind her as Sabina approached the balcony. As she got closer, it became clear that there were two figures already out on the balcony. It didn't take much longer for her to recognize Percy and Audrey. Sabina was almost at the edge of the balcony entrance when she noticed Percy drop to one knee.

Eyes wide, Sabina quickly turned and pressed her back against the wall just next to the balcony entrance. Bloody hell, she had almost ruined her best friend's engagement.

A small smile appeared on Sabina's face in that moment. Her best friend was getting engaged.

It only took another second for the smile to disappear as she saw none other than Oliver Wood mindlessly approaching the balcony, his head hanging down as he stared down at his champagne. Deciding to play the hero, much to her own chagrin, Sabina quickly strode over to Oliver and grabbed his arm, pulling him after her to hide behind the wall on the other side of the balcony entrance. As soon as he opened his mouth, Sabina reflexively placed her hand over his mouth and shushed him.

Once Sabina removed her hand, Oliver quietly whispered, "You know, you used to do that in a much more private setting."

Rolling her eyes, Sabina pointed at the balcony door and slowly peaked her head around the corner. With a frown on his face, Oliver followed suit and looked out onto the balcony to see what Sabina had wanted him to avoid. He easily recognized Percy and Audrey, and as he watched Percy stand up and place a ring on Audrey's finger, he quickly realized what was happening. Oliver felt a grin spread across his face as he watched his friend celebrate.

Oliver and Sabina stepped back from the balcony door and pressed their backs against the wall. "Well, I can't say I'm that surprised," Oliver said, a small smile still on his face.

"Yeah, that would explain his skittishness over the last week," Sabina agreed.

Suddenly frowning, Oliver turned his head and looked down at Sabina. "How do you know them?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, Audrey and I have been best friends since first year," Sabina answered with a shrug. Then, returning Oliver's frown, she asked, "How do you know them?"

"Percy and I shared a dorm for seven years, he's my best mate," Oliver answered matter-of-factly.

Sabina's face quickly transformed into a glare. "Oh no, I know exactly where this is going," she stated with a sigh.

"You two could not meet at a better time!" Audrey's familiar voice exclaimed.

Sabina quickly turned around to see that Percy and Audrey were now standing before her and Oliver, wide grins plastered to both of their faces as they looked at their friends.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Sabina muttered as she forced a smile.

Clearly choosing to ignore Sabina's muttering, Audrey raised her left hand up to her face as she grinned at Sabina. "Look at it," she said in a singsong voice.

"I - I know," Sabina replied. "We were right here."

Audrey rolled her eyes and lowered her hand. "You suck the joy out of everything," she stated plainly. "Also, you're my maid of honour - say yes before Mum forces a cousin on me."

"Better the devil you know," Sabina joked with a wink.

Percy turned to Oliver with an expectant gaze. "Yeah and, uh, if I choose between my brothers, it's going to come up at every family dinner until the day I die," he said with a shrug, "so you're my best man. Please."

Before either Sabina or Oliver could get a word in, Percy and Audrey were out of sight and rushing over to Zhara. Sabina let out a sigh and nodded lightly. "Called it," she said plainly.

Oliver looked over at Sabina, a small smile making its way onto his face as she met his eyes. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was. Almost being the key word - despite not seeing her for a month, she had always been popping up in his thoughts. Even after how things had ended between them and how unfair she had been, Oliver couldn't get her out of his head. Still, nothing beat seeing her in person.

"I'm guessing you passed your licensing exam," Oliver stated, breaking the silence.

Sabina felt herself returning his smile and shrugging. "Yeah, I start work in the Emergency Wing on Monday," she answered. "You, um - you look good, Oliver."

"You do too," he replied. "I like the dress," he added with a wink.

Sabina laughed lightly, looking away from Oliver's gaze. It was in that moment, however, that she unfortunately made eye contact with her parents heading directly toward them. A frown appeared on Boris' face as he looked between Sabina and Oliver.

"Ocka, I was just catching up with Oliver," Sabina said as her parents stopped in front of them, the half-lie coming to her almost too easily. "It's been a while since I've worked a Puddlemere game."

"Right," Oliver confirmed with a slightly nervous smile. "I, um, recognized her."

What a horrible liar, Sabina thought to herself - and yet she felt herself fighting back a smile.

"Ah, of course," Boris said with a nod. "Well, she won't be working many games now that my brilliant daughter is a fully certified Healer."

"Is that so?" Oliver asked, feigning surprise as he looked over at Sabina. She fought back a laugh as she met his eyes. "Impressive."

"Well, it certainly took a lot of work on her part," Danica stated as she looked over at her daughter. Sabina met her mother's gaze just as the woman continued with a smirk on her face, "Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."

Sabina felt her face heating up as she remembered the other time Danica had said those words. Damn her mother for being so smart. At least she could count on her not to go telling her father anything - for now. Finally recovering, Sabina laughed lightly and smiled at her mother. At this point in their conversation, she would rather have Merlin smite her than keep talking.

"You know, I think I see Gabriel waving me down - I'll see you around, Coach," Oliver said, excusing himself from the group. As he left, he looked over his shoulder briefly and gave Sabina a smile.

Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world that they would be spending more time together now.

3 March 2000

Sabina pursed her lips in concentration as she carefully applied Audrey's makeup. Her friend was clearly fighting to stay still, but after Sabina had already scolded her four times for ruining her work, Audrey was now doing a much better job of not moving. Audrey was really quite beautiful, but she never bothered to get out of her usual jeans and a tank top for long enough for anyone to notice - except Percy, apparently.

"Are you done yet?" Audrey muttered.

"No, stop talking," Sabina ordered.

"Relax, this is better than Fleur playing with your hair and asking you what spell you use every morning," Angelina pointed out as she noticed the look of annoyance on Audrey's face.

"She acts as if she's never seen a black woman before," Audrey joked, trying not to laugh for fear of what wrath Sabina might unleash should she mess up her makeup again.

Finally taking a step back, Sabina admired her handiwork with a small smile. "Perfect," she declared proudly.

Audrey glanced into the mirror and simply shrugged. "Do we really have to do all of this bachelorette party shite?" she asked, looking over at Sabina. "I mean, Merlin knows Molly expects us at the Burrow practically before sun-up."

"Audrey, this isn't about you," Sabina stated, placing her hands on her hips. Then, gesturing around the room filled with the bridesmaids, she said, "This is about us. You're going to get married, and the next thing you know, the only time you're getting drunk is with your husband in an attempt to liven up your sex life."

"I'm still only twenty-two years old, Sabina," Audrey replied.

"We deserve one last hurrah with drunk Audrey," Sabina argued, clearly ignoring her friend. "Right girls?" she asked, turning to face the rest of the room.

"To be honest, I've really been looking forward to meeting drunk Audrey," Ginny admitted. "I refuse to believe she exists."

"Oh, she exists," Sabina claimed with a smirk.

"According to Keegan, drunk Audrey is 'a site to behold,'" Daphne teased with a smirk.

"Yeah, well he's a lightweight," Audrey bit back bitterly. "What kind of Shacklebolt doesn't even like bourbon?" she added with a roll of her eye.

"You know, I have a feeling you might regret not having fun tonight more than having too much fun," Hermione weighed in, a thoughtful look on her face.

Audrey scanned the room, a small smile breaking through. Sabina could tell she was warming up to the idea. Although the bridal party was an unlikely collection of women, they had grown to get along quite well throughout the torture of wedding planning, so a night out was guaranteed to be endless fun.

"I knew you would resist, so," Sabina trailed off, reaching below the vanity to pull out a bottle of vodka and a shot glass, "I came prepared. One of these, and you'll be good."

"If I'm doing one, you're all doing one," Audrey declared. Her statement was quickly followed by cheers as Sabina pulled out more shot glasses and poured some vodka for everyone.

Raising her shot glass, Sabina glanced at Audrey with a mischievous look on her face. "May you have a very sexual marriage," Sabina toasted.

"Oi, she's still marrying my brother," Ginny exclaimed with a look of disgust.

"I can't believe you got us kicked out," Sabina grumbled as the women walked along a busy street in Wizarding London.

"I'm sorry, am I the only one that saw that bloke literally try to yank Ginny away?" Audrey argued.

"Yes but, while I appreciate it, you really didn't have to break his nose," Ginny countered, laughing a bit.

Audrey simply shrugged, refusing to add anymore fuel to the growing fire in Sabina's eyes. After the months of being around Oliver all of the time and not knowing at all how to approach him and say 'sorry for being a twat, will you take me back?' without any hint of desperation, all Sabina wanted was one fun night of going out with her friends and forgetting that whole ordeal. With each passing day over the last few months, it felt more and more likely that things between her and Oliver were done for good.

"All right, I can fix this," Audrey finally spoke up. "We'll go to the house."

"You mean your brand new house that you and Percy are moving into?" Sabina clarified, the skepticism evident in her voice. She knew Audrey and Percy well enough to know that they were the opposite of messy people, and Sabina could not imagine a world where Audrey would be perfectly fine with people getting piss drunk in her own home.

"We haven't unpacked anything but the patio furniture and there's definitely alcohol there so..." Audrey trailed off with a shrug, "backyard drinking games?"

"That sounds like the stupidest, drunkest thing I have ever heard," Angelina started, "so I am all for it."

Huddling all of the girls into a group, Audrey quickly apparated everyone to the quaint house in Bridlington that her and Percy had bought together. Stepping inside, Sabina noticed that the house was still filled with unpacked boxes and cleaning supplies, clearly not yet lived in. The only things that gave away the fact that it was Percy and Audrey's house was a photograph of the two of them above the fireplace in the living room and the large collection of housewarming gifts on the kitchen island.

Rushing to the kitchen, Sabina easily picked out her gift. She held up the unlabelled bottle with a mischievous smirk on her face. "I would say that this is the perfect time to open up my housewarming gift," she decided. "Homemade pálinka - pretty sure my grandfather made this batch."

"Do you want to kill me?" Audrey asked jokingly.

"Absolutely," Sabina replied as she nodded enthusiastically.

"Which box has glasses?" Daphne asked as she looked around the kitchen.

"Oh, sweet Daphne," Sabina started with a sly smile on her face, "tonight, we drink like sailors."

With that, Sabina opened up the bottle and took a swig without even the slightest hesitation, then passed the bottle to Audrey, "Let's get this party started, bride-to-be!"

"This is a great bar," Oliver declared as the group of groomsmen made their way through Diagon Alley. "I've been here tons of times."

As the best man, Oliver had been tasked with organizing Percy's bachelor party. Unfortunately for Oliver, his friend was more than resistant to plenty of his ideas, and even stated at one point that he didn't need a bachelor party (the madman). Eventually, Oliver's persistence won out and the party was happening, whether Percy liked it or not. Plus, despite all of Percy's complaints, the man was wearing jeans - actual denim - for the first time in history, so Oliver already considered the night a huge success.

Falling in step with Oliver, Percy looked over at his friend and quietly asked, "So you're still coming alone to the wedding, huh?"

Oliver shrugged. "Yeah, not really seeing anyone right now so what would be the point in bringing just some random bird?" he replied.

"Audrey thinks it's because you like Sabina," Percy stated matter-of-factly.

"What?" Oliver exclaimed with a dismissive, somewhat nervous laugh. "That is bonkers."

"Very convincing," Percy shot back sarcastically with a small smirk on his face.

"Oi," Charlie started, coming up behind the two of them and placing his arms around their shoulders, "can you two stop gossiping like a bunch of birds and just lead the way?"

"We're here, actually," Oliver said, coming to a stop in front of a lively-looking pub.

With Oliver leading the way, the five Weasley brothers followed him into the bar with curiosity apparent on their faces. At this point, Oliver was simply excited to spend a night out with his friends and just relax. Over the last few months, constantly being around Sabina had been... difficult. It was a constant reminder that she was just barely out of reach. All he needed was one, easy night away from anything to do with Sabina so he could handle the wedding.

"Oliver Wood! Over here, Oliver Wood!"

The flash of a camera bulb blinded Oliver and he squinted ahead to get a glimpse of what on earth was causing such a ruckus. It didn't take long for him to recognize the Witch Weekly badge pinned to the photographer's jacket.

"Looks like we're not the only ones that know you come here all the time," Percy joked.

"Wood, why the theatrics? We get it, you're a big shot," George said sarcastically as he swung an arm over Oliver's shoulders.

"Oh, hell," Oliver muttered under his breath. Moving George's arm aside and approaching the photographer, Oliver plastered a pleading look on his face as he said, "Is there any chance I could catch a break for my mate's bachelor party?"

"Ah yes, Percy Weasley - cold feet?" the photographer said, quickly turning to Percy.

Glaring at Oliver, Percy flatly said, "The fact that you thought that would work is, frankly, embarrassing."

Bill placed a hand on Percy's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Let's get out of here before either George or Oliver cause some irreparable damage," he said quietly.

Oliver begrudgingly followed the Weasley brothers out of the bar, letting out an exasperated sigh once they were outside.

"Sorry mate," Oliver said as he gave Percy an apologetic look. "I s'pose we can try to find another place?"

"Actually..." Percy trailed off, a smile appearing on his face, "I think I have a solution. Grab hold and I'll apparate there."

As soon as everyone huddled around Percy and was holding on to him, he apparated them out of Diagon Alley and to a small seaside neighbourhood. Everyone looked around in confusion, but Oliver was the first to recognize the house that Percy was approaching.

"Isn't this the house you and Audrey bought?" he asked as everyone followed Percy.

"Percy, did you hit your head? You're letting us drink in your house?" George asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm letting you drink in the backyard," Percy clarified with a roll of his eyes. "If I find one empty bottle inside the actual house, I'll hunt down its owner."

"There's the Percy we all know and love," Oliver joked. "Do the honours, groom."

Percy opened the door to the house with an amused shake of his head and everyone filed in after him. However, as soon as they entered, it was very apparent that something was not quite right. Distant shouts could be heard and an Irish tune was streaming into the house from the backyard.

"I know that song," George said slowly. Then, quietly singing along, he continued, "Look what he's done for us, he's filled us up with cheer, Lord bless Charlie Mopps, the man who invented beer."

Percy gave his brother a somewhat concerned look before slowly making his way through the house, everyone else eagerly following behind him. As they approached the door leading to the backyard, the music and shouting only grew louder. Finally, once the men made their way outside, their jaws dropped as they took in the sight before them.

It was the bridal party. The lot of them, drunk as sailors, dancing around the backyard as they sang to the Irish song playing from the magical radio. All of them had a beer bottle in hand - if not two - and as Oliver looked around, he saw an empty bottle that once held hard liquor.

As the song reached its end, Oliver saw Sabina point at Audrey, a wide grin on her reddened face. "I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole, I'm an arsehole I admit!" she shouted, the rest of the women joining in, "but I'd rather be an arsehole than a Slytherin piece of shit!"

"Aye, now that's a toast I can get behind!" George shouted.

At the sound of his voice, all of the women were visibly startled, jumping a bit before freezing in place as they realized who had just entered the backyard. Audrey and Ginny, however, were arm-in-arm in that moment, which resulted in a lot more stumbling around and sputtered laughter than freezing in place. There was a long moment of silence filling the backyard as the two groups stared back at each other, until finally, Hermione emerged from the house with yet another bottle of pálinka in hand.

"I found the other bottle!" she shouted excitedly, bottle raised high up in the air. However, as soon as she noticed the silence and met Ron's gaze, she dropped her arm to her side and pressed her lips together.

"What are you all doing here?" Percy finally asked slowly.

"Audrey got us kicked out of the bar we were at so we came here to get pissed," Sabina replied with a shrug.

"Audrey - what?" Percy asked in confusion as he looked over at his fiancée.

"Please, if that's so bad, then what are you doing here?" Audrey countered with a smirk.

Percy stayed silent for a moment. Finally, a grin broke through as he said, "Well-played. So what now?"

"Now," Hermione started, shoving the bottle towards Ron, "it looks like you boys have some catching up to do."

Daphne waved her wand to get the radio playing music again and the tension almost immediately melted away. Percy didn't hesitate to approach Audrey with a wide grin on his face, taking her hand and twirling her around to the music. Oliver stayed by the entrance to the backyard, watching them with a small smile on his face. If he was being perfectly honest, he couldn't remember the last time Percy had looked as happy as he looked dancing with a drunk Audrey in the backyard of their new home.

Oliver was snapped out of his thoughts as the strong smell of hard liquor hit his nose. He blinked a couple times before looking down to see the bottle of pálinka Hermione had brought out, then to his right to see who was holding it - Sabina.

"Your turn, Wood," she said with a small smirk.

He grabbed the bottle from her, returning her smirk, and took a swig, wincing as the alcohol hit the back of his throat. "Merlin's beard, Sabina - this stuff is deadly," he said with a laugh, setting the bottle down on the patio table that was to his left.

Sabina moved around him and sat down in one of the patio chairs, her sights now set on Percy and Audrey. "I think this was the bachelorette party she wanted all along," she said as she watched the couple with a small smile on her face.

Oliver sat down in the patio chair next to Sabina. "I think it's what Percy wanted, too," he said in agreement.

"How'd you get him to wear jeans?" Sabina asked suddenly, turning her head to meet Oliver's eyes. Her tone was a mix of humour and genuine curiosity.

Oliver felt his heart skip a beat as he looked into her eyes, but quickly recovered and jokingly replied, "You don't wanna know, lass."

Sabina laughed lightly, but she kept her gaze fixed on his face. Smiling, she quietly said, "I missed you."

His heart was beating like crazy, but somehow Oliver composed himself enough to return Sabina's smile and quietly reply, "I missed you, too."

Sabina looked around briefly, mostly to make sure that everyone else was, in fact, more preoccupied with alcohol and Irish songs than her and Oliver, then fixed her gaze on his hazel eyes once again. Those heartwarming eyes that always calmed her. "You're worth it," she continued quietly. It seemed that with intoxication came the courage that she hadn't been able to muster up over the last three months. "I hate all of that Quidditch drama and your tolerance to alcohol is embarrassingly low, but you're worth it."

"Embarrassingly low?" Oliver repeated with a chuckle. He paused for a moment before saying, "Took you a while to get there, Sab."

"I'm only going to say this once," Sabina started. "You were right. I was scared of something - I was scared of being wrong about something I thought I knew everything about. Ironic how that worked out, huh?"

Oliver looked into Sabina's eyes, processing the words that had just come out of her mouth. "You know what the crazy thing is?" he finally said. "I could never get you out of my head. I mean, you were downright horrible to me - I think we can both agree on that - but you were just stuck in my head. Despite it all, I always still wanted you."

"I know, I'm sorry," Sabina said with an apologetic look. "I still don't want to be with a Quidditch player, though - I want to be with Oliver Wood."

Oliver laughed, grinning widely as Sabina joined in. She grabbed the bottle of pálinka on the patio table and stood up, heading back towards the house.

Frowning, Oliver stood up and followed after her. "Where're you going?" he asked curiously.

Sabina turned and looked at him with a smirk. "Irish goodbye," she said with a shrug. Then, lifting the bottle in her hand, she added, "You're welcome to join, love."

4 March 2000

Sabina jolted awake as sunlight streamed into her bedroom, her head immediately pounding. Lifting a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight, she turned to reach for her bedside table, but froze when her eyes landed on the person lying beside her. Smiling lightly as she took in Oliver's sleeping face, Sabina gently moved on top of him, her legs straddling him as she leaned forward and softly kissed him.

Oliver opened his eyes as Sabina pulled away, smiling up at her. "Well, good morning to you too, lass," he said.

"It will be," Sabina replied with a smirk.

"How much time do we have?" Oliver asked as he returned her smirk and moved his hands to her hips.

Looking at the clock on her bedside table, Sabina's smirk quickly fell and she jumped out of her bed as she exclaimed, "Oh, hell, we're so late!"

"Why did I ask?" Oliver grumbled to himself as he got out bed and started searching for his clothes.

In a matter of minutes, both of them were dressed. Sabina rushed over to the bathroom and quickly started removing whatever remained of last night's makeup as Oliver leaned against the doorframe and watched her with a small smile on his face.

"Thank Merlin our outfits are at the Burrow," she muttered. Then, turning to Oliver with a serious look, she said, "We need to keep this under wraps until the wedding is over, all right? Today is about Percy and Audrey, and nothing else."

Oliver nodded. "Agreed, but you're mad if you think that gets you off the hook for dancing with me," he said slyly.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Sabina replied. She grabbed his hand and added, "Hold on tight."

With a pop, Oliver and Sabina apparated just outside the Burrow's Apparition Wards. They rushed over to the old house, smiles still on their faces. Even from afar, it was obvious that the house was packed and filled with noise. It almost made Sabina turn right around and go back to bed - but, alas, she owed Audrey her obedience for the next fourteen hours.

As soon as Sabina stepped foot inside the Burrow, Molly was in front of her with a furious glare. "And where have you been?" she demanded. "Audrey's already here!"

"Oi, I'm here now, let's take it down a notch," Sabina replied as she moved past Molly and headed up the stairs.

She heard Molly turn on Oliver right after, ordering him to go check if Percy was putting his tie on right, and chuckled to herself as she made her way up the stairs of the Burrow. Almost the entire Weasley family was inside the small house at that point, as well as some of Audrey's family, so even just navigating up the stairs to the bedroom that had been designated as the bride's dressing room was a nightmare. Soon enough, though, she made it to the room and almost laughed when she saw Audrey still in sweatpants and a tank top.

"Molly will have an aneurysm if she comes in and sees you haven't put your wedding dress on," Sabina said as she sat down in a chair across from Audrey.

"The ceremony's not for another three hours," Audrey said with a roll of her eyes, "so hush and give me that hangover potion of yours."

Sabina shook her head in amusement and tossed Audrey a small vial holding Sabina's famous hangover cure potion. Audrey quickly downed it, her face contorting into a grimace as she set down the vial. She turned to Sabina, then paused with a frown on her face as her eyes scanned over her friend.

"Aren't those the clothes you wore last night?" Audrey asked slowly.

"No," Sabina replied quickly, mentally scolding herself for being too lazy to grab another outfit. "So how are you feeling in your last hours as Audrey Shacklebolt?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"Honestly, kind of nervous," Audrey answered, choosing to go along with the topic change. "Not about getting married, more so about what bloody else could go wrong - this week has been a living nightmare."

"Aye, you've had a hell of a week," Sabina admitted with a laugh, recalling all of the hiccups Percy and Audrey had had to deal with over the last few days. "You're in the home stretch now, though, and after this it's honeymoon time."

"Yeah, I know, I just need to get out of my own head," Audrey concluded. Standing up, she continued, "I'm going to go find Percy."

"All right, just don't let Molly see you," Sabina said with a laugh.

After Audrey left the room, Sabina looked around the room with a sigh and decided to at least go and make herself useful if Audrey wasn't going to bother sticking to Molly's schedule. She left the room, scanning the halls for Molly as she made her way down the stairs. Sabina milled around the house for a while, surprised how well she was blending in with the chaos. Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and gently tug at her arm. Sabina turned around with a frown to find Oliver reaching out from a broom closet with a sly smile on his face.

Sabina looked around quickly before rushing into the broom closet, holding back a laugh. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked in amusement.

Choosing not to reply right away, Oliver picked Sabina up at the waist and placed her on a low wooden shelf with a grin. "Picking up from where we left off this morning," he whispered.

"Oliver, come on - here?" Sabina said with a stifled laugh.

"This is quite literally the only private spot left in this house," Oliver replied quietly. "Trust me, I looked."

"I don't know..." Sabina trailed off as Oliver started kissing along her neck. She pressed her lips again, trying and failing to compose herself.

"Sounds like you do know," Oliver countered with a sly look on his face.

Ah, what the hell, Sabina thought to herself. She grabbed his shirt and forcefully pulled him closer to her, not hesitating to heatedly join their lips. She felt his hand moving up her leg to her underwear as she reached forward and quickly undid his jeans and pushed them off his hips. It was beyond Sabina how he could always make her melt so quickly, but as she felt his strong arms wrap around her and his hands on her hips, she was most certainly not complaining. If Sabina was being honest, she missed the sex - the amazing, heated, deviant sex - just as much as everything else about him. Feeling Oliver's body against hers was exactly what she needed in that moment.

That is, until the broom closet door swung open.

The extremely brief moment of silence before the door slammed shut and the shouting ensued felt like ages.

"HOLY CIRCE WHAT DID I JUST SEE?" Audrey's voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Sabina looked up at Oliver, both of them completely frozen in place. Had Percy and Audrey really just walked in on them shagging in a broom closet? On their wedding day?

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Percy's voice seethed. "I grew up in this house, for Merlin's sake!"

Sabina jumped down from the wooden shelf she was sitting on and approached the door, replying, "What the bloody hell did you need from a broom closet, anyways?"

"A bloody broom!" Audrey shouted back.

Sabina opened the door slightly and stuck her head out, meeting Audrey's eyes with a glare. "Audrey Shacklebolt, I may as well have invented the broom closet shag," Sabina started, her voice a loud whisper. "I know an aspirant broom closet shag when I see one."

"First off, it's my bloody wedding day," Audrey hissed back, "second - "

Instead of finishing her sentence, Audrey stepped forward and Sabina instinctively stepped back just as the door slammed shut. Mouth agape, Sabina was about to start her onslaught of insults when she heard voices on the other side of the door.

"Gran, so glad you're here!" Audrey's voice said cheerfully.

"Oh, hell, we've really fucked it this time," Sabina whispered to Oliver.

"In more ways than one," Oliver whispered back jokingly.

They both jumped at the sound of a fist pounding on the door, followed by Percy's voice saying, "You two better be whispering about how quickly you're getting dressed or, I swear to Godric, I'll kill you myself."

Stifling laughter, Oliver and Sabina glanced at each other with wide grins. They would have a hell of a time explaining this one.

"Have you seen Percy and Audrey?" Oliver asked as he approached Sabina, who was standing by the edge of the dance floor.

Sabina scanned the room with a light frown, a smile appearing on her face as she realized what had happened. "They did the Irish goodbye," Sabina replied with a shake of her head.

"Scoundrels," Oliver said jokingly.

Sabina laughed lightly as she looked around the reception. The bridesmaids easily stood out in their deep purple dresses, as did the groomsmen with their similarly coloured ties. The bouquets on each of the table were a beautiful gradient of shades of purple and silk-like lavender streamers held up the lanterns that lit up everything under the tent. It was a good thing the Weasleys didn't really have neighbours close by, because the party only seemed to be getting louder.

Probably had something to do with the alcohol Sabina's parents had brought.

Suddenly feeling a hand on the small of her back, Sabina looked over at Oliver to see him smiling down at her. "I think you still owe me a dance," he stated. "And, with Percy and Audrey gone, I'd say that we successfully made this day all about them."

"Successfully?" Sabina repeated with a skeptical look. "Are you forgetting - ?"

" - as far as anyone else knows," Oliver interrupted.

"All right then," Sabina agreed, taking Oliver's hand as he led her onto the dance floor. "I might just work my magic on you," she added jokingly, referring to the night of Oliver's first game.

"I have a feeling I'll just get my feet stepped on by a beautiful blonde," Oliver replied with a shrug and a smirk on his face as he started to lead.

Sabina looked up at Oliver with a wide grin on her face as they danced, his hazel eyes bright and happy as they met her blue ones. He leaned forward to give her a quick kiss as they danced, Sabina's face heating up. She truly didn't realize until that moment how much she liked him. Of course, Sabina had always had a feeling that she cared for him more than she claimed she did, but now that they were dancing together, she couldn't help but notice how the rest of the world simply melted away.

Oliver briefly looked up, his grin falling in an instant. "Your dad is searing a hole into my soul," he whispered to Sabina.

As the couple spun around, Sabina got a glimpse of her father. Sure enough, he was sitting at his table with Danica, a murderous glare aimed right at them. Even Dimitrij throwing spoons with some other boy wasn't enough to break his focus. "Oh yeah, he does not look happy," Sabina noted, laughing a bit.

"Guess we're gonna keep dancing 'til he dies then," Oliver said decisively.

"Hm, possibly," Sabina started. Then, she abruptly stepped away and pulled him by the hand, "or you could grow a pair."

With a defeated sigh, Oliver followed Sabina off of the dance floor. "How can I say no to you?" he muttered, bracing himself for what was sure to be a terrifying conversation.

It was all worth it, though.

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Zhara Yasmine Shacklebolt (née Shafiq)

Blood Status - pureblood

School (House) - Hogwarts (Slytherin)

Birth Date - 2 August 1952

Occupation - Unspeakable (1974), Lead Researcher of the Time Room (1988), Head of the Department of Mysteries (1998)

Parents - Akram Shafiq, Yasmine Shafiq (née Rosier)

Siblings - Basir Shafiq, Fouad Shafiq, Aaliyah Lestrange (née Shafiq)

Partner - Kristopher Shacklebolt (m. 1972)

Children - Keegan Shacklebolt, Audrey Weasley

Other Family - Percy Weasley (son-in-law), Daphne Shacklebolt (daughter-in-law), Molly Weasley II (granddaughter), Lucy Weasley (granddaughter), Kristopher Shacklebolt II (grandson), Amanita Shacklebolt (granddaughter), Eleanor Shafiq (sister-in-law), Rabastan Lestrange (brother-in-law), Dana MacDougal-Shafiq (sister-in-law), Aisha Shafiq (niece), Haider MacDougal-Shafiq (nephew)

Zhara has always been a mystery, so it only seemed fitting to make that her strength and profession. Even with all of her secrets, though, Kris is the one person she trusts with all of her life.

#*character profiles #*zhara shafiq #slytherin #hogwarts #unspeakable #harry potter #fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #hp fanfiction #shacklebolt #model gamis shafira terbaru #audrey weasley #percy weasley #percy x audrey #head girl #prefect #aesthetic #salma hayek

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Forbidden Fruit: Chapter 2 - Born To Be Wild

Story Title - Forbidden Fruit (ffn link)

Story Rating - mature (M)

Story Pairings - Oliver/Sabina, Percy/Audrey

Chapter - 2) Born To Be Wild

20 November 1999

"So, this is exciting - playing for League Cup your first year as first-string," Sabina noted quietly.

"Shh, the whole point of this was to calm my nerves, not make them worse," Oliver whispered back as he continued kissing down Sabina's neck.

Over the last few months, Oliver and Sabina had established a very convenient arrangement. It involved one word: sex. Sabina was busy with Healer training, Oliver was in the middle of playoffs, and at the eye of the storm stood the one and only Coach Boris Kopitar. Things were just easier this way. They both got to have a lot of fun with the added bonus of sneaking around. One would think that would make things more difficult, but it actually added a really attractive sense of impropriety to the whole arrangement.

And at the end of the day, it kept Sabina from having to explain why she would never want to have an actual, committed relationship with a Quidditch player. No relationship, no problem.

So that was how Sabina found herself sneaking into the Bodmin Moor Millenium Stadium and making out with Oliver Wood in a broom closet. It was like Hogwarts all over again, except without the awkwardness of inexperience and puberty.

"I wish you were working this game," Oliver said quietly, gently leaning his forehead against Sabina's.

"I know, but I have my last practicum shift at St. Mungo's tonight," Sabina replied, shifting a bit on the uncomfortable wooden ledge in the broom closet. "Don't worry, we'll celebrate after," she continued with a smirk.

"I like the sound of that," Oliver said with a grin.

With that, he pressed his lips to hers once again. He felt her hand slide under his shirt, pressing on his back to pull him closer as he moved his hand up her thigh. Sabina let out the lightest sigh as Oliver moved away from her lips to kiss along her neck once again. This was the nerve-calming effect he had been hoping for.

"You gotta go get ready soon," Sabina breathed out.

"Aye, I know," Oliver said as he pulled away slightly and met Sabina's eyes with a small smile on his face. "We'll finish up later," he added with a wink.

"Maybe you'll have a medal you can wear," Sabina replied coyly as she hopped down from the ledge, now considerably shorter than Oliver. "I'll head out first."

Slowly opening the door just enough to slip out, Sabina quickly jumped out of the broom closet and turned towards the exit. However, as soon as she stepped out, she felt someone considerably smaller crash into her and looked down in annoyance. That annoyance quickly turned into panic as she recognized the small person before her.

"Dimitrij!" Sabina exclaimed. The broom closet door suddenly popped open and Sabina quickly leaned her whole weight against it to close it, resulting in a very audible "Ow!" as the door hit Oliver in the head.

"Is there someone in the broom closet?" Dimitrij, Sabina's eleven year-old brother, slowly asked as he skeptically glanced at the door.

"Someone in the broom closet - don't be ridiculous Dimitrij. Humans don't go in broom closets," she said dismissively. "Here's the better question: what in Merlin's name are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school."

"Ocka got me out for the championship game," Dimitrij replied proudly, his brown eyes brimming with excitement as he looked up at Sabina.

"What?" Sabina exclaimed her face instantly forming a glare. Grabbing her little brother's hand, she said, "Come on, we're going to talk to Ocka."

Sabina rapidly made her way through the halls of the stadium, both hoping to distance herself from that broom closet as much as possible and somehow find her father in this maze. Soon enough, she found a changeroom with the Puddlemere banner and, without hesitation, burst through the door. Her eyes quickly landed on her father and she stormed towards him.

"You can't just pull Dimitrij out of school for Quidditch!" Sabina exclaimed as she walked up to her father. "Mama's gonna kill you."

"Uh, Mama doesn't know," Boris replied cautiously. Then, frowning, he asked, "Sabina, what in Harfang's name are you doing here?"

It only took Sabina a mere second to collect her thoughts and easily reply, "I found out about Dimitrij from McGonagall."

"Damn woman," Boris muttered bitterly. "You can't tell your Mama about this, you hear me?"

"Oh, is that so?" Sabina questioned, crossing her arms. "What were you planning to do with him: leave him alone in the changerooms for five hours?"

"Okay, first of all, this game will ideally end in twenty minutes and with a victory," Boris started, "and second of all, no, I was going to... bring him up to the Coaches' Tower with me."

"Ocka!" Sabina exclaimed. "His education comes before a measly Quidditch game!"

"Eh, school's boring," Dimitrij intervened with a shrug.

"School's - school's - " Sabina sputtered. "Bloody Gryffindors," she finally grumbled.

"Sabina, najdražja, if you don't tell Mama, I'll... I'll..." Boris trailed off, looking around helplessly. Then, his face brightened as he exclaimed, "Ah, Wood, just who I was looking for!"

"Oh hell no, Ocka," Sabina said in a low voice. As she turned around to follow her father, however, she met Oliver's tortured expression as Boris cornered him in an attempt to escape Sabina. Taking a calming deep breath, she simply said, "Fine, I don't care - let him fail his finals! Not like he's my son."

As she started to storm out of the changeroom, she heard Dimitrij yell from behind her, "Killjoy!"

Sabina stopped and turned to look at Dimitrij. "I'm taking you back to Hogwarts first thing tomorrow morning," she seethed. "If I leave it up to Ocka, you'll never bloody graduate," she grumbled to herself as she turned back around to leave the stadium.

Although Sabina was rather upset with her father in that moment, her heart was mostly racing at the thought of what a close call that had been. Dimitrij had quite literally been mere feet away from seeing Oliver in that closet and from there on out... well, her eleven year-old brother was not exactly known for his discretion. Still, somehow the situation had been handled. Just classic Ravenclaw wit, in Sabina's opinion.

Oliver's eyes followed Sabina as she stormed out of the changeroom. The small bruise on his forehead that he had received from the broom closet door was no longer pulsating, but he still felt his heart racing from when they had almost gotten caught. Part of that was anxiety and fear, but Oliver knew deep down that another part of it was... excitement. Over the last few months, he had really enjoyed Sabina's company, and with the playoff season coming to a close and her almost being done Healer training, it seemed like it was about time for him to step up.

Still, it would have been downright traumatic if her little brother had seen them in a broom closet.

"She might look like me but she is exactly like Danica," Oliver heard Boris mutter. "And by that I mean that she is always right."

Oliver chuckled lightly. "My dad always says it's better to say you're wrong and eat a warm meal than be proud and sleep in the doghouse," he said jokingly.

"Sounds like a smart man," Boris replied as he looked over at Oliver. Frowning slightly as his gaze moved slightly lower, he asked, "What in Merlin's name is on your neck, boy?"

"My - my neck?" Oliver asked nervously, his hand reaching towards where Boris was looking.

"Wood's got a hickey!" Andre shouted as he passed by the two of them. "You see, Coach, Ollie's been awful secretive about his love life lately - but at least now we know that, whoever she is, she's an animal."

Merlin, if you're watching this, please smite me, Oliver thought to himself as he stood in mortified silence, his eyes taking in the look of disgust and disappointment that Boris was giving to Andre. This was almost as bad as the idea of Dimitrij walking in on him and Sabina.

"What's a hickey?" Dimitrij then piped in as he looked up at his father.

"It's, uh - it's, um - it's a skin condition," Boris finally answered, clearly flustered. "Go ask Samuels how to use a Beater's bat, son," he added quickly, giving his son a gentle shove. Looking back at Oliver he let out a tired sigh and said, "Wood, whatever you do, do not have a child in your forties."

"Duly noted," Oliver replied quietly.

21 November 1999

With a tired sigh, Sabina leaned back against the door to her apartment as she closed it. A small smile spread broke through her expression of utter exhaustion. That was it - her last practicum shift. Now, all she had to do was study for her licensing exam, which was a month away, and voila - she would be a fully certified Healer by the new year. All of her hard work, extra shifts, and constant studying had been worth finishing a year early, and now that she was so close to the end, another month of studying didn't seem so bad. It would be just like N.E.W.T.s all over again - and, frankly, she had thought that had been a pleasant experience.

Turning the lights on with a wave of her wand, Sabina headed for the kitchen and nearly jumped out of her own skin when she finally realized that Oliver was in her apartment. Her next reaction, as she looked him over, was a mix of amusement and lust.

In her very own living room, there stood Oliver Wood wearing nothing but a gold medal around his neck and a small navy blue flag with the Puddlemere crest hanging in front of his crotch area. Sabina pressed her lips together a she met Oliver's grinning face.

"We bloody won!" he shouted, raising his arms in the air.

"I - I can tell," Sabina replied, her expression widening into a grin as well.

"Are you gonna come over here?" Oliver asked, spreading his arms.

Still looking out from the open kitchen, Sabina leaned her forearms across the countertop and said, "You know, I actually think I'm gonna enjoy the view for a bit. Maybe do a twirl for me, I don't know."

"Well, I don't have a matching banner for my arse," Oliver admitted coyly.

Sabina shrugged. "Perfect," she replied.

"You are a sick woman," Oliver said jokingly. "And, frankly, I like it."

Sabina laughed as Oliver jokingly posed in the living room, winking her way several times. This was certainly not what Sabina had expected to be waiting for her in her flat, although she wouldn't change a single thing. Not only was the whole situation incredibly amusing, but Oliver really was a good-looking bloke, so Sabina almost dreaded the idea of him ever putting his clothes back on.

Suddenly stopping his posing, Oliver faked a look of anger and said, "I think you're just using me for my body, lass."

"You are not wrong," Sabina replied with a smirk.

"Well, you've gotta pay for that," Oliver threatened, although the grin on his face was betraying him.

Suddenly, Oliver crossed the living room and made it to the kitchen in a few quick strides. Before Sabina could say anything, he picked her up and swung her over her shoulder and started walking towards her bedroom.

"There's the bare arse I was dreamin' about," Sabina exclaimed with a laugh.

Playfully landing a slap on Sabina's arse, Oliver replied, "Oi, quiet down back there!"

"Blimey, I've been awake for twenty-eight hours," Sabina noticed as she glanced at the clock in her living room.

Oliver sat down next to Sabina on the couch and stretched his arm to rest on her shoulders, squeezing her closer to him. "But you're a Healer now," he said proudly.

"Uh-uh," Sabina said with a shake of her head, then pausing to take a sip of tea. "Still need to write my licensing exam next month."

Oliver looked down at Sabina with a raised eyebrow. Typical Sabina - Ravenclaw through and through, she would never accept a title or praise if she hadn't truly earned it. "Sab, we both know you're passing that exam," Oliver said confidently.

"Oh, are you a Seer now?" Sabina asked smartly, earning an exaggerated eye-roll from Oliver.

"No, I just have an incredible amount of faith in you," Oliver replied.

Sabina scoffed, but a small smile remained on her face. She was never a big fan of exaggerated shows of chivalry and affection, but Oliver always had a curious and simple way of making her feel all warm and gushy. It was both comforting and scary for her.

"Hey, sorry about the whole situation with Dimitrij yesterday," Sabina said suddenly, stretching to set her tea down on the coffee table. Looking down at her hands, she continued, "Both him almost seeing us and also the part with all of the yelling. Not really how I want you to see me."

"Well, I have a little brother in his third year at Hogwarts so trust me when I say that your outburst was more than justified," Oliver replied. "As for almost getting caught, I wasn't exactly a fan of getting hit in the head by a door, but the rest was out of your control."

Sabina smiled as she met Oliver's hazel eyes. "Yeah, I guess I just assumed it would've been awkward for you - we're not exactly in a place where family drama is a common topic," she said shyly.

"Well, actually I've been meaning to talk about that," Oliver started, an excited grin spreading across his face. "With Quidditch season wrapping up and your Healer training being practically done, I thought that we could be more than... whatever this is. You're an amazing woman, Sabina, and you deserve more than this."

His words made Sabina freeze. From head to toe, she was practically made of stone as she stared back at Oliver's expectant gaze with her eyes wide and her mouth set in a taut line. She had never thought this would happen. Not necessarily the part where Oliver wanted to be more than just friends with benefits, but the part where Sabina was almost contemplating the idea of being in a relationship with him. He had, without a doubt, burrowed his way into her heart, and now she was stuck staring at him like a deer in the headlights.

"I can't," she said as her ability to talk returned.

Oliver's joyous expression quickly fell. "You... can't?" he repeated slowly.

"I can't date a Quidditch player," Sabina elaborated, her nervousness quickly rising.

"Wait - what?" Oliver said, clearly taken aback as his face contorted into a frown.

Sabina let out a sigh in a poor attempt to compose herself. "When my father got picked up by Puddlemere and my parents moved to England, all of the bullshit that came with it - the tabloids, the rumours, the fans - nearly tore them apart," Sabina said quietly, looking down at her hands again. She couldn't bring herself to look at Oliver's face for fear of what she might find. "They were separated for two years and it almost ruined their marriage. I never wanted that for myself."

"You're not dating my job, you're dating me," Oliver argued, the hurt very evident in his tone.

"It's not that easy," Sabina said, finally looking up to meet his eyes. She could see the anger and disbelief in his eyes and instantly felt a burning sensation behind her eyes. She hadn't thought things would go like this. In Sabina's mind, he would have just grown bored of her and that was that.

"Well, it's not like you've ever tried," Oliver argued. He pulled away from her and turned to look straight at her. "You're telling me that, if you take away all of that professional Quidditch shite, you don't care for me at all? Not even one little bit?"

Sabina looked away from his demanding gaze. "It's not that easy," she repeated stubbornly.

"Sabina, I care about you - I really do," Oliver continued, "but I'm not going to waste my time proving it if you won't even give me a chance."

Feeling the couch lurch slightly, Sabina turned to look at Oliver just as he was standing up. He was the one looking down now, refusing to meet her eyes. "It's just not the life I want," she said quietly.

"No, you're just scared," Oliver bit back. "Of what, I have no bloody idea."

"I'm not scared," Sabina retorted.

"Right," Oliver sighed, lightly nodding his head and looking away from Sabina again. "Get some rest. Good luck with your studies. I'll, uh... goodbye, Sabina."

With that, Oliver quickly made his way out of her apartment. The slam of the door rang in Sabina's ears until all that was left was silence and her own thoughts, swirling in her head. She sat perfectly still and silent for a while, looking down at her hands and ruminating over what had just happened. She had thought that when the time would come that Oliver would leave for good, it would be a mutual satisfaction. Instead, all Sabina felt was sadness and an odd ache.

22 November 1999

"You two do everything together now, huh?" Oliver remarked, lightly gesturing between Percy and Audrey with a wave of his hand.

"I'll take that as my cue," Audrey said slowly, sharing an amused glance with Percy. "I've gotta get going anyways, so I can be... three hours early for my shift."

Audrey leaned over the dining table where they were all sitting to give Percy a kiss on the cheek and left her boyfriend's apartment soon after that. As soon as the door closed behind her, Percy sent a pointed glare to Oliver.

"Thanks for that, mate," Percy said sarcastically.

"She kicked herself out," Oliver said defensively. "I like Audrey, believe me."

"I know," Percy replied, "something's just been off about you today."

Oliver let out a tired sigh as he sat under the scrutiny of Percy's insightful expression. His best friend was a know-it-all, but there was a good reason for that: he did, in fact, seem to know it all. Truthfully, it had been one of Percy's more annoying qualities when the two had first met; however, as they grew older, it was a quality that Oliver had grown to appreciate.

"That, uh, girl I was seeing," Oliver started quietly, "it's over. So there's that."

"Sorry about that, mate," Percy said sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, we wanted different things," Oliver reasoned, leaning back in his chair. "Just feels weird to actually be on the side that's hurt. You know, I never really cared about a girl enough for it to get me so worked up."

"You don't think she's hurt?" Percy questioned.

Oliver scoffed. "If she was hurt after what happened, then I must've been under a Confundus Charm," he said a bit bitterly.

Percy simply shrugged. "You never know. In these sorts of things, people's true intentions surface one way or another," he advised, choosing not to prod his friend for details.

Oliver looked over at Percy, forcing a small smile on his face in the hopes that it would actually help him feel happy. "How did you know with Audrey?" he asked. "I mean, between randomly getting attacked and all that nonsense, how did you figure it out?"

"You know, her family is absolutely terrifying and crazy," Percy started, an amused and dreamy smile spreading across his face, "she is far too enthusiastic about punching people she doesn't like, and she likes to mess with people's heads for fun - and yet, I can never get her out of my mind."

In that moment, Oliver's mind filled with Sabina's amused grin. She would always correct even the smallest mistakes and her capacity for alcohol consumption was concerning, and yet he had meant every word he had said to her. Oliver cared for her. When he looked at Sabina, he felt happy. It wasn't just a basic lust - it was so much more than that. He loved to hear her laugh and listen to her talk, despite all of the annoying things she would do. Even despite what she had told him the day before.

"I get that," Oliver said quietly.

Sabina pushed the cured meat around on her plate in silence. She could feel her mother's gaze searing through her body, almost as if that would will her to talk, but Sabina kept her sights focused straight down at her half-eaten breakfast. She had been in this horrible mood since yesterday, and not even her mother's iconic Slovenian breakfast could break her out of this ridiculous emotional cycle. Sabina felt horrible for pushing Oliver away like that, but she also felt like she was missing a part of her - she missed him, and she hated to admit it.

"Sabina, what is the matter with you?" her mother's strong Slovenian accent rang through the silence.

Sabina's head snapped up, meeting her mother's warm brown eyes. She was a beautiful woman - her slightly greying hair still mostly held its original chestnut brown colour and aside from a few wrinkles that had come with age, her skin was clear and glowing. Danica Horvat had a welcoming exterior that strongly contrasted her commanding and intimidating personality.

"Nothing, Mama, I just had a long day yesterday and felt like comfort food," Sabina replied plainly.

"Najdražja, what's on your mind? You cannot hide these things from me," Danica pressed.

Sabina sighed lightly, a sad smile spreading across her face. "Why did you and Ocka end up getting back together after you separated?" she finally asked.

Although clearly taken aback, Danica recovered quickly. "It was my decision to separate, ultimately," she started, a sad look on her face. "I told him that I didn't want his life - the attention, the drama, the threatening letters from all of those stupid English women."

"Mama, you have your own distillery - I hardly think those women were even in your league," Sabina said jokingly.

Danica laughed lightly. "Very true, but it was hard for us in those first few years," she admitted, "and that was not the life I had imagined when we married. It took me two years to realize that I wasn't living his life - we were living our life. Being with the people you care about is hardly ever easy."

Sabina remained quiet for a bit, processing her mother's words. Eventually, she smiled sadly and said, "I think I let a good one go, Mama."

"If he was meant for you, give it time," Danica advised. "These things have a way of fleshing themselves out. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all."

Sabina nodded as she took in her mother's words. She still felt that persistent sadness, but now she also felt a strange, new feeling: humility. As much as Sabina hated to admit it, she was pretty sure she was wrong. Very wrong. Part of her was happy that maybe, just maybe, her and Oliver would have their chance. Another part of her was beating herself up for fucking up so much.

"You know, Ocka pulled Dimitrij out of school to watch the championship game," Sabina said with a smirk, trying to get Oliver out of her head for the briefest moment.

Danica only smiled. "I know," she replied, "where do you think you get that brilliant intelligence from? Your Ocka?"

Sabina laughed as her mother's grin widened. "He really thinks he got away with it, you know," she said.

Danica simply shrugged. "For all of the hell I give him, he deserves a few small victories," she replied. Standing up from her seat, she asked, "How about you join me in the wood shop for the day?"

"That sounds like the perfect distraction," Sabina stated with a smile, standing up to join her mother.

#*forbf #*writing posts #*oliver wood #*sabina kopitar #*oliver x sabina #oliver wood #oliver wood x oc #gryffindor #ravenclaw #quidditch #puddlemere united #puddlemere #healer #st mungos #medi witch #fanfiction #harry potter #hp fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

Kristopher Lamar Shacklebolt

Blood Status - pureblood

School (House) - Hogwarts (Slytherin)

Birth Date - 15 May 1952

Occupation - Auror (1973), Hit Wizard (1981), Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad (1985), Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation (1995), Head of the Auror Office (2000), Retired (2007)

Parents - Dion Shacklebolt, Lucinda Shacklebolt (née Fawley)

Siblings - Kelsey Rowle, Kingsley Shacklebolt

Partner - Zhara Shacklebolt (m. 1972)

Children - Keegan Shacklebolt, Audrey Weasley

Other Family - Percy Weasley (son-in-law), Daphne Shacklebolt (daughter-in-law), Molly Weasley II (granddaughter), Lucy Weasley (granddaughter), Kristopher Shacklebolt II (grandson), Amanita Shacklebolt (granddaughter), Thorfinn Rowle (brother-in-law), Astrid Shacklebolt (sister-in-law), Oralee Shacklebolt (niece)

The patriarch of the Shacklebolt family, Kristopher takes no nonsense from anyone and always held his children to the highest standards. The only person that can ever soften his stony demeanour is Zhara - but that’s partly because she scares him (mostly because he loves her).

#*bmas #*pariahs #*kristopher shacklebolt sr #*character profiles #shacklebolt #percy weasley #audrey weasley #percy x audrey #slytherin #auror #ministry of magic #hogwarts #weasley #gryffindor #fanfiction #harry potter #hp fanfiction #aesthetic #hit wizard

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smellofparchment-blog · 7 years ago

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Forbidden Fruit: Chapter 1 - Medic to the Rescue

Story Title - Forbidden Fruit (ffn link)

Story Description - Oliver stared back at Sabina as she uncrossed her arms and extended a hand to him. He felt Gabriel give him a nudge, but Oliver's eyes were fixed on Sabina's expectant gaze. It seemed, in that moment, that he had two choices: one, he could stay with the boys and get nagged to death for being a killjoy, or two, he could go dance with the girl that kept putting a smile on his face.

Story Rating - mature (M)

Story Pairings - Oliver/Sabina, Percy/Audrey

Chapter - 1) Medic to the Rescue

26 August 1999

Being a Healer-in-training was an exciting phase of Sabina's life. There was always something new to learn and when she was in the hospital, the hours would fly by. Sabina truly loved it.

Less exciting: the poor excuse of an income those administrative bastards at the hospital called a livable salary.

See, as an administrator, if you could pay a Healer-in-training to do the same thing as a Healer or a Nurse, but for half the price on account of that lovely little "in-training" tacked on the end, then you could save your hospital a lot of money. Genius business strategy, but downright preposterous as far as Sabina was concerned. As a result, she would often find herself working Medi-Witch shifts for her father's Quidditch team, just to make a little extra money until she finished her Healer training.

Sabina had almost turned down her father's request this time. The forecast was looking downright horrible - thunderstorms and rain the entire time, with a chance of hail - and working Quidditch games was not her idea of fun. While Sabina loved Quidditch - she had been an amazing Keeper at Hogwarts - being a Medi-Witch was a whole other nightmare. Loud, nosy spectators telling you to get out of the way, overzealous players outright flying into danger, and, worst of all, all Sabina would want to do was sit there and enjoy the game. Instead, she was stuck running after stupid boys that would rather break their necks and win than come out unscathed and lose.

Perhaps it was the last three years of Healer training talking, but Sabina was fed up with reckless Quidditch players.

Still, her father had begged. He had a new Keeper going in and, as Coach Boris had put it, "this one is a real bonehead." That, combined with the fact that Sabina knew very well that her father was immensely protective of Keepers (on account of that being his former position), was just enough motivation Sabina needed to agree to the shift. If anything, she would have some lovely stories to tell Audrey.

In any case, now that Sabina was standing in the changerooms of the Quidditch pitch, she was quickly regretting her obligations as a caring daughter.

"Number twenty-one has a tendency to fly straight into bludgers," Boris, Sabina's father, stated as he stood by her side with an angry look on his face and his arms crossed. His 'Intimidation Stance,' as he called it. His sandy blonde hair had flecks of grey in it now and the wrinkles on his face were starting to reflect his age, but despite all of that, his pale blue eyes still had a youthful, excited shine to them every time he talked about Quidditch. "Number three's the new Keeper, he's a real - "

" - bonehead, yes, you've said so," Sabina interrupted. "Ocka, I've got this."

Boris sighed heavily and placed his hands on Sabina's shoulders, turning her around enough to face him. "It should be you out there," he said with a shake of his head.

"Ah, but I will be out there," Sabina replied smartly.

"You know what I mean," Boris shot back. "You are a brilliant Keeper, Sabina."

"I was a brilliant Keeper," Sabina corrected. "I've told you before - I'm not going to make a career out of Quidditch. I love the game, but that's just... not for me. I always liked brains better than brawn."

"I know, and I'm proud of you but..." Boris trailed off and leaned in slightly, continuing in a whisper, "I'd trade you for any of these idioti."

Sabina chuckled at her father's clear exasperation. "They're twenty-something boys, you're telling me you had any sense of responsibility at that age when you joined up with Puddlemere?" she challenged.

"Aye, well, that's why I would much rather have my lovely daughter as a player," Boris reasoned. "I need women and men, not boys."

"Give 'em some credit, Ocka. You've trained them well and I'm sure they look up to you," Sabina advised.

Boris smiled down at his daughter. "You and your mother - my voices of reason," he said, a soft smile breaking his stern expression. "Go suit up, Medi-Witch," he added with a wink.

"You got it, Coach," Sabina replied with a joking salute.

Oliver had never before felt this nervous before a game. His heart was racing and the world around him was drowned out as if he was underwater. His eyes were wide and focused straight down, gaze searing into his bludger bays. When Oliver had received the news that he was getting moved up from reserve to first-string Keeper, he had been ecstatic - but now that he was just mere minutes away from his first official game, the pressure was killing him.

A loud laugh broke him out of his trance and suddenly the loud sounds of the changeroom were at full volume. He looked around and hoped that the excitement his teammates were feeling would rub off on him somehow. In a far corner, he saw the medics getting ready for the game: three Medi-Wzards and a Medi-Witch, all dressed in the typical lime green robes of Healers, with the addition of some basic Quidditch gear and the Puddlemere United crest emrboidered with gold thread on the back. Suddenly, the Medi-Witch glanced his way, her blue eyes locking with his. Oliver thought she looked vaguely familiar, but before he could figure it out, one of his teammates blocked his view of the woman.

Oliver looked up at Gabriel Truman, one of the first-string Chasers, with a small sigh. He was a tall, slender man, built for speedy escapes. His brown eyes always had a friendly glint to them, and he was probably Oliver's closest friend on the team. "Ready for your first real win, mate?" Gabriel asked with a smirk.

"You sound far too optimistic," Oliver declared as he stood up.

"Aye, well, y'know what they say: knock on Wood," Gabriel countered, giving Oliver a couple light taps to the head.

"And here I thought that tradition wouldn't've left Hogwarts," Oliver grumbled. Gabriel, however, had already turned and left to take his place in the players' lineup.

With a light shake of his head, Oliver followed behind his teammate and lined up as well. He nervously gripped his broom as silence filled the changeroom and the Head Coach approached them. Borislav Kopitar was something of a legend as far as Quidditch went. He played Keeper for Team Slovenia straight out of Durmstrang for two years, after which he got picked up by Puddlemere and made captain within three years. Even after retiring as a player, Puddlemere couldn't afford to lose him and offered to keep him around as the Head Coach for as long as he wanted. And, of course, he just so happened to be married to one of the best Broom-makers in the business and the creator of the Firebolt, Danica Horvat.

If Oliver was being honest, there was no one he looked up to more than Coach Boris - except for his own father, of course.

"The next time I see you in here, you will all be cheering and smiling," Boris started, his voice echoing throughout the changeroom. He had his hands behind his back as he walked along the line of players. Glancing past him, Oliver noticed the Medi-Wizards and the Medi-Witch strapping on their kits and checking their brooms. As the Medi-Witch slipped her medical kit on her back and looked up, her eyes once again met Oliver's. She smirked lightly and raised an eyebrow before slipping on her goggles. Oliver's gaze, however, was still fixated. Her blonde hair was braided in a rather peculiar way - it was neat and flush against her head, then collected in a bun at the base of her neck - and he was sure he had seen it before somewhere.

"Wood!" Boris bellowed. Oliver was instantly pulled out of his thoughts and his head snapped towards Coach. He met the older man's glaring eyes as he lowly said, "Eyes. Here."

"Yes sir!" Oliver replied quickly.

"You're the youngest Keeper Puddlemere's had in a while - don't disappoint me," Boris said sternly.

"Of course not, sir," Oliver replied with a nod.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the pride and joy of River Piddle - PUDDLEMERE UNITED!"

"That's your cue, boys," Boris said as he grabbed his own broom.

Once on their brooms, the Puddlemere United team flew out into the stadium one by one. The screams were almost deafening as soon as Oliver entered the Quidditch pitch, but he felt his nervousness quickly melt into excitement as his eyes took in the large stadium. This was why he played Quidditch.

"You've gotta stop scaring them so much, Ocka," Sabina joked as she elbowed her father.

"If there's one thing I hate about you working my games, it's the unwanted attention," Boris grumbled as he mounted his broom.

"Unwanted? You're the only one that doesn't want it," Sabina replied as she mounted her broom as well.

Boris shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh before flying into the stadium and taking his place in the Coach's Tower.

"You ready, Quidditch princess?" one of the Medi-Wizards, Robert, asked as he gently shoved past Sabina.

"Shut it, Robby," Sabina muttered.

Before he had a chance to reply, Sabina had already zoomed past him and into the stadium. The rain drenched her almost instantly and the thick fog reduced her visibility, but the screaming of the fans was just as overwhelming as always. While a career in Quidditch may not have been in the cards for Sabina, she would be lying if she said she didn't miss the adrenaline rush of circling the stadium with her team and taking in the cheers of the crowd.

"Looks like the medics and the referees are out," the announcer's voice boomed, "and here comes the chest. We are just mere seconds away from the start now!"

Sabina took her place just left of the goalhoops on Puddlemere's side. She quickly placed a Defogging Spell on her goggles, which gave her a slightly better view of the field. Looking down, she saw the four referees push off to take their places around the stadium and the Groundskeeper standing in front of the chest. He placed the wand to his neck and knelt down, placing a hand on the buckle of the Quidditch Chest.

"Welcome to the Dorset Bowl, Puddlemere United's home stadium," the Groundskeeper's voice boomed throughout the stadium. The crowds instantly grew silent. "Tonight's game is against the Wimbourne Wasps. Players, take your places. Beaters, bats down. Three, two, one - BEGIN!"

With that final word, the Groundskeeper lifted the buckle off of the chest and the Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludgers instantly flew out. In less than a second, players were zooming around the pitch and making plays without even a bit of hesitation. Sabina felt a bit of nostalgia as she slowly flew around and scanned the pitch, and she had to fight the urge to look away from her quadrant to take in the excitement of the game. Even with the horrible weather and in her Healer robes, Sabina felt herself actually enjoying being out on the Quidditch pitch.

The game was going quite smoothly, as far as professional games went. There had been some Blatching on the Wasps side of the pitch, although those had been minor injuries that Sabina's co-workers had handled easily. And, of course, as her father had warned, player twenty-one, Andre, had flown straight into a Bludger. Still, he seemed to be concussion-free and, aside from the torrential downpour, this was turning out to be one of Sabina's easiest games.

Plus, Puddlemere had a forty-point lead, and she was nothing if not a Puddlemere fan through and through.

"Oh, Bigby from the Wasps looks like he's having an amazing breakaway, leaving Puddlemere's Keeper on his own, and - what's that? Oliver Wood, Puddlemere's brand new Keeper, is doing the legendary Starfish and Stick! Let's see if he's got what it takes!"

"Kaj za vraga?" Sabina muttered as she looked at Oliver dangling from his broom. Then, looking on the other side of the pitch, Sabina's eyes widened as she saw a Wasps Beater winding up. She raised her medic's radio to her mouth and quickly said, "There's a Bludger heading straight for him, Coach."

"Sranje," her father's voice said. "You can't intervene unless he falls or gets injured, Sabina."

"Fine, I got this," she replied.

As soon as Sabina put away her radio, she zoomed towards the goalhoops just as she heard the crack of the Beater's bat. Pushing her broom to its limits, Sabina saw Oliver save the Quaffle and toss it to a Chaser. She came to a stop at about half the height of the goalhoops just as the Bludger forcefully flew into Oliver's abdomen and caused him to lose his grip on his broom. Oliver started free-falling in the air, but Sabina stuck her arm out and grabbed his hand just as he passed her. He gripped her hand and stopped falling with a powerful yank on her arm.

Looking up at Sabina with wide eyes, Oliver grinned widely. "Thanks," he breathed out.

"You bleeding?" Sabina asked plainly.

With his free hand, Oliver felt around his robes as he looked down. "Nope, all good," he answered.

"Then call your broom and go win," Sabina replied.

Still grinning, Oliver whistled for his broom. Sabina let go of his hand as soon as the broom was underneath him, then flew back to her assigned spot. Oliver was back by the goalhoops just as the Puddlemere Chasers scored another goal.

"You are a life-saver, Sabina," Boris' staticky voice said through the radio in Sabina's medical kit.

"Can ye hear the Wasps sing?"

"No, no!"

"Can ye hear the Wasps sing?"

"Ye cannae hear a ruddy thing!"

"Whoo, whoo, whoo!"

"After me, boys - your Quidditch, your Quidditch, your Quidditch - "

" - is fuckin' shite!"

"SETTLE DOWN!"

Boris' voice boomed throughout the changeroom and the whole team quieted down in an instant. All of the players, some already standing around with only towels around their hips, fixed their gazes on their coach.

After a moment of silence, Boris' glare turned into a grin. "Meeting tomorrow at noon," he said, "tonight - you celebrate!"

"Whoo - three cheers for Coach Boris!"

"Hip hip hooray, Hip hip hooray, Hip hip hooray!"

"One for us!"

"Hooray!"

"And one for the fox that saved Wood's life!"

"Hooray!"

Sabina smirked as the room filled with cheers and shouting once again. She noticed her father's grin turn into a glare once more, and Oliver's face turn a bright shade of red. Sabina did remember him from Hogwarts - that being said, everyone at Hogwarts had known Oliver Wood. Not only had he been the most Quidditch-obsessed person in the castle, but Sabina also very vividly remembered every bloody girl in that school having the hots for him. Frankly, he had been just a little too boyish and scrawny for her - although now that she was in the Puddlemere changeroom, she could tell that at least that much had changed.

"You - Sabina," Andre said as he pointed at Sabina.

"Yes?" she replied as she raised an eyebrow.

Andre had already ditched his uniform for a towel and he approached Sabina with a smirk on his face. This would be good. Sabina remembered him from other games she had worked. He liked to think he was the embodiment of tall, dark, and handsome, and it proved to always be amusing. "You're coming out for drinks with us to celebrate."

"Is that so?" Sabina questioned as she crossed her arms.

"Aye, and Wood's buyin' you a drink because he owes you at least that much," Andre continued as he nodded towards Oliver, who was just about to head for the showers. He looked their way with a meek smile and headed over at the sound of his name.

"Doesn't sound like you have much of a choice," Sabina said to Oliver as Andre left with a proud smirk on his face.

Oliver laughed nervously, raising his hand to the back of his neck. Definitely not scrawny anymore, Sabina thought to herself as she fought to keep her gaze fixed on his face. "Andre likes to mess around," he said with a shrug. "Sabina... you were the Ravenclaw Keeper, aye?" he said, finally having a name to fit to her face.

Her really beautiful face. Now that he was closer to her, he could see that her eyes were a mesmerizing icy blue. Her dirty blonde hair was starting to come out of its braid after the three hours of being out in the rain and curl around her face, which was incredibly pale and had just the lightest smattering of freckles across her nose. Oliver supposed there had been no way for him to see all of that on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, because if he had, they probably would have lost a lot more games against Ravenclaw.

"That would be me," she agreed with a small smile.

"Sabina... Kopitar - oh, no," Oliver trailed off as he made the connection between Coach Boris and the woman before him.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Sabina said with a smirk, gently pushing past Oliver. "I'll be waiting on that drink, Wood."

Onyx was possibly one of the fanciest, most exclusive nightclubs in wizarding England. The only people that ever got in without waiting or giving up a kidney as a cover fee were Quidditch players, actors, musicians, and the likes. And, apparently, one over-worked Healer-in-training. As soon as Sabina entered the posh night club, she was surrounded by booming music and overpriced alcohol. Witches dressed as fairies levitated around the room with trays of shot glasses and jars of fireflies floated up to the ceiling. It only took Andre a matter of seconds to spot her and enthusiastically wave her over.

Sabina not-so-subtly tugged on the hem of her red dress once more before heading over. She had mistakenly thought that if she borrowed a dress from Audrey, it would very much resemble her childhood friend - simple, comfortable, and convenient. Instead, she was stuck in this skin-tight bright red dress with a halter neckline, her back bare. When in the name of Morgana did Audrey even wear dresses like this? Probably handed it to me because she never bloody wore it, Sabina thought bitterly.

"Sabina - looking positively lovely!" Andre exclaimed as Sabina approached their table. "You clean up much nicer than expected."

"Right, thanks... I think," Sabina replied tentatively. She turned to Oliver, who was seated right beside Andre and looking much more uncomfortable than she would have expected. "So, where's my drink, Wood?"

"Oh, my favourite party trick," Gabriel said with a hoot. "Come one, come all, to witness Oliver Wood's psychic powers!"

"Psychic powers?" Sabina asked. "Consider me intrigued."

"It's not that big of a deal," Oliver said with a dismissive shrug. Still, Sabina could see a small smile on his face.

"Ollie here can guess anyone's favourite drink," Jason, one of the Beaters, explained. "Works like a charm for getting ladies - we joke that it's his only move."

"It's not my only move," Oliver grumbled.

"Oi, shut up and do your thing," Andre said as he nodded towards Sabina.

With a sigh and a sly grin on his face, Oliver met Sabina's eyes and reached forward to grab her hands. The other three Quidditch players gathered around them as their eyes intently watched the two of them. Sabina had an amused smirk on her face as she kept her gaze fixed on Oliver's face and watched him concentrate.

"From here, you'll have a vodka straight," Oliver finally said.

"Impressive," Sabina said with a hint of admiration.

"I'm not done," Oliver interrupted before the other boys could cheer. "Your actual favourite drink isn't available here - pálinka."

"All right, now I'm really impressed," Sabina said with a laugh, but she was mostly cut off by Andre, Gabriel, and Jason loudly whooping.

"The man is an animal!" Gabriel shouted as Oliver ordered a round of vodka for the table.

As soon as the shots arrived, Andre raised his glass high and exclaimed, "For Puddlemere!"

"For Puddlemere!" everyone else chorused.

Once she had downed the shot, Sabina leaned in closer to Oliver and quietly asked, "Seriously, how did you figure it out? That wasn't just a stroke of luck."

Oliver smiled and lightly shook his head, his hazel eyes meeting Sabina's icy blue ones. "Coach always keeps a bottle in his office," he replied, "but I swear, this is the first time I've used outsider info."

"Oh, I believe that," Sabina said. "Girls are easy - wine or fruity drinks. If they're drunk enough, any one of them will be their favourite."

"Don't oust me," Oliver hissed jokingly.

Sabina laughed once more, this time taking note of how often Oliver seemed to be having that effect on her. Deciding they had spent enough time standing around, she slammed down her shot glass and simply shouted, "Let's dance!"

"Mate, you are really off your game tonight," Gabriel noted as he slid into the seat next to Oliver.

Oliver let out a sigh and downed the rest of his beer. "Just not feeling it, I guess," he replied with a shrug.

"Not feeling it?" he exclaimed. "I've seen you out there after a good practice - you're unstoppable. You just won your first full game."

"Yeah, I know, I'm just exhausted I guess," Oliver reasoned.

Gabriel gave him a pointed look, clearly not accepting that explanation. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Oliver paused for a moment before deciding that if he was going to ask anyone about this, it might as well be his best friend on the team. "You guys all know that Sabina is Coach's daughter, right?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, obviously," Gabriel replied with a shrug. "She's worked a bunch of games for us."

"Okay, then why do you all flirt with her all the time - do you lot have a death wish?" Oliver continued. "I mean, we are talking about Coach Borislav Kopitar, right?"

Gabriel laughed at his friend's apparent confusion. "Mate, a death wish would be sleeping with her," he explained. "Flirting with her, it just gets a funny reaction out of Coach and Sabina's one of the few girls that's not a bloody lunatic. I mean, she knows we're not all trying to get into her kickers and that it's all good fun."

"Right," Oliver said as he slowly nodded. Then, after another pause, he asked, "But how do you know that Coach would kill you if you went after Sabina?"

"You wanna be patient zero?" Gabriel countered.

"Fair point," Oliver agreed.

"All right, you need to get all of this out of your head and get laid," Gabriel decided. He surveyed the room shortly, then started waving his arms and shouting, "Sabina! Over here!"

"That was a poorly chosen sequence of words, mate," Oliver grumbled as Sabina joined them.

"What's goin' on, boys?" she asked as she slid into the seat next to Gabriel.

"You're gonna work your magic and get Wood a bird," Gabriel said.

"What magic?" Oliver asked tentatively.

"Sabina has the innate ability to attract perfect one-night stand material every time we dance with her," Gabriel explained. "There's three things a bird needs to have to be one-night stand material."

"She's gotta be hot," Oliver guessed.

"Aye, that's one," Sabina said. "She's gotta be crazy. The crazier, the kinkier, and - well, you're never seeing her again anyways."

"And she's gotta be jealous," Gabriel finished. "Just trust me on that one. Anyways, it seems that Sabina is the perfect combination of intimidating and beautiful to attract that particular breed of girl. Works like a charm."

"And if it doesn't, what's the worst that can happen?" Sabina asked as she stood up from her seat and stared down at Oliver. "You dance with a beautiful blonde, you get your feet stepped on - sounds like a good deal to me."

Oliver stared back at Sabina as she uncrossed her arms and extended a hand to him. He felt Gabriel give him a nudge, but Oliver's eyes were fixed on Sabina's expectant gaze. It seemed, in that moment, that he had two choices: one, he could stay with the boys and get nagged to death for being a killjoy, or two, he could go dance with the girl that kept putting a smile on his face.

Standing up, Oliver took Sabina's hand and let her lead the way as Gabriel cheered, "Atta boy!"

As soon as they reached the dancefloor, an upbeat song started playing and Sabina didn't hesitate to start dancing. Soon enough, Oliver felt a grin spread on his face as he joined in. He wasn't so sure about the magic that Gabriel was talking about, but Sabina did have a magical ability of getting him to relax, he realized. She was fun and exciting, and Oliver would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit attracted to her. However, every time that thought crossed his mind, the next thing to pop up would be the face of a very furious Coach Boris.

The ambience of the room changed rather abruptly as a slower song started to play. Sabina took a step closer and Oliver didn't hesitate to place his hands on her waist and pull her closer.

"Oh, look at that," Sabina spoke into his ear, "it's already working. Your seven o'clock - other way, Wood."

Oliver turned his head to see a girl at the bar intently staring at him with a look of determination. Instantly, that same feeling of disinterest from earlier resurfaced.

"I... don't know," he said slowly, looking down at Sabina. That got rid of the shitty feeling. "I'm just not feeling it tonight."

"Not feeling it? As in...?" Sabina coaxed.

"You know, most nights, a girl like that will get me... excited, I guess. I would want to talk to her," Oliver explained. "Tonight, I look at that bird and... nothing."

"All right, well we might as well leave then," Sabina said with a shrug. "There's only two reasons blokes need to be in a bar: getting girls and drinking."

Oliver smirked slyly. "Who says I'm done drinking?" he asked.

"Oh, you wanna drink?" Sabina asked. "Now that is something I can get behind. I'll drink you under the table, Wood."

"We'll see about that," he countered. Just as a waitress was floating past with a tray of shots, he quickly grabbed two and handed one to Sabina. Raising his own shot glass, he said, "To drinking!"

"To getting shitfaced!" Sabina replied, then swiftly downed the alcohol.

"These are the best chips I have ever had!"

Sabina laughed as she watched Oliver spin around the empty side street with a few chips sticking out of his mouth. Once Oliver had decided that he would much rather celebrate with alcohol than a random bird, it had been all too easy for Sabina to help him evade the poking and prodding of his teammates and simply help him with his mission of getting hammered. After a while, however, both Sabina and Oliver were at a level of intoxication that came with confused stares and hunger pains - so they left Onyx behind for something more practical.

"Hush, someone'll call the cops on us," Sabina scolded between laughs.

"Cops?" Oliver asked.

"We're in the muggle parts of London, smartass," she bit back jokingly.

"Ah, that would explain a lot," Oliver said breathlessly, ceasing his spinning and approaching Sabina, who was sitting on a bench.

"You are such a lightweight. Are you even Scottish?" she teased.

"Excuse me? I am so Scottish!" Oliver exclaimed as he rested his hands on the back of the bench, one on either side of Sabina. He paused and stared down at her with a lazy grin. "You're really beautiful, you know that?"

"I know," Sabina said with a shrug and a smirk on her face.

"Why do you have to be Coach's daughter?" Oliver asked with a groan. "It's really frustrating."

"I think we need to get you home," Sabina said with a hint of amusement.

"Uh-uh," Oliver replied with a shake of his head, dropping down on the bench to sit next to Sabina. "I live with Andre and Gabriel - they'll either be on my case for not havin' a bird or they'll see you and tell Coach about it. I'd like to live to see my retirement money."

Sabina sighed heavily as she looked over at Oliver, sporting the same lazy grin. "Well, you're in luck then - my place is close by."

Oliver laughed lightly and rested his head on Sabina's shoulder. "You're the best, Sab."

27 August 1999

Oliver slowly squinted his eyes open and instantly regretted it. The small beam of light that shined through his squinted eyelids set off a pounding headache. He rolled over and buried his face in a pillow as he let out a pained groan. Drinking was all fun and games until the next day. Oliver, unfortunately, was cursed with some of the most unrelenting, brutal hangovers known to man and wizardkind. Besides, with a bed this comfy, pleasantly smelling of lavender, why would he leave?

Wait - lavender?

Oliver shot up with a start, his headache only getting worse as he looked around the unfamiliar room. What the - oh no.

The memories of last night were suddenly coming back to him. At least up until he had reached Sabina's apartment - from there on out, he was drawing a blank. Looking down, Oliver noticed he was still wearing his clothes from last night, so he could at least assume that if he had done something stupid, it couldn't have been that bad. As he continued looking around the room, he noticed a note stuck to the lamp on the bedside table.

Got called in to work early. Key's under the doormat - lock up after you leave. Pink potion on the bedside table is my personal cure for hangovers, as well as the egg sandwich in the fridge.

- Sabina

P.S. - Don't forget your meeting at noon if you want to live.

"Oh, hell," Oliver grumbled, suddenly remembering about the team meeting.

He grabbed his wallet off of the side table, then removed the stopper from the potion that was right next to it and downed it with a grimace. He left the bedroom, slowly looking around the small apartment as he made his way to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Sure enough, there was something wrapped in tin foil with his name scrawled on it. Oliver grabbed the sandwich then scanned the apartment once again. He noticed the couch in the small living room had a pillow and a few blankets pushed aside on it, as if someone had been sleeping there, and instantly felt a pang of guilt. However, as soon as he saw the time, that feeling was quickly replaced with panic.

Oliver stumbled into the Puddlemere United meeting room just as the hour arm on the large grandfather clock moved to the twelve. He breathlessly took his seat and dropped his wallet and sandwich on the table, trying his best to ignore Coach Boris' searing gaze.

"Just in time," Boris noted. He nodded towards the table and added, "What is that?"

"Uh, breakfast sandwich," Oliver quickly answered. "Had a long night."

"Hell yeah, he did!" Andre exclaimed with a whoop. "Our rookie didn't come home last night."

"This may come as a surprise, but I don't care," Boris replied plainly. "Meetings are for Quidditch, not breakfast. Don't make this a habit, Wood. I still like you."

"Yes sir," Oliver replied with a nod.

"Our game against the Wasps yesterday was some of the best playing I had seen in a while from you lot," Boris said, immediately jumping into his debrief. "Chasers, you did a great job of buying our Seeker some time, and our new Keeper proved to be able to keep up well - even if he did need a little saving."

As Boris continued his debrief, Gabriel leaned in towards Oliver and whispered, "You didn't do anything stupid last night, right?"

"No, why?" Oliver whispered back.

"Because the others may not have seen it, but I did," Gabriel replied, giving Oliver a pointed look. "Sabina conveniently disappeared at the same time as you did."

"Weird," Oliver whispered back with a shrug, trying his best to hide his discomfort.

"How'd you get your whole abdomen bruised up again?" Percy asked Oliver, his eyes briefly flitting over to his friend before looking back in the mirror to make sure the spell tying his necktie was working properly.

"Saved the Quaffle and got destroyed by a Bludger right after," Oliver explained, "but hey - we won!"

"Right, yeah," Percy replied hurriedly before giving up on the current tie and going to search for another.

Outside of Quidditch, Percy was Oliver's best friend. In their first few years at Hogwarts, they had gotten off to what some might call... a rocky start. Needless to say, they had been like night and day, and constantly on each others' nerves. It had not been the least bit helpful that they had had to share a dorm. However, over the years, they had begun to grow on one another and became two peas in a pod. Percy had been there for Oliver's wins and losses, and Oliver had been there for Percy's successes and those beautiful, rare moments where he would make incredibly stupid mistakes.

Besides, after what Percy had done for Oliver's mum, a muggle-born, during the war, there was no chance in hell that Oliver was ever going to stop being friends with Percy.

"Also the Medi-witch was smoking," Oliver added, hoping to snap Percy out of whatever obsessive trance he seemed to be in.

Percy re-surfaced from his increasingly messy closet and held up a tie until Oliver nodded in approval. "In that case, I'm assuming you celebrated in a typical Oliver Wood fashion," he replied.

"I was about to but, uh, she's Coach's daughter," Oliver replied meekly.

Percy let out a single laugh and said, "Well, there's your good luck with women running out," he joked, finally satisfied with his outfit.

"Hey, let's keep that negativity out of here," Oliver warned. "I'll find a way to date Coach's daughter, you'll have an amazing dinner - good vibes all around!"

"Wow, she's really holding your attention, huh?" Percy teased. "Already making you a better man."

Oliver chuckled nervously, surprised at his own words. Just being around Percy apparently brought out his true feelings. The bloke was like a walking dose of Veritaserum. "Yeah, all right... what would you do if I wasn't around for you to make fun of me?" Oliver questioned jokingly.

"I'm glad you've finally come to terms with your purpose in life," Percy bit back with a smirk.

"Guess I'll just shut up now," Oliver grumbled. He stood up with a sigh and added, "Well, I'll let you get on your way to whatever exciting date you have planned. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That is a very short list," Percy joked.

Well, he's not wrong there, Oliver thought to himself. However, curiously enough, that voice inside his head sounded a lot like Sabina's.

Sabina could feel here eyes drooping as she stared down at the open newspaper before her. Her head just barely slipped off of her hand, jolting her awake. With a sigh, she readjusted her elbow on the table, took a sip of her coffee, and flipped to the next article. Quidditch. For the first time in a while, reading the sports section of the Prophet was not working to calm her down after a long shift at St. Mungo's. Instead, now all she thought about was Oliver. How dare he ruin after-work Quidditch news for me? Sabina thought to herself a bit bitterly.

Well, he hadn't ruined it, per se. His shy grin would just pop up in her mind every time Sabina glanced at the editorial on the Puddlemere versus Wasps game. He was just a distraction from the usual joy that Quidditch would bring Sabina.

Sabina was once again jolted awake by the sound of her doorbell ringing. Realizing in that moment that she hadn't even changed out of her Healer robes yet, Sabina stood up and headed for the door with a tired sigh. Not that it really mattered - she had to be back at St. Mungo's in two hours, anyways. As Sabina opened the door, her exhausted glare quickly melted into a look of surprise.

"Oliver...?" Sabina said with a hint of confusion in her tone. "Did you leave something behind, or...?"

"No, I just realized something," Oliver started, that same wide grin on his face that he seemed to always have. "I gave my friend some dating advice just now - I told him to not do anything I wouldn't do. But I do tons of stupid things!"

"I'm lost," Sabina stated with a slight shake of her head.

"I need to do something stupid that I really should've done last night," Oliver said.

Before Sabina could bite back with a sarcastic reply, however, Oliver had stepped forward and pressed his lips to hers. She felt one of his hands press against the small of her back and the other at the base of her neck pulling her closer - and, curiously enough, Sabina felt herself kiss him back. Her arms quickly wrapped around him and grabbed at his shirt to pull him closer as he pushed her back against a wall.

Sabina broke the kiss, a bit breathless and a wide grin on her face. "Close the door," she said. "I have two hours."

"Perfect," Oliver replied before joining their lips once again.

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