#ConCurrent is win

[generatingfail]

This is terrific. If I were anywhere near Seattle, I'd be there!

ConCurrent Seattle, or, What Happens When I Get Cranky

I was going to do this whole post about how genAI is ruining so much of what makes us human - human thought, human creativity, human connection - but as it so happens, I am also tired. So let's run this down:

On April 30, the con chair of WorldCon posted a statement answering questions about whether WorldCon had used ChatGPT in any of its processes. The answer was yes. It was used in panelist vetting.

The reaction was immediate and negative. Writers in general don't like genAI, especially writers who've had their work stolen for the LLM to train on (which is most of us). We also dislike the environmental impact of this!

Because it was used for vetting, a lot of panelists chosen for WorldCon began doubting whether they were chosen fairly.

On May 2nd, an apology was issued. The chair promised another update on what actions WorldCon would take to remedy the problem. Unfortunately, WorldCon had already lost a lot of trust in the community.

An explanation of what ChatGPT was used for and the prompt given to it dropped on May 6.

I was one of the authors who'd applied to WorldCon but got ghosted (I don't even get newsletters from them despite signing up). I'm not on the panelist list. Neither were some authors whose voices I thought truly belonged at WorldCon. Well, when I get cranky, I move. I decided that I was going to create a fringe con to run during one day of WorldCon, with stellar programming and wonderful panelists - and I'd do it with no genAI. No LLMs, no GPT, nothing but human brains and human work.

I present to you: ConCurrent Seattle.

Credit goes to @inkcurlsandknives for the logo design!

ConCurrent is a one-day, in-person only, masks required SFFH programming track intended to be an alternate to WorldCon. If you're in Seattle on Thursday, August 14, 2025, please drop in to see us! Admission is free, but registration is required (we'll have that process sorted out soon). I've got a bananas lineup of authors, I can promise you that. The sparklecorns will be sparkling.

But to make it run, ConCurrent will cost us 5000 USD. I've been crowdfunding for the last couple of weeks and we're halfway there! That's the good news. So now we need another push to get fully funded. If you wanna put your middle fingers up at genAI, I'd super appreciate it if you could send some dollars my way.

Yeah, that's it. This con is happening. It's gonna be a blast. I'm hyped for these panels. Please help defray the cost and I'll see you in Seattle!

(And after you go to ConCurrent, you can go see @charliejaneanders with Annalee Newitz, Cecilia Tan, Becky Chambers, Darcie Little Badger, and Andrea Hairston at Writers with Drinks at 7 p.m. at Town Hall Seattle!)

[alukaforyou]

i call this one,, princess and the blobkuna 💀

[joaniejustwokeup]

I propose Zheng Yi Sao’s new love interest should be Grace O’Malley with a buzzcut. Mostly so they can unite their pirate fleets and collectively fuck over the English but also because the Queen deserves someone on her level who could match her chess moves and mind games tit for tat. Also because gay.

[braveburned]

sliding back into my sonic phase and asked myself if gregory would be a sonic kid. unfortunately I think the answer is no he just does not vibe with children's mascots

[t00thpasteface]

trying to get irl friends into watching mash is insane, i'll be like "have you heard about this critically-acclaimed, emmy-award-winning, 11-seasons-long sitcom-turned-dramedy that established the A-plot-B-plot structure of modern tv writing and to this day holds the all-time record for the most concurrent viewers on a single episode of any tv show ever?" and they'll be like "no i haven't!"

[uvmagazine]

5 years ago today, 26-year-old #BreonnaTaylor was killed by Louisville Metro Police after they forced entry into her home.

The killing of Taylor by police officers and the initial lack of charges against the LMPD officers involved sparked numerous protests with supporters adopting the motto #SayHerName. These protests against police brutality and racism were concurrent with the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement across the United States.

Before her untimely death, Taylor was an award-winning ER medical technician who dedicated her life to helping others and aspired to become a nurse.

Taylor's family was awarded $12 million in compensation and was given a promise the LMPD would reform its practices.

[dykenerys]

azor ahai this, tptwp that, we all know danys REAL destiny is to be the main character in a horse movie where during a tumultuous time in her life (viserys got sent to jail for sucking :/) she meets and bonds with a traumatized horse and they go on concurrent healing journeys until finally he lets her ride him and then they compete in and win the big race

[muirneach]

chengdu shang vs musetti finals and hangzhou zhizhen vs cilic finals. both of these are going to feed families this is an absolutely delicious draw

three chinese players across the chengdu and hangzhou semifinals + guaranteed chinese finalist in hangzhou hell yessss 🫡🫡

[kinardsevan]

What is your opinion on Tommy coming back or not? And in they case we see him again, do you think it’ll be just for closure (ex: Abby in season 3) or maybe for a BuckTommy second chance?

fun fact: i was considering doing an entire breakdown with a bunch of Oliver's interviews from the start of this arc until now to point to my opinion:

Tommy is coming back. The romcom theme is still in effect, and we're only about midway through the 3rd act.

Long story short (and without sources right now), I think that the interviews were actuallly pointing in this direction with the wording for a hot second. We have OS telling us that he thinks the best relationships have a "will they, won't they" bit where the audience and the characters are pining. We've seen this play out on the show. And we also have to remember that Oli knew during this interview that the breakup was coming. We also have the interview (I believe it was the Decider one I linked last week) where he mentions choosing to fight for the relationship or not. I feel like a lot of people have taken the context of that and twisted it into "they didn't do it right away, so they're not going to". Except, there's ANOTHER quote of relevance, which is Oliver talking about how Buck's queerness isn't tied to Tommy or Eddie, and only to himself.

Obviously, there have been things said since 806 that would point towards me being delulu, except, here's the issue: TM, OS and LFJr are NOT going to tell us that Tommy is coming back if that's the intention. It would spoil the surprise of it all, and the win of it all. What fun is there in that? What TM has said is that Tommy is Buck's romantic past but that doesn't mean he won't turn up again in the future (all relevant and true facts which do not shut down a reconciliation). Lou never out-and-out said he was done with the show. He's said time and time again that he wants to come back. TM has mentioned Tommy coming around again. OS literally said in an interview "they may run into each other on scene and have it be awkward".

Now obviously we don't actually have the full story with how things went down and the show decided to go with splitting the boys up. I think the fact that Lou has called out the bullying but says he wants to come back suggests that it wasn't him saying it was too much. I have two theories that could honestly run concurrent with one another:

Evan and Tommy break up in 806 at the end of the episode. With 911 having 18 episode seasons, this quite literally only makes up the first third of the season. It set up the beginning of the year for us. We're now two episodes into the second part of the season with a pretty clear idea of where the next three will go and suggestions (by fans, nothing official) that the "soonest" we could see LFJr again is 812. This is reasonable, as it would be the end of the middle of the season. Knowing that TM has suggested he might do a multi-episode season finale, pushing LFJr back into the show in 812 (or even the end of 811 if we go with my theory that Eddie could possibly leave around this time and Tommy helps them pack up/his and Buck's first time spending time around each other again), there would still likely be something around this time period that would be around when they would open the doors to this. As it is, we know that 809 and 810 go together, and then we'd have 811 to really flesh out the end of Buck's fling. I think there's even more possibility of LFJr being in this episode as well because if the plan is to bring them back together (which everything has been suggested so far ON screen in terms of keeping Tommy "in" the story), three-episode arc gives us several things: a. it allows the show to make the point that Buck's queerness is not intrinsically attached to Tommy; that his interest in men is as equal as he know his interest in women is. b. it gives them the ability to also show that his feelings for Tommy are not based in Tommy being his "first", or Evan needing to "discover" more about himself. They're in love with each other, and the show has given us the pieces for that. LFJr has acknowledged it in an interview, Tommy loves Buck. We also know that Tommy's line to Evan is "you'd end up breaking my heart, and I don't think I could deal with that". When I hear that sentence, what I'm actually hearing is "I'm already in love with you, and if I let myself fall more in love with you by being with you every day all the time and this ends, I won't survive it". By relation, we have Josh ask Buck if he loves Tommy and Buck waffles, but I think this has more to do with his lack of understanding of what a healthy love is in a relationship, given his past relationships. He never got to tell Abby. Ali left. and saying I love you to Taylor wasn't about the core of actually being in love with her, which I think is another important piece for BuckTommy: they don't just love each other, they're in love with each other. Still, sometimes it's hard to quantify that feeling, and I think (as I've referenced before), for Evan it was easier to ask Tommy to share a living space with him than to share how he feels about him because historically, things haven't worked out well for him when he's been in love outwardly. Further, the questions Josh asks Evan are directly correlated with loving someone, and Evan answers yes to all of them. (I don't think I need to add this, but he also sees a future with Tommy, talks about being engaged or married. He's serious about Tommy in a way he never has been before.)

There's also the theory that the breakup happened because of scheduling conflicts. Now obviously the show could've found other ways to work around LFJr's scheduling issues by having Tommy go on a trip or what-have-you, but let's remember OTHER things that have been said by OS in prior interviews: a. back in June, he did an interview where he stated that he wanted and hoped that BuckTommy would go through issues that couples normally go through in their first year together. He wanted normal issues. This storyline IS normal. b. he didn't want to repeat Tarlos. By the very definition of what the show is doing right now, we're not. Tarlos and BuckTommy are their own things with their own reasonings.

One of the other things I also keep being pulled back to is these issues: first of all, we know how LFJr plays with the 911 demo, given that they got to see it last season. It's why he was written into more episodes after his initial four episode arc and brought back. ABC has also used BuckTommy in their own adverts, which suggests that they are very supportive of the relationship continuing because it draws in viewers. Truly giving that up for good feels like dousing yourself in gasoline and then considering striking a match. Second, people also keep calling out that TM only plans a few weeks in advance. I believe this is true with story beats. We know that the writers room has a general idea on character arcs, thanks to some of the discussion on the cheese page post-806. I really struggle to believe that TM didn't know going into going forward with the breakup whether or not he wanted to bring LFJr back. We know he waffled back and forth on the idea of the breakup, meaning he probably had other solutions on his mind for whatever LFJr's schedule needed adjusting for, and this is what he decided on. Also, even if 8b hasn't been broken down yet (we know it hasn't), they would still know at this point what they do or don't want, what their ideas might be. Solidification for why Tommy should be brought back is directly shown in the reaction by the GA and the fandom to the breakup. They may not know exactly how that reunion happens yet, but what they have suggested is that Buck's new relationship will be short-lived. That he's using it to cope. We also know he's still processing the break-up and still misses Tommy. These are all things that point to the story not being over. Plus, I feel (once again), if the story really was over and they didn't have plans to continue this in 8b, LFJr wouldn't be talking about wanting to go back. It be far more "yeah that sucked, but it's over now and what can you do? I'm off to this new show and I'll never be back." (I've commented also on the fact that the fangirlish interview comment about his "i'm going here, doing this, have some opportunities" statement is very run-of-the-mill. Obvs I could mean something. Or it could literally just be a canned answer.) (This might feel a little off-center, but I think his commentary on trusting TM and knowing what he's doing in one of his post-806 interviews directly suggests that he believes the story is going to be handled properly.)

I realize at the end of the day, all of what I'm piecing together could mean zilch and Tommy could possibly never come back. They could truly just drop the story and never circle back around, set fire to a beautiful arc and lose thousands (possibly millions) of viewers. I've certainly suggested myself being one of them. But I don't see BuckTommy only getting an Abby fix for two reasons. LFJr wants to come back and continue the story, and Connie Britton only ever intended to do one season. Also, the fling has been called out as being planned to be short-lived. Why bother mentioning that if you don't have other plans for the story.

The last thing I'll leave you with is my commentary from the interview Oli and Aisha did with the guy from Chicago. That reporter obviously liked the BuckTommy storyline and said he's choosing to believe that the relationship is paused, not over. By relation, we had Oliver say three things: (1 and 2) Buck is still looking for love, both in himself and with another person. (3)The season is only half over. Circle that back to 806-808. Buck is finding love in himself by dealing with it in a healthy way (so far) with the baking. We've also seen the "cracks" Oli mentioned with his continued urge to want to text Tommy, as well as him fighting it off by baking (referencing the "pendulum swinging"). Looking for love in others will likely be this arc where he tries to deal/move on. I feel like we collectively watched the end of 806, and then 807 and 808 yelling at the TV "you're in love with him, piece it together already!" (or maybe that was just me???). But truly, whether it's a fling, his therapist, or Bobby/Maddie/Eddie who finally spells it out of or him, I think there will be a point at which we see that come to fruition. The seeds were sewn in for it in the scene with Josh. Now it's just about watching those seeds sprout.

Final note: we've had a good run up to this point with these two. Did we truly thing that the honeymoon phase would last forever? (I didn't. Conflict and the pink bubble popping have to happen eventually.) If we really want to suggest that what BuckTommy has is real, they have to go through this and come out the other side. I think everyone is justifiably frustrated due to the 4 month wait on new episodes (I personally would not have left people hanging quite like this, but that's just me), but the narrative does lead us toward what the show is doing with the suggestion that it does have a natural (and good) conclusion. (Possibly with a helicopter/truck/jeep crash?!)

And just as my singularly LAST note, here's my other thing: Evan and Tommy both have abandonment issues. (Tommy's are clear based on the break up and we know Buck's.) By that correlation, when these two finally get back together, they're never going to fucking let the other go.

(This was so much longer than I intended it to be, but that's my answer 😂😂😂😂😂😂)

[triple-tree-ranch]

Charles Ponder·

Quit trashing Obama's accomplishments. He has done more than any other President before him. Here is a list of his impressive accomplishments:

1. First President to be photographed smoking a joint.

2. First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.

3. First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.

4. First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States.

5. First President to violate the War Powers Act.

6. First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

7. First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.

8. First President to spend a trillion dollars on "shovel-ready" jobs when there was no such thing as "shovel-ready" jobs.

9. First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.

10. First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.

11. First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.

12. First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.

13. First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign.

14. First President to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space.

15. First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation.

16. First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.

17. First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.

18. First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke out on the reasons for their rate increases.

19. First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory.

20. First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).

21. First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.

22. First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal).

23. First President to fire an inspector general of AmeriCorps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.

24. First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.

25. First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists.

26. First President to golf more than 150 separate times in his five years in office.

27. First President to hide his birth, medical, educational and travel records.

28. First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.

29. First President to go on multiple "global apology tours" and concurrent "insult our friends" tours.

30. First President to go on over 17 lavish vacations, in addition to date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayers.

31. First President to have personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.

32. First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.

33. First President to fly in a personal trainer from Chicago at least once a week at taxpayer expense.

34. First President to repeat the Quran and tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.

35. First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states (Mexico vs Arizona).

36. First President to tell the military men and women that they should pay for their own private insurance because they "volunteered to go to war and knew the consequences."

37. Then he was the First President to tell the members of the military that THEY were UNPATRIOTIC for balking at the last suggestion.

I feel much better now. I had been under the impression he hadn't been doing ANYTHING... Such an accomplished individual... in the eyes of the ignorant maybe.!.

[heaven4lostgirls]

prompt: streak ✧ @taylorswiftmicrofic ✧ wc: 562

steddie (steve harrington/eddie munson) ✧ cw: swearing, mentions of upside down and slight violence and gore

“you’re cheating!” steve accuses, turning to look at eddie with a glare.

eddie lips quirk with a smile that he tries to smother, he shrugs nonchalantly but there’s a twinkle in his eyes.

“i’m just better than you harrington, nothing more to it.” eddie shrugs and steve wants to strangle him.

they’ve been playing mario kart for the past hour and eddie has somehow beaten steve at every. single. game.

let it be known that steve harrington is the king of mario kart, he has a concurrent winning streak against all of The Party including robin, argyle, nancy and jonathan.

then all of a sudden eddie munson comes along and somehow beats steve at his own game? impossible.

steve’s eye twitches at eddie’s smile and eddie breaks into giggles.

steve is still frowning when he asks, “what’s so funny?”

and eddie only waves him off, “you look like i’ve murdered your unborn child steve, it’s just a game!” he laughs

steve huffs again, “just a game” he mimics eddie’s voice, annoyed, which has eddie turning to him in an affronted manner, shoving steve into the couch.

steve yelps dramatically as if he’s about to be pushed off the couch.

“you couldn’t have even pretended to let me win?!” steve cries out aghast once he’s done with his show of dramatics.

eddie slaps a hand over his mouth to muffle the awful snort he lets out at steve’s sentiment.

“stop laughing!” steve accuses, but there’s a smile on his face, “you’ve ruined my winning streak! and i was doing so well” he whines out, throwing himself onto the couch.

eddie just rolls his eyes, pushing steve’s arm off of his leg, “you’ll survive harrington, it’s not like the world is going to end twice in the same year” eddie says sarcastically and steve lifts his head to glare at eddie.

“don’t say that, it’s like you’re manifesting it” he hisses and eddie only shakes his head.

“you’d think you were the one who nearly bled out” eddie sniffs, playfully petulant.

“oh hush you baby, you’re alive now aren’t you?” steve mocks and eddie looks affronted for a second before a mischievous look passes over his face.

he tackles steve on the couch, play wrestling with him, pinning his arms above his head as he looks down at him with a smirk.

eddie may look like a scrawny motherfucker, but it’s all lean muscle from his work at the factory.

eddie notices steve breathing a little heavier as his eyes dilate from under him and eddie’s breath hitches at the sight.

fucking beautiful is what it is.

“can i kiss you?” eddie rushes out before he can second guess himself and he watches firsthand as steve freezes.

eddie panics for a second before steve nods so hard eddie starts to think he might be a bobble head version of the boy he’s into.

eddie leans down, softly brushing his lips with steve’s, trying to aim for something less aggressive.

it lasts for all of three seconds before steve surges up, hands still encased by eddie’s above his head as he kisses eddie ferociously.

eddie smiles into the kiss and steve starts to giggle, “who knew mario kart could be foreplay?” eddie whispers against steve and steve’s laugh shakes both of their frames.

“dork.” steve replies with a small smile, cheeks tinted a beautiful shade of pink.

[royalarchivist]

CDawgVA: Did you envision back in the day when you were raiding Club Penguin icebergs that you would be here making advancements in language translation for streamers?

Quackity: Umm... You know what? It's really interesting because I was born and raised in Mexico, so growing up, I always thought of a world where someone who speaks Spanish but doesn't speak English could collaborate with a creator regardless of the language. So, it always was in my mind, and to see it come to fruition and see it happening and being able to meet all these talented, talented and incredible people that I now call close friends from around the world? That's- that' a blessing, and I'm so happy, I'm so thrilled.

[ Full Transcript ↓ ]

-

CDawgVA: Hello and welcome back! I'm joined by Quackity. How you doing, man?

Quackity: I'm doing great, man! This is amazing, I'm so excited for today.

CDawgVA: The energy is palpable. It's not often the streamers get to go outside.

Quackity: That's true.

CDawgVA: However, you have been responsible for joining many streamers together with your QSMP, and not just streamers of the same language– streamers of all different kinds of language, and very recently, you added Korean!

Quackity: Yeah, that's right! We added a Korean creator, we're planning to add more, but this is an absolute– this is crazy, and to see all the nominations being like, all these creators, it's amazing! It's truly a wonderful thing to see.

CDawgVA: And you're nominated for three awards, if I'm not mistaken. Best Minecraft, is right, and best International Streamer, and Streamer of the Year. Are you excited? How do you feel like your odds are?

Quackity: To me, it doesn't matter. I'm nominated with like, all my friends, so I think we're all winning! We all get to celebrate together, whoever wins, so that's like, wonderful. I'm here for the show, I'm here for my friends, and that's the most important part to me.

CDawgVA: Yeah. As a content creator myself who's been living in different countries, and trying to integrate multiple languages, what are some of the challenges you've had trying to work with multiple languages and specifically, mainly Spanish and English for your audience, but trying to bring all these languages together? What's the biggest challenge you've been facing?

Quackity: Oh, well, I think the thing we look at the most is to make sure that all creators are very comfortable with it, right? It can be overwhelming, especially if they might not understand each other, you know, if we're using the real time translator that we have, we got to make sure that they're in a setting that the creators are comfortable with. That's the biggest thing, that's our biggest concern with all the time, and that's what we look forward to, like– making sure all the creators are feeling good!

CDawgVA: Did you envision back in the day when you were raiding Club Penguin icebergs that you would be here making advancements in language translation for streamers?

Quackity: Umm... You know what? It's really interesting because I was born and raised in Mexico, so growing up, I always thought of a world where, you know, someone who speaks Spanish but doesn't speak English could collaborate with a creator regardless of the language. So, it always was in my mind, and to see it come to fruition and see it happening and being able to meet all these talented, talented and incredible people that I now call close friends from around the world? That's- that' a blessing, and I'm so happy, I'm so thrilled.

CDawgVA: It is fantastic seeing all the advancements you guys are making, and just seeing that you bring streamers together! And I know the QSMP specifically has many events going on concurrently. Is there an event that you held last year that you were just really stoked about?

Quackity: Oh my gosh. Well, we host server-wide events for all the creators and everything just to give, you know, the creators a base where they can create content and all. The most recent one does sound funny, but it was called "QSMP Prison".

CDawgVA: Kai (?) did something like that actually.

Quackity: Right, but he did that in real life– no, we did it in Minecraft. But it was fun, it was cool to see all the creators, you know, all different languages kind of like in an enclosed space speaking to each other. It was a really cool thing.

CDawgVA: It's absolutely fantastic seeing what you're doing and I hope you have a great Stream Awards. It's an absolute pleasure getting to meet you, man. Enjoy the Stream Awards, I really appreciate it, man!

Quackity: Thank you so much!

CDawgVA: Keep doing what you're doing.

Quackity: Thank you!

CDawgVA: Thank you, thank you. Alright, I'm going to be throwing it back to another interview. So, see you guys then. Bye!

[persephone-writes]

A Diviner's Guide to James Potter

Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Wonderful Accident

James Potter x Fem!Gryffindor!Reader

Chapter Twenty-Six - Chapter Twenty-Eight ☆ Series Masterlist

Description: A tough conversation awaits, as does some unexpected perks of winning a duel against a dastardly opponent.

Word Count: 7.3k

Lily’s mouth was wide, her gaze rapid as it darted between you and James. At the same time your heart had all but stopped, a rush of heat moving like a wave down from your face all the way to your feet. The three of you, like prey animals remaining like statues, deliberating whether to flee or play dead, seemed to be having the same concurrent thought: holy shit.

Her mouth clamped shut, a flush of color rising to her cheeks as she swallowed. For a moment you thought she may turn and leave as if nothing ever happened, willing to pretend she had not walked in on such a startling event. However, you should have felt foolish for forgetting her character so easily, for she did not run away, taking a few careful steps into the room. It seemed as though she wished to speak though couldn’t find the proper words, struck mute by what she saw. 

James stood to his full height, moving away from the bed. “Lily,” he began, testing the waters. She did not flinch away, some of the rigidness in her shoulders relaxing. “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.”

As some of the initial shock settled, you could no longer tell what she was thinking. It was obvious her mind had caught up with her eyes, though beyond that you had no insight. 

“I was going to tell you today,” you said, unable to allow James to do all the work for you, “but then Agnes came with the fizzybomb thing and Mulciber— it just turned into such a big mess and I’m sorry.” You were practically pleading with her, though for what, you did not exactly know. 

She let out a breath, meeting your eyes for a drawn out moment before turning back to James. “How—” she stuttered, “how long has this been going on?”

“A month and a half,” you said, answering before he had the chance. Your heart ached as you spoke, though some of the adrenaline high from earlier had not yet worn off, allowing your mouth some freedom you otherwise would’ve had to force. 

You could see a renewed jolt of surprise run through her at your confession. James moved closer to her, though you could no longer see his face, only the way his hands came up in a timid, hesitant motion. 

“This isn’t just a fling. I swear, it’s not like that at all,” he said in the same desperate tone as yourself. He glanced back at you, his eyes holding within them an unguarded hope, free from all masks. You knew he believed she’d be okay with it, though you wondered if that belief was slipping the longer she appeared so utterly bewildered. He turned back to her, resuming his explanation, “I’m serious about this, really fucking serious. We both are. I promise that I’d never—”

Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat, standing in the doorway of her office. Her face was expressionless, looking between the three of you. “Is there something to which I should be made aware?” she asked, again without any indication of how much she had heard.

You shook your head, though Lily was the first to speak. 

“No, ma’am. I apologize if we were too loud. Professor McGonagall released me from my duties for the time being and said I was free to visit Y/N, as long as that’s all right with you,” as she spoke she was perfectly collected, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. 

Pomfrey gave her a skeptical look, her mouth tight. “You may stay, Miss Evans.”

She spun around and went back into her office, this time closing a door with less than an inch of space left open. Later, you’d have to find some way to thank her for the increase in privacy. 

“James,” you said after a moment, still afraid, though far less than you would have been an hour ago, “could you leave us, just for a few minutes?”

Just then the clock tower chimed, quite loud from this place in the castle. The school day was finished, though it wasn’t as if anyone was still in classes. 

James nodded once, offering you a smile that could barely be seen before he left the Hospital Wing. Slowly, Lily walked over to the chair in which James had been sitting, watching as you moved to sit on the edge of the bed, your eyes in your lap. The ringing had ceased, the room silent once more, save for your racing heartbeat. 

“James was right,” you said, lifting your face. “I’d never, we’d never do this unless we were completely serious. If I wasn’t entirely certain that I would regret it for the rest of my life—not giving it a chance—I wouldn’t dream of risking something like this,” you stopped, your eyes closing. “More than anything I regret not telling you sooner. I should’ve told you right from the start. Godric, I really wish I did. It was one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever made, and I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Lily.”

You spoke low enough that you hoped Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t hear, though you were a bit past humiliation at this point. Pomfrey being privy to your conversation would not be the worst thing to happen today, at any rate. 

Lily opened her mouth a few times before she spoke, the gears turning in her head, “I thought that you two might fancy each other. Well, I was almost certain James fancied you, but I never thought that you were,” she faltered, letting out another breath that sent her shoulders slumping. “So you’re together. Really together?”

You gave her a solemn look, nodding. “Yeah. Really together.” 

You knew what you ought to tell her, perhaps the thing that would make or break your entire friendship, though your throat was tight as if to keep in the damming words. I’m in love with your ex-boyfriend was not something one looked forward to saying, especially after such an awful, abysmal sort of day. 

Her hand came up to her face, rubbing along the corner of her mouth as her eyes drifted off to some point on the floor. She seemed pensive, processing the tidings with an agonizing intensity. 

“You know,” she began, still looking away, “I feel a little foolish for not realizing sooner.”

You were taken aback, your brows furrowing. Out of all the possible things you were anticipating she might say, that was not one of them. “Huh?”

She glanced up, more quizzical than anything. “When did it start exactly?”

“Uh, Saturday night after the quidditch match, when we left the party,” you answered somewhat monotonously, still a bit stunned by the question. 

She hummed, leaning back in the chair. “Yes, that's just about a month and a half,” she said to herself, making another curious noise. 

“Lily,” you said, very carefully. She looked back to you, still a bit lost in her own thoughts. You took a deep breath, pushing away your lingering anxiety. “We’re, well, James and I are in love. We have been since that night.”

She said nothing for far too long, so long that you wondered if you’d pushed her to the brink of madness. Your hands fisted into the Hospital Wing bedding, your face contorting in a mix of pain and trepidation as you waited for her to make any indication she even heard what you had said. 

Finally, she said your name with a deep, long sigh, her head hanging down for a moment as if she were suddenly tired. If she was, you’d hardly blame her. She ran a hand down her face again, frowning at you like a disappointed parent. “You’re a real tosser, you know that?” She snorted, almost like a laugh, smiling without much joy. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. You’re in love and you didn’t tell me?”

She appeared more sad than anything, staring up at you in mild betrayal. It wasn’t as bad as you had feared, though you still felt a heaviness in your chest, years of friendship weighing down upon you. 

“I was scared,” you muttered, forcing down tears once again. “I thought you’d hate me forever, that you’d never want to speak to me again. It was selfish of me. James wanted to tell you, but…I didn’t want to lose you.” Every syllable felt like wading through sludge, thick and tacky. You tried to remember how you had organized it all in your head, but you came up empty, forcing you to make it up as you went along. “I never thought I’d feel anything close to this, and I’m sure that I never would have if it weren’t for him, but I’d also never wish we weren’t friends, never in a million years. I guess that’s really what makes me selfish. I want both at the same time.” 

“Did you really think I’d be upset with you for falling in love?” she asked, seeming to momentarily forget your disloyalty. 

You swallowed down the lump in your throat, your eyes burning as you nodded. 

She laughed, small and tinged with a bit of sorrow, though it was still like a harbor in the tempest. “You really are thick.”

“What?”

“You remember how James and I bickered?” she said, cocking her head.

Completely dumbfounded, you answered her question, “Yeah…”

“Then you remember well enough that we were not good together.”

You felt like she was a professor explaining a very simple concept that, for some unknown reason, you couldn’t quite grasp. “Yeah, but I still—”

“Lied to me? That was a bit of a dick move— well, maybe more than a bit, but that's not what I’m talking about,” she paused, giving you the kindest, gentlest look she could have as she placed a hand on your knee. “How could I possibly be upset with my best friend falling in love with another one of my friends, who, I’ll remind you, I was not very compatible with? James is his own person. He can do whatever he wants. He always has, anyway, no matter how many suggestions I made to him,” she chuckled, her smile subtle, though no less warm. “I want you to be happy, Y/N, and I want him to be happy. If you do that for each other…that seems like a wonderful accident.”

The leaden storm clouds raging above you, carrying with them the rumble of lightning and whipping rain, opened up, revealing glorious rays of golden sunlight piercing through the gloom. You could almost feel the heat of it on your skin, the shift in the air as they peeled away, fading into nothingness. 

Your face lit up, a bubbling laugh of surprise falling from your lips as you stared at her. You suddenly felt eleven years old again, completely and utterly sure that you and Lily would stay friends for the rest of your lives. 

“You’re okay with it, me and James?” you asked, though there wasn’t much need. 

Lily was shaking her head at your reaction, her smiling having grown. “Yes, I’m okay with it.”

“And it isn’t because I almost died today?”

She hummed, giving your question some consideration. “No. I don’t think so, anyway. It may have put me in a more forgiving mood, but I think the end result would have always been the same. Maybe it just would’ve taken me a few hours,” she laughed. 

You put your face into your hands, still grinning as you nearly felt her arms pull you back from the ledge of the cliff. “James said you would be,” you mumbled through your fingers, taking your hands away just in time to see her roll her eyes. 

“Of course, he did,” she droned. “Thinks he knows everything.”

Her snarky comment, which any other time would have caused you to laugh further, made you pop down from the bed, leaning forward to throw yourself into her arms. This was Lily, your best friend, your sister in all but family tree and pesky Ministry papers. You wrapped yourself around her shoulders, pulling her in as tight as you could. She was startled at first, letting out a small laugh before she returned your embrace.

“I love you, Lily,” you said, meaning every word. “Thank you. I can’t even— I couldn’t possibly—-”

“You don’t have to,” she said softly, her voice the same as the bright day emerging from the storm. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” you whispered, unwilling to break the hug first. Life still felt unreal, now for an entirely different reason than before. An hour ago everything felt too horrible to be truly happening, though now it felt too lovely. “I wish I could take it back. Godric, you don’t know how much I wish I had a time turner. I don’t know how I’ll make it up to you, but I will. I promise.”

She moved you away, standing with her hands still on your arms. “There will be no making it up to me. I just need you to promise one thing.”

“Of course, anything,” you said immediately. 

“Never, ever keep a secret like this from me again,” she said. “You’d think after seven years you’d realize I’m not very frightening.” She continued when you saw you make a face, “Well, perhaps I’m a tiny bit hot-headed, but you almost never make me upset. Not truly, in any case.”

“I promise,” you said, amazed at her infinite kindness. After a moment of thinking on how you and James were free to just be, maybe even in front of the entire school now that Mulciber would be gone, you began to ponder the smaller, less significant questions that had been pushed to the back burner for the time being. “It’s not weird for you, him and I?”

She shrugged. “I mean, I would’ve preferred to have found out in just about any other way,” she teased, “and it might take some getting used to…but, no. I don’t think of him that way anymore. It’s actually sort of amazing I ever did.”

“I’m telling him you said that,” you laughed, always enjoying the moments when Lily was wickedly brutal. 

Lily looked proud of herself for her joke, though she soon motioned to the bed with her chin, walking around the foot. “Get back in bed, you should be resting. I’m gonna go get him. He’s probably giving himself a heart attack out there.”

When Lily cracked open the door you heard the sound of James’s shoes shuffling down the corridor, sliding to a stop as he peeked inside. Lily opened it wider, allowing him in. He had since taken off his robe, which had taken the worst beating, the charred fabric hanging in his hand like the flag of a kingdom marred in battle. His gloves were also missing, though now that you thought of it, you were quite sure he hadn’t had them on the entire time. Where they could have ended up was a mystery that would have to be solved at a less pressing time. 

He was looking between the pair of you with a great deal of unease, though it soon turned to curiosity when he took in each of your easy demeanors. 

“Is everything…?”

Lily snorted, crossing her arms. “Yes, everythings fine.”

James beamed, the heaviness of the day seemingly lifted off of him despite Lily’s annoyed countenance. You weren’t quite sure if her demeanor was due to the fact that James had been right about her feelings, something she certainly wouldn’t want to give in the satisfaction of, or the lingering irritation over not being told about it. Either way, James was gloriously happy. 

“I’m buying your butterbeers for the rest of the year,” he said, unperturbed by her lack of thankfulness. 

“That's right, you will,” she mumbled.

James finally noticed her mood, his smile dropping. “Did you two not make up?” he asked, looking at you for a moment. 

You shook your head, half-shrugging.

“Everything is perfectly fine between us,” Lily began, staring at James with the strict look students often received from McGonagall, “though it would’ve been nice of you to ask me first.”

“Ask you?”

“You just assumed I wouldn’t care, and you’re lucky you were right,” she said, not seething, though far from pleased. 

His shoulders relaxed, his posture returning to something softer, though never entirely slouchy. He had too much energy for that. 

“C’mon,” he drawled. “I knew you wouldn’t be upset. If I wasn’t sure, I would’ve asked.” 

Lily pointed a finger at his chest, taking a step towards him. “You’re lucky I’m not going to tell her parents you’ve been seeing their daughter for over a month and never even sent them a letter.” 

You were reminded of their old bickering days, the arguments that would make Sirius roll his eyes and Peter sink into his chair. Half of the time you weren’t sure who won and who lost, or who you thought was right. Looking at them now, you wondered how you didn’t see their break-up coming from a mile away. 

James glanced over at you, unfazed by her threat. “She’s bluffing, right?” 

You only laughed, giving him no answers. Your parents wouldn’t care anyhow, which Lily knew quite well, though you weren’t sure if she’d forgive you if you revealed that now. 

Just as he began to pout, the Hospital Wing door opened again, though at first you didn’t see anyone enter. All your eyes shot down nearer to the floor, finding Isby standing with a small trunk floating in the space behind her. 

“Isby brings your things,” she said as she headed into the room, leading the trunk to the foot of the bed where it was dropped. 

You got up in order to thank her properly, which she took graciously, just as she always did. 

“You are welcome,” she squeaked, her large eyes roaming across you just the way Pomfrey’s had “How are you feeling? Isby heard what happened with your classmates. Isby knew he was trouble, knew it!” She stomped her foot once, quite grouchy. 

You knelt down, giving her a reassuring smile. “It’s all right now. Professor McGonagall and Taurisus probably have him locked away somewhere until someone from the Ministry comes to get him.”

She did not seem convinced, huffing to herself. “Miss L/N said that before, and look at what's happened.”

“Wilkes’ father won’t be able to get Mulciber out of trouble this time. It’s cut and dry, I promise. I doubt that Wilkes or Zephyr or any other of the Slytherin’s will try anything, either.”

Somewhat appeased, Isby gave you another nod, looking over to Lily and James. “Your uniform!” she said, horrified by the state of his robe. 

James laughed, glancing down at it. “Oh, this? Don’t worry about it, Isby. The seasons almost over, anyway.”

Isby shook her head, mumbling something about reckless James Potter before she turned back to you. “Isby is glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” you said, standing up. “Thanks again for my things, Isby. I’ll have to find some way to repay you for all the kindness you’ve shown me.”

“Isby has a salary and clothes of her own. Isby needs nothing from Miss L/N.”

You were not insulted. On the contrary, you were glad to know that not even you, who Isby seemed to have taken some sort of liking to, could not boss her around. Although you were a bit sad that you’d be unable to do anything for her, you wouldn’t want to risk upsetting her with an unwanted gift. 

“Okay, if you insist.”

“Isby must go and help with dinner,” she said with one last look up at you, scurrying across the Hospital Wing towards the door. 

-✧₊∘₊✧──────✧₊∘₊✧──────✧₊∘₊✧-

It felt a bit odd having Lily and James waiting for you in the main room while you washed up in the lavatory. You wondered if they were talking or silent, and if they were speaking, what was the subject. Was it vain to think it would likely be you? No, you reasoned. Not with the day I’ve had. 

When you looked at your reflection in the mirror you searched for any sign of the cut on your forehead, finding it almost entirely unnoticeable. The skin was slightly shiny where the wound had been closed, though you knew even that would disappear within a few days. The gash on your calf was more obvious, though the small, thin scar would also fade in time thanks to Pomfrey’s healing. They were, other than your weariness, the only evidence of your duel. Your headache was gone and not even your cheekbone, which had also slammed into the ground, hurt. Perhaps Pomfrey’s headache draught was dual-purposed, though it was also plausible you were still in shock. You cringed as you thought of your head hitting the uneven bank of pebbles and rocks, the ringing that had sounded in your ears. Flipendo, as it seemed, was becoming an enemy of yours. 

Wearing fresh clothes that made you feel almost like an entirely different person, you returned to the main room to find a fair few more people waiting for you than when you had left. Dumbledore was standing in the center of the room, McGonagall behind him with Madam Pomfrey near her office door. More chairs had been taken from the other bedsides and brought over to yours, where James, Lily, and now Sirius, sat. Just as they had done in the field an hour prior, their eyes all fell onto you, your skin crawling with the attention.

You stood lamely on the opposite end, staring back at them wordlessly. Today was only the second time you had a conversation with the Headmaster, though now that you thought of it, you hadn’t even spoken to him yet. As you caught a glimpse of him, your eyes never quite meeting his, the anxiety you had felt when you first were brought into his office returned in full force. You had done nothing wrong, yet you almost expected to earn detentions for the remainder of the term and a great loss of house points. The first you could very well deal with, though the second would be a sour affair, considering you were neck-and-neck with Ravenclaw. 

“Feeling better, I hope?” said Dumbledore, the low rumble of his voice seeming more soothing now that Mulciber and the blackened grass was out of sight. 

“Yes, sir,” you said, walking forward to meet him. You felt as though every movement you made was awkward, as if you were new to standing on two feet. “Thank you for—”

“No need, no need,” he said, interrupting your poorly planned speech. “We may discuss everything in my office, if you are feeling up to task.”

McGonagall and Pomfrey did not appear in favor of this, the former shaking her head just enough for you to see. You briefly looked to James, though the action felt unconscious, a reflex you couldn’t get rid of no matter how much you tried. He seemed worried again, though you hadn’t the slightest idea as to why. Surely he didn’t think you’d get in trouble for something like this, especially after everything that's happened. 

“Of course,” you answered.

Dumbledore smiled softly, and you remembered all the speeches he gave before feasts, or sometimes seemingly on a whim during random evenings when he felt like he had something to say. There was always an air of practicality to them, a piece of wisdom weaved into kind words and a few jokes. Lately they had become a bit more serious in nature, though Dumbledore had still remained a hopeful realist, or at the very least, that was what he wanted his students to believe. In this moment he looked just as he did when he stood at his podium: acutely aware of the gravity of the war outside the castle, yet the light of joy never completely dimmed from his spirit. 

“We’ll take the floo, if you don’t mind. It’s a long way to my office and I am not as young as I used to be,” he chuckled, leading you towards Pomfrey’s office. 

You glanced back at James, Lily and Sirius, all bearing different expressions. James seemed as though he wanted to get up and follow you, Lily silently encouraging. Sirius’s countenance was sobering, for he still carried with him grave significance of the recent events. He was like a cord pulled taut, ready to snap. 

McGonagall stood in the doorway as Dumbledore traveled through the floo first, watching you with a nervous twitch as you grabbed a handful of powder and stepped into the hearth. She said nothing as you threw it up, preparing yourself for the inevitable sneezing fit that would greet you upon arrival. 

Dumbledore was standing by the fire when you came through, stepping out with a sneeze. 

“The floo doesn’t agree with you?” he asked, a light tilt to his voice. 

“No, it's all right—” you were interrupted by another sneeze, then a third. When you stopped, you turned to Dumbledore with an apologetic look and a great deal of embarrassment, though he only smiled. 

“I had a close friend who always sneezed when he used the floo, worse than yourself,” he said, walking over to his desk. The perch was still beside it, though Fawkes was nowhere to be found. “Twelve sneezes, every time. His consistency was rather remarkable.”

The same as before, his office seemed dazzling, filled to the brim with curiosities, though it didn’t feel cluttered like the Room of Requirement or a cupboard you alway kept shut. You sat down in the chair across from him, your eyes still bouncing around the room, searching for Fawkes. 

“Fawkes will not be joining us,” he said with another small laugh. “He is off somewhere near the castle, likely patrolling for strays.”

You couldn’t have been more befuddled, inching forward in your chair. “Strays?”

“Your classmate appeared to have acted alone, though there are two other students who we have been unable to locate,” he said, quite matter of factly. 

Your stomach churned, for you could guess which two had gone missing. “Wilkes and Zephyr?”

He nodded, his hands folded casually in his lap. “I have the professors scouring the castle and grounds as we speak, though I fear their efforts are likely in vain. Don’t look so frightened, Y/N. I expected the wake of this event to be far worse.”

Dumbledore had misread your expression, taking your parted lips and widened eyes as fear, rather than understanding. You closed your mouth at once, taking a moment to think. It would be easy to slip out of the castle during the chaos, though you were all free to wander the grounds anyway. It was only a slightly harder feat to scale the boundary wall— though far from impossible. From Hogsmeade they could apparate to wherever they pleased, as long as it was in a reasonable distance. That meant the British Isles, maybe northern France. Still, they would certainly be wanted for questioning, if not by the Ministry than by Dumbledore, meaning they were essentially fugitives. Their family’s homes would be the first places anyone looked, leading only to the unsurprising, solemn conclusion that someone else was willing to hide them or buy them a way into Europe. 

“They’re the only ones missing?” you asked, thinking of Severus and the rest of the Slytherin gang who you hadn’t had the pleasure of dueling. In particular, you thought of Regulus, who you wanted to be free of this mess more than anyone else. 

“Yes,” he said. “They are the only ones.”

You straightened your posture, reminding yourself that you ought to get used to this, that this would be a regular feature of your life for the foreseeable future. “I’m assuming you don’t know who’s hiding them?” 

He didn’t answer you at first, placing his folded hands on his desk as he stared at you. “Nor will we for some time, though their whereabouts make little difference to you— or to me.”

You could hardly believe what he was saying, your face burning not with embarrassment but a growing anger. He was so casual about the matter as if you hadn’t nearly died just hours before. Maybe he had been hardened by the sporadic, escalating war, though you hardly thought he’d disregard Wilkes and Zephyr so easily. Perhaps James was right to be upset with him before, you thought, because he’s acting like a real tosser. 

You did nothing to hide your emotions, your hands curling into fists before loosening, over and over as your palms began to sweat. “Makes little difference?” 

He did not react to your behavior, which was teetering on the edge of improper etiquette around the headmaster and total insubordination. 

“The term will be finished soon, and while they are not the brightest minds to ever grace these halls, your classmates would have certainly graduated,” he said thoughtfully. “They are only a month ahead of their original plans, which I can say with much confidence would not have changed in such short a time. Their hearts, I’m afraid, are well out of our grasp. They have, unfortunately, been irrevocably lost, at least for the time being. ”

His words, as they seemed to you, might as well have been etched in stone. You knew he was right, that where they were now was not far from wherever they would’ve been on the first of July. 

“You did well,” he began again, breaking you from your thoughts, “very well, indeed. You and your friends can hardly blame yourselves for your failure to thwart the fiendfyre. Even if Mulciber had been successful, he too would have perished in the flames.”

“Fiendfyre?”

“Dark magic,” he said, seeming unhappy to have to speak of it. “It takes great skill to control, so great that I venture no more than two or three living wizards possess the ability. I implore you never to attempt it.”

You were certain Dumbledore himself was included in that number, and likely the Dark Lord was as well. The thought nearly made you shudder.

“I have no interest in dark magic, sir,” you said, trying to rid the image of the towering inferno from your mind, the mouth of the snake wide and lunging. 

He smiled softly, the twinkle returning to his eyes. “Even those who long to do good can be prevailed upon by the promise of power. The distinction between the virtuous and the villainous is not made in the temptation, no matter how strong. The difference is only in the choice to pursue it.”

You nodded, not knowing what to say to such a statement. Your heart had slowed nearly to its normal rate, though your nerves hadn’t entirely dissipated. Dumbledore had called you into his office for a reason, though you didn’t think it was simply to tell you Wilkes and Zephyr were on the loose.

You were saved from the effort of conjuring a reply, for Dumbledore spoke again, “I’m sorry to have broken my promise.” He continued when he saw your look of confusion, much of his mirth gone, “The last time you were invited to my office, I gave you my word that I would ensure your safety. I have failed in this task. On the contrary, you acted with extraordinary speed to incapacitate your classmate.”

“I doubt it was necessary,” you said, your voice small. As you were washing up, you realized that it was somewhat foolish to think Dumbledore left himself entirely unprotected after he extinguished the fire. An eighteen year old was the last person who could kill, or even harm, Dumbledore. 

He let out a short laugh, though it was rather glum. “Yes, Mulciber’s spell would not have had an effect, though the rarity of this case is not likely to be repeated. Under any other circumstance, you would have saved a life, which should be treated with equal weight. Speaking of—” He stood, moving with no great haste towards one of the large glass cabinets on the opposite end of the room. You twisted around to watch as he searched the contents, muttering to himself all the while. “Ah!” he said finally, taking out a silver cup, not unlike the house cup, though far smaller in size. It was slender, the handles curving almost the entire length, mounted on a wooden stand. He brought it over, blowing on it as if it were dusty before placing it onto the desk before you. 

You furrowed your brows, looking up at Dumbledore where he stood beside you. He only sat back down at his desk, glancing at the cup before returning his attention to you. 

“My failure to fulfill my duty as Headmaster has forced upon you the necessity of accomplishment. It would be a further misdeed to allow such accomplishment to go unrewarded,” he said, his voice in the odd space between serious and jubilant. He motioned to the cup, some of that very seriousness dropping away. “The Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting,” he said quite fondly. “Exceptional is a fitting word, don’t you agree?”

You had perused the trophy room more than once, given that it was never locked, and knew quite well who was also a recipient of this award. You couldn’t recall any other student earning it during your time in school, nor did you recall recognizing any of the other names of the people who’ve earned it in the past. Albus Dumbledore was the only recipient that stood out to you, which was the reason you couldn’t bring yourself to speak. 

He appeared entertained by your astonishment, watching with a muted smile as you opened and closed your mouth three times over. 

“You must be wondering why I would keep an unawarded trophy in my office,” he said, his feigned misunderstanding thinly veiled. “Most are not, of course. I keep a few of the more— well, as you’d say— generous honors here in case the need arises. While it is a rarity, I do enjoy the pleasure in giving them out.” Again, he motioned towards the cup with a wrinkled hand, content to discuss the physical nature of the prize in lieu of your befuddlement. “It’s a fine cup; Goblin-wrought. Hogwarts makes a fair few commissions.” 

His expression was almost mischievous, the same look he gave wide-eyed first years during the start-of-term feast as he made a silly quip to ease their nerves. “Your friends, Mister Potter and Mister Black, are much deserving of the Special Award for Services to the School, though I’d kindly ask you to keep this news to yourself before I can award it to them in person.”

“Of course,” you said, largely automatic. You had not stopped reeling from the news of your award, almost unable to comprehend it. “Professor, are you sure that I’m, that what I did— I don’t think I would have come out all right if it wasn’t for James and Sirius,” you stumbled over your words, hoping that your meaning was coming across well enough. You paused, taking a breath to collect yourself. “Exceptional spell-casting doesn’t seem to describe me very well.”

“You attended a single Dueling Club meeting, am I correct?”

You nodded, your shoulders slumping as you became lost in Dumbledore’s perplexing train of thought. “Yes, sir.”

“Your Defense Against the Dark Arts grades, I’ve seen, have not been particularly astounding, though you do quite well on written examinations. Your practical skills, however, have not been of remarkable notice,” he continued, still with the same air of unusual humor. “After your performance today, I have considerable doubts that the vast majority of your classmates would make any move to challenge you, for your abilities quite obviously surpass all other students— though perhaps not more than your friends, who I imagine have a great deal to do with your improvements. Though I’m sure you know better than I that you need not worry about their betrayal,” he paused, his eyes softening. “It is one thing to study the art of defence in a classroom, to practice it with your classmates— all useful endeavors, of course, though it is quite another to face an opponent whose goal is not petty embarrassment, but death. Your actions today are exceptional not only due to the merit of your skill, but the exceptional nature of your improvement.”

“I see,” you said, very still and quiet for a long beat until a laugh of disbelief rose up from your chest, bursting an otherwise stagnant moment. 

Dumbledore stood, taking out his wand and pointing it towards the trophy, the plaque on the wooden stand then inscribed with your name and the year. 

“I am also awarding you one hundred fifty house points, though I’m afraid I’ve taken ten from Miss Meadowes,” he said, turning back to you. 

After your conversation and the Barnabus Finkley Prize, one hundred fifty points did not throw you too far off kilter, though any other time you may have fainted. Still, your smile grew. 

“Thank you, professor.”

“You are quite welcome. Now, Madam Pomfrey is sure to be furious with me. I’ve kept you for far too long,” he said, leading you back to the fireplace. “Send Mister Potter and Mister Black up, if you’d please.”

You nodded once, your eyes darting around his office for a final time before you grabbed a handful of floo powder, leaving the enchanting room which you would likely never visit again, already missing its captivating quality. 

-✧₊∘₊✧──────✧₊∘₊✧──────✧₊∘₊✧-

You sat with Lily while James and Sirius met with Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall watching from the wall with fretting, fidgeting hands. Beneath the wide brim of her hat her eyes roamed from you to Pomfrey’s office and back again, her patience thinning as the minutes ticked on. Currently, you weren’t sure if she was so twisted up over your safety or the general excitement of Mulciber and the two missing students, though their influences were most likely even. 

Staring down at the stone flooring, you followed the straight edges before they bent around the corners, your fingers picking at the blanket. More than anything, you wanted to be alone with all your friends. You couldn’t imagine the frenzy that would erupt once you all reconvened, especially when they saw that your psyche was well enough intact to discuss the circumstances of your duel. 

You glanced over your shoulder towards Pomfrey, spinning around on the bed to face her with your most ingratiating, somewhat pathetic look. “Are you sure I have to stay for the night, Madam Pomfrey? My head doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Yes, yes,” she said, shaking her head as she came over to you. “I’m afraid I’m insisting. Thank your lucky stars I’ve allowed your entourage to stay.”

You nodded solemnly, wholly defeated.

“Am I attending classes tomorrow?” you asked, looking now to McGonagall.

Taken off guard by your question, she considered it with a small humph. “No, dear,” she said, far kinder than you expected. “Take tomorrow and the weekend. You can return on Monday.”

“That is if the Ministry doesn’t want to see her,” said Lily from behind you. 

McGonagall seemed to hate this possibility even more than you, her chest rising with an uneven breath. “We shall see.”

You all turned towards the office when you heard the poof of the floo, a burst of green light shining through the open door before Sirius walked out, brushing dust off his shoulder. He smiled at you, a little crooked and tired, which was still a pleasant change from before. 

“Hey, hotshot,” he said, sauntering over to your bed. Another flash of green shone from the office, followed closely by James’s voice saying your name with a considerable deal of enthusiasm, his earlier worry entirely gone. Sirius looked back, suddenly stepping aside just as James ran from the office, nearly knocking into him. “Oi!”

“Mister Potter,” McGonagall scolded, though she didn’t seem to mean it much, for she said nothing else as he continued to run. 

James paid no attention to either of them, beaming as he came to an abrupt stop in front of you, his eyes shining. “The Barnabus Finkley Prize,” he said, almost like a question, but more like an exclamation. 

Lily perked up. “What? Who?”

James’s eyes flickered from Lily’s back to yours, motioning to you in excitement

Lily gasped, her hand hitting the side of the mattress. “You didn’t tell me you were awarded that!”

McGonagall and Pomfrey seemed surprised as well, with McGonagall whispering something to the latter. 

You shrugged weakly, looking between James and Lily. “Sorry.” 

You really did feel bad for not telling her, though you had come back from Dumbledore’s office so dazed that you’d nearly forgotten all about it. 

Sirius threw himself down in one of the chairs, slouching back as if he were in the common room. “I’m a little peeved. It makes our Special Services to the School look like peanuts.”

You all turned when another green puff illuminated from Pomfrey's office door, likely McGonagall’s exit, for she and Pomfrey were no longer in the main wing. After a few moments Pomfrey did not emerge, apparently no longer needing to supervise your entourage, as she had put it.  

“Minnie didn’t even give us a goodbye,” said Sirius, shaking his head. Lily only rolled her eyes. 

“Barnabus Finkley,” James said again, his renewed attention making your heart ache in the best way. “You deserve it, you know.”

Of course he would say that. 

“He’s right,” Lily said. She was giving you the same look she did in your dormitory during your first year when you had confessed your first secret; reassuring, kind, proud.

“How many house points did he give you?” you asked James and Sirius, knowing the House Cup meant far more to them than it did to you. You never were very competitive. 

“A hundred,” Sirius answered, slightly cocky and entirely expected. 

You smiled, reveling in your next statement. “He gave me one-fifty.”

Sirius’s lip curled, grumbling to himself. “Show-off.”

You rolled your eyes. “Don’t be a baby.” 

“You know I meant it when I said I believed you were a Gryffindor,” he said, leaning forward. “These performances are getting out of hand.”

You laughed, “You can’t tell me about braggadocio.”

James sat down on the bed, surprisingly quiet given the news that Gryffindor was certainly going to win the House Cup no matter how well any of the other houses did the rest of term. Sirius said some funny quip, though you missed it, caught up in a quality of James’s expression that made you embarrassed to be around other people. It was as if his eyes were too intimate, his mouth curving around saccharine words that would sound overly sentimental to anyone else but you. You were coming to realize that being in love meant that everything you thought or said about the other seemed entirely perfect and natural when it lived only between the pair of you, though when witnessed by anyone else, it seemed to be completely mad. 

“—and I don’t appreciate you using big words just to make yourself sound smarter. It only proves my point,” Sirius finished. 

Lily saved you from having to defend yourself, laughing at Sirius from across the bed. “Just because you have a poor vocabulary doesn't mean—”

James paid no attention to them, his smile small and devastatingly sweet. “Do you still feel all right?”

How could you possibly answer that question in full, you wondered. How could James not already know what you would say?

“Y’know, I sort of feel perfect,” you said, chuckling as Lily and Sirius continued to bicker. “Absolutely perfect.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Notes: so I absolutely LOATHE the house-elf enslavement mess so we’re all gonna pretend that house elves had a revolution and are now all free and can vote and crap— AND they do not, in fact, love being slaves by-and-large. Also justice for winky

-✧₊∘₊✧──────✧₊∘₊✧──────✧₊∘₊✧-

Tag List: @floverisland @ilovejamespottersomuch @googie-jeon @tvnile @eli-com @lovelyteenagebeard @letssee2468 @abhootghiihii @iamawkwardandshy

[aoex-shipping-events]

SAMAEL & LUCIFER - THE GRAND CHESSGAME

One cannot deny that Lucifer and Mephisto's relationship is one of the driving plots of the entire story so far. We got clued in of this as soon as the Shimane arc reared its head, introducing Lucifer's character--and that only got cemented further as the details that led up to Rin and Yukio's birth came to light.

Even at this point, however, we've only captured a small glimpse of the complex relationships between demons--and how exactly they stand apart from humans.

Given this context, it is fascinating to explore the nature of the relationship between Lucifer and Mephisto. As the two most powerful beings from Gehenna (baring Satan), they regard each other with mutual consideration and respect, even as they stand in opposing sides regarding the future of the world and humanity itself.

Although the last time they stood in front of each other in Assiah, sixteen years ago, Mephisto was complicit in the destruction of Lucifer's last vessel, Lucifer still makes an effort to extend Mephisto an offer to join his organization and its grand ambition.

But he is immediately turned down. Mephisto makes clear how far apart their stances remain and not only does he stand his ground, but we also get a glimpse of a side that he otherwise rarely reveals. A flash of genuine emotion, rooted in contempt. We will see it again shortly after the end of the arc.

From a character who is generally all sly smiles and wise cracks, it is eye-opening to finally get a peek of what was hiding beneath one of his many obfuscating layers. It's enough to give anyone pause and also pushes one to consider the fact that this is indeed the King of Time, a being who has lived through several timelines and who is not just playing a careful role as puppeteer, but also living through those experiences and the consequences of his failures.

Given that Lucifer's end goal involves destroying what Mephisto considers his favorite toy box, it is natural for frustration to breed if Mephisto has yet to find a winning path. At the very least, in the current storyline, although we can still see Lucifer still has the upper hand, it's impossible not to note the various ripples Mephisto has been careful to cultivate to ultimately come out on top (even though this has yet to come to fruition).

The game they play is a match of intellect, determination, and ego itself. The other players involved, at the end of the day, are often merely pawns; in particularly the humans.

But concurrent of the ongoing game, one must also return to Mephisto's words regarding the complex nature of a demon's relationships, for as much as Mephisto wants to win the game between them, he too is a Demon King. Thus despite looking down on the path that Lucifer's madness has led him too, we often see that he is not unsympathetic towards his situation.

That is further emphasized by the way he takes care to always introduce the descent of Lucifer's madness in a way that clearly lays out his circumstances rather than simply villainizing him. Twice we see the care he puts behind the explanation. First, with Lewin and Ryuuji, in clear explicit words, and again with Rin by showing him firsthand the reality they experienced.

To say that he only feels contempt for Lucifer would be inaccurate.

And in kind, we can say the same of Lucifer, for although he must certainly feel a level of contempt in return, rooted in the envy he feels towards Mephisto's powers and his ability to maintain a vessel, the respect he holds for him is just as presently seen in his words. Mephisto, who ranks lower to him in power, who for some years offered him hope by opening up Section 13... and who despite having become his adversary, is someone he considers strong in ways that Lucifer cannot imagine matching up to.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Next Steps for Derinwrites

So, the draft for Time to Orbit: Unknown is complete. The story is 183 chapters long and will continue to release on the website until completion.

At this stage, the plan is to have a Patreon vote, where all patrons get to decide which story I write and release next. However, there is a slight complication to this -- a popular option in these votes is the Charlie MacNamara series, an almost-finished series that I wrote for r/hfy before I started doing regular web serials. The plan, should it win the vote (which it's very likely to do), is to edit and complete the series.

The issue here is update schedule. Some of my readers have read the existing chapters of Charlie MacNamara and some haven't. Feedback from readers has suggested that simply dumping all existing chapters of Charlie MacNamara on readers would be overwhelming and they'd prefer a regular chapter release schedule; however, I don't want to leave readers who are caught up on Charlie MacNamara with nothing new to read for months at a time.

So, here's the plan. Charlie MacNamara will not appear on the Patreon vote list for the story to succeed TTOU. This is because I'll be writing and editing it anyway. Starting immediately, the TTOU release schedule will scale back to 1/week, releasing in its current Tuesday/Wednesday slot, and Charlie MacNamara will release on the weekend. The vote will be for the story that takes over TTOU's slot and releases concurrently with the edited and completed Charlie MacNamara. This way, everyone continues to get new material, and people who haven't read Charlie yet won't be overwhelmed with dozens of chapters at once.

[springfest-rote]

INTEREST CHECK

I know we are just coming off of Springfest, but I'm working on my ideas for Summer! This is my current plan--two concurrent events from June 27th - August 29th, 2025. You can do either one, or both! Totally up to you. Space is limited in the pin-up calendar.

Women of ROTE Bingo:

There will be bingo cards with female ROTE character names in each square.

You'll create fic and/or art for each square.

Win BINGO by fulfilling a complete row (don't have to stop there!)

No sign-ups, no need to wait until the deadline to post. You can post as you finish until you complete a row, then you are done!

This event will end on August 29th.

ROTE Pin-Up Calendar:

Sign-ups will begin June 27th. Space is limited!

There will be a list of 12 characters + 4 centerfolds for the start of each season.

This will be a 2026 calendar PDF, and can be downloaded and printed.

This is only an interest check. All of the above details are tentative and may be adjusted when the actual event is posted.