#Go on git out of my drafts post

[some-pers0n]

Dashboard simulator

Mutual 1: i'm so normal right now :33

Mutual 2: (picture of sudoku) fucckkkkk i need her so baddd

Mutual 3: (most gorgeous artwork you've ever seen) just a quick doodle lol

Mutual 1: patrick where are my anti-psychotics

Mutual 4: (mass reblogging posts about a fandom you aren't in and don't understand)

Mutual 5: okay but the way that glimplinko in glippie's googie goople is lowkey a misogynistic pig and the fandom never talks about it needs to be discussed

Mutual 6: (picture of spinkle from glippie's googie goople) i need to impregnate him

Mutual 1: imsillyimsillyimsillyimsillyimsilly

Mutual 7: (reblogging the same post about the eroticism of the flesh until they hit the post limit)

Mutual 8: hey guys here's a really cool piece of art that i spent hours making (12 notes)

Mutual 1: i need to be put down like a rabid dog

Mutual 9: (picture of a 60 year old man) i need him kneeling and whimpering

Mutual 10: if that man isn't on the ground shaking and crying while covering in blood i don't want him

Mutual 1: me when i take 17 benadryl and start seeing the hatman 😂

[whoelsehasthathair]

The Most Comfortable Place - George Weasley x Reader

George comforts you as you deal with a harsh breakup. Reader is a Ravenclaw. Also slight reference to my previous fic Come On George Weasley (which I never posted a part 2?) This has been sitting in my drafts for literally 4 years so it's probably shitty but i thought why not post it so here we are

As rain poured down the transparent walls of the Greenhouse 4, 5th year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were getting ready for their Herbology class with Professor Sprout. Y/N got her usual place between George and Lyanne and put down her books on the table.

“Good evening class!” started Professor Sprout with her usual tone full of joy.

“Good evening Professor Sprout” said the class in chorus.

“Today we’re going to learn about Aconites.”

Y/N’s eyes shot wide open and a grin formed on her face. “I know about this” she whispered to George. “It’s used in Wolfsbane potion but it’s poisonous, so be careful.”

“Then I might slip some into Eddie’s pumpkin juice at dinner y’know” he whispered leaning over Y/N’s ear. It has been only a few weeks since Y/N had broken up with Eddie and George was still angry at him that he broke Y/N’s heart so badly. He realised that she wasn’t eating well nor sleeping well. He saw the joy in her eyes fading away, replaced by thoughtful, cold and blank stares. But that was when her mind wasn’t busy with classes. He had always loved the way her face lighted up and her eyes grew wider when something she knew was mentioned, the curious and hungry for information nature of her showing itself while extracting new information, how she put her whole focus on something she loved. In every class with Ravenclaws, he loved seeing her different than the times he saw her probably overthinking.

“Not gonna lie, I wouldn’t really mind it Georgie” Y/N giggled.

“Who here can tell me about the Aconite plant?” asked Professor Sprout. George looked at Y/N, she didn’t seem like she was gonna raise her hand so he decided to make a move. He grabbed her hand and under Y/N’s confused looks, raised it. Waving he shouted with a wide grin “Y/N would like to answer Professor!” Y/N was trying to lower her hand in shock but of course the best beater the Gryffindor quidditch team ever had was too strong for her and his grip tightened more as she tried.

“Oh, Miss Y/L/N! Yes please.”

“Uhmmmm... It—It’s used in brewing Wolfsbane potion but it should be carefully concocted since aconite is a poisonous plant. It’s also known as Wolfsbane because of its use in this potion.” she spoke so quickly that she caused Professor Sprout to furrow her brows trying to catch her.

“Excellent Miss Y/L/N! 5 points to Ravenclaw.” Her fellow Ravenclaws grinned with amusement.

“Look” George whispered once again to her ear “Professor Sprout doesn’t bite.”

“I know she doesn’t bite you git” she nudged George’s arm

“I’m just trying to boost your confidence. Come on, be confident! You’re excellent and I’m sure you’re gonna nail your OWLs too.”

Y/N’s cheeks went red without her realising it and she gave George her classic “thank you” smile.

It was dinner time and the Great Hall was full of students chatting and eating. But Y/N wasn’t doing either of them. She was just staring at her plate as her fork aimlessly played with the roasted chicken and tart, sighing every 5 seconds trying to fight with her thoughts and trying to hold back the tears slowly starting to forming in her eyes. “Ain’t you eating Y/N?” asked one of her friends. “You love chicken and tart.” “Just not hungry” she murmured. She sighed once again and finally decided to leave the Great Hall. She quickly made her way to the library and sat down near a window. She let the tears fall from her cheeks. She pulled her knees to her stomach and buried her face as she let out a quite sob.

George left the Great Hall right after Y/N and followed her to the library. He watched her sit, curl up and start to sob quietly. That moment he promised himself he would make a deadly prank plan to play on Eddie with Fred and that time he wouldn’t be holding Fred back from his crazy ideas. He slowly approached to Y/N and sat at the table near her. “Would you mind if I sit here for a while?”

Y/N nodded. George pretended to study as he watched Y/N in complete silence. He didn’t want to do anything that would make Y/N uncomfortable. He knew she needed a little bit of loneliness at times like this, so he watched for the right time. When Y/N finally brought her head up and sniffled, he moved his chair next to hers. “Y/N, I-- I want you to know that even if that git doesn’t love you, there are still people who love you so much. Like your mom, your grandparents, Eleanora, Lyanne, April, Fred, I, professors, your little sister and cousins... We all love you more than you can imagine. I don’t want you to think you don’t deserve to be loved, cause you really do. That git is the one who doesn’t deserve your love.” he slowly caressed her hand. Y/N smiled sniffling once again and nodded. “Thank you” she put her head on George’s shoulder and wiped her tears with her sleeve. George smiled back at her and pressed a soft kiss on the crown of her hair. “You know what, you look cute with a red nose”

Y/N giggled and looked up at George. She hadn’t felt this comfortable for a long time, not since she was comforted by George before Christmas. “I wish you could just obliviate me about him sometimes”

“I’m afraid we would need someone like Lockhart on this subject since I don’t wanna delete wrong things.” They both giggled.

“Better?” asked George.

“Better.”

“Great. Mom always said that here is the most comfortable place.” He said patting on his shoulder, a proud grin on his face.

Y/N smiled back and stood up “I think I need to go now. Thank you again for everything.”

“Great to be in service” He hugged her one more time before letting her go.

“I knew it wasn’t the books that brought you to the library.” said Fred with a wide grin as he came out amongst the shelves.

“Freddie, we have someone to prank. And this time, every idea is accepted.”

“Hmmmmm I like this.”

[vintage-lattes]

13.04.24 // saturday

hey guys its been a while since ive posted on here so i thought id share some life updates

♡ i got into college! im studying architecture and im almost done w 2/10 semesters (since it's a 5y course here)

♡ i stay in a hostel 6h away from home and ive adjusted quite decently except for the food sometimes

♡ two (ish) weeks ago i git teally homesick and went home for 2 days just to eat biriyani and i have zero regrets

♡ i don't really have a fixed study space anymore because my work is mostly drawing/drafting and there's not really enough space in my room to work because all my sheets are a2 sized. so i do all my work in the common study hall at my hostel

♡ so now i decorate the space above my bed with posters/ movie scenes printed out

idk what else to say, life goes on. the climate here is much hotter than back home so I've been bathing myself in sunscreen before college every morning. ive been obsessed with too sweet by andrew and the entire found heaven album and obviously im going insane about ttpd next week (??!!?)

the past year ive gotten really into cooking pasta (if even a single person tells me to post it, I will spam <3), i got a djungelskog for my birthday in march and i have literally never loved a stuffed toy more than this and i miss my salt lamp so so much

i can't think of anything else but send me asks if you wanna chat!!

love, ree

[not-trung]

I'm the type of user who would never post anything on social media, but since I'm feeling risqué (and it has been 2 years since I joined this hellsite), I should probably make a sort of—

Introduction!

[I do apologise if this introduction is quite dry and straightforward. It's just who I like to be.]

Section 1: Who am I, you might (not) ask?

So, uh, grettings. I go by the name not_trung (or just Trung if you prefer) on most of my online accounts, like this tumblr blog. I'm nearly 18 by the time I am drafting this post, and would soon be leaving for university. For the astute users out there who noticed: Yes, I am Vietnamese (🇻🇳), which would explain my prose usage of words – English is my second language.

I am what some call "factory settings" – I am a cisgender male, going by he/him pronoun, and is (somewhat) healthy, with no diagnosed disability.

Despite being your stereotypical guy who'd show no interest in this place, I still care for a lot of people and their creations here. I am a straight ally, advocate for individual rights for expression and freedom, fair justice and everything in between.

Section 2: (in a heavy Scottish accent) Hoo'd ye git intah ma hoose?

I kinda stumbled my way into Tumblr through all sorts of media originating from this site: ask blogs, story blogs, interactive-roleplay blogs, etc... Since then, I've found more reason to stick around and see how things goes.

A few of the communities/contents I lurk around in, in no particular order:

- Undertale/Deltarune

- Re:zero

- OFF

- Animals (mostly house pets)

- Roblox

- Minecraft

- Writing/Fan fictions

- Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss

- TADC

- Ace attorney

- Disco Elysium

- Girls und Panzer

- Memes

- Mouthwashing

- R.E.P.O/Lethal Company/Content warning/...

- And many more!

Section 3: What do I plan to do with this post?

Well, not much. This is just a simple introduction of me, as a individual, to put myself out there (and to make myself look less of a bot). It was good seeing you down here, in the bottom of this longwinded letter.

Thank you for reading and getting to know a little more about me.

And remember:

You are loved, because I am always your humble fan ;)

[TL;DR: HI, I'M TRUNG. I LIKE STUFF. LOVE YOURSELF. NOT A BOT]

[unknown-writerraine]

Yandere! Tom Riddle and a Dark Lady S/o.

A/n: for now I will be posting some Yandere and normal content so if you have any yanderes you want to request just let me know.

Now this happens to be like a summarised plot of my drafted book.

You grew up with Tom in the orphanage and basically went to Hogwarts together, now some little Pre-Hogwarts is that you and Tom are very close, while Tom is the quite one you, well you aren't the rambunctious loud mouth friend but you are the more out going one and caused a bit of trouble with a few tendencies you had early on.

"Tom! Guess what I did!" You said walking up to Tom who was on his way to the lunch hall in the orphanage, he turns to you then turns to the direction you were pointing at, there was a boy who was crying and had blood running down his nose.

"Again? That's the 3rd boy you punched this week and it's only Tuesday, [Name]." He sighed as he took your hand and brushed his thumb over your bruising knuckled, "Well, he started it. Flipping up my dress and all." You said as you intertwined your hands with Toms as you both entered the dining hall.

"Well then, he deserved it." he said as he placed down his book on the table and sat down on his usual seat.

So here you don't have a last name so Tom proposed then when the two of you are older you'll both be known as Mr. and Mrs. Riddle.

So now you're in Hogwarts and when the both of you were sorted into Slytherin the both of you were happy because the two of you could be together, both of you being more of an inseparable duo as the two of you grew older.

Now I wouldn't say you don't have the ideals of Tom its just you're mote laid back because the muggleborns are already there at Hogwarts and there's nothing you could do about it, Tom keeps you close and will let you in with what he's planning.

Now you're known as Toms unofficial girlfriend at Hogwarts, students know how close the two of you are and the girls who admire Tom deeply envy to the point they are tempted to just hex you if they ever saw alone in the hallways, although they hold back because they know how capable and dangerous you are, no matter the gender.

They had witnessed you beat up a boy bigger than you with your bare hands because he decided to try and hex you during broad daylight, now you wouldn't say your aggressive... You just happen to take it far sometimes.

Now, you are an alibi of Tom's and vouch for him when Professor Dumbledore expresses his suspicion towards Tom, giving away valid information that Tom is indeed not suspivious.

"Sir, If I may. Tom was with me the time the student was hurt. We were only studying in advanced in case Professor Binns decided to give us a pop quiz." You lied smoothly as you maintained eye contact with the Professor.

"If you want I can keep an eye on Tom in case there was something else to happen." You said as you smiled at the Professor, your eyes hiding no ill intention or malice so the Professor nodded and left the two of you alone.

You turned to him, "If you were going to hurt a students you might as well clean up the evidences." You said in a quiet voice, taking out your light pink handkerchief and wipe the blood from Toms knuckles, good thing that Tom had hidden his hands behind his back.

"That git needed a lesson after trying to hex you." He said as he turned around to walk away, pocketing the handkerchief you follow after him.

The slug club members, or would I say his followers know of you and worship you alongside Tom.

Claiming you as their Dark Lady while Tom is their Dark Lord.

Now, you know how devoted Bellatrix is towards Tom and so she does not like you, thinking she could be a better and more suited Dark Lady for Tom, but she is flabbergasted by how you, someone who doesn't like like the kind at all, to kill someone by your own hand or with a killing curse.

Now this is something I came up but you once told Tom that you'll dye your wedding dress red with the blood of your enemies and he thinks he could've fallen in love all over again.

Whoever question your authority as his Dark Lady or dares to even utter words of degradation towards you will have their body dropping dead in seconds or has themselves being tortured painfully and slowly in a dark cell, their only escape will be them begging for a slow and painful death.

Now when Tom finds out about the Prophecy you suggest just to barge into their home and take the child away instead of killing them because you overthink that if he does bad things will happen to him so you suggest this to him and tell him to think it through.

You come with him when he comes for the Potters and happily take a crying baby Harry into your arms as you coo at him, pulling out your wand and obliviate him, making it so that Harry doesn't ever remember about this whole thing and make it that you and Tom took him in because the two of you found him at your doorstep one day.

Now I forgot to mention this is that Tom makes you immortal and makes a horcrux to keep you alive.

You two raise Harry together and then have him becoming your son and then just him willing to do anything for you because you're his Mother and he'll do anything just so his Mum isn't sad.

Although Voldemort doesn't like the fact Harry, the boy who will defeat him in the prophecy he admired the boys ambission to keep you happy.

It's just a dark happy family the two of you.

--

I will explore this more if you guys ask for it but for now that's what I came up with on the spot.

Anyways, follow me for more content like this.

Btw Tom is not no nose Voldemort here QwQ

[danpuff-ao3]

Magnificent Maddy, beautiful @thebooktopus, sweet special someone...here's to you!

Maddy started this excellent month last year, so it seems only right I start with her this year! All the effort and LOVE Maddy put into her posts last year? Incredible. I checked every day, so excited to see who she would talk about. I ended up following several new people last year thanks to her, and checking out many new stories (even for ships and tropes I don't normally read!) And I walked away with many new friends!

Following March last year, I was deep in Snarry-a-Thon hell, having actual meltdowns trying to write Contempt. Listen, I'm a mess on a good day, especially when writing, but never more so than writing Contempt! And when I was sobbing and second-guessing myself, Maddy was one of the lovely humans who offered to look at my draft for me and who encouraged me to keep going. Truly, I have no idea what I would have done without her and others' help! My poor precious fic would have ended up in the trash, if not my whole laptop on fire! Her time and care meant so much to me then and is still so special to me now, knowing how important her help was in finishing a work I love so much.

There is such goodness in Maddy's heart, and her generosity and kindness are so inspiring and incredible. She has been an absolute sweetheart! Of course, Maddy is more than just the love she gives. She is a creator in her own right! So many goodies she's made, a variety of ships and stories! I've specially selected FIVE to recommend to you! And if you can, please be sure to leave Maddy some love!

Galaxies in Their Eyes

Ginny/Luna. Rated: T. Words: 350. Trans Luna. Self-acceptance. Love. Affection.

This moment exists for Luna and Ginny together, here and now, and across all of the galaxies.

I Fell Heavy Into Your Arms

James Sirius/Teddy. Rated: E. Words: 15,638. Secret relationship. Falling in love. Minor Scorbus. Fluff & smut. Next Gen Fest 2022.

James has moved home, and he's all grown up. Teddy takes notice. 

Or: how James and Teddy tried to keep their hands off each other in the lead-up to Albus and Scorpius' wedding and didn't exactly succeed.

I Wanna Be On You

Draco/Harry. Rated: E. Words: 6,565. Roommates. Friends to lovers. Fluff & smut. H/D Wireless 2022.

What is it about Draco singing off-key in their kitchen that pushes Harry to admit his feelings? One thoughtful act between roommates that leads to so much more.

Life After Quidditch

Marcus/Oliver. Rated: E. Words: 11,000. Enemies to lovers. Injuries. Minor Drarry. Minor Ginsy. Charity auctions. Fluff and smut. Wood You Rather 2022.

After a career-ending injury, Oliver Wood is forced to take an early retirement. And what does early retirement look like for famous Quidditch players? The charity circuit. Galas, bake sales, auctions—you name it, Oliver’s agent had signed him up for it.

Oliver didn’t know what to expect from this new life, but it certainly wasn’t Marcus Flint popping up at every turn. Or for him to be friendly and welcoming, unwilling to let Oliver stew in his self-loathing. Or for him to look so good in yoga pants. Or to fall for the git.

Space Girl

Ginny/Luna. Rated: M. Words: 350. Love-letters. Kinkuary 2022. Face-sitting.

You, my love, my moon. I worry sometimes that you are just an interloper here, destined again someday for the stars. People comment that your head is in the clouds, but I know the truth: it’s the whole of you up there, floating around, unbothered and ungoverned by the laws of this world. 

Oh, also, can't forget last year's Mutuals March Masterlist!

for an explanation about Mutuals March, or to figure out why i wrote you a thing, please check out this post.

[harrypotterandthefandomaccount]

Headcanons For Dating George Weasley

request: hey!!!! i love ur work sm, i reread ur headcanons more times than i’d like to admit!! any concerning remus, ron or george would be bloody brilliant!! like how any of the three would be jealous, or dating them would include or basically anything i will immediately combust into flames!!!

note: hi everyone!! long time no posting! i feel like i’ve been cheating on you all for my mcu account @avengers-age-of-fanfics lmao, but i promise im back and i have a few things in my drafts so keep a lookout! thank u for staying patient :)

-

george has had his eyes on you for a long time, always trying to be in the same classes as you and trying to be your partner in every class.

will literally owl you and ask what classes you’re taking just so he can be in the same ones with you.

before you even get together, fred has had to deal with george talking about you. all. the. time.

it’s not like fred doesn’t like you - he does! but hearing george talk about you 24/7 is a bit suffocating.

his words may mix up and he may stumble, but his feelings are the same and fred can’t help but facepalm.

“isn’t she/he/they just gorgeous, fred?” “i get it, georgie. you’re obsessed and won’t do anything about it.”

george definitely stares at you in class and if you catch him, he’ll either whistle and play it off or wink at you, wishing he was confident to just ask you out already.

gets hit a couple times by fred for being a creep and staring at you for too long. george definitely has a bruise forming at the back of his head.

fred would tell george to “grow a pair and get on with it, you git!”

you’d be so confused and look at george with a slight smile on your face, asking what his twin means.

george would sigh and come clean, telling you how he’s had feelings for you for a few months now and he can’t help but admire how beautiful/handsome you are.

you’d giggle, looking up at george and wrapping your arms around his neck, saying you like him too.

george then proceeds to kiss you all over your face, making you laugh even more.

“finally!” fred would yell from behind the door.

NEVER confusing him with fred. both twins would be surprised as to how you could tell them apart, and he’d love that about you - not comparing them or ‘guessing’ on who is who.

george takes you on many dates into hogsmeade and loves spoiling you over little items and trinkets

keeping a little box of the items he buys you and if he ever finds it, he will definitely tear up.

has many nicknames for you, mostly including “love” “sweetheart” and “darling”

if george is feeling extra love-y, will probably slide a “sweet girl/boy” in there.

always saves you a seat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right next to him.

will steal food off your plate when you’re not looking or when you’re having a conversation.

george loves the height difference between you two, always craning his head to look down at you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close.

even if you are taller than him, he just enjoys looking at you

loves smelling your hair and kissing your head.

small moments of pda, like holding hands and kissing your cheek. not a huge pda guy but will sometimes do it just to show that you’re taken

has a really cute habit of kissing your knuckles or just your hand in general

george honestly just loves holding onto you, whether it be your hand, waist, thigh under the table, anything. he loves the feeling of security he gets when he feels your warmth.

he almost melts when you squeeze your hand back, rubbing your thumb against his hand.

gives you piggyback rides :’)

while he isnt into pda, when you two are alone, george certainly is the exact opposite!!!!!

he loves cuddling you and kissing you almost every minute

holds you on his lap whenever you both are alone, mindlessly rubbing his hand over your legs/thighs. will tell you how beautiful/handsome you are.

if you are chest-to-back, he loves just simply holding your hands in his, comparing the sizes and whispering in your ear.

lays on top of you just for fun and will give you kisses all over your face.

big spoon whenever you two cuddle. obsessed with the feeling of holding onto you and having his nose either in your hair or neck.

however he does have his days when he needs to be the little spoon and be cuddled by you

loves making you laugh if his nose or stubble tickles you.

crawling into bed with him when you can’t sleep and he automatically wraps his arms around you, pulling you close, legs tangled.

george will squeeze you, just to make sure that you’re real and with him.

is lowkey very jealous and protective of you.

he’s always been fred’s shadow, so whenever he sees someone flirting with what’s his, george gets very protective and is sure to make known that you’re his.

can sometimes shut down and think he isn’t good enough for you, that you like fred better.

you will not tolerate your boyfriend, your little bby, feeling like this, “georgie, i love YOU. sure, i love fred as a brother, but i love you as my partner. you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

he’d smile at you, worry still gracing his face, but he’d still be thankful, “thank you, my love. . . cuddle time?”

“just gotta remind my boyfriend of how wonderful he is, georgie. c’mon, let’s go cuddle. i’ll be the big spoon tonight :)”

you love stealing his jumpers, especially the one molly made him

spending lots of time at the burrow and wearing many of his clothes just because they smell like george

“why don’t you just wear your own, love?” he’d never admit that he loves seeing you in his clothes

“they dont smell like you, georgie.”

molly adoring you and george being proud for having you as a girlfriend/boyfriend/partner

being very close to ginny and having girl nights with her and hermione, which sometimes makes george jealous.

OR having boys nights with ron, harry, fred, percy, bill and charlie - whenever they were home.

learning from both the twins how to pull off great pranks - which is a mistake.

telling him you love him every chance you get, making him blush and kiss your cheek.

being each other’s first time and he is so sweet about it, making sure everything is perfect and that you’re okay.

george loves whispering in your ear and telling you how good you are for him.

while you aren’t happy about him and fred dropping out to start a joke shop, you are still there to support them both.

becoming their financial advisor and overall advisor for everything they do.

george telling you how much he appreciates you whenever you both leave the shop together to go home, holding hands.

fighting by his side during the wizarding war and being scared for fred when he is injured, but thank merlin, fred makes a full recovery.

moving in together after the war, realizing you could never leave his side. he then surprises you by proposing, saying that if you died, he’d never be able to live with himself.

george loves you for who you are, and vise versa. you’d never change anything about him because he is his own person, and you fell in love with george weasley.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

Wander right into my heart

So, I’m pretty sure that I gained most of my followers when I was regularly writing witcher fics like a year ago...well I finally wrote another. Or rather, I tidied up a year old draft and posted it. 

You can read it below, or here on AO3!

-///-

In all his long years trailing behind Geralt through bogs, forests, moors and mountains, Jaskier thought he might have earned the title wanderer by now.

Oh, he’d been a born and bred city boy, once upon a time, and in truth, he still found comfort in the hallowed halls of civilisation. He’d pick being lost in a crowd to being lost in the woods any day.

But he’d learnt more on the path than he could have ever learnt in the libraries at Oxenfurt. He’d seen more, done more, lived more than any tenured academic could imagine. He knew the ways of monsters, of men. Perhaps he had been exaggerating his pitch when he first met Geralt, but now he realised Geralt truly had taught him about death and destiny, heroics and heartbreak.

So he was a wanderer. He knew whole swaths of the continent like the back of his hand and could turn grand castles or quiet villages into chords for a song any day.

Still – every wanderer is allowed to have a favourite place to wander about.

The coast was undeniably his.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be. Perhaps it should be a castle or some other noble court they’d had the pleasure of staying at. Memories of nobility were, after all, often tinged with political intrigue, good wine and good songs. But the joy of such things was always hindered by Geralt’s soured mood at having to deal with social etiquette and peoples merriment.

Jaskier wouldn’t say his mood was tied to Geralt’s exactly, but it certainly improved when Geralt was happy. The Witcher had seen far too much sadness already. Except for the rare occasions he was being a complete git, Jaskier made it his mission to bring Geralt as much joy as they could squeeze from life on the open road.

So, the coast.

They’d travelled there early in their acquaintance, back when both of them were less sure about their place with the other. It was the first time he could recall Geralt truly smiling, the small bonfire they’d lit causing dancing shadows to illuminate Geralt’s hair oh so prettily.

He wasn’t sure whether he looked back more fondly on that, or whether he looked back more fondly on the small scuffle him and Geralt had had while paddling the next day, Jaskier risking kicking a spray of water at the witcher which soon turned into both of them sopping wet, merry like children.

The coast was where he’d first realised he wasn’t just in this for the songs.

The coast was the first place he’d realised he was well and truly gone on his dear Geralt.

Thus, it was his favourite.

Almost thirty years later and he was no less gone on Geralt, no less fond of the coast and no closer to leaving the mans side.

The coast spread out before them now, sprawling beneath white cliffs that plucked at the heartstrings of Jaskier’s musical muse.

“It’s going to rain,” Geralt grunted, always a spoilsport.

“Nonsense,” Jaskier waved his hand, “s’as bright as anything, my dear.” It was a lovely summers day. It’s going to rain. Why did Geralt always have to put a damper on things?

“We’ll get soaked.”

“I imagine we’re going to do that anyway,” a mischievous smile flittered to Jaskier’s lips.

“You’re a child,” Geralt rolled his eyes.

“And yet, you always indulge me. Come on.” Jaskier headed down the path to the beach, more than ready to feel the saltwater and sand beneath his toes.

-///-

Two hours later, he was reminded that Geralt and his stupid witcher senses were rarely wrong about things like the fucking weather. How anyone could predict the day would turn to such a horrid downpour so quickly was beyond Jaskier, but then again, Jaskier didn’t have fancy Witcher mutations.

The small cave they ducked into isn’t nearly as glamourous or romantic as would suit Jaskier’s tastes. If he ever came to write a song about it, he would do away with the damp sand, the small space that was forcing him and Geralt shoulder to shoulder, the way his body – damp from their paddling in the waves – now felt far, far too cold, cold enough to elicit a few pitiful sneezes.

Still, it's beautiful in its own way, he supposes. The sea is as unforgiving as it is beautiful, angry as it is calm and there’s something pleasing about how it refuses to bow to anyone's wants from it, even his own.

“Jaskier,” Geralt grunts, pulling Jaskier from his semi-composing and into the present reality.

“I know, I know, you said it was going to rain. No need to play an ‘I told you so’. Not all of us have fancy witcher senses and how was I supposed to know you weren’t just saying that to get out of the water fight?”

Geralt huffs, and Jaskier turns his face towards the Witcher instead of out at the sea. Jaskier would like to think that he is fluent in all of Geralt’s facial expressions but this one throws him out of the loop. It’s not carefree, nor disgruntled, nor exasperated as Jaskier had expected. If anything he looked like he was about to fight a mighty beast; determination and concentration hiding in the lines around his mouth, the hardness of his eyes.

“Everything okay…?” there is clearly something wrong but Jaskier’s seen Geralt sleep in the rain without pitching the tent. The weather wouldn’t put him this on edge, would it? “There’s not some…weather-controlling demon about to gobble us up is there? That would really put a damper on an otherwise stunning day and—”

“I need to tell you something,” Geralt interrupts, a hand coming to grip Jaskier’s shoulder. It’s warm there, clinging to his damp shirt, and Jaskier wonders if he’s about to be shoved out of the way. He can’t remember Geralt looking this serious about a conversation since his apology after the mountain.

“Geralt, truly, you’re freaking me out. Stop looking at me like that. No need to be so serious, it’s not like you’re about to profess your undying love for me,” Jaskier tries to lighten the mood.

Geralt, however, doesn’t laugh. In fact, if anything, he looks awkward. The small chuckle on Jaskier’s lips dies and he’s about to ask if Geralt is dying or something when—

“I am, actually.” Geralt says the words through gritted teeth as if they pain him.

Jaskier furrows his eyebrows, “Am what?”

Geralt glares at him like Jaskier is the one being difficult here. Then Geralt glances away, out towards the rain, and for a  moment Jaskier thinks he might be about to drop the whole thing, but then Geralt returns his gaze and its as serious as it was mere moments ago, “I’m about to profess my undying love for you.”

What?

What?

“…wait, what?”

Jaskier can barely breathe. What? It’s a cruel joke to play, even now, even years and years after he’s supposedly made peace with his feelings for Geralt. Making peace and moving on are two separate things after all. Geralt is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the love of his life. It’s just that, well, he isn’t Geralt’s.

Geralt is still stood there, though, hand still on Jaskier’s shoulder and unless Jaskier wants to get even wetter out in the rain, then he has no choice but to stay stood here in the too-small, too-damp cave.

“I wanted—” Geralt grunts, kicks at the sand a little with his toe. He looks almost like a child, and Jaskier would be enjoying it, if he wasn’t so shocked, “I wanted to tell you that you’re—” quiet again. Which is unimaginably frustrating, because Jaskier is desperate to hear the ends of those sentences.

“Geralt, please, I’m going to need you to be slightly better at communication here for just five seconds because it sounded like you said you loved me and I mean, I love you too, you know, because we’re best friends and if that’s what you meant—”

“No,” Geralt growls, and lightly shakes Jaskier’s shoulder, just a little, “you’re not my friend, Jaskier. You’re—” he closes those golden eyes, and Jaskier feels like he’s just been pushed into an awful limbo state that could last decades even if it only lasts a few seconds because he needs to hear the end of that sentence. He knows he’s holding his breath, which is a fucking cliché and a half, but what else he supposed to do when Geralt’s next words might make or break him.

Finally, Geralt opens his eyes, “You’re more,” Jaskier would have been happy with that, but Geralt seems determined to break him tonight, “You’re everything.”

Everything.

He remembers a time – multiple times – when he felt that he meant less than nothing to Geralt. Now, inexplicably, he is being told that he means everything.

It’s his turn to be silent, his turn to be unable to find words. For Geralt, that is the usual status quo, but for him, it is as unusual as the situation here and now with Geralt telling him he loves him in a damn cave off by the fucking coast.

Slowly, Geralt takes his hand off of Jaskier’s shoulder, “it’s okay. I understand. You don’t feel the same, which is more than reasonable and—”

“I don’t feel the same?” Jaskier blinks, flabbergasted, “you! You think I don’t feel…Geralt, dearheart, darling, love, I am…of course I feel the same way. I have followed you, I have sung your praises, I have never settled in court nor in marriage because nobody and nothing could possess my heart the way you do. And you have the audacity to imply that your feelings aren’t reciprocated?”

Geralt, quite suddenly, is smiling. Which is annoying, because he is also being stupid, and Jaskier fancies shouting at him some more but he can’t because when Geralt looks like that his knees go all weak.

It is the same smile, Jaskier thinks, as the first time they came to the coast, all those years ago.

Jaskier feels alive at it, and joyous at having been the one to cause it, just as he did the first time. There is a poets pleasure too, in the cyclical nature. Once Geralt smiled and Jaskier realised his devotion, now Geralt smiles because Jaskier has confessed his love.

Slowly, Geralt’s hand comes back, but this time instead of Jaskier’s shoulder, it is his cheek that Geralt is cupping oh so perfectly. Jaskier leans into it. He’s still cold, and it is still raining. By all accounts, such a scenario should make their first kiss desperate, or dramatic, but Jaskier wouldn’t use either word to describe it.

Kissing Geralt is…natural. It’s one foot in front of another, it’s following a road to its obvious end, its like setting up the logs for a fire and then lighting them. It’s…simple. It’s them. It’s as if they have been doing it forever and will continue to do so for as long as they can.

“I love you,” Jaskier breathes, as soon as they part. He has permission to say it now, and as such, he’s pretty sure he’s not going to be liable to say anything else for years. He will tell Geralt every day, in every way, because Geralt deserves to hear it.

Geralt is still smiling softly at him, “don’t go getting a big head about it,” he grunts.

“But Geralt,” Jaskier almost whines his words, hands wrapping around Geralt’s neck, “I’m your everything.”

“Poor choice of words,” Geralt argues.

“Nope. No take backs. Your mine now.”

Geralt’s looks softens, just slightly, those bright golden eyes he loves so much going a little crinkly at the edges, “I’m yours,” he agrees, easily.

Jaskier leans in and doesn’t stop kissing him until long after the rain has ceased outside.

[saoirse-1887]

A "blog entry" I found in my WIPs. It's for John's blog, post-reichenbach.

Draft from a bit over a year ago:

  People seem to forget that Sherlock is human, just like the rest of us. He has feelings, just like everyone. Though he doesn't let them show as often as most people do, they're still there.

  In the past weeks, I've caught him staring into space, or fidgeting with something when listening to someone. That wasn't anything new, but then he started spacing out in conversations, denying more and more cases, even rejecting cases from Lestrade. Over time, he stopped talking entirely, stopped responding to his name, it took physical contact to get his attention. I would have to put a hand on his shoulder or text him to even get a moment of his time, and even then, he'd only reply with one word or a motion.

  I thought he was in one of his moods and that it would pass, then he stopped getting out of bed in the morning. He slept well past noon, and some days I wouldn't see him until late. If there was a case he needed to take, I'd have to wake him up myself. 

  One morning, I was worried because he hadn't left his room for a couple days, so I checked up on him. I tapped on the door a couple of times and when there was no response, I went in. He was in bed, listening to music, tucked under the covers, with the most confused and sad expression I have ever seen on a person. I had my suspicions that he was slipping into depression, but I never imagined Sherlock Holmes having to drown out his own thoughts, and then I remembered something he told me years ago. He said,'My mind is like a machine that never stops, if I don't maintain it properly, it will break and slow. I can delete most information I want, but there are some things that I can never forget. Words being one thing, my mind immediately takes what someone says and quotes it away. Sometimes those little meaningless things can cause damage that I cannot repair. At least not by myself, I do still need others, no matter how much I say I work alone.'

  Of course we were a bit tipsy at the time and the small lecture came from me asking something dumb and then saying 'forget about it'. He needed help, but couldn't say anything in fear of being hurt more, but who hurt him? I came in and sat on the edge of the bed, he didn't do anything to protest so I put my hand on his back and rubbed circles in an attempt to comfort him. I didn't say anything because I could hear his music through his earbuds, he wouldn't hear me. He looked up at me after a moment, and the look in his eyes, it made my heart drop. The overwhelming pain, the tears that were forming in those galaxy eyes were threatening to spill.

  He looked away, I thought I did something, but he slowly held out a shaky hand in front of me and spread out his fingers, saying a single word that held so much meaning,”please.” I gently laid my hand palm-down on his and intertwined my fingers, he eventually followed and squeezed, he held onto my hand like it was the last thing keeping him alive. He cried, he tucked his legs up into his chest and ducked his head down, and cried. The sound of his broken cries, the cracked whimpers, the feeling of his grip on my hand, it told me so much that Sherlock could never say. So much that words couldn't describe. He was in pain, he was sad, he wanted it all to stop, he wanted help but didn't know how to ask.

  After a few moments, he paused his music and pulled the pieces from his ears. He was ready to talk.

  "Sit up,"He did so and let go of my hand. I wrapped my arms around him and he buried his head in the crook of my neck before returning the grasp,"I will always be here for you, I will always be here to listen to you, and to make sure that you're alright. Okay?"

  He nodded and held me tighter.

  From that moment on, I knew that he needed me as much as I needed him. This is for anyone who thinks that Sherlock Holmes is some machine, or emotionless. He hurts just like the rest of us and that is nothing to forget. 

  Of course, this is a draft from a while ago, it seems fitting to post this now that Sherlock has been gone for a year. Wherever the bloody git is, I miss him.

[prose-for-hire]

A rose between two thorns

Pairing: Spike x fem!reader; Angel x fem!reader

Request: Not requested. Been sitting in my drafts forever I wasn’t sure about posting. Reader works at Wolfram and Hart and knew Angel and Spike from Sunnydale. They’re both vying for reader’s affections but the pair soon find out her attention is elsewhere.

A/N: S5 Angel. Spike and Angel in a pissing contest over someone? Say it ain’t so. Reader is popular with men lol. Also, I’d say Spangel was subtext, but it’s just plain text really.

You noticed something was off as soon as you came in that morning. There was an unusual vibe, which, was saying something seeing as you worked at a mystical law firm. You had taken over PA duties from Harmony, considering Angel and the others trusted you a bit more than her. You were human, but you had faced anything the Hellmouth had thrown at you with the others you met in high school. You had been there at the final battle of Sunnydale, just about surviving and then moving to LA to become a receptionist. Which had been the job you had kept applying for without luck when you lived in Sunnydale. Sometimes, life does have a way of working itself out even though you might have to stake a few uber vampires or sell your soul to a mystical law firm for it to happen.

You caught Fred hissing something to Angel before leaving his office, smiling at you kindly before she left. She also stopped and pulled on Spike’s sleeve and brought him down to her lab with her, leaving you waving your good morning greeting. You went through your usual routine, eventually walking up to Angel’s office, knocking first before smiling at him, a newspaper, some files and a mug of blood in your hands.

“Hey, I’ve got the files you asked for and I warmed your blood up to the temperature you like” You smile pleasantly, setting the items down, you were really grateful to Angel for giving you a job. He had always been nice to you (apart from that brief period in high school where he tried to violently kill you). “Thanks, y/n, what would I do without you, huh?” “Probably getting double-crossed by Harmony given half the chance” You smiled and he laughed a little too hard at your flippant comment. It shocked you, his face rarely twisted into a smile let alone a real laugh. You smiled along, a little perplexed at his change in attitude. “How you doin’ then? I mean adjusting- you know, outside the Hellmouth” “It’s been okay, it’s surprisingly similar here. Kind of a home from home” You smiled as he nodded along, as if he were being given guidance from an invisible director on how to visibly show how interested he was. If you were honest, it was a bit weird, “Are you okay Angel?” “yeah- why? What’s up? Have I- are you comfortable?” “Um, I’m at work, so comfort isn’t really the main reason I’m here… mostly I come in to see your face” You joked, grinning at him as he smiled a little. He noticed you were trying to put him at ease and realised he had probably come across a bit strange.

You walked back out of the office smiling as Angel watched you walk out, mentally face-palming. His luck with potential partners had been pretty hopeless and you made him nervous in a way he wasn’t really used to. Fred had enough of him skirting around you so had given him non-negotiable advice. She told him to be kind, listen and to make sure he showed a genuine interest. 

You sat down, sifting through paperwork and trying to keep yourself away from the half-read magazine under your desk that you liked to sneak glances at when Angel was out. You were interrupted from looking busy by a British accent.

“Alright, pet? That’s a very pretty outfit you got on, it new?” Spike asked, leaning over your desk as he waited for word from the others on the latest case. He enjoyed spending time with you though, he had tried all his best lines out on you so he had resorted to just complimenting anything about you he could find.

“No, you’ve seen me in this before” You reminded him, pressing hold on a few calls. He tried to recall, a frown on his face, “That time you could walk about in the sun? I was going to a job interview - you tried to bite me and you told me I looked like a meringue” you reminded him.

“See? I even liked it then” He offered.

“You were being rude then, Spike. But thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it – really” You assured him, noticing his furrow as he thought back to how he had been before he got his soul. Angel saw Spike talking to you through the glass of his office. He groaned, knowing that Spike was trying to sweet talk you again. He got frustrated when Spike muscled in on the people he was interested in. You enjoyed the attention you got from them both, but it started to get a bit annoying when you were all in the same room. They tended to actually ignore you for each other, always trying to out-do the other. It was tiring and it distracted you from your work, but you couldn’t help still being fond of them both when you could speak to them normally. Spike had been talking and you were smiling along, he had a good sense of humour and he had been making jokes about some of the people walking past that made you snort loud. He grinned at this, segueing into what he had really wanted to ask.

“You got plans tonight then, love? ‘Cause I was thinkin-” Spike started, but Angel had come up behind him to interrupt his advances.

“Stop bothering my employees, Spike. Y/n’s very busy”

“Yeah, she’s been holding all your calls. Takes a lot out of our girl pressing buttons all day, I was thinking I’d treat her later-”

For some reason, both of them became double confident when they were together in the room, despite them both being weirdly reserved around you recently. There was a tension and both of them were competing together. Enjoying the competition more than your company, it seemed. You tuned their squabbling out, a talent that should come in your job description as you started to type up a few notes from a case.

“You know he used to parade around in an SS jacket?” Angel cut in, crossing his arms and standing nearer to you behind your desk. Spike glared at him.

“Yes, I heard when I was tied up almost choking to death – this job should really come with better health insurance”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I can look into it” Angel suddenly said, straightening up and remembering he was actually your boss.

“Don’t think you can get in her knickers just by flashing your big CEO title around and get her better health insurance” Spike warned, turning to you briefly to assure you that, “I can get you health insurance, love, just tell me where to point my game face”

“Excuse me, into my what?” Your eyes widened, it had been escalating but this was just rude. This is where you worked.

“Not now, Y/n, Spike’s being an idiot for, oh, the hundredth consecutive year of his un-life” You glared at them both, took your jacket and left to go and vent to someone in a different department. This was typical. Fighting over you as if you were some prize to be won. They like you but apparently, they were more interested in each other. You were just their most recent way to get one over on the other and make the tension almost unbearable.

You only returned late afternoon having avoided the vampires for the rest of the day. Angel and Spike looked a bit embarrassed as they saw you slamming angel’s mug on his desk, splattering blood on one of his files. Spike came into the office and the three of you looked at each other in an icy silence. They both opened their mouths at the same time, then stopped realising the other was going to speak. “I need to leave early is that okay?” You ask before they tried to apologise again. “Yeah, sure. Why?” Angel asked. “I’ve got a date” you shrugged, walking out with them both staring after you. They watched you through the glass and saw Gunn come up behind you and ask if you were ready to go. You smiled as he asked about your day with a genuine interest, listening to what you had been up to. You chatted and you even giggled a little and the vampires scowled at the way you seemed to light up in a way neither of them had been able to get out of you.

“What the bloody hell has Dr franken-chip got that we don’t!?” Spike muttered referring to the upgrade Gunn had to become a lawyer, “If I’d known that’s what she was into I’d have kept mine in a sodding jar and brought her home on the promise of touching it”

“Spike. Stop” Angel warned as they both watched you leave, Gunn’s hand on the small of your back.

“No, I mean it! What does he have!?”

“A life?” Angel sighed, before stating, “This is good. I’m happy for them”

“No you’re bloody not, Mr tall dark and forehead has to look for another chit to obsess over now”

“You’re one to talk, Spike. I found the poems you wrote” He muttered.

“You bloody git-” Spike started but Angel had already stalked out of his office to get to one of his cars before Spike could catch up to him. Spike started to follow him out before he could get much of a head-start though. How come through everything it was always each other they ended up with at the end of the day?

[october31st1981]

Scenes from the Past Six Years

There are a number of fics in the drafts of this blog that I started a few years ago, and no longer feel the inclination to finish. But there are still some pretty fun bits and bobs, so I’m going to throw them all up in one post if anyone is interested in some disjointed excerpts. 

--

Dueling - Jan 27, 2014

James has his hands on her shoulders, and she is calculating how best to catapult him off of her body when his lips descend to kiss her thoroughly.

“James,” she protests, as they pause for a breath, “we’re supposed to be fighting.”

“Sorry,” he murmurs, but the grin on his face contradicts his apology.

Later, when they are about to leave, Lily says, “I think we should compartmentalize our situations.” She does not meet his eyes, choosing instead to rub nonexistent grease off of her wand by running it against her jeans.

“How so?”

“Well… as much as I like snogging you, I think that we should have… snogging times, and dueling times. So we can be efficient with, er, both,” It sounds oddly formal and for reasons Lily is unsure about, a flush has risen in her cheeks. She still refuses to look him in the face.

James tilts her chin up, a gleeful look on his face. “Lily Evans, are you asking me out?”

She splutters out an indignant protest but James just grins all the wider. “You are asking me out,” he says, leaning closer to get her to look at him directly. Her cheeks are hot as his hands move to either side of her face. “Yes.”

--

And There Was Only One Bed - Feb 2, 2014 

“One of you can come up and sleep with me.” As all four boys seem to prepare themselves for a smarmy comment, she adds, “Don’t start, gits. You know what I mean.”

“If someone’s joining you, Wormtail’s out,” Sirius says, his eyes flicking to the boy in question, “he’s a kicker.” From his tone, it seems that Sirius has experienced this very quality one too many times.

Peter huffs indignantly. “Padfoot’s a prat, I kicked him out of a hammock one time—” He cuts himself off as he sees the black-haired boy fingering his wand. “Fine, I’m out.”

“I’m out, too,” Remus says with a sigh. “I roll about too much, I’m afraid. I’d be falling out of the bed anyway."

James does not say anything, but instead he and Sirius seem to communicate something with a glance between them. James gives Sirius a warning look, but Sirius simply grins and pats the wooden arms of the chair, saying, "I’m comfortable where I am,”

“C'mere, then,” Lily says to James, gesturing to the spot next to her. Shooting a loaded glance at his best mate, he sits down.

--

Pecker Parody - April 22, 2014

James Potter had a problem. This particular dilemma was approximately five feet tall, freckled, and had a habit of popping up at inopportune times.

This problem was his diddly-doo. His magical wanking stick, if you will. You see, while having a dingler the size of a broomstick was all well and good when he was a boy, due to the fact he could ride it around like a pogo stick, at the age of eighteen, it was a bit more troublesome.

The truth of the matter was that he wanted to put his party popper inside Lily’s cash register, but he didn’t know how to tell her.

--

Birth - March 15, 2015

“I can’t believe you just did that,” he says in awe. “Did you know you could do that?”

Brushing some of her hair out of her sweaty face, Lily laughs. “I’d had some time to get used to the idea, yeah.”

James looks back at the bundle in his arms, and then again at his wife. “You just pushed an entire person out of you. Our person. He’s not tiny, either. I mean, he is tiny, but only because he’s a baby. Otherwise, he’s quite a large thing to be exiting any orifice.”

“If we ever do this again, you can do that part,” she says leaning back against the pillows.

--

Grease AU - June 25, 2015 

(Also posted here.)

“This is… ridiculous,” she murmurs against his lips.

James laughs. “It’s a little late to denounce snogging on the beach, Evans, since we’ve been doing it for the past few weeks.” As he speaks, he drops his mouth to her neck, smiling as her eyes flutter.

Lily pulls his face up by the chin to meet his gaze. “I meant this whole thing.” She gestures around them. “After what happened after the Defence O.W.L. at the end of last term, how can you find any of this normal? Everything was such a mess after. Hell, if we hadn’t both come to the same place this holiday, I’d still be stewing in it by September.”

“But we did,” says James, brushing his nose against hers. “We talked and we yelled and we talked more and then you threw yourself at me.”

He dodges her swat at him much too easily to satisfy her, but at her raised brow he makes an amendment. “Alright, so I may have done some of the throwing. I’m a Chaser. I need to hone my reflexes.”

“My point is, it doesn’t feel like you’re Potter on this beach,” Lily says, ruffling his hair pointedly. She smiles. “You’re just James.”

“Just James,” he repeats, adjusting so he lies beside her instead of half atop her. “You make it sound like I’m two different people.”

It is Lily’s turn to laugh. “Aren’t you? I can’t imagine this version of you hoisting someone up by their ankles.”

“Of course not,” says James immediately. “I’m wearing trunks. Where would I keep my wand?”

Lily is already giggling by the time James begins suggesting locations on his body that he might be hiding his wand, and by the end of his lewd list, she is nearly having a fit on the sand. When she catches her breath, she looks at him. “I know I don’t get to keep Just James forever,” she says, leaning on his arm. “But at least try to preserve the illusion for me when we get back to school by avoiding me.”

James is quiet for a moment, but when he speaks his voice is soft. “You’re being silly, Lily,” he tells her, pulling her closer. “This is who I am. Caring about your feelings, about anyone’s feelings, isn’t exclusive to this beach.”

She kisses him, slowly and deeply. “Try to remember saying that.”

James grins. “If I’m going to be reliving a memory from this holiday, I reckon I have to choose the night under the pier—”

Lily laughs, cutting him off with her lips. “Be quiet, James.”

--

Masquerade - Dec 16, 2015

“So you’re Muggle-born, then?” he says thoughtfully. She stiffens, and he hasten to add, “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m just trying to figure how that narrows down the options for who you are.”

She smiles, but then looks a little put-out. “That’s hardly fair, I don’t know anything about you.”

“Pureblood,” he tells her, kissing her neck.

“A pureblood that doesn’t care that I’m Muggle-born? That does narrow down the options.” Her fingers tug at his robe. “N.E.W.T. classes?”

He shakes his head, kissing her lips quickly. “Too easy. Do you play Quidditch?”

“No. Do you?”

After a moment of hesitation, he says, “Yes,” so she is quick to follow with a suspicious, “On a team or for leisure?”

He laughs. “Both.”

--

Problematic.jpg - March 29, 2016

“James Potter,” Lily says to Mary suddenly, “is my problematic fave.”

“Receipts, please,” says Mary, not looking up from her copy of Witch Weekly.

“Plus, he’s like, a pureblood. So he’s got the whole legacy of all that fucked-up culture.”

“But like, a lowkey pureblood. He’s 12% Muggle-born.”

--

Junks the Trash King: The Sequel - April 18, 2016

“I’ve met the Rubbish Man,” announces Lily upon entering her flat.

“Good, tell him we need a new recycling bin,” says Mary absently. “There’s a family of raccoon living in ours.”

“Not him, Junks.”

The name catches Mary’s attention. “The soulmate?” she asks, straightening up. “How was he?”

Lily drags herself over to their kitchen table and collapses into a seat. “Not named Junks, for one.” Lily holds up her palm for Mary to inspect. “Apparently this is supposed to say ‘James.’”

“Shame. I’d rather hoped to one day receive a wedding invitation inviting me to the marriage of Lily and Junks. Though I’d have to bin it for the wordplay, you understand.” Lily turns her hand so she can flip Mary the bird, but from the look in her eyes, her friend has already spotted something new. “Got his number already, did you?”

--

Baby Brain - June 15, 2016

“I think I'm pregnant,” says Lily, so quietly that James almost doesn't hear it.

“Oh.”

“Oh?” she repeats, turning over in bed to face him. “I tell you I might be up the spout and all I get is, ‘Oh?’”

James grins at her in the dark. “Would you have preferred ‘Blimey?’” He expects the pillow that's aimed at his face.

“James.”

“Yes, dear?”

“Would you be okay with it? If I am?” It's hard to see her eyes clearly with such little light, but James can hear in her tone that she's nervous.

“I... Yeah, I would,” says James, seeking out her hand. “You know I want kids with you. I mean, I might not have seen this starting so soon, but I think we're pretty great at improvising. Remember our wedding reception?”

Lily laughs. “Somehow I don't think using Dumbledore's hat to catch projectile vomit is the same thing as raising a child.”

“I think you'll find they're remarkably similar.”

She laughs again. “I'm trying to work myself into a worry, James, and you're making it very difficult.”

He leans over to kiss her on the cheek. “Sorry, dear. Feel free to treat our child as a sign of impending doom.”

Lily leans her head onto his shoulder. “We're nineteen, James.”

“Old enough to be married,” he replies, poking her with his ring finger.

“We don't know anything about children.”

James smiles. “Children don’t know anything either, so we’ll be on a level playing field.”

--

(ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿ Hold My Flower - August 17, 2016

“Lily, no.”

She scoffs. “What do you mean, ‘Lily, no?’ I didn’t say anything.”

“Lily,” he says cheerfully, throwing an arm around her shoulder, “We have been married for forty-five years now—”

“Dating for eight months,” she corrects, holding back a smile.

James waves a hand dismissively. “So, in that time, I am confident that I’ve grown to recognize what your faces mean. And that face said, ‘I’m going to put frogspawn in his tea.’”

“I don’t carry around frogspawn, James.”

He looks at her dubiously. “But you’d find some, wouldn’t you?”

--

Countdown - October 31, 2016

“Padfoot gets back from his assignment tomorrow,” Lily tells him, eyes on their calendar.

James pauses in trying to convince his son of the merits of pureed beets. His eyes drift towards the day on the calendar circled in red. Lately, they’ve taken to marking their calendar with the events of their day, if only to make the days seem more distinct. August 27th: ‘At 3 o’clock, Harry said his first full sentence.’ September 12th: ‘At 6 in the morning, the cat brought James a present and left it in his mouth.’ Tomorrow, October 31st, is a rare date that marks the future.

“Good,” he says. “I was hoping he’d be back before his birthday.”

A small, hopeful smile blooms on her lips. “Perhaps we can finally give him a nice celebration. I know Moony is still underground, but Wormy said he’d stay close by. I could bake him a cake.”

“Cake!” says Harry, and James laughs. He takes advantage of his boy’s opened-mouth enthusiasm to give him a spoonful of beets. The look he receives is nothing short of betrayed.

Victorious and still chuckling, James turns back to his wife. “We can ask him to come by as soon as he’s home.”

--

Baby I’m Trying: The Sequel Pt. 1 - Jan 4, 2017

He wishes his mum were still around, but since she’s not, in his desperation, James consults his neighbour, Batty Bagshot. Though she’s had no children of her own, she’s looked after many of her nieces and nephews over the years, and James has never been more thankful to hear her drone on.

After his conversation with Bathilda, he comes home, arms laden with all the supplies she recommended he find. Sirius’s eyes are wide as James brings the load inside the flat. “Reckon you got enough?”

James slumps over to the floor and leans his head on the pram. “This stuff is only for the first six months,” he says, staring into space. “Do you know how many times a day a baby needs formula? D’you think McGonagall will let me take the baby to class?”

Sirius considers it. “McGonagall does let her cat into the lectures. Although,” he says, wrinkling his nose and holding the baby out to James, “she knows how to use a litter box.”

James wonders if it’s pathetic to google ‘How to change a nappy.’

--

Baby I’m Trying: The Sequel Pt. 2 - Jan 4, 2017

In three days, James has a paper documenting that the baby is one hundred percent, undeniably his. He hadn’t doubted that he was, but it’s something different to see it on paper. It makes the whole thing more real for him. He sets about telling the rest of his friends, and while they are as surprised as he is, they take it in stride and help him sort it out, as they’ve always done.

“What are you going to name him?” asks Remus.

“Wilberforce,” suggests Sirius, grinning.  

James cracks a smile at that. “Maybe something unisex. Elvendork?”

“You’ll have no trouble calling out for him if you ever lose him,” says Peter fairly.

James laughs. The baby fusses a bit in his arms and he runs a hand over the dark mass of hair that is already on this boy’s head. “Could go with a family name,” James says thoughtfully.

“I’m going to take a moment to remind you that your father’s name was Fleamont,” says Remus.

He shakes his head. “My grandfather,” James says.

None of the boys know much about his grandfather, since he died while James was still in primary school, but Sirius lived with his parents for a time, and he knows James better than anyone else. So it is Sirius who asks, “Henry?”

“Harry,” corrects James. Maybe it’s a coincidence, but the baby stops squirming. “His name was Henry, but they called him Harry.”

“Harry Potter,” says Peter. “I like it.”

His son has a name. “Harry Potter,” James repeats quietly.

--

Ring Out - June 15, 2017

“Frank and Alice are engaged,” Sirius tells him as he slides a drink to James across the table. 

James lifts the pint into the air. “Congratulations to them,” he says, and he means it. He knows many couples rushing to the altar these days, but Alice and Frank seem the best-suited for marriage of all of them. He takes a large swig of his firewhiskey.

Sirius raises an eyebrow. It takes no more than this movement for James to know what he will say next. Still, Sirius asks, “When are you going to ask her?” 

“What, you reckon because everyone else we know is getting married, I ought to as well?” James asks, mirroring his friend's expression.

Sirius snorts. “No, I reckon that you're horrendously in love with Evans and want to ask her to be your wife.”

James takes another drink. “We're in the middle of a war, Padfoot.”

“Seems to be reason enough for everyone else,” Sirius counters, shrugging.

“Exactly," says James firmly. “I don't want Lily to marry me because she's afraid we're doing to die.”

Sirius pauses, reaching for his own firewhiskey. After a moment, he lowers his glass and shrugs once more. “We might.”

“We might not.” James retorts. He runs a hand through his hair. “I'd rather wait for her to be certain.”

“You're living together," Sirius says, and when James opens his mouth he shakes his head. “You say you live with me but you spend more time at Lily's than you do at ours.”

James chuckles. “So your concern is that we’re living in sin? Talk about glass houses, mate.”

[kennahbunny]

Harry Potter Preferences Pt 2: Relationship Development

Disclaimer!: If you haven’t read my other HP Preference “How you guys meet” then this won’t make much sense. I also plan on making a single imagine for each of the boys for their storyline, so please be patient. I have to brainstorm then write drafts for each story then finalize, then edit, then post. So it’ll take a while to say the least. I also have so many ideas about a crossover with different shows! AHH! I’m so excited! Also, I’m posting these stories on Wattpad and Tumblr.

Part 1  Masterlist

Harry: After you helped him with his potions homework that one night. He noticed you more every day, he kept an eye out for you hoping to see you say thank you and hopefully make it a regular thing. When he did see you, it was in a class where he couldn’t just get up and talk to you and when class was over you seemed to disappear when class was dismissed. He was determined to talk to you, and when you weren’t in class when he saw you, you were surrounded by your girlfriends, laughing, gossiping. A week went by when he finally saw you alone, he took his chance to ask you for a study date. Harry wanted to know, you were so kind to him, you didn’t seem to care about him being the chosen one. He felt like he could talk to you, open up and talk about his past without somebody asking about ‘you know who’.

Months pass and now you’re close friends and your feelings for each other grew even more but neither one of you wanted to ruin the amazing friendship that you had. Every Quidditch match you went to for him, you weren’t as close with him as the golden trio they had their special bond. What you guys had was special, he kept telling Ron how he felt about you and how afraid he is to ask you out just cause of the fact that you might say no and that you don’t feel the same. Boys, right? So a week passed of you two being awkward, both contemplating to admitting your feelings and eventually, it gets to the point where you finally build up the courage to ask him.

You notice Harry in the courtyard with Hermione and Ron, you run up to them thinking, 'Oh what the hell.’ “Harry!” They all turn their heads when they recognize your voice, they say their hellos but your mind was on one thing. “Hey, Harry can I talk to you for a sec?” Hermione and Ron share a knowing look, Harry nods and says sure. I pull him to the side,

“So what is it that you needed to pull me aside to say?”  You gave him a nervous smile, “Would you like to go to Hogsmeade?”

“Like all together? Sure.”

“No, like just us on a date?” He smiled, “I thought you didn’t like me like that. To be honest, (Y/n) I’ve fancied you awhile and was too afraid to ask you and I’m so glad you did.” You were so relieved you kissed him on the cheek, then blushed once you realized what you did. “Oh, sorry.” He didn’t say anything, he just simply returned the kiss and said he’d see you this weekend.

Ron: Days after the party Ron couldn’t shut up about you, it was starting to get on Harry’s nerves and Hermione’s not because she was jealous or anything she thinks you would be good for Ron, it’s just Ron couldn’t go one conversation without mentioning your name. For example,

“Ron, did you get that Transfiguration homework done?” Hermione asked.

“No, but I bet (Y/n) probably did, she’s so talented and smart. Did you see her today? She’s so pretty an-,”

“Ronald!” Hermione snapped her fingers in his to snap him out of his trance, “I get it, you fancy (Y/n) but that’s not what I asked.” she huffed, “Just man up and go ask her out.” Harry nodded, “Yeah mate, it’s getting old at this point.” He patted Ron’s shoulder and nodded in (Y/n)’s direction. Ron noticed and instantly stiffened up, his heart raced every time he saw you. So that’s what he did, well that’s what he attempted to do…

It ended up being a complete disaster… When he approached you at the entrance of the great hall, he froze but it was too late you already saw him and waved, excited to see him and get a chance to talk to him again. “Hey! I’ve been meaning to chat with you again,” You meet him halfway, you can’t help but smile every time you see him. There was just something about him that made you happy, meanwhile, in Ron’s brain, it looked like that one scene in Spongebob where his brain was on fire and there was mini Spongebob’s running around screaming. Yeah, that was what it looked like. Ron blackout, but from (Y/n)’s p.o.v his words came out fast and all jumbled.

“Uhhh… erm, Hiwouldyouli-want-tomaybegoonadatewithme?” He was visibly nervous, he swaying side to side, and you could guess his hands were clammy. You felt bad for the guy, you fancy him too.

“I’m sorry?” You gave a sympathetic look towards him, trying your best to understand what he just said. You think you heard the word date? He took a deep breath and tried saying it again,

“Would you like to go on a date with me? Please?” Ron wanted to punch himself for being such a git, he was thinking this is going very bad and he was so lost in his thoughts that he barely heard (Y/n) says yes.

“What?” He looked confused, “Did you say yes?” You giggled at his nervousness, “Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you.” He has a goofy smile on his face, “Great, so this weekend?” You nod eagerly.

Draco: The past few weeks, you dreaded going to potions class. Every day it spiked up your anxiety levels to the max, you try to stay as calm as possible but your thoughts keep running in circles about how good Draco smells and other things, then you tell yourself to snap out of it and by the time you do you’ve missed a section of very important notes or you knicked yourself with the knife when you were supposed to be cutting some ingredient. Damn. Before you swapped partners you were the 3rd best in class, right behind Draco who was behind Hermione. 'Maybe Snape did have the right idea putting use together, he probably thought we’d make a good pair considering how smart we both are. He’s probably disappointed with how many mistakes I’ve made since working with Draco, and Draco must be annoyed with my clumsiness. Why do I have to have a crush on such a git?! Merlin, I need to get a grip.’

When I’m not messing up it seems like Draco enjoys my company? Or isn’t completely annoyed by it anyway. We get along well enough,

“Hey, erm, do you have any plans later tonight?” I turn my head to look at Draco. 'Did I just hear that right? Did Draco Malfoy just ask me out?’ I turn my head to see Snape going over our homework from last week,

“Um, I just have some homework from other classes to go over but other than that I’m free. Why you ask?” I whisper back unsure of what his intentions were? These past weeks, Hermione has told me Draco hasn’t been harassing her as much which I find strange but I’m glad about that. “No reason, well it’s just that you could use some extra studying and I thought you’d enjoy my company.” 'Ugh, why do I like this guy?’  “Uh, thanks? We could study together after dinner, that’ll give us a couple of hours before curfew. Sound good?” He nods then goes on with class like that conversation never happened. 'What the hell just happened?’  

Fred: Ever since that prank you pulled on that Ravenclaw word spread and still no one knew who pulled it off. Of course, there was an announcement saying that the staff knows who done it so they might as well come forward and accept their punishment but weeks went by and nothing happened, no surprise there. The only people who knew were Fred, George, and your two dormmates. Fred was so proud of you, well everyone was but Fred especially. After that prank you caught yourself spending more time with the Weasley twins and you started to develop a crush on Fred. There was something about his personality, he was so easy to talk to aswell.

Free period, I finally get a chance to breathe. “(Y/n)!” Noo~ I turn around to figure out if it was George or Fred calling my name so I know who to knee in the balls, they know not to bother with my “study” time. I just want to go to my common room and take a nap, that’s it. The time I waste talking to whoever, there goes how many minutes of sleep I lost.

Oh, it’s Fred. “Oh, hey Fred.” I move to the side of the hallway so I don’t get crushed by the stampede of students. Damn, he’s cute. “Hey, (Y/n) I was wondering if you wanted to join me and a few of my other friends this weekend at Hogsmeade?”

“Sure, I’d like that. May I ask why the sudden interest in me?”

“Well, if you must I fancy you” You’re taken back “Really? You fancy me?,” You pointed to yourself, “Not Angelica? Because I heard she fancies you, also I’m so boring. I don’t understand why you would fancy someone like m-”

“(Y/n)! I fancy you alright and there are reasons I fancy you. The more time I spend with you the more I fall for you. I find it adorable that you take naps after classes and one more thing you’re not boring! You’re hilarious, you’re so carefree and that prank idea you had was genius! So please stop being so down on yourself and please come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend” The entire time he was caressing your face, it was sort of difficult to focus on his words when you were so lost in his eyes.

You can’t stop smiling, so you just nod a yes, “Great, now will you let me join you for a nap. I could use one right about now.” You looked confused, “Wait, I thought you didn’t have a free period today?” You raise your eyebrow in confusion.

“You’re right I don’t but it’ll probably be boring and I would most likely fall asleep, so why sleep there at an uncomfortable desk when I could be cuddling you?” You laugh as he sends you a wink, “Who said anything about cuddling?” “I just did.” You laugh some more, “Now cmon slowpoke time’s a-wasting.”

George: The Yule ball was still a while away so you were glad George asked you when he did. On our date, we found out a lot about each other and we have a lot in common. And you became a little bit less mysterious to him and his feelings grew more for you. You had no idea what he had planned for the date so when he told you to meet him at the Astormany Tower at 11:00 pm you were a bit anxious, to say the least.

You try you’re best to walk quietly so you won’t draw any attention from a prefect or worse Flich or Mrs. Norris. It was freezing out so it was really difficult to look cute while not freezing to death. So just opted for a hoodie and some skinny jeans, you tried your best with your makeup skills, you decided to keep it natural and you left your hair down. You kept fidgeting with your hair and hoodie strings as you make your way up the tower’s stairs. At the top of the stairs, you see his read hair almost immediately, you also notice a blanket spread out on the ground with a woven basket sitting next to him.

He still hadn’t noticed you, and an evil idea popped into your head. You closer you snuck towards the less control you had of keeping a straight face, you couldn’t help a huge grin. You make a growling noise as you grab his shoulders quicky,

“Merlin!” George jumps up from his spot, “he turns around quickly to see me laughing. He can’t help but laugh as well, "Well hello to you too,” You calm down from your laughing fit and finally admire the scene George laid out in front of you. It looked absolutely beautiful out tonight, the stars were out and the moon was bright enough to light up the tower. You were at a loss for words, that was until George offered you a seat which you gladly accepted. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, endless talking and food lots of food. That date was only the beginning of something great.

Neville: Second year, you became friends, you always stood up for him against Malfoy or any other person that gave him a hard time. Third-year, he started to develop a crush now that both of you were changing, growing into your bodies. There was something about you that changed that only he truly noticed, you were more confident in yourself. You were before last year but you’re even more so now and it made him care about you, even more. Now it’s year four, a full two years later and talk about the Yule Ball has come into full effect. The talk about the ball is stressful but so is this essay for Muggle Studies.

You help him with his self-esteem problems, you’re his outlet when it comes to his feelings about his parents and his grandmother. Neville tells you things that he just can’t with his grandmother, every day you two grow closer but you’re too scared to admit the way you feel to him because you think he just sees you as a friend, nothing more than that. You like the way things are and you don’t want to risk anything by saying something you might regret.

“Hey, Neville,” You guys were sprawled out on one of the couches in the Gryffindor common room You guys tend to take up the whole couch which annoys some people, you were laying on your back while Neville was sitting properly on the couch as you were using him as a footrest. You tap him with your foot until he lifts his head from his Herbology book he was lost in.

“Hmm, yeah?” He glances at you then goes back to his book, “Ugh, Neville~~~ I need your help with my essay. Can you please reread it, I feel like I can do better with it.” He closes his book, to give you his full attention, “Alright, hand it over.” You hand him your paper, he takes a few minutes going over your paper and you take this moment to gaze at him. You think about how attractive he’s become since you first met him, he’s truly becoming a man and damn do you wish he will take you to the Yule ball.

“(y/n), did you hear me?” You snap out of your thought and come back to Earth, “Huh, sorry I was spacing out.” He laughs, “Well yeah that’s because you’ve been up all night and getting up early in the mornings to finish this essay.” He hands back your essay and starts to push your legs off his lap. You sit up, eager to what he has to say, “Well how is it? Does it more detail? Does it sound good enough, do I need to edit it anymore-” “Alright, I’m going to stop you there.” He turns to face towards me, grabs my hands and pulls me in closer. “It’s perfect. Now go to bed.”

Cedric: Every week you and Cedric would meet at a tree near the Black Lake and you’d swap books. You’d give him a muggle book and he’d give you one that he’d think you’ll love, and every week you’d talk for hours about how much would love or hate that book. He found your passion for books to be adorable, he found it so cute that you’d rant about how much you’d dislike a certain character or how a different character deserves to be treated better and that they’re misunderstood.

You were ranting on and on about how Luce from Lauren Kate’s “Fallen” doesn’t deserve Daniel because she treats him horribly for some reason?. He stopped listening after a while because he was too distracted by the way the sun hits the back of your hair. It sort of had a halo effect and he thought you looked absolutely stunning, he always thought you looked amazing even if you didn’t. He is so captivated by your beauty that his silence didn’t go unnoticed by you, you thought you were boring him so you stopped taking about starting blushing.

“Sorry, am I boring?"Cedric being the gentleman he says, "Oh no of course not, I just love how passionate you are about these things. It’s one of the reasons I fancy you.” He gave you one of his signature smiles. You stared at him dumbfounded, “Sorry what? Did you just say you fancy me?” You really couldn’t believe your ears. He sat up from his laying position to look at you properly, (Y/n) would you like to go on a date with me?“ Cedric hoped deeply that you would say yes, with a hopeful look on his face your mind was racing with questions. "Well? What do you say?”

“Uh, yes, of course, I’ll go on a date with you.” You were so happy you didn’t care what was the reason he’d fancied you but your mind did quickly fill with insecurities. “Ced?” He smiled, he loved the fact that you already have a nickname for me. “Yes?” “Why do you want to go on a date with me? I swore you like Cho?” He gave you a confused look, “Cho? I don’t fancy her at all, she’s pretty and all but you’re who I’m interested in. I feel like I already know you, you are so down to earth and I want to get to know you more. I need to get to know you more or I feel like I might explode, there’s something so captivating about you and I can’t put my finger on it.”

You were at a loss for words, and before you knew what you were doing you hugged him and he returned the favor within seconds. “I never have had someone say something so sweet about me like that, and that speech how can I say no?”

[llendrinall]

(1) Draco, Harry, Hermione & Ron (aged 23) all are working on a case. Harry & Ron are Aurors. Draco & Hermione are both Healers & Unspeakables. The case is something like a bunch of Death Eater wannabes trying to resurrect the dark lord. So while busting in on their ritual all 4 are transported to their younger bodies at different times. Draco (5), Ron (7), Hermione (9), Harry (11) (The day before Hagrid comes to fetches him.)

(2) Harry and Draco were married so they use a phrase to each other so the other knows that they're the other and then plan a meet in the Room of Requirements. After confirming that Ron and Hermione (Married) are who they are too they go to the meet too. While each playing the roles they had the first time around. They then work out a plan for the war (Since Draco hasn't found a way back they plan to change things).

(3) Draco needs to play the bully/death eater and work to save the lives of the war victims. While Harry, Ron and Hermione work out the horcrux ect. Befor and during the war they secretly work to make preperations and stuff to minimize the damage while also playing their parts as school rivals. And they manage to minimize the deaths and they manage to save a lot of familiar faces. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, George ect.

(4) So after Harry kills Voldemort (He had an argument with Draco cuz Draco was worried he wouldn't come back this time) they're in the grand hall and everyone just sees the golden trio going to Draco with smiles. Ron gives him a handshake, Hermione a Hug, and shockingly Harry kisses him infront of everyone (Draco's parents are like "WTF?") And says "Told you i wouldn't die." "Shut up you bloody git". (In my head its a long fic with a LOT of stuff added. I just wanna know how you'd write this)

 Mmh, yes this would be a long plotty fic, so I won’t detail the structure, just some of the elements I would use to build it.

First, I would have them go back to exactly one month before they turn 11. There is a very nice symmetry there and we avoid having Draco too long in his child’s body. An adult Draco in a 5-year-old body would be terrifying. Lucius would just flee the country.

So they go back to 11 minus one month. Harry and Draco have 1-2 summer months to get settled and start figuring things out, Ron gets around 7 months to think about family dynamics and draft a plan to contact his friends. Hermione has a whole year plus change to rage, study and come up with a definite plan to Get Things Right.

There is a beautiful tense scene as they board the train, because Harry and Ron don’t know if their friend is their old self or their young self. They are both very cautious around each other until Harry notices the way Ron looks at Scabbers and he knows. It just takes a couple of loaded comments afterwards to recognize each other.  

Hermione barges in their compartment in her usual way and they have to drop some very heavy hints to remind her they are not alone. They can’t spook Pettigrew.  Draco comes by, stares at Harry in silence for a whole minute and then passes him a note saying he can’t find the diary and also he ordered Dobby to go serve Harry, he should be waiting in Hogwarts. It is unclear whether Draco knows this Harry is the old Harry because Draco is, and has always been, kind of odd. It took them a while to discover it, but Draco is just a bunch or random powerful ideas held together with anxiety and fire. Harry loves him so much.

They go to Hogwarts. You would think that in this timeline Harry would be the most belligerent/hostile of them, but it is actually Hermione. Hermione is a nightmare student. She has a list of one hundred and fifty names and she is going to save all of them (except maybe Dumbledore and Snape). She has no time nor attention to waste in silly classes telling her what she already knows. She only comes to class sporadically, aces all her tests and hands out beautiful neat homework that barely took ten minutes out of her day to complete. Teachers hate her (or heavily dislike her), but they can’t expel her. It’s beautiful. The twins develop a crush on her.  

Harry waits patiently until Christmas so Dumbledore can gift him the Invisibility Cloak and then announces that he is not going back to the Dursleys. Dumbledore insists. Harry says softly “by Jove, I will not” and Dumbledore thinks about that exchange for a week. He forgets about it when ten days later there is an incident in Transfiguration class and McGonagall discovers that Ron’s pet rat Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew.

(They were going to wait until Quirrell tried to steal the philosopher’s. Hermione insisted they couldn’t deviate too much of the original timeline or they would lose their advantage of knowing what was going to happen. If something was going to change, it was better to attach it to some other important event.

But Harry pointed out that it would be much easier to keep Sirius alive if he had some extra months of freedom and he didn’t have to live as a fugitive and Ron was certain that they would be fine even if they changed everything. It wasn’t just their knowledge of the events to come, it was their knowledge, period, their experience.

Ron is a man now, and adult, and he is kind of freaked out at the shenanigans they did when they were merely children. What were they thinking? Was there no competent adult to point out that were kids? It shouldn’t be up to them to rescue Sirius or Buckbeak, what in the seven hells.)

Anyway, Sirius is freed and Dumbledore is forced to explain everything about prophecies and love magic and blood protection early, because Harry insists he is going to live with Sirius. Harry agrees to go back to the Dursleys for two weeks, but Sirius has to come with him and no, he will not come as a dog, that’s demeaning. He will spend his time at the Dursleys as a human, thank you very much.

Sirius is the first adult to realize that there is something not quite right about Harry. The others had noticed that Harry was… special. But Sirius is the first one to see through, although he doesn’t know what he is seeing exactly.

Lucius still uses the Diary against the Weasleys, but this time Ron picks it up. Their first week back in Hogwarts, they all go for a nice excursion down to the Basilisk lair. They bring the Diadem, too. Harry speaks to the Basilisk and both horcruxes are destroyed.

The rest of the year is spent plotting. Draco takes on the role of the bully and plays it up to hilarious heights. He picks on everyone, and that’s everyone, except Neville and Luna. Funnily, Cedric Diggory is a big fan of him and always answers to Draco’s banter.

Draco suggests having a Duel Club to Lockhart. There has been no student attacks, of course, but Lockhart loves the idea and Draco wants the opportunity to fight Harry and make ridiculously sexually charged comments. They have five very nice duelling sessions until the curse of the DADA post acts up and professor Lockhart is unavailable the rest of the year.

(Harry tutors everyone in his year so this time people will actually now how to cast a protego. Ginny comes to the classes too and is by far his best student).

That summer, Ron has a very long chat with Percy explaining everything. Ron is now eight years older than Percy and understand why his brother fell to the Ministry and rejected his family. The Weasleys had pushed him that way, hadn’t they? Ron also understands that suddenly being nice to Percy and giving him recognition won’t work. It’s too late. But telling Percy they come from another timeline in which Fred died gets Percy’s attention immediately. Percy spends a whole weekend freaking out in silence (nobody notices, of course, and boy is Ron appalled at his family dynamics). Come Monday, Percy emerges relatively calm, all things considered. He has given himself a haircut and is resolved to infiltrate the Ministry.  

The locket is destroyed that summer. They let Sirius and Kreacher do it.

They were hoping to have all horcruxes down before Voldemort rose back, but Pettigrew escapes Azkaban and Voldemort comes back a year ahead of schedule. (Early 4th year).

Dumbledore locates the ring. Despite warnings from all of them (and Snape) he still puts the ring on and gets a curse for it. Hermione says if he is going to be like that, she will take him from her To-Save list.

Barely eight months after Voldemort comes back to power, the Ministry is full of his followers. For now, Voldemort is happy with acting from the shadows, but soon he will want more and the four of them want to avoid open war as much as possible.

Percy sends Ron Helga’s cup, broken. Ron asks how he did it in case they ever find themselves in a similar situation (new timeline and all), but Percy only says that he asked politely. That means there are only two (two? Or is it one?) horcruxes remaining. Draco decides to speed things up, before Voldemort stars his terror campaign. He tells his father than Dumbledore has a mysterious ring with an interesting crest and that’s enough to have Voldemort attack Hogwarts with all his might.

It may not seem like a good idea, but if you think about it it’s much better to have dark wizards try to take over a castle than over a cottage where a half-blood family lives. Plus, now they don’t have to sweep Britain looking for Nagini. They can see her perfectly well down in the grounds trying and failing to eat Hagrid.

The battle draws on and almost becomes a siege. The Ministry comes to help, only they help Voldemort’s side, what with being infiltrated and all.

It’s still preferable to the years of the war.

Sirius has been put under a careful and insistent treatment of “Sirius, no”, so he actually stops when he is told to, he doesn’t follow Pettigrew to a trap and he isn’t killed by Bellatrix. Well done, Sirius! Another advantage of Sirius surviving, beyond the fact that he survived, yay, is that he gets to save Snape when Voldemort decides he might not be a good double spy after all. Snape hates the idea of owing his life to Sirius. It is very entertaining.

Neville kills Bellatrix Lestrange. Luna kills Nagini (and feels bad for it, and cries, sweet Luna, may she always have a soft heart). Peter Pettigrew dies in a freak accident in which both the giant squid and the twins are involved. Cedric Diggory bullies seven Ministry wizards into switching sides.

Things are going good. There are many wounded, more than the last time, but no dead, not on their side.

Harry knows he will have to die, again. And it will have to be Voldemort. He can’t risk having anyone else cast the curse (would they even meant it?). They have changed so many things… They can’t be sure that all those changes won’t coalesce in this one instant in time. They can’t be sure that Harry will make it back.

But Harry still goes, because that’s what he has to do. He tries to make things as similar as possible, act the same way, say the same things. Maybe having Sirius and Moody and Tonks and Lupin alive and well and fighting won’t matter if Harry just follows the script on this.

But just in case it will matter, just in case Harry doesn’t come back this time, he throws some ad lib.

“Hey, Tom,” Harry says, holding his thumb between his index and middle finger. “I’ve got your nose.”

Well, at least he can be sure that Voldemort means it when he cast the curse.

 The honour of killing Voldemort falls on Hagrid this time. It isn’t pretty.

And Harry comes back. Draco forgives him just for having said that line.

[mageicalwishes]

Read on AO3: here

Rating: Teen & Up

Summary: Simon and Baz have barely spent any time together recently with Baz bogged down at Uni, so a cosy night-in with Great British Bake-off and Dinner is long overdue.

Tags: Fluff, Flirting, Great British Bake Off, Innuendo, Simon Helps Baz Cope With Exam Stress, Domestic Fluff, Post-Book 2: Wayward Son, One Shot.

Words: 1,621

Simon

“Hey, Snow. I’m just going to head home and shower quickly, and then I’ll be on my way. Give me … Forty minutes?”

He sounds tired - So tired - but it’s nice to hear his voice.

We’ve barely spoken these last few weeks, with his Uni Assessment Period - Our conversations cut down to ‘Good morning’s, ‘Good luck’s and ‘Good night’s - But it’s alright. I understand.

He’s been completely swamped with Essays and Exams recently. And last time we were together when he was trying to study, he got awfully snappy. It’s not that I was trying to be annoying or anything, but I’ve never been the best at sitting still … or being quiet, so I know that I was (Even though he was too polite to say so, at the time).

So this time we kept our distance. Even though it hurt.

“Yeah, okay. Are you … are you sure that you want to come over today? We can rearrange or something, if you want to rest at home, instead. I haven’t cooked dinner or anything, yet. It’s no hassle.” I offer, doing my best to sound encouraging (Although even I can hear the disappointment in my voice).

“No I- It’s been far too long. I’ll be there as soon as possible, Love.”

“Alright then. If you're sure,” I smile. “I’ll see you soon."

————————————————————————————

I open the door to a disarrayed Baz - His under-eyes blackened, skin dulled, and hair hanging in a waved, damp sheet against his face. Compared to his usual impeccable self, he looks a mess (Well, the Baz version of a mess, anyway. He’d still be right at home on some fancy fashion billboard. The fit tosser), and if the droning tone he greets me with is anything to go by, he feels it too. 

I want to drag him into a kiss and snog him until he forgets all about Uni and Tests and shitty Economics, but I don’t know if I should. If I can. And … It’s been so long that I don't think that I’d even be able to do it right. Knowing me, It’d probably just end up being all stiff and awkward, which I doubt would help. So I refrain. 

“Hey,” I say. “How did your test go?”

“I’m going to torch the Examinations Office,” he deadpans, shoving the door closed. 

Fuck. Wincing, I reach up and help him shrug off his coat. “That bad, huh?”

“Worse. I’m being generous because they at least had the decency to include a few multiple choice questions. Otherwise the whole bloody building would be getting it.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, grabbing a hold of hands and tracing swirls against the cool of skin. “But I’m sure that you’ve done better than you think. You're clever, and you've definitely put enough work in, so I'm sure that if you found it difficult, everybody else did too. Grade boundaries will help you out.”

“Hmm. Maybe,” he hums, clearly unconvinced. 

“Definitely,” I assert, pulling him into the Living room. “But just … try and forget about all that, now. However it went, it’s over, so don’t stress. Let’s just watch some Bake Off, yeah? I’ve been saving them all so that we could watch them together.” 

That, finally, earns me a smile. And while it’s small, and painfully fleeting, it’s definitely there, which is a start. 

“Yeah alright,” he sighs, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple. “Let’s do that.”

Once we settle down onto the sofa, I tug him close to my side and rub the back of my hand against his stomach slowly, as we watch - The tension of his body loosening under my ministrations. 

“You alright?” I mumble, resting my jaw atop his head.  

“Yes. Why?” 

“You’re all quiet, that’s all. Normally you insult all of their bakes.” 

“Yeah, I’m just … I’m concerned that I haven’t done enough. I need to finish with a First. I know - What I’ve done wasn’t good enough. I’m sure of it.” 

Back at Watford, I'd always just assumed that Baz didn’t stress about Work, or Exams, or Grades. He'd always appeared so infallibly unbothered, and it seemed to me that he could get perfect grades in his sleep. But … I guess that I wasn’t paying close enough attention (Not to that, anyway). 

I’ve seen the ugly side of Baz’s academic achievement now. Drafting and re-drafting essays until his eyes are heavy and his wrists are pounding. Staying up all night to cram in more revision time, and forcing himself through the next day with obscene amounts of coffee. The stern, miserable day-long silences when he fails to get the grades he was hoping for. 

I’ve told him time and time again to ease up on himself - That A ‘B’ isn’t the end of the world, and that exhausting himself will do no good - but he never listens. And I don’t know how to make him see. All I can do is try and comfort him when it gets bad. 

“Baz. Come on. You’re some kind of freaky, vampire genius. I’m sure what you did is more than enough. Okay? You just need to … relax.” He doesn’t answer, so I tilt him off of my chest and twist his jaw around to face me. “Okay?” 

Pouting, he swats my hand away and spins himself back around (Stroppy git). “Alright. If you say so, Snow” 

Smiling, I pinch at his waist, earning myself a delightfully startled yelp. “Tell me what you think of that guy’s soggy bottom then.” 

“You’re a nightmare,” he scoffs. But behind his words, I know he’s smiling. I can hear it clear as day. 

We don’t talk much at all after that, and soon enough he falls asleep. 

We’re barely half way through the first episode, when his breaths even out into soft, sleepy puffs. And while I had intended to binge through at least the first half of the series, I’m glad for it - It’s obvious that he needs the sleep. 

So, leaning over as best I can with his weight still pressed against me, I pull Penny’s discarded blanket over him and switch channels, settling myself in for the night, contentedly. 

————————————————————————————

Baz

I awake disoriented and heavy, Snow’s far away voice calling out for me as he shakes my arm gently. The room coming back to me in pieces - A warm sofa, and dim lights. The curtains drawn and television murmuring on quietly. And Simon - Beaming up at me from where he’s crouched on the floor. 

“Hey, sleepyhead. I made you dinner.” 

Scrubbing the sleep from my eye, I speak, voice low and rough. “What time is it?” 

“Uh … I dunno like Nine or something? Why?” 

“Nine!” I repeat. “Crowley, Snow, why didn’t you wake me?” 

“You were sleepy,” he whines. “Come on, Bazzy, it doesn’t matter. Lets just eat dinner. I’m starved.” 

I glare at him as best I can with him looking at me like that, dimple popping sweetly and eyes aglow (Which, as it turns out, isn’t very well at all. Since I can’t help the enamoured smile from breaching it’s way across my face, which I imagine rather weakens the blow). “Don’t call me that.” 

Leaning forwards, he presses a kiss to my lips, murmuring out a muffled “Grump”, before pulling away and running off towards the kitchen. Imbecile. 

A moment later he’s back, carrying in a huge casserole dish, spoons, and what I assume is Blood, held in that ghastly Fang-print mug he insisted on buying for me off of Amazon. 

“Shepard's Pie alright?” he asks, flopping himself down besides me, and handing me the offensive mug. 

“More than,” I sigh, pressing a kiss to the mole in the centre of his palm. “Thank you, love.” 

“It’s alright. I made Brownies for pudding too, if you want them.” 

I feel my throat pinch, pathetically at his earnestness.

He’s been ridiculously sweet to me tonight, even though I’ve practically ghosted him for the better part of a month. Even though I don’t really deserve it. 

We’re still not the best at being affectionate with one another - What with all of our … ‘Issues’ these past few years, and the fact that we’ve had far more practise being enemies than boyfriends - but he’s clearly pulling out all the stops this evening. And I’m endlessly grateful. 

Simon Snow my stupid, selfless hero. I must’ve done something really spectacular in a past life to have earnt myself him in this one. 

“Snow. I’m sorry.” 

“Huh. What for?” He asks, frowning. “I - If you want something different I can make it for you. Or … we could have takeaway if you’d prefer.”

“No, no. It’s not that,” I assure, smoothing a hand down his thigh. “I’m sorry for being so absent recently. I didn’t mean to … isolate myself quite so much. It’s not that I didn’t want to spend time with you, you know that I … that I always do. I just got caught up in it all." 

And then he’s laughing at me, tongue poking between his teeth and shoulders shaking. “It’s fine, Baz. You don’t need to go all serious on me. Uni is important, I understand. And you’re here now. That’s all that matters.” 

“Yeah. I’m here now,” I echo. 

“And … I’m sure that you’ll make it up to me later,” he jokes, waggling his eyebrows in comical suggestiveness. A light flush filling his cheeks. 

With a splutter of laughter, I shove him away from me in faux disgrace. Although, knowing me, he’s probably right. I’m painfully weak for Simon Snow. 

I’d do anything he asked of me. I’d give him all that I am. I’d tie our hearts together chamber by chamber.

And I’ll definitely be ‘making it up to him later’ … if that's what he wants. 

[tookishcombeferre]

For the fall sickfics prompts. I would love to see 27, with Combeferre and the other character of your choice.

Ooo I’m so excited for this one. (I’m writing this on my phone right now, but I might do some touch ups and post the final draft to AO3.)

There’s no clear time period this is set in, but it feels a little like a modern AU to me.

27: Reading Together

“How is he doing ‘Jol?” Courfeyrac hung up his coat on the rack.

“He fell asleep early last night. I was trying to talk with him about plans for our meeting next week, and he couldn’t focus on anything I was saying. He kept doing ...”

“That thing where he cocks his head to the right and looks at you like your speaking some other language?” Courfeyrac interrupted.

“Yeah. That. So, I told him to go to sleep. He did, but I knew he needed to get up this morning so I went to wake him up two hours ago. He woke up for approximately thirty seconds, sort of looked at me, and then fell back to sleep. I could tell he was a little dazed, so I sat down next to him, and I sort of nudged him again. That was when I felt how warm he was, and over all, just how awful he must be feeling because he didn’t stir the second time. So, I set him up with some water, and I ran to the clinic and told them what was going on, and I stopped by your flat on the way home there. He hasn’t moved since I left,” Enjolras explained.

Courfeyrac hummed under his breath. “Did you try taking his temperature at all?”

“No. I just needed to let the clinic know he wouldn’t bee there, but we can now.” Enjolras went to the cabinet and pulled out a thermometer.

Courfeyrac wandered over to Combeferre’s door with Enjolras in tow. The door creaked lightly on it’s hinges, as the two friends stepped into their ailing friend’s bedroom.

“’Ferre? It’s Courf, cher.” Courfeyrac rah his fingers slowly and tenderly through Combeferre’s sweaty hair. “It’s Courf. Come on, wake up for us. If you wake up I’ll read to you.”

Combeferre stirred slightly, and he sat up slowly with a lot of unassuredness. He placed his head in his hands within seconds of his eyes being opened.

“Ferre? You okay?” Courfeyrac placed a strong reassuring hand on Cobeffere’s slender shoulders.

“Head hurts.” Combeferre stared into his hands.

“Okay, cher. Let’s take some water.” Courfeyrac gently eased a cup to Combeferre’s lips.

Combeferre drank a little, but he didn’t take much.

“Let’s try to take your temperature?” Enjolras offered the thermometer to Combeferre.

The two friends gently eased Combeferre in a more relaxed position as they all waited on the thermometer.

Courfeyrac tenderly removed the theremometer and raised an eye mbrow. Courfeyrac handed the thermometer over to Enjolras and then eased Combeferre back onto his pillow, and brushed Combeferre’s hair away from his face.

“Anything else hurting besides your head?” Courfeyrac asked quietly as he still played with Combeferre’s hair.

“Not really?” Combeferre grimaced at the sound of his own sleepy voice.

Enjolras had left and then returned with a little cool water and a rag. “We can try washing your face and see if that helps a little. I can try finding something to bring down the fever later too.”

Courfeyrac nodded as he took the cool rag, rung it out, and washed Combeferre’s face with it.

Combeferre opened his mouth to speak but Courfeyrac shushed him.

“You’re welcome. Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. Just rest against me while I read to you.” Courfeyrac adjusted Combeferre against his chest.

Courfeyrac searched around the dressers on Combeferre’s desk and found a book. He picked it up and smiled.

“Ooo an American? Scandalous. Thomas Paine’s The Crisis,” Courfeyrac laughed lightly under his breath.

“He’s a bit patriarchal for my taste, but the,” Combeferre yawned “the message is good. He’s a very humanitarian revolutionary. I appreciate that.”

Courfeyrac shook his head lightly. “Of course you do.”

Courfeyrac cracked open the book and began reading. “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country, but he who stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of men and women. Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered, but the harder the victory the more glorious the triumph ...”

Courfeyrac paused to look down at Combeferre for a moment, and he noticed that his friend had, once again, fallen asleep. Combeferre was not wearing his glasses as he usually did, and Courfeyrac was forced to admit that it made Combeferre look years younger. It was especially apparent since Combeferre’s mouth was slightly open, and his fingers were curled into the fabric of Courfeyrac’s shirt.

Courfeyrac smiled and gently placed a kiss along Combeferre’s hairline. “Well, since you liked my reading so much, I shall keep going.”

So, they stayed that way for the better part of the morning into the afternoon. Enjolras brought food in for Courfeyrac who managed to eat without disturbing Combeferre once.

“Just let him sleep,” Courfeyrac smiled. “I’ll stay here until tomorrow. We can try to get him to eat then. For now, we got a little water in him this morning and once again in the afternoon around lunch. He’ll be okay.”

“Thanks for doing this. You know I’m ... uhh ...” Enjolras rubbed the back of his head, “kind of useless on this front.”

Courfeyrac stifled a laugh. “Yeah ... can’t say you’re great at this. But, it’s what I’m here for right?”

Enjolras smiled and moved to close the door. “You know he likes you too right?”

Courfeyrac spluttered a little. “What are you implying? I don’t ...”

Courfeyrac’s blush gave him away immediately. “Am I that obvious?”

“No more obvious than ‘ferre, and he’s completely smitten. You’re just oblivious.” Enjolras shut the door completely behind him.

“Insufferable git.” Courfeyrac placed his head back against the headboard.

After a moment, he looked down at Combeferre who was still resting against his chest. “Well, lets get back to your Paine fellow. We do have all night.”

So, there they remained until Courfeyrac fell asleep. His arm wrapped around Combeferre with his finger still marking the page on which they had stopped. His other arm gently came around Combeferre’s waist and rested on his knee.

The morning light embraced them and neither stirred.

[sirrriusblack]

A Miscommunication

So does anyone remember that time, a little while ago, when I asked for non-wolfstar prompts and then proceeded to procrastinate those prompts and post a bunch of old drafts I had to fill in for the fact that I haven’t really been able to write for like two weeks? Because I feel absolutely horrible that it took me so long to actually write and I’m very sorry, but here’s the first prompt which I got from @kingfoxjellyfish and I’m very sorry for how terrible this is, it’s just a crackity crack fic to be honest.

Prompt: Jily prompt where Siri and Snape are mistaken being in a relationship?

* * *

James extended his hand and bowed. Lily failed to hide her smile and took his hand, shaking her head.

“M’lady,” he said, linking her arm in his. They began walking toward the portrait hole.

“You’re an idiot, James,” Lily replied. She had to admit this wasn’t a good idea. James was always going after Lily. She was always saying no. He was a big-headed, arrogant git. But Lily was also… drawn to him. And she hated it. But either way, she’d agreed to help him with his potions OWLs.

“Hey, you can’t insult me on a date,” James said, turning her around the corner of the hallway. Lily stopped in her tracks and unlinked her arm from James.

“James, this isn’t a date,” she said, sharply. James laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “No, honestly James, I’m helping you study and if you get weird about it, I’m leaving.” Lily crossed her arms. She was not going to let James Potter charm his way out of this. She was trying. She was trying to give him a chance. But she didn’t know if it would work. His smirk fell and he looked at her, hazel eyes shining.

“Apologies, m’lady. Henceforth I shall have nothing but study on my mind,” he said. Lily rolled her eyes and let herself smile this time, but quickly moved away when James tried to link his arm with hers again. She did let him carry all the books though.

“So how much have you actually studied? You know, OWLs are next week,” Lily said. They rounded another corner. James made a face at a small stream of water that was falling down the wall. It disappeared when it reached the floor. Lily chose not to question it and instead looked at James, who was messing around with his hair again.

“How much have I actually studied potions?” He raised his eyebrow. Lily nodded. “Uhh… not at all?” he said, like it was a question. Lily shook her head and huffed a laugh.

“Look Potter, you might be able to strut around, top of the class, without actually doing any work but couldn’t you at least-” James stuck his arm out as they rounded another corner and stopped in his tracks, stopping Lily too. He spun them around suddenly, so they were both against the wall.

“Sorry, Evans, I really hate to interrupt you finally admitting I’m top of the class, I’m flattered and all, but I’m going to have to ask you to be quiet,” he said, his arm still over Lily. She pushed it away and glared at him.

“What’s going on, Potter?” she asked, leaning forward. He hushed her, which, on second thought was probably a stupid idea. But she didn’t say anything, only looked at James. He pointed around the corner and she sighed, but took a look.

Sirius stood over someone against the stone wall. His hands were placed either side, his face inches away from-

“Severus?” Lily whispered. James hushed her again and she glared. Sirius was muttering something that they couldn’t hear. She tried to push past James and walk up to them, but James reached out and closed his hand around her wrist.

“Wait!”

“Oi!” Lily whisper-shouted. He let go of her wrist immediately and looked at her sheepishly.

“Sorry, Lily, but just- look,” he said, gesturing to the two boys. Lily scoffed and turned back to face them. How neither of them had heard James or Lily was a mystery.

“The only thing I see, James, is Black pinning Severus against the wall,” she growled. James sighed at the implication. Sirius was doing that, technically.

“Exactly, Lily. But look, neither of them have their wand out,” he said, simply, like it was supposed to mean something. Lily squinted at James.

“Ever heard of a fist fight, Potter?” she asked, exasperated. James rolled his eyes.

“Lily, they don’t look like they’re fighting,” he said, eyebrows raised. Lily looked back toward them, confused. James was right, though. Severus and Sirius were merely looking at each other. They weren’t talking, and more importantly, they weren’t yelling. Lily looked back to James.

“Why… why not?” she asked. James shrugged and strained his neck to listen. Someone cleared their throat around the corner where the boys were and James and Lily moved back against the wall.

“Boys.” They heard some shuffling as the two boys separated.

“Hey Minnie,” they heard from Sirius. Then a huff of exasperation. Lily locked eyes with James, who was so far back into the wall it was like he was trying to melt into it.

“Is there something wrong, boys?” McGonagall asked cautiously. Sirius replied with a smirk in his voice.

“Nothing at all, Minnie, dear.” Lily could almost see his smug position, could almost see the glint in his eyes.

“Severus?” she asked. Lily could almost see him, too. Standing straight, not backing down.

“Nothing at all,” he repeated. Lily shook her head. She didn’t know why he let those four get away with everything they did to him. Professor McGonagall stared at them for a moment before she walked away.

Lily made to move out from behind the wall before James whispered a hurried, “wait.” She turned her head back and glared at him but listened along anyway.

“This needs to stop,” Severus said, pacing a small line in the corridor. “You need to stop,” he cut the pacing short after Sirius didn’t respond. Lily craned her neck a little further to see what was happening. Sirius was leaning against the wall, smirking.

“Why’s that, Snivellus?” he asked. Lily cringed, but something made her stay still. Severus narrowed his eyes.

“Because we almost got caught this time and next time, it’ll be worse. So there won’t be a next time.” Lily furrowed her brow as Severus finished talking. That conversation, for all that it was, didn’t sound like… it didn’t sound like Sirius had just been bullying Severus. Lily turned to James and he gave her a knowing look. She pulled him away from the corner, just far enough that they could whisper back and forth without being heard.

“No,” Lily said. James huffed a laugh and shrugged.

“It certainly seems that way,” he replied. Lily shook her head, some hair falling out of the dutch braids Marlene had done this morning.

“No. Severus and Sirius aren’t- Sev isn’t- I don’t even think Severus is gay,” Lily finally settled on. James laughed.

“Yeah, well I thought Sirius was mad for Remus but that—” he gestured to the occupied corner, “—says otherwise. Lily nodded a lot. Like, a little too much. James looked at her oddly.

“What?” she asked, looking up. James cracked a smile and shook his head, motioning for Lily to follow. They got back to the corner.

Sirius’ smirk grew into a grin when Severus made a face at him and pulled out his wand. Lily shouted and rounded the corner.

“Stop!”

“Lily?” blurted Severus at the same time Sirius sputtered,

“Evans?” James turned the corner too. “Prongs?”

“Potter? What are you doing hanging out with him, Lily?” Severus sneered, pointing lazily at James with his wand. Lily rolled her eyes at all of them.

“What are you doing hanging out with him?” James repeated, but he was looking at Sirius, his nose scrunched to keep his glasses from falling down his face. Sirius opened and closed his mouth.

“Hanging out?” Severus spat. Lily's breath quickened. James ran a hand through his hair and tilted his head at Sirius.

“Are you—are you… dating?” Lily choked out. Severus and Sirius cringed at the same time. Sirius stepped away from Severus, right back into the wall.

“Excuse me, what?” Sirius asked, dumbfounded. He looked to James, who was shaking his head and muttering.

“Look if you’re gay Sev, that’s perfectly okay, why didn’t you tell me?” Lily stepped forward carefully, sincerity in her eyes as she looked at Severus. He stepped away, confused.

What in Merlin’s left testicle are you on about, Evans?” Sirius asked. Lily looked toward him and opened her mouth, but James stopped his muttering and cut in.

“‘We almost got caught this time and next time, it’ll be worse,’” James quoted Severus. “What the hell was that about?” Realisation dawned on Sirius’ face as he realised how that sounded. Severus scoffed at James.

“You were eavesdropping, Potter? I don’t know why I’m surprised,” he said. James bit his tongue to hold back from saying something stupid and looked at Sirius. He then proceeded to say something even more stupid.

“I love you Pads, but what the fuck?” he asked, confused. Sirius’ mouth was parted, like he was trying to think of something to say. Lily hadn’t spoken in a while. She was just looking at Severus, waiting for him to say whatever was sputtering on the top of his tongue. Lily and James were both waiting actually, for an explanation. Sirius lowered his head and mumbled an incoherent sentence. Lily frowned.

“What was that?” She looked from Sirius to Severus, but he was only staring at his feet.

“Snape was helping me,” Sirius mumbled again, a little clearer. James choked and cleared his throat.

“Im sorry—what?” he spat. Lily looked just as confused.

“I… Snape was telling me what was happening with Reg now that he won’t talk to me,” Sirius explained, his voice growing thin. James’ eyes softened but Lily only kept looking between the two boys.

“And what did you do to Severus to make him tell you, Black?” she asked, her tone a little shorter than it usually was with Sirius.

“What? Nothing! I… I’m paying him,” Sirius said. Severus' weight shifted between his feet as he continued to stare at the ground. James’ whole body had sagged, like the light that was gone from his eyes had taken something from his body too. It hurt James, Lily realised, to know that Sirius felt he had to check in on Regulus. Lily didn’t know much about Sirius’ home life but from what she gathered, it wasn’t very good.

“So you’re not… you’re not dating?” James sputtered, almost cringing at the thought. Lily rolled her eyes.

“No!” The boys said at the same time. They looked at each other wearily and stepped further away from each other.

“I’m going now,” Severus said, backing up slowly. Lily walked toward him to go with him. James was already at Sirius’ side, checking him over to make sure he was okay. Lily almost stopped to ask James about his OWLs, but thought better of it when he turned back to look at her. They smiled a little to each other before Sirius and James began walking down the hall. When Lily turned back to Severus, he was watching them walk away.

“You think I’d date Black if I was gay?” he scoffed, looking to Lily. She huffed a laugh and shoved him. “Nah, I see the way you look at Malfoy, you’d never betray him like that.” Severus flipped Lily off and started walking away from her. She only laughed and jogged to catch up with him.