#MERLIN DESERVES TO BE OUT TO EVERYONE ALL THE TIME it's not FAIR

[arguablysomaya]

please, elaborate on merlin bbc propaganda and stuff

okay basically:

bbc merlin is a show taking place during a genocide

camelot for 20 years has been genociding and ethnically cleansing everyone who can use magic, including magical creatures. They were all either exiled, fled, live in refugee camps or in hiding, and a great many were executed and slaughtered. Generally speaking, life is inhospitable in camelot for magic users.

And the show makes no attempt to hide this fact, either. We see multiple times over the death and destruction this genocide has wraught, and how radicalized most of the remaining magic population is because of it. For the past few decades, camelot has essentially been doing 2 things: persecuting magic users, and defending itself from vengeful/liberationist magic users

the king (uther) believes that magic users are (stop me if you've heard this one) corruptive, shifty, and evil. he's always paranoid that a magic user will take their revenge on him. and in a way, he's right: there are in fact a lot of magic users eager to kill him, but given the whole Great Purge and literally drowning children thing, you'd thing the show would be a bit more sympathetic to their plight. Nope.

in come merlin and gaius, our two main magic users. merlin is the protagonist, and gaius his benevolent mentor, so the audience is primed to be on their side. only one problem: from bascially the beginning of the series, these two are nothing more than agents for the very state carrying out the genocide. they devote their time to wholeheartedly defending camelot, especially from magic users, something they are rightfully called traitors for. they actively intervene to prolong the lives (and therefore regimes) of both arthur and uther, despite neither king showing any real interest in freeing their people. gauis represents the "diversity" of a genocidaire state; as someone uther only keeps around so long as he shuns any involvement with magic except what helps uther carry put his genocide, gaius hides and rejects every marginalized part of himself that threatens his access to power. even as a member of the oppressed class, he aids and abets the oppressors every step of the way. merlin, as an extremely powerful agic user in hiding, follows suit. the thing is, like so many other minority collaborators, this doesn't actually buy them safety, since they are Other, they still have to walk around on eggshells knowing one wrong move could get their heads chopped off. but this action of defending a regime that would kill you without a second's hesitation is presented as noble and heroic in the show, when in reality it's stupid at best and evil at worst. merlin and gaius might save a token kid from being brutally murdered, but they will never let anyone take action, let alone take action themselves, to proactively stop the brutality.

merlin is literally the most powerful sorcerer alive. if he wanted to, he could create a more fair, more just, better world in a blink. instead, he spends his time pretending to be a hapless servent, messing around with his war criminal friends, and killing any freedom fighter who dares to even look at the prince or king. why? well, he believes in the institutions (and a prophecy that never comes true... lol). ultimately, merlin and gauis hold the same prejudices and stereotypes about magic users that uther does: that they're untrustworthy, dangerous, and that it would be better for everyone if all but themselves (the good ones) just died or left.

and all the people they're defending the empire against... are other oppressed magic users. the VAST majority of antagonists are either magicians or magic sympathizers. even in the context of a genocide, the show takes the firm stance that the architects of genocide (the literal kings who order it to happen) are just flawed human beings who still don't deserve to be killed, while when the people they seek to wipe out fight back, our protagonists will happily mow them down. the show has no problem with killing people,and even killing innocents is only worthy of a fingerwag. it's fighting for liberation that the show makes the real problem. even when uther finally dies the show plays it like something sad, as if anyone is supposed to feel anything but joy that this old tyrant genocidaire finally kicked the bucket after having been saved a million times over from getting his comeuppance. Every magic user that has genuinely good reasons to want to tear down the kingdom are all painted with the "crazy evil person" brush.

another thing is that this show likes to get ~quirky~ with their agents of the state. along with arthur and merlin come a colorful cast of characters like the knights that you can laugh and cry with. the only problem is that despite how lovable these people are, they're still actively carrying out and enforcing a genocide. it's a bit like those tiktoks of IDF soldiers dancing or proposing. i can't feel for these people because despite seeming like relatable people, they're still engaging in something horrific. you can't escape the fact that these people can only exist in the relatively easy capacity that they do because the empire they work for is brutally repressing and eliminating entire cultures.

but the thing is, this strategy actually works. the fandom is often so taken in by fun character interactions and shipping moments that you can often witness people literally look past, or even praise their acts of genocide. these characters are so charming with each other that you can look past how awfully they treat oppressed people. yay! the prevalence of merthur brings up too many idf pinkwashing parallels it's actually insufferable. i had hoped we left oppressor/oppressed person ships behind in the 2010s but guess it's still around

by the time he takes over as king, the "great, kind" arthur is essentially an IDF soldier who only realized that Killing Is Bad Actually when he's got crosshairs on a random kid. now Reformed (TM), he takes the brave stance that he should only kill the angry bad magic users who try to exact their revenge for the whole genocide thing on him, and the peaceful (more often than not, harmless) magic users should accept the merciful counterplan of ethnically cleansing themselves from the region, or continuing to live in refugee camps, but this time with less threat of massacre. in this show, the only acceptable answer to being genocided is to either lay down and die, hide forever, or displace yourself hoping the empire doesn't come and kill you anyway. fighting back, getting revenge, defending oneself, trying to change things: these are all reserved only for the genocidal state.

in other words, bbc merlin is the exact type of genocide obfuscation that most modern genocides engage in. the suffering of oppressed peoples, even innocents, is a footnote. when they suffer, sometimes it's presented as sad, and other times it's presented as deserved. meanwhile, the suffering of the oppressors, no matter how justifyable, is always landmark and deserves our full attention and sympathies, because the thing about the oppressors is that it's always their story.

(the last thing is a common fantasy problem, which is that when you create stories where different classes have actual, material, biological distinctions, it can end up justifying the oppression. in the real world, there is a very limited range of innate human abilities, and people from across the world are largely evenly matched. but in merlin, a sorcerer actually does pose an increased threat to those around them. in terms of allegory... kinda not the best thing to so without any real refutation to the idea that magic corrupts)

so yeah. that's why i don't fuck with this show even though it's enjoyable to watch.

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

oh my gosh, those mergwen headcanons are so freaking adorable!!!! i need, like, a hundred more, oh my gosh. fantastic!!! this pairing deserves so much love, it's so cute TT

(Referencing These Headcanons)

More you say?

Hmm

Ok

I can manage a few more😁

First off, go HERE, to find a headcanon for how they act when Gwen goes into labour with their first kiddy. I fully intend to write this scenario into a full, fluffy fic one day. But yeah. They’re super excitable and everyone is super in awe of how chilled out they are considering Gwen is on her merry way to push a whole mini person out of her coochie (Gwaine was subsequently set on fire for wording it like that). They’re going to be SUCH good parents and everyone knows it.

Both of them, though Gwen starts first, when she’s pregnant, find themselves using their parent voice on their friends, but the thing is, it genuinely tends to work more often than not. The others find this very horrifying and also rather annoying (and hilarious when it’s someone else). When kiddy is older, and speaking and learning, Merlin, exhausted and in an odd headspace, has (on several occasions) said things like “Say hello to the duck, Elyan” (on a patrol) and “No touching, Leon, only looking” (when they went exploring the market together) and “Inside voices, Gwaine” (when he was laughing at a joke in a tavern). He will also, when he’s REALLY exhausted, try to get Arthur into bed at like... the medieval equivalent of 6pm. Because The King is a child, who can’t be up past his bedtime. He also took to cutting Arthur’s food up really small before he served it for a while, until Arthur pointed it out. It was genuinely just muscle memory, and Merlin was pretty embarrassed lol.

Elyan, obviously, gets used to the parent voice the quickest. Leon however... he never stops struggling. He blue-screens for a solid ten seconds every time it happens.

Jumping back again, once they get together, every gift they get someone else is exactly what the receiver needs in the moment, even if they hadn't previously realised it. No one will say it out loud it fear of hurting someone else's feelings, but everyone looks forward to whatever Mergwen gets them for Yule/Birthdays the most.

If they don't want to be found?? They won't be found. Of everyone in the castle, they're the ones that know the most about the secret tunnels and hidden rooms and gaps between walls. They can get anywhere unseen, and it also means they can just hangout uninterrupted any time they want.

They have pets after they move in together. Probably just half feral/outside cats at first, because they both work, but they get big ol' doggos later down the line.

On one memorable occasion, Gwen fully slaps Arthur in the face for making a slightly off colour joke about Merlin. Merlin was already tired and annoyed, so Gwen could see he was slightly more upset about it than normal, and Gwen was also tired and tetchy, due to having been up all night waiting for Merlin to come home from fighting the week's villain. She's utterly mortified after she finishes shouting at him for underappreciating Merlin, and just being plain cruel to him sometimes, but everyone else thinks it’s hilarious, and Arthur gives Merlin the meekest, but most sincere apology that has ever exited his mouth, before scurrying off, embarrassed.

On a similar line, Merlin has intimidated his fair share of arseholes in taverns and bars who wouldn't leave Gwen alone.

Gwen painstakingly and patiently teaches Merlin how to braid hair, and he becomes a master at it. They braid flowers into each others hair, and Merlin grows his out a little longer because of this.

On a slightly darker note, Merlin teaches Gwen how to properly clean and sew wounds, how to deal with blood loss, with concussion, with loss of consciousness. Once he becomes more comfortable with the idea of going to Gwen’s house, instead of Gaius (as a matter of practicality, OR avoiding a lecture), she utilises these skills regularly and impressively.

The Druids all call her My Lady and bow to her and give her flower crowns and cloaks and stuff upon first meeting her. She is baffled, and embarrassed, and hates it, but Merlin refuses to ask them to stop because she is a queen in his eyes. Merlin is, oddly enough, happy to take his place as King/Lord of the Druids, if it means Gwen also gets treated like royalty by the people he adores so much.

They don’t really do pet-names, probably just a casual “love” from Merlin, and “Merls” from Gwen. Maybe the odd “sweetheart” is thrown in the mix here and there.

so SOMFT

~

:D

[weakforarwen]

The Moment of Truth

I’ve so many things to say about this episode, I don’t know where to start. 

This is one of the best episodes in the series. I didn’t properly appreciate season 1 the first time, but I will now. The difference that not having evil Morgana makes. The series did need a plot to drive it, something that was lacking in the first two seasons, but, at its core, it was meant to be lighthearted and whimsical. In the later seasons, the tone changes and becomes too heavy. Morgana was so great like this... they ruined her for no reason.

Merlin and Arthur’s dynamic was so different in the beginning, so much sweeter. When I began watching the series I understood why people shipped them. Arthur was so much kinder and attentive toward Merlin in the beginning. He clearly cared about him. By the end of the first season, however, I felt frustrated by how their dynamic didn’t seem to change. In fact, it seemed to be changing for the worse. It’s like, over time, Arthur became more of an ass to Merlin, and began treating him more like a servant. In the beginning, they felt more like equals and friends. Arthur respected Merlin without “covering up” his feelings with “humor” - aka bullying. What happened to them? 

It’s so cute that Morgana, Gwen, and Arthur risked their lives to help Merlin and Ealdor. I miss Gwen and Morgana’s friendship, as well as Merlin and Morgana’s. I loved Gwen in the episode. She was so badass. She told Arthur to eat his food or else, and stood up to him for the right of all women to fight for themselves. Arthur listened, of course. I loved how she got flustered after telling him to be grateful for the food Merlin’s mom prepared, and how Arthur called after her to concede to her point: “Gwen, Gwen, Guinevere”. I love it when Arthur calls her Guinevere.

Arthur did nicely in the episode. He listened to Will when he questioned his judgment and even gave him reason. Arthur is always doubting himself, and that’s one of his biggest strengths as well as a weakness. Merlin talked him into it though, and Arthur led the villagers well. His war speech, however, as empowering as it was, fell short. The villagers shouldn’t have to fight for the right to survive and eat their own food, that’s ridiculous. Everyone deserves to simply exist with dignity - no strings attached. But the villagers were so willing to fight to the death... Only Will made sense to me. He was rightfully skeptic. Normal men against skilled warriors? That’s absurd. Am I the only person who would’ve run for the hills? Not fighting wouldn’t have helped, but less people would’ve died. If not for Merlin, half the villagers would’ve been massacred... 

I liked Will a lot. He was the voice of reason, and he told Merlin some truths he needed to hear. The men of Ealdor were supposed to give their lives when Merlin could simply take all the men out with magic? That doesn’t sound fair. And all because Arthur couldn’t learn the truth (and because Arthur was Merlin’s “destiny”)... Will was right, Merlin was still living a lie, and if Arthur really was his friend he wouldn’t hate him for having magic. Sadly, life isn’t that simple. Fear and prejudice are hard to overcome. As much as Arthur valued Merlin, a person can’t change overnight. Telling the truth isn’t always the answer. 

Merlin was brave for using his magic the way he did anyway, and Will was a good friend for covering for him. I felt sad watching him die. He died for Arthur too... Thankfully, Arthur treated Will with kindness despite his magic, proving, once more, that he was different from Uther and that he had the potential to accept magic. But even after seeing what “Will” did, Arthur feared magic. Changing his mind is not as easy as showing him how magic can be used for good - a small hurricane is a pretty frightening thing, after all. 

Arthur always disappoints Merlin. Just when Merlin thought Arthur could accept magic, he’s proven wrong. However, although Arthur reprimanded Merlin for not warning him of Will’s magic (because it was “dangerous”, which I can more or less understand), I don’t think he would’ve punished Will had he lived. Arthur’s attitude towards magic actually became more, rather than less, inflexible over time, as he was exposed to its dangers but not its powers for good. I think Merlin missed his timing. Arthur grew up fearing and mistrusting magic, but had little experience with it in the beginning, making him more likely to give Merlin the benefit of the doubt. There was never a good time to tell Arthur, but it would’ve been better in the beginning. It was sad seeing Arthur renounce magic after Will’s death, when Merlin himself was the warlock... 

Anyway, I loved Will. He was for sure the best one-off character to me. He was great to Merlin too! Merlin deserved a friend like that... 

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

The Werewolf and the Angel Chapter 8- Remus Lupin x OC

Remus Lupin x Violetta Cook

Description: Violetta wakes up after being knocked out by Remus in his werewolf form and discovers amazing news about Sirius.

Word Count: 2.5k

As the group emerged from the base of the Whomping Willow, Peter was still babbling like a child, begging for mercy. He turned to Violetta for help several times but she just turned the other cheek and wrapped an arm around Harry. Sirius suddenly broke away, staring up at Hogwarts. Harry and Violetta glanced at each other before walking over to him.

“Sirius? Are you okay?” Violetta asked softly.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” He asked, not looking away from the castle. “I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be nice to do it again. Freely.” He paused and looked at Harry. “That was a noble thing you did back there. He doesn't deserve it.” Harry spared a glance to Peter before looking away.

“I don't reckon my father would want his best friends to become killers for a worthless piece of vermin like Pettigrew. Besides, dead, the truth dies with him. Alive... you're free.” 

Violetta smiled at the thought. She watched them talk about Harry potentially living with Sirius when his name was cleared before Sirius’ gaze landed on her. The younger boy looked between them, then shot his godfather a small smile.

“I’ll go check on Ron,” he excused himself before walking back to his friends. For a moment the two adults stared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say. Sirius was the first one to finally speak.

“You look amazing, Violetta,” he muttered softly.

“I would say you do too, but that’d be a lie. You have arguably never looked worse,” she responded apologetically, which earned a laugh from both of them.

“I guess that’s fair. They don’t exactly sell Fleamont’s potions in Azkaban so I can’t really be blamed,” he shot back smoothly. Violetta nodded, then they shared a laugh. Their amusement was short lived after the woman spared a glance at Hermione, tensing once she noticed the worried look on her face. Upon questioning her, everyone followed her gaze to the full moon that was no longer surrounded by clouds like it was earlier. Violetta’s eyes went to Remus who now stood rigid with twitching fingers.

“Remus, you never took your potion tonight,” Violetta remembered with a gasp.

“Run. All of you. Now,” Sirius demanded, but no one did. As bristles begin poking through Remus’s skin, Violetta and Sirius run to him and wrap their arms around him.

“You know the man you truly are, Remus. This flesh is only flesh,” he whispered in Remus’s ear. “This heart is where you truly live. This heart! Here!” He continued, hitting their friend’s chest to try and bring him back.

Remus’s wand dropped and Peter immediately dived for it, but as soon as he got hold of it, Harry used Expelliarmus once more. Peter only faced him with a hideous grin before transforming into a rat once more. Violetta barely had time to react before a howl pierced the air. She faced Remus once more to see he had turned into a werewolf. She had no time to say anything before she was grabbed by the creature, his sharp claws digging into her skin. She could feel the blood beginning to seep out and soak her clothes shortly before she was thrown to the side as Sirius, now in his animagus form, knocked into him.Landing against the Whomping Willow with a sickening crack, she only had time to register someone calling her name before she blacked out.

“Ye really should be goin’ ‘less ye want a professor findin’ ye,” Hagrid spoke up, setting his cup of tea down. Violetta furrowed her brows and looked outside. Wow. It was a lot later than she originally thought. With the clouds covering the moon, it was almost pitch black outside, save for a few lights on the outside of the castle illuminating the grounds. 

“Oh Merlin, I really should,” she responded, standing up. “Thanks for the tea, Hagrid. It was wonderful.” Hagrid smiled bashfully and began to stand. 

“Do ye wan’ me to walk ye back to the castle?” He asked, already grabbing his coat.

“Oh no, it’s okay,” she paused when he gave her a worried look. “Seriously, it’s a short walk back and I don’t want you to get in trouble. You just worry about Fang getting better.” She pet the dog after she was done. Hagrid still looked hesitant, but eventually gave her a small smile and nodded, now also petting Fang. 

“Alright. If ye insist. Same time nex’ week?” He asked. Violetta nodded and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

“Maybe a little earlier so I’m not out so late next time.” Hagrid nodded and walked her to the door, waving as she walked out. She walked backwards to wave at him before facing forward. The walk back to Hogwarts was nice and calming, but then she heard a noise. It was a mixture of sounds, but she could only name two: rustling and growling. Though her instincts told her to just keep going to the castle, she just couldn’t. What if someone was hurt? 

So, after taking a deep breath, she made her way to the source of the noise. It didn’t take her long to find it since it wasn’t far from Hagrid’s hut. It was the Whomping Willow, but it looked more aggravated than usual. There wasn’t any immediate danger in the tree’s vicinity as far as she could see. So, she decided to continue on. That is, until something else caught her attention. The tree stopped as well, seemingly hearing it as well. It was…thumping? Like someone was running, but not above ground. Realization hit her all at once, it was coming from the tunnel that the Whomping Willow led to. 

Out of nowhere, a different kind of growl erupted from the entrance of the tunnel. The girl, now a bit scared, ran to the forest a few yards away. She hid behind a tree where she still had a view of what was happening. A figure burst from the entrance, causing the tree to make a noise that sounded equivalent to a pained cry. The girl’s eyes widened as the clouds moved out from in front of the full moon, illuminating the figure. It was a werewolf. Not just any werewolf, it was her Remus. It had to be.

Moments later a black dog as well as a deer and a rat emerged from the tree’s base. She figured those were Sirius, James and Peter. The three began trying to herd the werewolf back into the tunnel to no avail. The werewolf picked up the deer with his jaws and threw him at the tree aggressively. The stag fell to the ground with a small yelp, making Violetta gasp.

That was a big mistake. Instantly, all four of the animal’s heads turned in her direction. The werewolf got on all fours, ready to attack. Just as he pounced, the dog ran into him midair, knocking the two of them over. Violetta backed up hastily as the werewolf got up. Without pause it began running at her almost too quick for her to get away. 

The dog was faster though, he knocked Violetta to the side and stood in front of her protectively. The two animals growled at each other, then the werewolf let out a cry as the rat began nipping at his ankles roughly. By that point the stag was up again and had run over to her, trying to push her towards the castle with his antlers. She could practically hear James yelling at her to get up and run to safety. And that’s what she did. She quickly gathered her things as quickly as they could then headed back to the castle as fast as her legs could carry her.She sprinted all the way inside and didn’t stop until she reached the Ravenclaw entrance. 

Once she was safely in her common room Violetta had to take several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. It wasn’t working, so she conjured up a cup of tea. That didn’t help either. All she could do was hold the cup with shaking hands until it got cold. Her mind couldn’t get rid of all that she’d witnessed and experienced that night. Of course she knew that wasn’t actually her Remus. Her Remus was probably the most gentle soul she’d ever met. That didn’t mean that what happened didn’t scare her. Unfortunately here was nothing else that could be done tonight, so off to bed she went.

Violetta was fine after a day, but Remus was not. Anytime she came around, Remus would find an excuse to leave. They ranged from tutoring another student to having to water the plants in the greenhouse. Violetta was particularly upset when she learned that the others told him what happened, she was ready to just forget about it and move on with her life without Remus knowing. Apparently that wouldn’t happen now. 

The next few days were filled with Violetta racking her brain to figure out how to confront her boyfriend. She wanted to clear the air without him having the excuse to leave once again. No ideas came to mind until Lily mentioned the Room of Requirement. An idea instantly popped into her head and she gathered the other marauders to help her. 

The plan was to lure Remus into the Room of Requirement with a note saying they wanted to show him something for a prank for Severus but Violetta would be there instead. Of course they’d be outside the door in case anything went awry, but Violetta had faith that nothing would happen and it’d be okay. 

“This better be good you guys, I have things to do,” Remus said tiredly as he walked into the Room of Requirement. He was surprised to find Violetta sitting on the floor against the back wall reading a book.

“Oh, Violetta,” he started awkwardly. “I guess I have the wrong room, sorry.” He quickly turned around as the door automatically closed behind him and began walking towards it.

“Colloportus,” Violetta called, aiming her wand at the entrance. Though it didn’t actually have a lock, both of them could tell that they wouldn’t get out manually. Remus stopped in his tracks then faced her again.

“Vi, come on. The guys-” 

“Asked for your help with a prank for Severus,” she finished for him knowingly, finally looking up from her book. His eyebrows furrowed, visibly confused, before realization dawned on him.

“The guys don’t actually need my help, do they?” He asked softly. Violetta smiled apologetically and shook her head. 

“Sorry, I just needed their help getting you here,” she explained. The boy chuckled and shook his head. Of course they wouldn’t need his help for a prank. They never really needed him for that, why start so suddenly. 

“Why did you want to get me in here?” He asked, curiosity piqued. 

“Because you’re avoiding me,” she said simply, standing up after closing her book. The boy visibly tensed and looked away. 

“And don’t say you’re not because everyone else has noticed it as well. If you want to keep doing that then fine, just tell me why,” she finished, voice desperate by the end of it. 

“I don’t want to talk about it, Vi,” he responded tensely. The girl shook her head.

“Remus-”

“No.” 

“Could you please just-” 

“I said no,” he cut her off once again, becoming frustrated. She wasn’t about to give up though. She began walking closer to him. 

“Remus why won’t you talk-”

“Because I’m a monster, Violetta!” Remus finally yelled, panting angrily. Violetta’s mouth instantly closed and he could see tears well up in her eyes. He felt guilty instantly, he knew she didn’t like being yelled at. 

“See what I mean?” He gestured to her. “I’ve even made you cry now.” He sat against the east wall with a sigh, sliding to the ground. Pulling his knees to his chest, he rested his forehead on his knees. It was silent, so silent that Remus thought she left for a minute. Then he felt her sit beside him. 

“I don’t know what you’ve been told, but you’re not a monster, Remus,” she started softly. Remus wanted to scoff, but stopped himself as she faced him. 

“You were unfairly scratched by a werewolf that had a grudge against your father. What happened was not your fault. Yes, you’re forced to turn into a werewolf every month, but that doesn’t define you. I know the real Remus Lupin. You like your tea and coffee with so much sugar it feels like a diabetic coma waiting to happen,” she paused and smiled when he laughed at that. “You hate wearing mismatched socks, your favorite holiday is Valentine’s day because of your love of sweets, and you love me for me, not because I’m beautiful. That’s the Remus Lupin I fell in love with. Being part werewolf doesn’t change anything. I love you for you, including flaws and faults.”

Remus was nearly in tears when she finished her speech. So many emotions washed over him like a tidal wave that if he wasn’t already sitting, he’d be knocked down. Happiness, contentment, adoration, and love. Especially love. Violetta gasped in surprise when he suddenly pulled her into a tight hug, nestling his head into her neck. She hugged him back, stroking his hair soothingly. She let out a small giggle when he placed a kiss on her neck.

“Remus!” She scolded playfully, scratching his head gently. He chuckled at her reaction and pulled away to look at her, though he was still leaning against her. 

“I’m sorry Angel, I’ve been stupid,” he apologized quietly. Violetta only shook her head and kissed his forehead. 

“All is forgiven. Just as long as you talk to me next time instead of not at all,” she gave him a pointed look, making him smile.

“I promise,” he spoke before placing a kiss on her lips. 

“Good,” she responded upon pulling away. Remus nestled his face into her neck once more and they continued holding each other, happy to be in each other’s presence again.

Violetta woke with a start, looking at her surroundings frantically. She then sighed in relief when she saw Harry, Hermione and Ron (mostly) safe. She sat up, holding her head.

“Sirius… Where’s Sirius? Oh god did Remus-” she started in a panicked tone before the door to the infirmary burst open quite suddenly, making her jump. Snape walked in with Dumbledore and Fudge on his heels. She watched as the man began accusing the three students  of helping Sirius escape from Hogwarts. When they denied it, he turned to Violetta with a furious expression.

“And how about you, you disgusting criminal loving-” he started but Dumbledore cut in.

“Severus they’ve been in here recovering, how could any of them have possibly done that?” Snape seemed stumped at his question, but threatened Violetta to watch herself before the three of them exited. Violetta watched, a silent smile spreading to her face. Sirius was free, he wouldn’t get the Dementor’s Kiss. That was the best possible outcome she could possibly imagine.

[justmebeingcurious]

Reading Amadís of Gaul Cap. 3

So, I forgot to mention the dream King Perión had in the last chapter, but it is very relevant now, let me recount it. Perión dreams of a being entering his chamber via secret passage, rips out his heart and tosses it into the river, which scares the shit out of him. Naturally the Kings asks why that being did it and they reveal that he is a time-lord, having two hearts, one left in his chest.  

Still very distraught by this dream, that sure as heck has meaning, given that we already know what that heart in the river could mean, right?

So, Perión does what every King does, he gathers people around himself to, to be precise, three, get the reference, to interpret his dream. And they do, more or less.

“Know then, said the master, that what you saw cast into the river, is the child which she has had by you. And that other heart that remained? what should that be? You may interpret the one by the other, answered Ungan (the Picard): you will have another son, who will in some manner be taken away against the will of her that caused the loss of the first. Strange things hast thou told me! said Perion, and may it please God that the latter part, the misfortunes of my children, prove not so true as what thou hast told me concerning the lady whom I love. The master answered, None can alter the things which were ordained by God, nor know where in they shall end.”

A damsel appears, does some prophesying to King Perón: “When thou recoverest thy loss, the kingdom of Ireland shall lose its flower!”  

I am pretty sure, that the countries they reign and live in has meaning, but honestly, I couldn’t care less. Perión works with people from Ireland. Either I missed it, where it was stated which land Perión rules, or it is not mentioned.

And then the point of view is changed to Scotland, where Gandales is raising Amadís. I maybe should have mentioned that in the last part.

“He was called the Child of the Sea, for so they had named him, and with much care was he brought up by that good knight and his wife, and he grew and became so fair, that all who saw him marvailed.”

Weird flex, but okay. I will let that pass... If I had a penny for a knight of royal descent and water themed event in his backstory, I would have two pennies. Which is not a lot, but it is weird that it happened twice. Nah, this is way to loose.

So, King Gandales rode out, in the beginning with King Languines, but they part ways, and meets the damsel who prophesied to King Perión, she tells him that “Ah, Gandales if many great personages knew what I know, they would cut off thy head! Where fore ? quoth he. She replied, because thou nourishest their death.” And then she leaves. He is like what the heck was that and rides on.  

But alas the damsel returns, this time in great peril, because now she is followed by a knight who is about to kill her. (Honestly, my dear, what did you expect? That every knight is going to be too dumbfound to react? You kinda had this coming. At this point it doesn’t matter if she is a woman, telling such prophecies would get everyone into trouble. This sidenote is getting out of hand, but genuine question, was Merlin warmly received, when he announced Arthur´s birth? Just wondering...)

Back to the plot: King Gandales seperates the two and starts to fight the other knight.

“What? said the other, wouldst thou protect her, who by her art has made me lose body and soul? Of that know I nothing, said Gandales, but protect her I will, for women are not to be thus punished, even though they deserve it.” King Gandales supportes women´s wrongs? I wonder how that is gonna play out.  

The other knight retreats back into the forest he came from, there another damsel hands him his shield and lance and starts to attack King Gandales. And they fight.  

The prophesying damsel intervenes, orders the foreign knight to kneel in front of her, which he gladly does, throwing shield and lance away. Next, she tells him to get rid of that damsel in the forest, which he does. Leading the forest damsel to cry and ride away, thinking her friend was under some kind of spell. Then the prophesying damsel does some more prophesying.  

“I tell thee, he whom thou foundest in the sea shall be the flower of knighthood in his time; he shall cause the strongest to stoop, he shall enterprize and finish with honour that wherein others have failed, and such deeds shall he do as none would think could be begun nor ended by body of man. He shall humble the proud, and cruel of heart shall he be against those who deserve it, and he shall be the knight in the world who most loyally maintains his love, and he shall love one answerable to his high prowess. And I tell you that on both sides he is of kingly parentage. Now go thy way, and believe that all this shall come to pass, and if thou discoverest it, there shall happen to thee therefore more evil than good.”

SHE IS IN LOVE WITH THE (fair) KNIGHT GANDALES FOUGHT???? And she is forcing her love on him? Or am I misunderstanding this: “howbeit I cease not for that to bring him to my will, whatever he can do”

Her name is Urganda the Unknown. AND SHE IS KEEPING UP A FALSE APPEARANCE??

“Doubt not that, said Urganda, I love him more than thou canst think, for I shall soon receive aid from him twice, which none else could give me, and he shall receive two guerdons to his joy.” Could you, my dear, please stop prophesying, this chapter is already way too long.

“Gandales, seeing his head disarmed, thought him the goodliest knight that he had ever beheld”

They part and, on his way, home to the castle he sees the other girl who is out for some revenge because dare this prophesying lady take her friend away. He warns her not to act out her revenge.

Little Amadís runs towards Gandales who pickes the kid up and hugs him. Overjoyed Gandales starts crying, thinking of all the good the child will do. Meanwhile lil Amadís dries his tears.  

For the fifth birthday both boys, Amadís and Gandalin will receive bows.

When they are seven years old, King Languines and Queen travel the country, Gandales hides the kids in the courtyard. The Queen still gains sight of the kids and notices the child of the sea, because the boy was good looking, very good with his bow and the best dressed. (Dressing the child you find in the sea better than you own offspring might have consequences... I presume.)  

The kids take a moment to rest and drink water, one kid takes Gandalins bow. Naturally Gandalin does not like that and wants his bow back. The unnamed kid hits Gandalin. Amadís hits the unnamed kid, because Gandalin calls the child of the sea for the help. They fight for a while. Crying the unnamed kid runs away, meets a tutor and snitches.

“The tutor went towards him with the strap in his hand; How is this, Child of the Sea, said he, that you dare beat the boys? I shall punish you! But the child fell upon his knees; I had rather you would strike me, said he, than that any one before me should dare to beat my brother; and the tears came in his eyes. The tutor was moved and told him to do so no more.”

And the Queen wonders why they call him Child of the Sea instead by his own name. Which is a good point.

Text

[sagaofstardustmkg]

A Crushing Weight, A Crashing Tide | Mizukabe Sansei | Body React

This felt debilitating. Every motion felt like Mizukabe was dragging along hundreds of pounds behind him. These last couple weeks have felt like the worst torture he had ever endured. When Sasha called upon them with that haunting news, Mizukabe didn't want to believe it. Who wants to think that someone truly caved in and murdered another? 

As they stepped up the Astrology Tower steps, Mizukabe felt his heart pang with anxiety. The feeling of hands on his shoulders, pushing him forward, was the only thing that kept him from cowardly staying stagnant. A loud part of his heart didn't want to believe that when they reached the top that they would find someone dead. But he felt those hands, and knew he had to persevere. Words said to him a million times echoed in his mind. He wasn't sure what was a hallucination, and what was what he was inside. 

Mizukabe falters for nothing! Mizukabe fears nothing! Mizukabe is a leader, a symbol, and a beacon for those less fortunate than him! 

As soon as the interruptions stop, Mizukabe's eyes fall upon the corpse. Merlin Historia. Yuto Nakano. He told him that name in confidence, in private. Now everyone can see it on this pitiful excuse for a death certificate. His body trembled, a force of nature only felt by Mizukabe began to shroud his entire being. He was supposed to watch out for Merlin. He was supposed to take care of Merlin. They had plans. They had an out. Hourly messages. Daily visits. What happened to those plans to keep each other safe? Mizukabe had abandoned what he was meant to do all along, to what? Fool around? Dance and be merry? Be worried about someone who could worry for themselves? 

Staggered steps reach Merlin quickly, as Mizukabe falls to his knees beside him. Mizukabe felt so strongly for Merlin; He had seen Merlin as a brother. A reminder of what he can rebuild back home, a reminder of what he could have become. Shaking gloved hands reach down to caress the flower in Merlin's hands, and the other holds gently on the corpse's forehead. He wanted to grieve. This man was dead, and they were expected to just... look for the killer? How fair was that? What about a burial? A service? Some common decency? 

The wave above Mizukabe crashes down as he exhales sharply. This is his fault. Mizukabe wasn't enough. He wasn't dedicated enough, or fast enough, or attentive enough. Merlin was dead because of Mizukabe's negligence. It was only fair that he do his damnest to make this right.

He is Mizukabe Sansei.

He is a leader.

He is strong.

He is unwavering as the highest tides. 

Mizukabe stands up to his feet, determination and anger glimmering in his amber eyes. He will find Merlin's killer and make them pay, no matter what. It's what he deserved. He looks to the others, his anger wavering for a moment, a pleading look in his eye for a fleeting moment. 

"We don't have much time. Let's work together. No fighting, no tension. I need to do this for him." 

[thegeminisage]

alright im about to watch 5.03 of merlin for the 2nd time ever

because if i dont do it now i may NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE

but first i wanna get out of the way that i thought merlin convincing arthur to keep the ban on magic in 5.05 because he was trying to thwart ~*~destiny~*~ or whatever is the laziest writing ever, it’s unsatisfying for the audience, it renders the rest of the last season utterly pointless, it’s unfair to merlin and arthur, and the tonal shift of the show from farting trolls in season 2 to full greek tragedy in season 5 was completely unwarranted and i feel TRICKED as a human person because i expected the end to be bittersweet and make me sad, not table-flipping angry, and i do not at all have high hopes for the finale

but i can ignore something having a “bad last five minutes” i did it for life is strange and final fantasy 13-2 i will do it for merlin but honestly 

speaking on 5.03, after it was over the first time i was like “i can never write my fanfic now because nothing i ever do will be as good as that” but i’m really relieved in that way that that was apparently the last good episode of merlin because now i can continue my work in peace and maybe hopefully even actually finish it

okay commence the liveblog:

love that arthur and merlin are down to just jump off their horses whenever random women start screaming in the distance. season 5 could have been so good, they’re so much more grown up and in sync with one another, i absolutely LOVE their #vibe

it was interesting to me also that arthur DEMANDED a fair trial for this woman despite her being accused of sorcery. god, he was SO CLOSE?? that hatred of magic just can’t really take root in him especially with uther gone...arthur may be an asshole in the early seasons, and he may be quick to anger and quick to lash out in that anger, but it’s just not in him to be cruel, especially needlessly

EVEN THIS LADY IS LIKE “u showed kindness and compassion” arthur is a Good Boy deep down he is he IS he didn’t care a bit about that horn she gave him but still politely said it was beautiful

although lmao the way his face changed when she said it was magic...that’s the STUFF

lowkey losing it at athony head in the credits. i was looking to see if he’d be in the s5 ones since he’s dead and didn’t see him in 5.01 or 5.02 so when i DID see him in 5.03 i was like haha no way did they pay to put him in here i guess i just missed him the first couple of times BUT I WAS WRONG

like, in buffy, they spend an entire episode trying to decide whether or not to necromance their mom or whatever and she doesnt actually APPEAR IN THE EP they never SEE her i thought this would be an episode ABOUT uther i didn’t think uther would be IN it

love that from the get-go arthur’s face screams “i am thinking about making a terrible mistake” and merlin’s face is like “he is thinking about making a terrible mistake”

i’m quite proud of merlin in s5 actually. bad writing aside he uses multiple braincells many times per episode. it’s a vast improvement. same energy as clary from shadowhunters right down to getting shafted in his final season

ive said it before and ill say it again gwen looks SOOO GOOOOD as queen

if this is the anniversary of uther’s death then (if you go by 1 season = 1 year) arthur just turned 30...it’s been nine years and change since merlin met him, and by the end of season 5 it will have been an entire decade

in an otherwise increddibly heavy episode arthur panicking and throwing all the apples out of the bowl so he could cover the horn with it is absolutely priceless. season 5 if nothing else has really hammered home for me what a TERRIBLE liar arthur is - merlin got good at it fast out of necessity but arthur can’t hold a poker face to save his LIFE. “leave it.” “why??” “because i’m telling you to and i’m the king of camelot” buddy......

we were ROBBED. if there had ever been a day where arthur came to accept merlin’s magic but still had to help merlin hide it there could have been an entire episode of arthur nearly blowing merlin’s cover because he’s a nervous nelly and at the end he goes “i cant believe you have had to do this 24/7 for YEARS without a single friend to help you” and merlin goes “well now i have you” anyway.

i love also that repeatedly when arthur goes to do something scary by himself he also brings merlin. they LITERALLY are two halves of a whole

“you’re threatening me with a spoon??” i can’t tell you about the unfortunate fanfics i have seen involving The Spoon. i shall also not mention the ones involving The Glove. we will not speak of it

I CANNOT BELIEVE STONEHENGE IS IIN MERLIN. i got so agitated i did not pay one bit of attention to the conversation following its reveal and me and cathy and had to rewind so i could listen properly

my hate-on for stonehenge goes thusly: stonehenge apocalypse, starring misha collins, is @callowyn‘s favorite movie. i have seen it 45 times. i hate it nearly as much as she loves it. it’s an age-old battle

merlin is so intense when he looks for signs in arthur that he DOESN’T totally hate magic...arthur using magic to see his dad again is one of those signs. he’s willing to turn to it in desperation - maybe he’d be willing in less desperate times too

“my father was taken from me before his time” i mean...he was practically in a coma. so like. he wasn’t

love that when arthur mentions merlins dad ONCE he immediately looks like he’s about to cry. mood. i also want to cry every time i think about merlins dad

up until the moment i laid eyes on uther i was SURE they werent actually gonna do it. i came into this thinking it was a FLASHBACK EP

for the record (and believe me i NEVER thought i’d say this) even though i waited and waited for his demise and cheered when he was gona for good...i really missed uther in season 4. at least with uther you know what you’re getting. agravaine (his replacement as “evil guy who keeps us from being able to solve our problems too easily”) was a slimy cowardly CREEP. and in season 5 i WISH things were as simple as “work around uther’s pigheaded unreasonableness”

for a hot second i really thought uther and arthur would have a nice conversation where they reconciled or said something heartwarming. i was worried about an uther redemption arc - this guy is responsible for the genocide of magic users, he doesn’t deserve redemption - but this show said NOT TODAY and they said it QUICK

WE

ARE

SO

BLESSED

i have A LOT of issues with season 5 but JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS WAS DADDY ISSUES 2.0 BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD

repressed trauma returns: harder better faster stronger!! that’s the STUFF

was i not just speaking the other day on my fanfic ask meme about how i love emotionally intense stuff? this is IT babey

uther’s such a bad father! he’s with his only child again for the last time in ever and all he does is tear him a new one! this is why arthur’s such a fucked-up human being (morgana too) 

i’m THRILLED we got to revisit this. his eyes get bigger and bigger and he starts fucking stammering and by the time uther’s done calling him weak and a failure he looks ready to CRY. i was HOLLERING. i still couldnt believe uther was even HERE and not only is he HERE he’s a WRECKING BALL

“this CAN’T be the last time i’ll ever see you” oh buddy you’re gonna wish it was

and he looks back, as he leaves. of COURSE he does. just like lot’s wife. so it goes.

you know how at the end of every supernatural episode sam and dean debrief and talk about their feelings in the car? for merlin and arthur it’s almost always done around a campfire at night - sometimes in arthur’s chambers or other places, but usually out here in the wilderness where it’s just the two of them. i’m...really going to miss it, when it’s gone.

“my father doesn’t approve of the way i’ve chosen to rule his kingdom” “you mean YOUR kingdom”

you know i don’t think i really got...like, fundamentally, on a deep level...that merlin fucking HATES uther

i’ve seen him save uther’s miserable life so many fucking times that i thought for merlin it was kind of the way it was with gwen - he feels nothing for him, but he looks after him for arthur’s sake (or as i came to understand later because he’s professor x about the whole thing)

but the way his expression got SO UGLY when arthur revealed that uther just shit-talked him the entire time...holy fuck

between that & some other stuff that happens later it really paints a clearer picture of like...uther’s dead so merlin doesn't have to hold back anymore and he FUCKING HATES HIM?? like obviously he SHOULD bu i just never SAW it before this. merlin LOATHES him. it’s INCREDIBLE to witness when he bore it so silently for so long. maybe even merlin didn’t realize just how much he hated him until now

and not to get too real here but if youve ever been friends with someone who had an abusive/toxic parent or was in an abusive/toxic relationship and you watch them feeling like shit after and they start making excuses for that asshole like “oh yeah he’s right about x” and you just want to find this horrible person and THROTTLE THEM that emotion is like ALL OVER merlin’s face rn. i didn’t actually seriously "”ship”” merlin and arthur until late season 4/early season 5 (i didnt like dislike it i just wasnt actively bothered by a lack of it) and what changed was this vibe. merlin wants to kill uther all over again just because he made arthur feel this way. he’s so fuckijng PROTECTIVE

and he still almost manages to drag a smile out of him via roasting, god bless these 2

ok so i didnt believe this show would actually DO THAT re: putting uther himself in this ep but i was doubly shocked by the fact that he HITCHED A RIDE AND GOT OUT

me shrieking during this entire poltergeist sequence: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD IT’S REALLY HIM?? HOLY FUCK HE IS LITERALLY HAUNTING ARTHUR I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE DOING THIS I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY’RE GIVING US THIS etc etc etc

actually most of that was probably muffled nonsense because i was yelling with both hands over my mouth

percival’s the realest motherfucker on this whole show. dude survives a murder attempt in which he got an AXE lobbed at him by the fucking GHOST of a power-mad genocidal king and he’s like: yeah idk i guess it fell

there was thunder in the bg for this WHOLE ep and i’m Big into it

absolutely CACKLING at the bit where merlin has to ask arthur if he looked back at uther’s spirit. it’s one of those nice big heavy questions - so heavy, in fact, that arthur can’t answer, can’t even LOOK at merlin, either because he’s ashamed or because he’s bugging out or both. you thought this shit was over? it’s never over! daddy issues are a lifelong ride, pal! arthur’s just get to haunt him literally this time. god it’s so fucking good

can i just say? merlin reads that damning silence reeeal well. and it’s a big, heavy thing to know about arthur - but then again he knows all the big heavy things about arthur

the score for this episode is really good too...very suspenseful and good, adds a lot to the atmosphere, keeps it from getting too slow

there’s a hint of merlin’s absolute HATRED of uther in this conversation again - the way his face tightens when he says “uther would do anything to protect his legacy and that makes him dangerous, who knows what he’s capable of now”

and arthur dismisses him because he can’t hear this but merlin almost refuses to leave - and when he DOES leave, he doesn’t take his eyes off arthur for one fucking second. he stares him down all the way out of the room. i don’t think it’s because he’s angry with arthur, per se - he’s angry with uther, and he knows uther in a way arthur never can or will, as someone ruthless who will kill without warning or remorse. he’s afraid of uther and he’s trying to get arthur to be afraid of uther too before it’s too late and LSDKFJGHSLDFJH

if you’re thinking “thats a lot to interpret from one look” yes it is but i’m right. IT’S A BIG, HEAVY LOOK. NICE AND LOADED. love unpacking all of that

i cant believe this dude tried to KILL GWEN like he really is coming after everything that makes arthur happy. im so glad it was merlin that saved her. i really do think merlin is her best friend

multiple times in this serious arthur fidgets when he’s nervous or thinking, usually with his hands near his mouth. i am endeared to him. my poor boy

“i always knew my father could be cruel but why would he do this to gwen when he knows i love her” BECAUSE HE’S CRUEL

merlin knows. merlin knows his cruelty much better than arthur. boy does he know. i’m dying. it’s fine

love that at this part of the ep we slide seamlessly into the “merlin and arthur are both scared shitless” section which was truly one of my favorite things about the s4 opener. they’re both so fucking jumpy and giving each other shit about being frightened and continuing to be frightened anyway. the DELICIOUS IRONY of arthur finally being scared of uther in the way merlin has been scared of uther for Y E A R S oh my god it’s so GOOD

do also love the entire silent conversation they have when deciding what to do about the door. this is what i mean by their upgraded vibe.l in the early seasons merlin wouldn’t have understood and his lack of understanding would have been played for laughs. now they’re totally in sync

here’s the thing, gaius could have made this magic “able to see uther’s ghost” potion for just arthur and he didn’t. he made it for both of them. everything arthur does merlin does. they’re partners in all things. they’re COMPANIONS. and this is why i finally now Ship It. tragic.

you know this is a kind of weird comparison but late seasons arthur reminds me JUST a bit of gwaine. he complains so much less that he sort of has that same “roll with whatever” vibe to him. pretend to faint so you can steal some guy’s dagger? why not. take this foul potion that may kill us? sure, let’s do it. come what may he’s not really fussed. much more unflappable

until he starts getting spooked again LMFAO 

we do love a good pair of spooked dumbasses. this is charming and entertaining.

leon HAD to know they were lying about poetry. he probably thought they were having.......a tryst,

love also that even in this very dire moment merlin does NOT miss the chance to have some fun at arthur’s expense. that’s true friendship

i got jumpscared three separate times during this ep and one of them was when uther was glaring down merlin and arthur in the hallway after leon left

arthur didn’t jump but he did go hunting after him and to his credit he does not look scared. he looks like a man who is trying to deal with his business and get his shit together

merlin made that FACE again when arthur expressed sadness at hunting his own father because all he ever wanted to DO was make him proud

honestly it’s like since he can’t shit-talk uther he just sings arthur’s praises instead like this here is a guy who is just barely holding his tongue about how fuckin pissed he is. i cant believe it

splitting up was the WORST idea. have they not seen scooby doo??

love that when merlin gets cornered by uther’s ghost and gets scared he yells for arthur and when arthur gets scared because his torch blows out he yells for merlin. you fools, why did you SPLIT UP

uther locks arthur in the room with him, which is already some top tier content, but doubly good? it’s the same room in which arthur nearly ran him through in 2.08. don’t think i didn’t notice. i did notice. i was shrieking into my hands.

seriously this is a pretty calm liveblog but the first time i watched this ep my face was like this the whole time: O O

just kept going “HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK OH MY GOD” over and over. it was greeat

“arthur your fatal flaw is that you put too much trust in other people” do you think arthur, who now has a complex about people betraying him, ever forgot that for one second in his entire life afterward? me neither

speaking of 2.08 arthur dropped some FACTS “your hatred comes from fear” i'm sure they didn’t do it on purpose but #throwbacks

i’m fully experiencing human emotion. “i’m not you, i can’t rule like you did” he’s trying SO HARD to fight his way out of that bullshit

also lmao arthur like “then you’ll have to kill me” and uther like “yeah okay” arthur didn’t KNOW how this man was this could have been SUCH a good awakening

AND NOW IT’S TIME

FOR MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS EPISODE

when i say merlin hates uther. WHEN I SAY MERLIN H A T E S UTHER

HIS LINE HERE. ok. “get away from him, uther. you’ve caused enough harm” he’s furious! he’s GROWLING! 

“you are just a serving boy” “i am much more than that” listen. human words cannot express the emotion that ran through me. when they said “we’re gonna bring back anthony head as uther” i doubted. when they said “he’s gonna be the bad guy and reopen all of arthur’s old wounds” i doubted. when they said “he’s still here LITERALLY haunting arthur who now has to HUNT HIM” I DOUBTED. i didn’t believe they’d do any of it until it was happening on my screen. but ONE LOOK at merlins face made a MOTHERFUCKING BELIEVER out of me. i knew exactly what he was about to do. pretty sure i gasped “NO” in astonishment

AND HE DID THAT

HE👏

DID👏

THAT👏

NOT ONLY. DID I SHRIEK ALOUD. FULL SCREAM. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME. BUT JUST NOW. WHEN I WATCHED HIM DO IT AGAIN. MORE SCREAMING.

how LONG do you think merlin had ACHED to do that

to show himself to uther for what he was, what he REALLY WAS, someone to be reckoned with instead of someone to be overlookedd, without fear of consequences

i can’t even like

like just imagine the triple rush of 1. satisfaction 2. rage 3. lingering habitual terror

i think at this moment merlin was closer to and more like morgana than he had ever been and maybe ever will be again. because the two of them have so much in common but one thing i didn’t really clock until now is how much they both hate uther

it’s so good. uther is SHOCKED and DISMAYED and this is like merlin’s old fear come back from death too (getting found out by uther) while at the same time being a dream come true (getting to tell uther what he really thinks, who he really is - “i was BORN with it!”) he’s so ANGRY! he is LIVID!)

he’s also really SATISFIED like “even while you were king there was magic at the heart of camelot” GOD how long has he been WAITING for this and not even realized it

and like then uther starts spewing his hateful bullshit and stalking forward with the intent to kill and my guy merlin who should be terrified STANDS HIS MOTHERFUCKING GROUND and says right over him “you’re wrong, you’re wrong” for thirty beautiful seconds merlin really got to be free. i know i will keep comparing things to 2.08 until i die but it’s just like when arthur was almost ready to kill uther in cold blood because for one perfect, brilliant moment he really and truly saw clearly the world as it was. i really love these moments...the strength of their respective convictions is so gratifying

merlin yeeting uther through a door is also gratifying although i have no idea what he hoped to accomplish by following without waking arthur first

i. LOVE. that the camera lingered a little on the spears or whatever after merlin walked by them. nice little foreshadowing moment

THOSE SPEARS GOT AWFULLY CLOSE BUT IM PRETTY SURE UTHER MISSED ON PURPOSE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO TAKE HIS TIME. HIS MISTAKE

okay merlin spent the better part of a lifetime dreading uther’s death sentence and here’s uther stalking down a hallway sword pointed at his chest and certain death is IMMINENT and what does merlin’s face look like?

arthur comes in with the rescue and INSTANTLY his expression changes to?

IT’S BETTER IN MOTION BUT HE LOOKS READY TO CRY

my immediate thought: oh jesus what if uther outs him

i knew he wouldnt bc of spoilers but i would bet a benjamin that that was merlin’s first thought too

tbh. i wish he had.

i kind of wonder if merlin doesn’t wish the same thing. like yes being outed like that is terribly violating and he’s terrified of telling arthur obviously or he would have already but at the same time there would be so much relief once it was finally out. no more secret-keeping. no more burden

i mean, if you go back and watch it, dude’s straight up shaking. he’s trembling all over. he’s losing it. that last teary glance they exchanged.......

uther was two SYLLABLES away from blowing the whole thing

and in a better happier canon where arthur knows and was waiting for merlin to tell him this is like double angst because uther wouldve ben blowing something for them both

i like arthurs followup of realizing that he’ll never be able to please uther (step 1 of breaking away from the cycle of abuse) but for the LIFE OF ME

i will NEVER be able to understand why they segued into this GLOVE THING

i’m not talking about the glove thing

i will say however that by the end of this episode i was so hysterical i had to get up and get water and pace around my kitchen for ten minutes fanning my own face

and that’s it. that’s the second-best episode of merlin and the last good episode there ever was

[transelyan]

i know we’ve already talked at length about how like. most of the messages this show tried to have were undermined by how it wrote magic users, but. genuinely. sometimes the weird morals just drive me insane

[milkiane]

against the world

pairings: george weasley x reader

warnings: pure fluff hihi

word count: 1763

note: i just found out that i am incapable of writing blurbs, so here’s a shorter-than-usual fic <3 yours to keep // jordan mackampa

the yule ball. the once in a blue moon occasion that girls anticipate and the boys dread. well, not all the boys, because george fabian weasley has planned everything out. from the proposal to how the night will end, he’s got it all mapped out. some people (ie., fred), say that he’s got it bad for the girl, but george knows that his girl deserves the world, so he’ll give it to her.

you, on the other hand, are excited, too, especially if it means spending more time with george. you’ve insisted that he doesn’t need to go all out, you know, simply just go to the ball together. everyone would think that it would be by default for a couple to go together, but for george weasley? when has he never gone all out?

george doesn’t know why he’s feeling nervous to ask you to the ball with him. you’ve been together for a year now for merlin’s sake, he thought, just ask her! but what if you reject him because it was all too much for you to handle? should he just disregard his plan and ask her normally? it be unusual for him if he did, so here he was, walking towards the middle of the courtyard. the courtyard where you were in. the courtyard full of students to see.

you were amidst talking to your friends about their strapping dates to the ball, when fred placed a flower crown on your head and pulled you away from them, “sorry, ladies, but miss l/n has some important proposal she has to attend,”

“fred, wha-?” you removed the thing on your head and confusedly looked between it and him.

“put it on!” fred urged, making you put it back on immediately. you let him continue to drag you around the courtyard.

“what’s going on?” you asked, slightly tripping on your feet as you tried to match his big strides.

he slowly came to a stop, making you bump to his back, “ouch, fred, what’re you…” your words died in your mouth as you stared at your tuxedo-clad boyfriend in the middle of the courtyard. your breath hitched, you didn’t even know why, it just did.

fred grinned, slightly pushing you towards his twin. you walked slowly over to him, “george, w-what… why…?”

he just smiled at you cheekily, “shh. let me talk,” he bent down on one knee.

you immediately shut your mouth, tucking a hair behind your ear.

“y/n l/n, my beautiful y/h girlfriend, the love of my life, the light to my darkness, the--” (“just get on with it, weasley!” someone from the forming crowd said.) “alright, alright!” he rolled his eyes, making you giggle.

he stared you lovingly, “you know, i often ask myself how lucky i am to have you--” (“what d’you mean, ‘often’? you bloody ask me that every single minute!” fred cried out.)

george took in a deep breath, glaring at fred for interrupting, “as i was saying, we’ve had a fair share of ups and downs during our relationship, and that’s fine, because look at us, we’re stronger than ever,”

i bit my lip to avoid smiling so widely, he took a deep breath, “but with you by my side, y/n, we can take on the world together. i love you for all that you are, for all that you may have been, for all that you are yet to become, and for all possible versions of you,”

cooes and squeals can be heard from the crowd, even some of the professors came to look what the commotion was all about, but george wasn’t done just yet.

“if i know what love is, it’s because of you,” he smiled, “so, what d’you say, love? go to the yule ball with me?”

“of course, georgie,” you laughed, pulling him into a hug as he stood up.

george’s eyes widened, “wait, wait! how could i forget the most important part,” he cursed, bending down on one knee again. you, and the others, looked at him in confusion.

“‘m sorry, let me repeat that,” he pulled out a small pink box from his back pocket. he puts back the love-struck face he had a while ago, “if i know what love is, it’s because of you,”

you laughed at him, hiding your face in your hands. your cheeks hurt from smiling too much.

he opened the box, flaunting the candy ring he most likely bought in honeyduke’s to everyone, “so, what d’you say, love? go to the yule ball with me?”

“i’ll say yes to you every single time, weasley,” you said, watching as he slipped the sugary ring on your finger. he pulled you into a sweet kiss, smiling in between the kisses as he heard the crowd cheer and hoot.

time couldn’t go any faster. it was just like yesterday when the yule ball was announced, when ron danced with mcgonagall, when george did his own version of a promposal, and now, here you were, having a chat with your roommates, preparing for the ball.

you’ve exchanged compliments, the gorgeous dress, the perfect make-up, the fancy hair updo’s until it was finally time to head down.

you walked out of the common room, peeking through the wall to see george talking to fred and angelina. you smiled softly, seeing his combed hair.

you slowly walked down, grabbing a fistful of your gown, determined not to trip and fall flat on your face.

george was teasing fred’s pink-tinged cheeks when angelina gasped, grabbing the boys’ attention. they were confused at first, but soon followed the direction of her eyes.

george stopped breathing for a moment, taking in your celestial elegance.

fred took the chance to tease his younger twin, “hey georgie? you might want to breathe. you’re turning a bit purple there, mate,”

as soon as you reached them, you smiled, “hi george,”

he blinked, “h-hey,”

fred’s boisterous laugh took him out of his entranced state, he turned to glare at him, then returning his gaze to you, “o-oh, wait, this is for you,”

he opened the clear box he was holding, “hermione told me all about the muggle traditions, it’s a- uh, corsage,”

he took it out of the box and placed it around your wrist, it’s the same color as your dress and his tie, “i- uh, asked neville to help me make one,”

you looked at him with adoration, “oh, george,”

he just smiled sheepishly, offering you an arm, “c’mon, we’ve got the best couple award to win,”

you laughed, taking his arm as he placed a kiss on your forehead.

the night has been full of dancing, loving glances, laughter, and more dancing before you and george decided to retire for a bit, sitting at your designated table to catch a breath.

you turned to your boyfriend, giggling at his unruly hair and rumpled clothing, “you look like a mess,”

he scrunched his nose at you, throwing an arm around your shoulder as he nuzzled his face in your neck, planting small kisses, “‘m your mess, though,”

you chuckled as he pulled away, planting a kiss on your forehead, then your nose, and finally, on your lips.

you looked away from him a bit, grabbing the platter of mini scones on the table. when you took a bite and glanced back at your boyfriend, you saw him writing something at the bottom of his shoe with a marker, “george, what’re you doing?”

he mumbled something, his ginger hair covering his face. he paused for a bit, then switching to his other shoe, “there,”

you furrowed your eyebrows, “what is it?”

he smiled at you cheekily, showing you the bottom of his shoes with your name written in thick, bold letters, “i'll write your name on the bottom of my shoes, just so you know that i'm yours to keep,”

your face scrunched up in awe and love. you didn’t speak, you just pulled him in a loving kiss, letting the action tell him everything that you need.

you pulled away slightly, but he leaned in again and placed another chaste kiss.

he looked around the great hall, watching as the students dance around the upbeat song, he stood up and offered you his hand, “let’s go outside,”

once you felt the cold welcome of the winter’s weather, george shrugged off his suit jacket and wrapped it around you.

he brought you back in his arms, the distant music from the hall echoing towards where you were now.

george grabbed your left hand and wrapped your right around him. slowly, he started swaying a bit.

you smiled as you slow danced with the love of your life. you situated your head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

the both of you stayed there for a while. it was just you and him. you and him against the world, as he said, and you wouldn’t change a thing.

you looked up at him and kissed his cheek, he grinned. the both of you were just looking in each other’s eyes, getting lost in the familiar orbs of your lover.

“i love you, y/n,” he whispered.

you widened your eyes for a bit, you’ve been together for a while now. you loved him, of course. you loved george with all your heart. it just surprised you because it was the first time that he said it.

george, seeing your stunned expression, smiled softly, “i didn’t say it to hear it back, don’t worry. i said it to make sure you knew.”

if you were sure that you couldn’t possibly fall more in love with him more, you were completely, and utterly mistaken, because the word ‘love’? it wouldn’t be enough to describe the emotion you were feeling right now. love would be an understatement.

“i love you, too, george weasley,” you smiled, tears pooling in your eyes.

his face beamed with bliss, before, once again, pulling you into a kiss, but this kiss wasn’t like the ones that you’ve shared countless times before. it was full of profound love, adoration, devotion.

you pulled away to take a look at him, but he just pulled you back in, enclosing his arms around your waist, and nuzzled his face in your neck. he murmured, “wait, don’t pull away, not yet. just wanna hold you.”

you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck and placed your head back against his chest.

george fabian weasley was yours, and you were his. it would always be you and him against the world.

general taglist: @daltonacademia @inks-and-jinx @weasleyyy @oldschoolkiddo @accioweaslcy @inglourious-imagines @buckysbeloved @iwritesiriusly @fives-cup-of-coffee @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @catching-the-train-to-hogwarts

golden trio taglist: @blessednereid @oldschoolkiddo @sweetnspicysimp @cherie-draco

join my taglist !

[mysterytickingnoise]

Someday

Pairing: Merlin x Reader

Genre: Bittersweet Angst

Word Count: 2,058

Summary: After getting caught and accused of doing witchcraft, and failing to prove your innocence to Uther, you have to take desperate measures to flea the kingdom. Unfortunately your escape plan works a little too well, and without your knowledge the people close to you end up mourning you.

Request from @joyismycenter : "If you’re asking, I’d love some bbc Merlin x reader where he though the reader was dead but she/they turn out not to be. Love me that happy angst"

Authors Note: Thank you so much for sending in the first request for this blog! Fair warning I'm doing all my writing on my phone at the moment and I couldn't really get the ending to flow how I wanted it to so it's not perfect, but I really hope everyone likes it!

[Image Description: A gif of Merlin (from the BBC Show Merlin played by Colin Morgan) looking over his shoulder. End description]

It was such a silly mistake.

You trusted someone too soon, tried to help them.

Next thing you knew you were being accused of witchcraft. It was true but considering your accuser had no real evidence you thought perhaps you could argue your way out of it. You called them crazy, demanded proof, spouted off any alternative explanation for what had happened to no avail. Uther didn't give a damn about proof, the moment the word magic was held against you it was up to you to prove you hadn't used it.

Even if you hadn't, how do you prove a thing like that?

Pleading your case was useless, and the one person who could help you had left with Arthur and the knights before any of this had begun. Even if they somehow showed up before the execution, you wouldn't want Merlin's help.

He couldn't be caught helping you, not with his destiny. You weren't worth the risk, though he certainly would've argued otherwise if he'd had the chance.

No, you only had one choice left in your small cell. You would have to find an opportunity to use something that you saved for a situation such as this. When an old friend came to visit, to say goodbye, that was your opportunity.

You asked them to come back with the blue vial tucked in the back of your armoire. "It's a poison," You had told them. "I don't want to give Uther the satisfaction."

Tearfully, they obliged. In the middle of the night you chugged it down, and not one hour later your 'body' was wrapped in a sheet and wheeled out of the dungeons 'To be buried in the morning.' But the enchantment on the potion wore off before then, and you woke up alone and free.

You crept out of Camelot at the break of dawn with nothing but the clothes on your back, making it to the treeline before your will broke down and you turned back to look at the old castle peeking out over the tall walls.

Your home was behind those walls, your friends lived there, and the man you had surely fallen for. Tears stung your eyes as you thought about him, the fact you never got to say goodbye, how long it would be until you would see him again.

You could risk waiting for him to return, but if someone outside of Arthur's party were to catch you...you would be forced to do something you'd regret. You'd have to cross the line of no return and goodbye at that point would surely be permanent.

'Someday,' You thought, 'Until then, he'll understand, he might even come find me.'

Little did you know the guard who discovered the empty cloth had no intention of telling the king that the body of a prisoner had gone missing on his watch. No, he had a family to tend to, he wasn't losing his position because of some witch. It didn't even cross his mind that you might not be dead.

There was an empty grave in the pauper's field the next morning, and any questions on your whereabouts were contained in the mind of one underpaid guardsman for two years.

Meanwhile, Merlin had been devastated when he heard the news, even confused. Gaius told him the whole story, what he knew of it anyway, but he could never wrap his mind around it. It didn't make sense. He had spoken to you only a few days before, you smiled and hugged him and told him to come home safe. And just like that you were gone? The irrational fear of someone you tried to help, and the blind tyranny of Uther, that's all it took and now nobody would ever see that smile again. No, it didn't make any sense at all.

He eventually did what he had to do, put on a brave face and got back to work. And yes, a while after that night things got somewhat close to normal again. But there were always moments where he'd think to himself that he'd have to tell you about his day or a joke he heard, and then he'd remember. In other moments, he'd see Uther laughing at dinner or be forced to hear one of his speeches and his jaw would clench just a little tighter than it had before. And when he found himself awake in the middle of the night, when the world was dead silent and the only light in his room came from the moon, it was because he had found himself caught up in the memories you had together.

You had those nights too.

You had been dead on your feet by the time you stumbled into the small, reclusive village you'd learn to call your home. You'd been told that nobody really ever passed through on purpose, and they liked it that way. You told them that you could use a life like that, and then asked if they had need a physician. They did.

Sure, a reclusive person probably would've loved the little life you built for yourself. You had a small but cozy spot to live on the edge of the village, not long after you showed up you began to tend to minor wounds and ailments, making a few friends along the way. Occasionally two farmers would ride into the city to barter off crops for supplies and other things, eventually they began to bring you back a book or a small trinket each time to thank you for your work. It was nice.

But still loneliness tugged at your heart, more than you imagined it would when you took that last look at your home. On the most random days, doing the most random things, you'd find yourself thinking about everyone again and crying for up to an hour before you could pull yourself together again. Those moments became more rare over time, but they never hurt any less. You were never quite back to normal.

Finally, you were wrapping a farmers broken finger, speaking about the state of the kingdom and how you were surprised Uther had felt the need to improve anything it all, when you heard the news.

"Oh, no. The king died months ago, Arthur's in charge now."

You knew you must've gone pale, as the next thing the man said to you was a question of your health. You were quick to respond with a growing smile, "Why didn't you say something earlier?"

He shrugged at you, "I'm not all that concerned with politics. These men, they're all the same to us out here, you know?"

But you knew the difference.

Your life depended on it.

You finished his treatment and sent him away without much else to say on the matter. You had to pack, after all. Later on that day you pleaded with a neighbor to let you borrow her horse, and your friends gathered around as they overheard you say you needed to go to the capitol. You honestly felt a bit bad leaving in such a rush, but after you relayed a safe version of your story, why you came here and why you had to leave, they all seemed to understand.

With many promises from you that they could send for you if they ever needed to, and many words of encouragement from them, you took off. Even when you stopped in the night to allow the horse some rest, you never got any yourself, too excited and nervous and overwhelmed all at once. You spent hours contemplating what to say to everyone, but nothing seemed right.

Another days journey, and you were home.

The response you got to your return wasn't what you expected. Your first stop was to check on the friend who got the potion to you in the first place, and strangely they let out a short shriek before slamming the door in your face. You knocked again, speaking through the door. "It's me...I'm back?"

"Go away!"

You furrowed your brow at them, hurt and confused. But ultimately you walked away, thinking a reaction like that might be deserved considering what you must've put them through that night. As you continued down the street there were a few people who recognized you and proceeded to clear out of your way with gasps and whispers, pulling along anyone they were walking with.

Last time you were here you had been accused of witchcraft, and two decades of fear don't just disappear with a new king, so you simply accepted that as the reasoning and started to make your way up through the lower towns.

On the other end of the city, Merlin had just reached the end of an extremely long day. It had dragged on so long that it felt as though the walk from the armoury to his room took another hour. He didn't even bother to get something to eat, he just wanted to sleep. So naturally when he had just layed down in bed when someone decided to knock on the front door, he didn't know any better than to be annoyed.

At first he thought Gaius would take care of it, then he remembered that he wasn't home.

Maybe they'll just go away.

Whoever it was knocked again and he pulled the pillow over his head.

Please go away.

The front door creaked open and he heard a familiar voice call out. "Hello...Gaius? Merlin?"

He sat up, a heavy feeling settling into his gut as he realized where he had heard that voice before.

But...it couldn't be. Could it?

He shook his head, leaving his bedroom to shoo out the person who couldn't have been you.

But there you were, flipping through an old book that had been sitting on the table since the day before. When you noticed he was standing there you looked up with a sad smile, saying the only thing that you could think of; "Hi..."

"Hi?"

"I uh- I know it's been a long time," You started, crossing your arms over your chest in an awkward stance. "I wish I didn't have to leave like I did but..."

"Leave??" He repeated what you said once more. Finally you registered how strangely he was looking at you, not angry or upset but bewildered, and maybe even scared. What he said next confused you even more. "How are you alive?"

"I thought you might've had more faith in me than that." You joked, but he wasn't amused. "Am I missing something?"

He was hesitant to approach you, unsure of how he was supposed to say it but he tried. "They told me you were gone, that you'd poisoned yourself. I mean...Gaius saw you."

"It was meant to look like that, but it was a trick." You said. "I left when I awoke, they didn't tell people I escaped?"

He shook his head no, tears starting to stream down his face. "...I can't believe this."

As the reality of the situation hit you, you couldn't help but cry as well. All you were guilty about, what you thought you put your loved ones through, it had actually been so much worse. "I am so sorry, if I had any idea I would've- well I don't know what I would've done. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just, I'm so happy that you're here, and you're okay." Striding over with a grin, he pulled you into his arms. "I've missed you."

"And I, you. More than I could ever put into words." With a laugh you continued. "Things got so boring without you."

"I'm sure they did, you won't believe some of things I have to tell you."

And that was all it took, you both sat down at a table as you filled each other in on everything that had happened in the last two years. It took hours, there were multiple times you had to stop and collect yourselves as certain stories had you laughing until your stomachs ached. Gaius came home and after another tearful welcome back he made you all something to eat and had plenty of his own twists on things that had happened.

As if no time had passed at all, the world felt normal again. You were back where you belonged.

You were home.

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 60: Heart

Harry would never be quite certain of why it happened the way it did. One minute he and Ginny were sitting at dinner and he was listening to her talk about Quidditch practice that afternoon and the next minute the words, “Are you happy, Gin?” were tumbling out of his mouth.

“What?” she asked with a laugh as she flicked her long hair over her shoulder. “Yes, of course I am. We’re shaping up to have a great season and even if we weren’t, I love my job-”

"With me," Harry interrupted. "Are you happy with me?"

She stared at him for a long moment, "What do you mean?"

"It's just-" Harry broke off, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, "I don't know. Do you even like me?"

"Harry," she said softly, reaching across the table and laying her hand over his, "What in Merlin's name has gotten into you? Of course I like you."

"What do you like about me?"

She drew back and tilted her head consideringly at him, "I like that you're..." she trailed off. "I like you, Harry," she said with a huff. "I like that you're kind and that you're a good listener. I like that you want to protect people. I like that you're loyal."

"You're describing a golden retriever, Gin," he said, pushing his glasses up so that he could rub wearily over his eyes.

"Harry-" she started sounding a hint defensive.

"What are we doing?" he asked, letting his glasses drop down so that he could look at the woman he'd been engaged to for almost a year without planning a single thing about their wedding and he wondered how he hadn't seen it before. "We don't even talk to each other."

(Read more below the cut)

“We talk to each other!” she said before casting a stronger muffling charm around their table to stop any prying ears from overhearing.

“About work,” Harry replied. “About quidditch, about hunting down criminals; about playbooks and rule-books. I’m away half the time for cases and you’re away the other half for games.”

"So this is my fault?" she asked, her cheeks flushing telltale red with anger.

“No!” Harry said quickly, resting his hand over Ginny’s. “Godric, no. I’m not-” he paused searching for the words. “I’m not mad, I’m not hurt, I don’t feel like you’ve abandoned me-”

"Well good," she huffed.

"But I should," Harry finished. "And you should!" he hastened to add.

"I don't understand. What are you trying to say?"

He sighed, “I don’t know. Merlin, I don’t know. It’s just we don’t talk, not about the things that matter. And it feels like I live alone when I come home because the house is almost always empty and I’m sure it must feel the same to you. And I love you, Gin, of course I do, but sometimes it feels like there’s supposed to be more.” He shook his head, “Does this make any sense?”

Ginny was quiet for a long moment. “Maybe,” she said, a touch helplessly, “What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I’m not trying to change you or make you change your life. I just,” he swallowed and looked down at the table, picking at the stain his pasta sauce had made on the table cloth with his thumbnail. “Sometimes I feel like we didn’t give ourselves a fair chance.”

"A fair chance at what?" she asked.

“I mean, what choice did we have?” he asked, anger and bitterness welling up within him. “After the war? Everyone just expected us to end up together and you were comfortable and you were safe,” he confessed. “And I couldn’t,” he took a sharp breath, trying to quell the unreasonable panic. “I couldn’t even think, then. I’d felt so alone, so hopeless, and so many people had died. And you,” he shook his head, “You were like coming up for air. We never talked about the war, we never talked about the way we felt, never had to work through grief with words. I buried myself in you and I thought it was enough.”

"We can talk about the war," she said. "If that's what you want, what you need, I can listen."

"It's not that," he said, shaking his head. He sighed, "I'm making a mess aren't I?"

"A bit," she said, her tone teasing, and gentle, and familiar and Harry ached all over.

"Do I make your heart feel like it's going to beat out of your chest, Ginny?"

"Well, when I was younger, I suppose," she said with a shrug. "But that doesn't last, Harry. Not for anyone."

“It did for your mum and dad,” Harry said. “Your dad said something to me last night when we were putting away the dishes after dessert. Your mum had come through, fussing about something or another with one of the grandkids and when she left he said, ‘forty years and she still makes my heart beat a little quicker when she comes into a room.’ And I just-” Harry broke off. “I want that for us, Gin.”

She was quiet for a long moment, "So do I."

Harry looked up at her.

"You're right," she said with a little shrug, "I've been so in love with the idea of you that I've just been filling you in with that."

Harry took her hand, “I’m leaving,” he said softly. “I’m moving out and I’m ending it. I just,” he shakes his head, “I wanted to be a part of your family so badly. Not that I proposed to you to that end or anything, it’s just in reflecting on it that I’ve realized-”

“Oh, Harry,” she said, leaning across the table and hugging him fiercely. “You’re a part of our family whether you marry in or not. Don’t be daft.” She sat back in her seat and wiped her eyes, “Mum loves you as much as any of her other children and definitely more than Percy.”

Harry let out a choked laugh and shook his head.

“Is there someone else?” she asked, then. And somehow she didn’t sound suspicious or mad, just genuinely curious.

“Maybe?” Harry said before shaking his head, “I don’t know. I didn’t let myself imagine it.” He looked up at her, “I would never have cheated on you.”

“I know,” Ginny said matter-of-factly. “I would have hexed your bollocks off and you know it.”

He laughed, "No doubt."

"So who is it?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly, “I think I’m bi,” he blurted, a deep flush warming his cheeks.

Ginny laughed, "Well I've known that for ages."

"You have?"

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “You aren’t the ogling type but I can tell when you’re subconsciously interested in someone and 60% of the time it’s a bloke.”

“Sure,” she said with a shrug. “You aren’t the ogling type but I can tell when you’re subconsciously interested in someone and 60% of the time it’s a bloke.”

He leaned back in his chair, "How long?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug, "third or fourth year, maybe?"

Harry spluttered, choking on his saliva and coughing. “Fourth year?”

“Why?” Ginny asked, “When did you realize?”

"Last week!"

She nodded, "It's because you were raised by muggles."

"What?"

She lifted one shoulder, “Wizards just aren’t as conventional as muggles so people raised by muggles are generally slower on the uptake, and you... well, you’re you, so let’s just be glad you figured it out on your own at all.”

"I wasn't trying to lead you on."

She smiled at him, a soft gentle thing born of familiarity and love. "I know."

"I do love you, you know."

“I love you, too, but maybe not like I should to marry you,” she said wistfully. “It just always seemed like this was where we were supposed to end up. Married, two and a half kids, a house with a big back garden, happily ever after.”

Harry nodded, “I know what you mean. But we deserve more than that, don’t we?” He covered her hand with his, “I want you to be incandescently happy, Gin. I want you to feel that pitter-patter in your heart every time you look at the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. You deserve that”

“You do too, Harry.” She laughed, “Merlin knows that if there is anyone that deserves every happiness in the world, it’s you.” They clinked their glasses together and both drank, “So who is it?”

He shook his head, “No one. And even if it was someone, I’m sure he doesn’t feel the same.”

"It's bloody Malfoy, isn't it?"

"What?" Harry asked, startled, "No. Why would you even-"

“I knew it,” she said, shaking her head fondly. “I knew the minute that you told me that they paired the two of you in the auror department that you were either going to kill each other or end up fucking.”

"We're not fucking!" Harry said, looking around quickly to make sure that no one had heard her, even though the charm was still firmly in place around their table.

"Not yet," she replied with a wicked grin.

"He doesn't even like me."

“Right,” Ginny replied sarcastically before finishing her drink. “Well, I’m off. I have practice in the morning.” She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. “You’re telling mum, by the way.”

“What? Why?” then before she could say anything else he said, “Fine, but you’re telling Ron.”

She made a face, "I think that's worse."

"I know it is," he replied smugly.

"Fine, but I'm telling him you're in love with the ferret, then."

"I'll trade you," he offered.

"Done."

"You're evil."

"I love you, too," she said with a wink.

“I’ll stay at a hotel tonight. I’ll swing by tomorrow to get my stuff, but you should keep the flat. I never really liked it that well anyway.”

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Completely."

"You should tell him," she said.

"Not bloody likely."

--------------

And yet, Harry still somehow found himself standing outside of Draco Malfoy's muggle flat, rapping sharply at the door.

Draco appeared a few moments later, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, his long hair braided loosely, the glasses he wore at night (because vision charms gave him a headache by the end of the day) perched on his nose. "Potter," he said in surprise, looking past him and into the hallway, "Did I miss a patronus? Is it work? Is everything-"

"I broke up with Ginny," Harry blurted.

Draco froze, mouth comically open before he seemed to gather himself, "I'm sorry," he said. "Do you want to come in?"

"You make my heart beat faster," Harry said. "You challenge me, and engage me, you make me feel alive. You are the person I look forward to seeing every single day," he confessed. "I want to tell you everything and I want to hear every thought that passes through your head."

"Potter, what," he spluttered.

"What I'm trying to say," Harry said, exhaling roughly, "Is that Ginny is lovely and I love her but not the way I should to marry her," he said, borrowing Ginny's words. "And she agrees with me," he added hastily.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

"I'm saying that I'm in love with you," Harry said, "and I'm tired of being too afraid and complacent to do anything about it. And you don't have to feel the sa-"

He was cut off by Draco yanking him in by the lapels of his jacket and kissing him, hard and desperate. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco, pulling his body in flush against his own. His heart leapt inside of his ribs, thumping hard enough that he was sure Draco would be able to feel it where their chests were pressed together. He kissed him and kissed him, learning the feel of his mouth and the curl of his body against him.

"I feel the same," Draco whispered eventually after he'd pulled back, when Harry was dizzy with joy (and possibly oxygen deprivation).

"Can I come in?" he asked nuzzling Draco's cheek.

Draco shook his head, "I need to know this is real."

"It's real," Harry said quickly.

"Then prove it, prove that it's not just about you not wanting to be alone, that it isn't just infatuation that will fade." Draco shook his head, "Because I cannot let you into my flat until I know that you will want to stay there forever. I would never get over the heartbreak."

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll prove it to you." He pressed one more kiss to Draco's soft lips, "I'll prove it to you every day until you believe me."

And he did.

------------------

Day 59: Ring | Day 61: Hurt

[percydarling]

Family is Family(unless they're not)

Albus Severus Potter, no wait he hated that name

Al, simply Al.

Al was not the one to get angry or talk to people. He wasn't the most friendly person on the block either. He wasn't a person who confronts people or give them a piece of his mind.

But some of his relatives were really asking for it. Really were.

Arthur Septimus Weasley.

His grandfather, who disliked Slytherins.

Dislike was putting it lightly, he loathed Slytherins. And maybe the reason for that was Lucius Malfoys or maybe the Slytherin Deatheaters locked up in Azkaban.

So when Al got sorted in Slytherin, it was no wonder his loving grandfather started being the distant grandfather to Al, and only Al. Some would say that he's overreacting but Al noticed it. The hugs became less and less, the gifts absolutely none(not that he asked for it)

Well, even then Arthur was polite or cordial, just nott grandfatherly enough Al would say.

Oh but things came to a turn for the worse when Scorpius Malfoy became his best friend.

His grandfather just ignored him, didn't talk to him, no visits, would walk out of the eokm whenever he talked about Scorpus.

To a point Al could understand the anger. The Malfoys were horrible people, the worst. But Scorpius's father had turned to the side of all that is good (Uncle Ron still doesn't trust him), doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?

Even the Malfoys?

According to Arthur Weasley, no.

Things got a bit too instense one day.

"And Scorpius-"

"Can we stop talking about him! Isn't there anything new to talk about?"

"But this was the -"

"Oh what's the point! My appetite to eat is gone now. Let me leave and you can talk in peace."

Oh it angered him all right.

Honestly, the taunts and comments were a bit too much. He gets it, his grandfathee is old, he's seen a lot of blood and everything. But it's been atleast 25 years! How much longer of this does Al have to endure?

Enough is enough.

So here he is, at the Burrow, about to confront Arthur Weasley.

Oh Merlin, this is such a bad idea, so many things can go wrong and hus parents would be so disappointed and then-

No, he's going to do this and he's going to make his grandfather understand where he went wrong.

"Grandad, I need to talk to you".

Arthur for his part just gave a grunt but he still looked at Al waiting for him to talk.

Al might have said a lot of negative things about his grandfather but his grandfather was a patient man at times. At times.

This is was one of those times.

"Look I'm been noticing how you ignore me and whenever I bring up Scorpus you make that face, which you're making now exactly. Also I really think you need to let this hatred of Slytherins go."

"Hatred?"

"Yes hatred." Al was trying to be calm but the painful silence made it difficult for him to think.

"I just think-"

"YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO THINK"

It echoed through the room,making Al jump in fear due to the loud noise. He had never heard Grandad raise his voice.

He had heard rumours about the row between Uncle Percy and Grandad and how that was the first time Grandad had absolutely lost it.

"But it's not fair Grandad, you have done nothing but treat me like I'm an outsider to the family and I'm so bloody sick of it!"

Bloody hell, this wasn't part of the plan.

Snapping at Grandad and losing his cool was so not his plan.

"EXCUSE ME, WHAT?"

"You know it's true! You've been distant to me ever since I was sorted in Slytherin-

"DON'T SAY THAT WORD!"

"-and look how you're reacting to my house name! You act as if I-I-I'm this horrible person all of a sudden and-

SMACK!

Al felt pain on his face, he felt a slap.

Grandad has slapped him.

Arthur had slapped him

Al looked up at his Gran Arthur, and even he seemed shocked, but mostly he lookes angry, he looked red, his glasses on his nose and face old. He just looked red to Al.

It wasn't just a light slap either or a pat or anything. It was forceful and it was a loud blow and it hurt.

He doesn't know what hurt more, the pain of the slap or the fact that person was supposed to be his grandfather, his protector and he had slapped him because of the name of his house at school.

Screw family.

Al fled, eyes shimmering with tears and face red and the feeling of the slap on his face.

Arthur didn't even try to stop him.

The Burrow was supposed to be happy, loving and caring. Now it was just a home house full of anger and pain.

This is for @creative-girl, my bestie

SUPRISE!

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Kilgharrah: “Kill that child, Merlin.”

Merlin (like a normal person): “No?? What the fuck???”

And with that, everything changed.

Part 2   Part 3(final part)

“You must let the boy die.”

Kilgharrah’s voice echoed incessantly through Merlin’s head for days after the Druid boy’s appearance, and subsequent disappearance. 

Merlin had, of course, ignored the scaly old bastard, and hadn’t once questioned if he’d done the right thing by hiding Mordred away in his tiny bedroom.

If the boy truly had such a terrible destiny, then the best thing for Merlin to do was to keep him close, if not to steer him away from his fate, then to at least be able to see it coming if it was indeed inevitable.

Currently, Morgana was the only one aware that Mordred was still here (other than Gaius of course, who was somehow disapproving and proud at the same time). As far as everyone else was concerned, Arthur and Uther included, the boy was never found, and must have slipped out of the city somehow (going by the extra patrols in the woods, as opposed to the castle and town).

The Warlock was nervous about anyone knowing at first, but when Morgana had tearfully thanked him for saving Mordred, and proceeded to sneak in spare blankets, food, and money for clothes, Merlin was glad for the co-conspirator.

The boy was currently curled up in the corner of Merlin’s room, a pile of blankets and pillows organised like a bird’s nest around him, wearing a soft shirt and sleeping the night away.

Merlin watched him from his bed, realising with growing horror just how protective of Mordred he had already become. He was so young. How could Merlin even consider punishing a child for some stupid destiny he didn’t even know about?

He had to think of a solution quickly. He couldn’t risk sending him away, not even to the Druids, they were as much slaves to the so-called prophecies as Kilgharrah was, and Merlin had once been (”Gods. Sounds like I’ve been dealing with destiny for years. It’s been like six months. I’m too young for this shit.”). But equally... what could he do with him??

Thankfully, no one had really gotten a good look at the boy, so hopefully with a change of clothes and a haircut, he wouldn’t be recognised, at least not if Merlin came up with a convincing enough story.

To be honest... the cover story worried him far more than the prospect of someone recognising him. Uther hadn’t recognised Nimueh, the woman who had been his court sorceress for years... the man was apparently not very observant.

In the end, it was a throwaway comment by Morgana a few days later, about a week after the Druid boy had “escaped” that gave Merlin a very stupid idea. So stupid, that it might just work.

~

Morgana had once again snuck away from the main castle to sit with Merlin and Mordred in the servant’s room. 

Gaius had said nothing as she’d entered the Physician’s chambers, enough food for four hidden away in the picnic basket she carried, just raised his eyebrow slightly, and thanked The Lady for the food offering that was definitely-not-a-bribe.

She gave him a quick wink, and the old physician rolled his eyes fondly as he set an overturned bucket in front of the door; if anyone came in, they would come in loudly.

Mordred was happy to see her, and Merlin hid a fond smile at the boy’s quiet giggles. He still didn’t speak much, so it was a relief to see him finding joy in something, even if it was clandestine visits from Uther’s ward.

She ruffled his hair slightly, resisting the urge to pull the touch averse boy into a tight hug, and set the basket on the bed. Merlin sat against the pillows, and Morgana sat down opposite him, the basket in between them as Mordred clambered up to sit just in front of Merlin.

Morgana and Merlin talked quietly as they ate, Mordred staying silent as the adults (or...as adult as they could get. Like Merlin kept thinking to himself, he was too young for this shit at sixteen, and Morgana was only two years older than him) avoided the elephant in the room.

The elephant being that they couldn’t keep this up forever. Arthur had a habit of bursting in whenever he so pleased, and it was a miracle he hadn’t done so already. Plus, it would be cruel to expect Mordred to stay cooped up in here for much longer. He was a child, he deserved to play outside and explore and do all the other things he couldn’t do in Merlin’s bedroom.

Once they finished eating, Mordred moved to his makeshift bed in the corner, tightly clutching a book that Morgana had bought him, and furrowing his brows in concentration as he read.

Morgana stared at him with a soft smile, and Merlin sighed, once again worrying about his new ward’s future.

Morgana tilts her head, as if a sudden thought had occurred to her, and looks slowly between Merlin and Mordred as the servant raises a questioning eyebrow at her.

“You know Merlin, the two of you look remarkably similar.”

Mordred is engrossed in his book, and doesn’t react at all to Morgana’s quiet comment, but Merlin’s eyebrow goes even higher as he huffs out a laugh:

“You think? I don’t see it.”

Morgana looks at him with a deadpan expression:

“Merlin, you don’t have a mirror in here. I’m fairly certain you have no concept of what you look like.-”

Merlin looks indignantly offended for all of two seconds before he sighs and nods, she’s right to be fair. He’s tall-ish, with pale skin, and he thinks he has brown hair. That’s about all he knows.

Morgana chuckles as she once again looks at Mordred:

“You both have very dark hair, bright blue eyes, pale skin. You know...-”

She looks back at him with a thoughtful frown on her face:

“-if someone told me you were brothers... I’d believe it.”

Merlin raises an eyebrow:

“Really?”

She nods decisively:

“Yeah. I mean, the more I think about it, the more I look between you, yes. You could definitely be related.”

Merlin nods his head slowly, thinking. He takes in a deep breath and tilts his head slightly:

“It could work. I haven’t really talked to anyone about my family so... we could say that... he came to live with me? Because life here is... good?”

Morgana snorts slightly, rolling her eyes before looking back at him seriously:

“You’d have to be more convincing than that. You could say that the harvest was poor in your village? That Mordred was better off coming to stay with his big brother in the big city?”

Merlin nods at her words, grimacing slightly as he mutters:

“If we’re running with the whole... brother thing, I need to write a letter to my mum, just in case. Gods she’s going to laugh so much.”

Morgana laughs at him quietly, but the noise finally catches Mordred’s attention and he looks up in confusion. Merlin moves the basket to the floor, and gestures to the boy to come over.

He walks over wordlessly, climbing up to kneel between them, biting his lip nervously.

“Is it time for me to leave, Emrys?” echoes through Merlin’s head, and he gives the boy a comforting smile, shaking his head slightly, before saying out loud:

“You’re staying with me, Mordred-”

The boy smiles slightly as he stares at Merlin in reverence, and Morgana quickly hides her questioning gaze. She could see that there was more between them than simple protectiveness over a child, and thankfulness for being saved, but she kept her thoughts to herself as Merlin continued:

“-but we can’t keep you hidden in here forever, so we’re going to tell people that you’re my younger brother, come to live with me. Is that alright?”

Mordred nods his head vigorously, and Merlin chuckles slightly as the boy’s grin grew:

“Ok. We’ll get you a haircut and tell Gaius the plan. Probably wait a few more days for things to settle down further, and then see how it goes, ok?”

Mordred nods once more, smile not leaving his face. Morgana bites her lip to stop herself from laughing at Merlin’s shocked face when the boy threw himself into the servant’s arms for a tight hug.

~

Merlin spends the next few days teaching Mordred all about Ealdor and his mother and Will, so that the boy could have at least a little knowledge on what was supposedly his home and family.

The next time Morgana came to visit, she brought a comb and a sharp pair of scissors, as well as a few more changes of clothes that looked less... Druid. By the time she left that evening, Mordred had much shorter hair, and a wide grin on his face at the prospect of finally being able to go outside (he was Druid after all, he needed trees and fresh air).

The letter had been sent home, and Merlin was expecting a reply any day now. The only thing left to worry about was how to hide Mordred’s Druid marking. It would be easy to cover with clothes, but Uther’s increasing paranoia meant that it would be best if they could find a more permanent solution.

Gaius suggested some sort of glamour spell fairly quickly, but Merlin was unwilling to cast one on the boy until he’d mastered it.

And THAT meant showing up to serve Arthur with ink all over his hands that he had tried and failed to cover.

Merlin had also realised with dawning horror, that he would have to tell Morgana the truth. She knew about the marking, and she was smart, there was no way that hiding it wasn’t something that had occurred to her. She would bring it up eventually, and how could Merlin explain without having to... explain??

Morgana was already risking her favour with the King, and frankly, her life, by protecting a Druid... she would do the same for Merlin, right? But Mordred hadn’t actually done any magic... BUT she’d always spoken against executions... BUT Merlin had lied and hidden it from her, his friend...

Hmm...

In the end, he’d decided he would just have to suck it up, and tell her. Fuck whatever that dragon said. After Kilgharrah’s last round of... advice, Merlin had been ignoring his calls. If there was an emergency, the cryptic bastard would tell him, and until then he could just sulk in that cave on his own.

That two weeks was also enough for Uther to become convinced that the mysterious Druid boy really was long gone, and to just forget about it. He was pissed of course, but talking about it and extending the search just highlighted that a child, barely eleven summers, had managed to evade all of his forces and that... did not cast him in a good light.

It took Merlin about two weeks to fully master the spell, which was longer than the three of them were hoping, but he was adamant that he perfect it before he cast it on Mordred, and Gaius was incredibly impressed at his ward’s determination.

Morgana was of course confused about why they kept pushing it back, she thought they were only going to wait a few days before they started introducing Mordred, but she trusted Merlin and saw no harm in waiting a little longer.

When Morgana arrived that evening, she could tell that Merlin was... anxious. They’d agreed on a specific day to make introductions but it wasn’t until the end of this week, it didn’t make any sense for Merlin to suddenly be nervous about it.

Mordred wasn’t quite as good at hiding his emotions, and didn’t even giggle like he normally did when Morgana came over, just stared at his “brother” anxiously.

Morgana rolled her eyes and huffed as she shut the door:

“Alright, Merlin. What is it? Spit it out.”

Merlin opened his mouth, about to come out with an excuse, before he snapped it shut again and took a deep breath.

It worried him, how easy, how automatic it was for him to lie, but that was a worry for another time.

Mordred reached up and took his hand, squeezing it, and Merlin looked down at him with a weak smile before sitting on the bed and gesturing that Morgana join him.

She looked at him worriedly, but settles where he gestures, and doesn’t acknowledge the way Mordred sits defensively between them.

The boy looks back at Merlin:

“Are you sure, Emrys?”

Merlin gives him another smile, and squeezes his shoulder slightly as he raises an eyebrow:

“I’m sure. And you need to get used to calling me Merlin at some point.”

Mordred pouts slightly, and Merlin ruffles his hair as he laughs, before looking back up at Morgana’s questioning stare.

He takes another deep breath, before slowly speaking:

“I... we’ve found a way to properly hide Mordred’s marking.”

Morgana looks taken aback, but relieved:

“Oh. Is that all? That’s good isn’t it? I have to admit, it was worrying me.”

Merlin gulps:

“Yeah it... it is good... it’s just, it involves... magic.”

Morgana raises her eyebrow, and nods slowly, as if it were obvious:

“I figured it would be. It’s not like it would be easy or reliable to cover it with make-up every morning, or hide it with clothes.-”

It’s Merlin’s turn to look taken aback now, and Mordred fixes her with an unreadable expression. Morgana continues:

“-The problem, lies in finding someone willing to do whatever spell it is. Someone we could trust wouldn’t share the secret, no matter what.”

Merlin grimaces slightly, more gulping, and taking yet another deep breath:

“We already have someone. Me.”

Morgana gasps slightly, and she’s vaguely aware of the brothers in front of her tensing up, but all she can focus on is the gold of Merlin’s irises.

The gold fades, and Merlin clears his throat, breaking her out of her stupor. She reaches over and punches Merlin harshly on the arm before getting up and beginning to pace, speechless.

Merlin and Mordred panic at first, but when she makes no moves towards the door in her pacing, they relax. That only lasts for a moment or two however, before she looks back to Merlin, furious:

“Are you thick Merlin? Why on earth would you learn magic in Camelot of all places?? Do you have a death wish!?”

Merlin laughs slightly, cheeks turning pink as he rubs the back of his neck:

“Actually uh... I was born with magic; I’ve always had it. My mother sent me here because she thought I would learn to control it better.”

Morgana looks incredulous as she continues to rant:

“What? With the fear of execution hanging over your head?! That’s not control, that’s terror.”

Merlin shrugs:

“It works though. My magic is mostly instinctual, the threat of torture by pyre sure as hell stops me from losing control when I’m angry or scared or whatever...”

Morgana huffs, crossing her arms and fixing him with a glare. Both Merlin and Mordred cower slightly as they are reminded of angry and disproving mothers; as if they were about to be scolded for getting their clothes dirty, or ruining their dinner with too many snacks.

She just stares at him for a minute, before she sags slightly, and begins chuckling at the boys’ fearful faces:

“You are ridiculous. But it’s far too late to persuade you to leave now. Does Arthur know?”

Merlin’s face morphs into a mournful frown, as he looks to the floor and mumbles:

“No. I wish I could tell him but... with Uther...”

Morgana sighs, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder:

“Uther won’t be here forever. We’ll just have to keep Arthur from turning into too much of a prat before he becomes King.-”

Merlin laughs at that, and looks up to give the woman a grateful smile. She returns his smile before continuing:

“-So, you can do the spell?”

Merlin winces slightly and gestures for Mordred to pull the collar of his shirt down, to reveal a blank patch of skin:

“I’ve actually already done it. It’ll stay there permanently until I take it off. Though we should keep checking, just in case.”

Morgana looks surprised, and smiles:

“What’s the problem then?-”

She rolls her eyes when Merlin looks at her incredulously:

“-Oh, come on Merlin. I’m not going to turn you in, you’re safe with me. You both are, and you always will be.”

The servant jumps up to give her a tight hug, which she quickly returns as Mordred nervously joins in. Morgana smiles to herself, and squeezes her boys tighter.

She may love Uther and Arthur, and she knew they loved her back, in their own way, but this? This was family.

~

The time finally came for Merlin to introduce his baby brother. Hunith had supposedly dropped him off late last night and left immediately, having to get back home quickly. 

Morgana had gone to gather Gwen and Arthur whilst Merlin and Mordred waited in their room (it was definitely their room now, instead of just Merlin’s).

It was early in the morning, and to say that Arthur was grumpy at being woken by Morgana instead of Merlin, was an understatement.

But he eventually caved, and dressed himself as he grumbled, allowing Morgana to drag him to meet Gwen (who was equally confused) before the three of them made their way to the Physician’s chambers.

Gaius was suspiciously absent, and Morgana knocked on Merlin’s door, before slowly opening it and walking in, Arthur and Gwen following her quickly.

Gwen was surprised at the sight of Merlin stood behind a child, hands protectively on his shoulders, but smiled and gave Mordred a soft wave in greeting.

Arthur however, froze, and stared at the boy with a shocked expression.

Morgana moved to stand next to Mordred, and took one of his hands as Merlin began to speak:

“Gwen, Arthur, I want you to meet my baby brother, Mordred. He’s come to live with me.”

Gwen waved again, and bent over to Mordred’s height:

“Hi Mordred, I’m Guinevere, but all my friends call me Gwen. I didn’t know that Merlin had a brother, but it’s lovely to meet you.”

Mordred gave her a small smile, and Merlin suppressed a chuckle as-

“I like her, Em- Merlin.”

-echoed through his head.

Arthur’s gaze moved away from Mordred finally, up to Merlin.

Merlin stared back at him blankly, but Arthur saw the way his jaw clenched as he moved a protective hand down, to pull Mordred closer to him.

The Prince let out a deep sigh, growling slightly as Gwen looked at him in confusion, and Morgana and Merlin stared at him challengingly.

He shook his head as his shoulders sagged, and he rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands before looking back to Mordred with a strained smile:

“It’s nice to meet you, Mordred. My name’s Arthur.”

With that, Morgana smirks slightly, and Merlin relaxes. Gwen just rolls her eyes:

“Sorry about him Mordred, he doesn’t spend much time around people your age.”

Mordred gives her another smile, and Merlin glances to Gwen, before looking down at Mordred:

“Why don’t you go with Morgana and Gwen to see the city a little? Me and Arthur need to talk, I’ll catch up with you later, ok?”

Mordred turns around quickly, and grabs Merlin’s hand tightly:

“You promise??”

Gwen holds in an “awww” and Morgana hides her smile. Mordred rarely talks aloud (she’d been told of the mental link), but she’s glad to see he was feeling at least a little more comfortable.

Merlin crouches down, and pulls the boy into a tight hug, stroking his hair slightly as he stares straight at Arthur:

“I promise. I’ll never leave you for long Mordred.”

Arthur gulps at Merlin’s hard stare, but gives him an almost imperceptible nod, which Merlin returns as he stands up. Mordred gives him one more look as he takes one of Morgana’s hands, and one of Gwen’s, and follows them out of the room.

Morgana shuts the door quietly, and Arthur sighs again before looking at Merlin:

“What are you thinking Merlin?? You just thought I wouldn’t notice?”

Merlin crosses his arms, his glare still hard:

“No, I knew you would notice, I just had faith that you’re a better man than your father.”

Arthur is still deep in his “my father can do no wrong” faze, and takes great offense at that, taking a threatening step forward and growling:

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Merlin just huffs and raises an eyebrow slightly:

“I had assumed that you were not the type of man to have a child executed, just for existing.-”

Merlin copies Arthur’s step forward, raising his chin and continuing, his voice low and dangerous:

“-Did I assume correctly? Because there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect that kid, Arthur. Nothing.”

Arthur stares at him incredulously, only managing to hold Merlin’s surprisingly confident stare for a few moments, before nodding and stepping back:

“Of course. He’s a child, Merlin, I won’t see him hurt, if I can help it.”

Merlin nods slowly, not looking away from Arthur as he softly says:

“I’ll hold you to that.-”

He walks around The Prince, opening the door and stepping halfway through before looking over his shoulder, and quietly saying to a confused Arthur:

“-If you truly believed that all magic is evil, and always corrupted, no matter what, then you wouldn’t care that he’s a child; you’d want him dead anyway. So perhaps think about your... prejudices, a little more deeply, maybe you’ll discover you are different to Uther in other ways as well.”

Before Arthur can even really process what Merlin said, the servant is shutting the door behind him, and rushing off to find his new brother.

~

OK SO!!! 

I really LOVED writing this, there will definitely be more parts, I just figured I should end it here before I got carried away

This series is finished!! (Links at the top <3 )

[rhaenyratargayen]

home for the summer // part II // f.w.

read part one

summary: song fic based off of home for the summer by sara kays. Y/N realizes who her heart has always belonged to.

word count: 2.4k 

warnings: none, the fluff you guys deserve :)

Her feet felt frozen beneath her, not due to the cold weather, but the hesitation within her. Suddenly all the warmth she had felt being home with the Weasley’s was ripped away as if a dementor had sucked it out of her. Her fingers and the tip of her nose suddenly felt the sharpness of the breeze, and her stomach dropped.

Joshua kneeled before her, presenting her with the most beautiful ring. He smiled up at her and she noticed the tears that pooled in his dark eyes. The white snowflakes contrasted his dark hair as they fell lightly on top like an angel’s halo. Joshua truly was an angel, sweet and gracious, always putting her first. But even with the heartwarming thoughts of her boyfriend swarming in her mind, Y/N couldn’t bring herself to say yes.

She glanced back at the burrow, spotting the gaggle of redheaded Weasley’s gazing at her through the window. She noticed their expressions falter, probably after noticing the fact that he hadn’t slipped the ring on her finger yet. Molly, Arthur, Ginny, and all the boys, Y/N paused when she didn’t spot Fred, and her heart fell to her stomach.

She quickly turned back to Joshua with the guiltiest look, but how could she grant him a life with her if her heart belonged to another? Deep down, Y/N knew that she always belonged to Fred. It was certain back in Hogwarts, the sparks she felt when he kissed her on the astronomy tower, or let her borrow his jumpers never quite faded.

Joshua was good, he was pure and he would make an extraordinary husband, but it wasn’t fair to him to accept his proposal and Y/N knew that.

She squeezed his hand as he looked up at her, and she pursed her lips.

“I love you, Joshua.”

Joshua sighed, lowering his hand that held the velvet box.

“I do, but I can’t–“ She tried to continue.

“It’s okay.” Joshua stood up, now towering over her.

She felt the wave of guilt wash over her as he stood. She could no longer see the crown of snowflakes on his head, and the pool of tears had finally released, cascading down his flushed cheeks elegantly.

She didn’t expect him to yell, Joshua was rather cool tempered. He was a very generous lover, but he surprised her. He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead, his hand cupped her cheek as he looked down at her.

“I love you, Y/N,” he nodded, “Thank you for giving me the best six months of my life.”

Y/N felt a few wet tears trickle down her face, tears she didn’t even know were forming at his words. Joshua tucked the box back into his pocket, to give to another girl someday, a girl who loved him just as much as he loved her. He deserved that, Y/N knew, but she wasn’t the one to give that to him.

“Still friends, yeah?” Joshua chuckled, contrasting the tears that still fell.

Y/N let herself laugh, feeling the weight lifted off her chest. She laughed, a melodic chuckle that had her curling into Joshua’s chest and hugging him tightly. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. They only stayed like that momentarily, before Y/N remembered the huddle of her second family watching from the window.

“Better go break the news then.” She pursed her lips.

Joshua exhaled a breathy laugh and nodded, guiding her back towards the back door with his hand resting on her lower back.

The atmosphere they walked into was awkward, no one spoke, silently waiting for someone else to go first. The Weasley family looked to Y/N almost with guilty eyes, like they didn’t know whether to congratulate her or apologize. She caught the sad smile Charlie threw at Joshua, and she squeezed Joshua’s hand in hers.

“Oh, Y/N.” Ginny broke the silence, pushing past her brothers to engulf the girl in her arms.

The group dispersed at the break of silence, Bill and Charlie came to Joshua’s side, leading him to the kitchen for another drink – one that he definitely needed. Molly scolded the snicker that left Ron’s lips, before smiling at Y/N who caught it and sent a wink Ron’s way.

She pulled back from Ginny’s embrace and found George’s eyes. His hands were shoved in his pocket, and even though Y/N wasn’t his twin it was like they could read each other’s minds.

“He’s upstairs.” George nodded.

Y/N gave him a gracious grin and pulled back from Ginny, rushing up the stairs. The bathroom door was open, the light still on as she reached the top of the stairs. She looked their first, considering everyone else was downstairs.

“Fred–“ She called as she entered, pausing as she walked into the empty bathroom.

She furrowed her brows, stepping back out into the hallway momentarily, and glancing up the stairs to the higher stories to the house, looking for any lights on or any sign of Fred’s presence. She stepped back into the bathroom and chewed on her bottom lip.

Had he left? Her mind wandered to dark places, falling down the rabbit hole of possible thoughts Fred was thinking. She wondered if he was angry with her, or if he ever wanted to see her again. Did he think she didn’t value their time, or value him?

She paced back and forth along the tile floor and paused as her breath hitched. She caught a piece of paper tossed in the bin, one with her name scribbled on it in Fred’s handwriting. As she reached in, she noticed the other half and felt her heart clench in her chest.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she held the two pieces of the letter to her chest. It was only split in two, she could easily piece it back together if it let her. She peeled back the envelope, carefully taking the two pieces of paper with the actual letter written on it. She held them side by side, reading over the messy handwriting.

Dear Y/N,

I don’t know when I’ll give this to you, if I ever do. The thought of you reading this is maddening. I’m not very good with words, you know this, but I figured if I wrote them down maybe they’d stop buzzing in my head all day.

Darling, you’re it for me. There’s truly no one else, you’re one of a kind. I was heartbroken when you left, and I told you I was proud of you, and I am, but the thought of being away from you for so long hurts like hell. You’re coming back soon, at least that’s what you said in your last letter.

Like I said, I don’t know if I’ll ever give this to you, but I love you, Y/N. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone else, I loved you before I even knew what love was, a tiny git on the train to Hogwarts sitting beside a pretty girl with wit. I hope you see this one day, Merlin I do. Whether it’s tomorrow or a century from now, my word still stands, I love you.

Forever yours, Freddie.

All the breath had been taken from her lungs, and the faint droplets that pooled in her eyes were now full blown tears streaming down her cheeks still burning from the cold.

Her heart tugged in her chest, begging to escape. She wanted to be with Fred, she wanted to be with him from the beginning and she cursed herself for not figuring it out sooner. Romania was a dream, an opportunity that filled her chest with light, but nothing was comparable to the feeling of loving Fred Weasley.

She thought back to the night she told Fred she was leaving, she should have noticed the fault in his gaze, she should have given in to the pit in her stomach when the words left her lips. And the night she came back, the night she spent alone with Fred under the stars, she should have noticed that it was the happiest she’d ever been.

Loving Fred Weasley was a high she never wanted to come down from.

It didn’t take long for her to grab her wand from her coat, she quickly repaired the torn letter and clutched it to her chest. She gripped her wand and apparated to the first place her mind told her.

She heard the crunch of dried leaves and dead grass beneath her boots as she carried herself quickly through the clearing before the open field. It was dark out by now, and the moon had rose to illuminate the ground below her.

She had put her heart in the driver’s seat, and her mind in the passenger’s, she trusted her heart to lead her where it desired, to Fred. So she rushed through the field, pulling her wand out and casting lumos to guide the way for her.

Pulling her coat tighter around her, she shivered as the snow fell before her feet, the light from her wand reflecting off the snow. As she continued on, she neared the center of the field, halfway between the trees she came out of and the trees across from her. She froze in her step as she caught the silhouette of a man on his knees.

She picked up her pace, catching the sounds of muffled sobs over the crunch of ice beneath her feet. Her breathing picked up and she felt the nervousness return to the pit in her stomach, as her body led her mindlessly, she called out into the night.

“Fred!”

The sobs stopped and the shadow of the man turned to face her. She exhaled a breath of relief as the moonlight illuminated his features, it was Fred.

She rushed towards him, but stopped in her tracks as she was an arms length away. Patches of blushed skin on his cheeks and nose were a sharp contrast to his usual pale, freckled skin. His hair was a mess, probably from running his hands through it so many times. Again, just like before, she felt her heart tug in her chest.

Fred’s eyes widened as he saw her, the remains of tears leaving streaks down her face. Against her chest she clutched a paper, his eyes scanned the note before his breath hitched as he recognized his own handwriting, the words he read over countless times reciting in his head like a broken record.

He was so caught up in seeing her before him, she looked relieved to see him despite the obvious distress in her appearance. He glanced at her left hand that held the note, there was no sparkly diamond ring on her finger, and his tears ceased.

He stepped forward, cautiously, he yearned to scoop her in his arms but his heart warned him not to jump too quickly. The back of his head spat heartbreaking theories into his thoughts, maybe she was only there to break the news to him first, before she returned to Joshua and kissed him under the mistletoe, showing off her ring to his family while they celebrated with butter beer.

She noticed his hesitation, it broke her heart. She felt the tears pool again at how broken he looked, and hated herself for being the reason for it. She took one long stride and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Fred’s arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, and as she relaxed into his hold, they tightened around her.

She leaned back far enough to look him in the eye while still being in his arms, and she released everything she held in from the years she knew him.

“I’m so sorry, Freddie,” She choked out, “I should’ve told you sooner, I shouldn’t have left! I should’ve stayed, worked at the shop with you and George and told you the minute I knew that I loved you Fred Weasley. I love you.”

His heart skipped a beat at her confession, but she barely gave him the time to rejoice in her feelings before she continued.

“I know you probably hate me now, I unknowingly strung you along this whole time, Godric, I’m an idiot.”

She stopped ranting when she finally looked him in the eyes again. His tears had faded to streaks just like her own, but he didn’t frown or grimace, he smiled down at her. His hand raised to cup her cheek, rubbing away the stray tears with his thumb.

“Why are you smiling?” She choked out a laugh.

“Because,” He leaned his forehead against hers, “You’re not an idiot and I could never, ever hate you, my love.”

She melted at his words, bunching up his shirt in her fists against his chest. She blinked, looking up at him through tear coated eyelashes.

“I have loved you for so long,” Fred continued, “And that is all I have ever wanted to hear you say.”

She laughed, a cheerful, glee giggle that had his body warming despite the cold.

“You’re not mad?” She asked, sheepishly.

“Mad?” Fred scoffed, “How could I be mad when the woman I’m in love with just told me she loves me?”

She smiled and leaned into him, brushing her nose against his. Fred tugged her closer, pressing against her back so that their chests pressed together. Y/N raised herself onto her tip toes, lips brushing Fred’s lightly.

Just the initial feeling of her lips again after so long had Fred’s eyes fluttering closed in bliss. He slowly leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to hers fully. She inhaled a shaky breath and released a calm one. She leaned into him, finding rhythm in their kiss, granting Fred access when his tongue swiped across her bottom lip.

He pulled back, pressing a quick peck to Y/N’s lips when they chased his own. His thumb brushed over her cheekbone and he pressed another kiss to her lips when he caught her gazing up at him so adoringly.

“‘m sorry it took so long.” Y/N giggled.

Fred shrugged, “It was worth the wait.”

He leaned down to kiss her again, finding that even after all this time, she still fit him like a puzzle piece, a perfect match.

————————————————

taglist: @starlightweasley @valwritesx @harrysweasleys @inglourious-imagines @cappsikle @whiz-bangs78 @levylovegood @wand3ringr0s3 @rogueweasleys @gloryekaterina @wolfstarsdaughter20 @charlieswanwhore @loony-loopy-lupinn @gcdric

[olderthanthemorning]

gold rush (bill weasley) part 1

pairing: bill weasley x reader

summary: “everybody wonders what it would be like to love you.” bill weasley is a golden boy, but i don’t like a gold rush. (based on the song “gold rush” by taylor swift)

wc: 3.1k

warnings: none, someone walking in on someone else but nothing dirty, swearing

a/n: hello! so i didn’t mean for this to be so long lol but anyway, there will be more. once again, a song has inspired me to write. i feel like gold rush totally describes bill and so i tried to run with that. as always, i would love comments/feedback. also if you like it please reblog/follow! i want to start taking requests!

--------------

what a cliche it would be to be hopelessly in love with bill weasley. the charming gryffindor was the poster child of his house, his year, and his family. don't get it twisted, it wasn't that he didn't deserve all the praise; he was kind to younger students, witty in his classes, and bloody brilliant in your shared defense against the dark arts class. you just found it a little funny that everyone he met instantly fell in love with him. how could you take someone like that seriously?

"so you really don't think he's cute?" your friend, rose, asked you as you entered the great hall, the smell of fresh bread and pumpkin juice temporarily distracting you.

"no, that's actually not what i said. he's quite fit, it's just think people make too much of a big deal about it. sometimes i think you'll wet yourself when he looks at you in the corridor." you threw yourself down at your table and started reaching for the pile of sandwiches in the middle of the table. if you two wanted to make it to the beginning of the gryffindor vs ravenclaw game, this would have to be a quick lunch.

"well it's not everyday you see an arse like that in the corridor!" rose says. taken aback by her forward statement, you shove her shoulder, "gross, rose." after a few more minutes of conversation and inappropriate comments from rose, you down the last of your juice and pull your companion off the bench and toward the door.

you could hear cheers long before you were close to the game. after finding a spot with your house, you saw madam hooch release the snitch and the players shoot up to start following the quaffel. a flash of red hair passes in front of the stands as another weasley, charlie, flies at lightning speed.

The game was action packed, but not short. your cold muscles ached a bit as you moved them to walk into your dorm and sit on your bed. as if reading your mind, your roommates crowd into the bathroom to start the showers. you groan, knowing that at this rate, it'll be an hour before you can warm yourself with hot water. then a thought crosses your mind. the prefect bathrooms. your sister had been a prefect years before and had told you where they were, something you were silently thanking her for now. you gathered your towel and robe and slipped out of the room before anyone could ask where you were going.

The prefect bathroom was large and dimly lit, something that made it seem even colder when you walked in. on the far wall there was a myriad of knobs, all leading into a large bath that looked like it could hold your entire upper level herbology class. throwing down your stuff on a nearby bench, you rush to turn all the knobs you can, as blue, and green, and sparkling gold liquids splash into the basin along with steaming water. you slid out of your cold clothes and into the tub, hissing at the difference in temperature between your skin and the water. the water was heavenly and you sunk in until your shoulders were under the water, pulling your hair up from the nape of your neck so not to wet it. the room had filled with the scent of lavender and honeysuckle, and you closed your eyes to take it in.

suddenly there was a creak that you immediately recognized as the door opening. 'fuck, fuck, fuck,' you thought. you could chance jumping out and hoping the person didn't see you naked or you could wait to get caught. you decided that your clothes were too far, and started frantically ushering as many bubbles to you as possible, trying to cover your body. you turn your back to the entrance just as you see the shadow of someone begin to round the corner.

"oh, shit, i'm sorry i didn't realize someone was in here." you wanted to curl up into a human ball of embarrassment. not only did the voice belong to a boy, but you knew exactly which boy it belonged to, and it rhymed with will beasley. unsure of how to respond, you just let out a nervous laugh, not wanting to let your voice give you away as someone who was definitely not a prefect.

"okay, well... i'll just come back later." you waited until you could no longer hear footsteps to climb out of the tub. once dry and wrapped in your fluffy robe, you reentered the hallway, but only after sticking your head out to make sure bill wasn't waiting by the door. as you walked back to your dorm, you could only begin to imagine all the teasing rose would give you when she found out he had seen you in the bath. luckily, by the time you cocooned yourself in your comforter, she was already asleep. you would have to tell her in the morning, or maybe you wouldn't.

**

by breakfast the three days later, the bath incident had left your mind. after the first 24 hours, you felt sure bill hadn't suspected anything, and even if he did, there was no way he could tell who the student in the bath was. you had to pause with the spoon of porridge halfway between your bowl and your mouth, because rose's impression of flitwick had made you burst into laughter. an owl fluttered down in front of you, dropping an envelope with your mother's handwriting on the front. you ripped it open and began to read.

"Dear y/n,

Hello love, I hope you're doing well with all of your classes this term. I'm writing to tell you that we'll be spending part of the Easter holiday with one of my friends and her family. Her name is Molly and she has two sons at hogwarts. Be sure to say hello to them, Molly says they're nice boys. The three of you can leave school together to travel home for break. I miss you dearly and can't wait to hear about your term in person.

love always,

mum"

rose put her chin on my shoulder to read the letter. "i didn't know your mum was friends with the weasley's," she giggled, obviously thinking about bill. "yeah, well that makes two of us." to be honest, you never really realized your mum had close friends. there was no reason for her not to, it had just never occurred to you that your parents were people outside of being your parents.

"actually, it makes four of us," you whipped around to see bill and charlie, a letter you assumed was similar to yours grasped in bill's hand. "my mum wrote they met here as kids and ran into each other a few weeks ago in diagon alley." his easy smile was attractive and his hair fell effortlessly into place, with one soft strand too short to be pushed behind his ear. it looked almost like someone had written it in, it was so perfectly placed.

"wicked," escaped rose's lips as a strained whisper. you elbowed her, praying that she would come to her senses and start acting like a real person.

"listen, i got to run to practice, but let's meet in the main entrance tomorrow morning, yeah? 10am?" charlie butt in, reaching around his brother to grab a banana off your table and without waiting for even a nod, turned to catch up with the rest of his team at the other end of hall.

"sorry about him, he's..." bill was suddenly looking down at you with a slightly funny expression, a small grin on his face.

"preoccupied?" you finish his sentence, marking the first words you've said since he approached you.

"yeah," then, he leans down close enough that only you can hear him when he says, "next time you go for a soak, i suggest trying the orange blossom bubbles," maintaining eye contact with you the whole time.

taken aback, you feel yourself get blush and lean back, your brow furrowed, "what? how did you-"

"i didn't realize you were so interested in astronomy, y/n," he says a little louder, standing back to his tall figure and casually tapping the back of his neck.

you mimic his motion and remember the small tattoo of a moon that sat at where your neck met your shoulders. you close your eyes and cover them with one hand. maybe if you shut your eyes hard enough and clicked your heals he would disappear. or even better, you would. "i'll see you tomorrow," he sent another cheeky smile and turned to walk away, hands in his pocket, laughing quietly to himself.

"um... what the fuck," rose spoke, making you realize you were still watching his back. "what was that about? how does he know about your tattoo?"

"he might've walked in on my while i was bathing a few days ago," you said, bracing yourself for the inevitable.

"WHAT?!" it was even louder than you expected. honestly, you loved rose but bringing attention to herself, and by proxy, you, was something she had a knack for, but not in an endearing way.

"would you calm down please? everyone was taking too long in the showers so i went to the prefects' bathroom and he came in. he only saw my back so i didn't think he knew who it was, but i forgot to account for moony back there," you rolled your eyes, how could you forget about something that you had chosen to put on your body forever?

"merlin, that's so not fair, do you know what i would give to be seen naked by bill weasley?" once again, you were slightly horrified by a comment made by your best friend. this is what you didn't understand about everyone's fascination surrounding bill. even as he walked away, you had noticed a handful of other students following him with their eyes. it was a fact that bill was attractive, beautiful even, but the way people would do anything for his attention freaked you out. being treated like that had to go to someone's head eventually.

"okay, that's enough of that. i'm just glad he didn't give me detention or something," you went back to your breakfast, although you were no longer very hungry.

**

the journey to the weasley's cottage by the sea was uneventful. in the morning, you boarded the hogwarts express with charlie and bill. you didn't speak much, but read a book in your shared compartment while charlie talked to bill non-stop about the latest quidditch techniques. "and i've been reading about dragons, and how they fly, and i think it would be really cool to try some of their flying patterns on a broom. it would be really hard and i'd have to make a few adjustments, because obviously i'm not a huge majestic creature, but if it worked, it'd be brilliant!" you looked up to see charlie on the edge of his seat, trying to mark some of the flying patterns, and looking intently at bill, as if waiting for him to be just as excited. "that sounds great, charlie, really. how did you start on about dragons?" bill quickly caught your eye and tried to share some of the amusement his brother brought him. "hagrid gave me a book, they're really something, bill."

your party gets off at king's cross, and you followed the older boy through the station, until he stops in front of a women's toilet. "uh, i think the men's is over there," you said pointing behind you. charlie laughed. "hah," bill faked a monotone laugh, "there's a portkey inside that will take us to shell cottage. dad said it was a," he looked down at a paper in his hand, "toilet brush. lovely. right, we have three minutes until it leaves. ladies first." he gestured and you entered the room. it was somewhat cramped with the three of you and your trunks, but in the corner was a white, and thankfully clean looking, toilet brush. you grabbed it and held it out for the others to hold on too. after about 10 seconds of waiting, you felt your body being pulled up and then like you had just jumped off a high diving board at a pool. falling, but strangely still feeling like you were upright. before long, your feet hit solid ground again, well somewhat solid ground. the sand made your landing shaky, as it moved under your weight. you looked up and saw a cozy house with warm light glowing from the windows.

after lots of introductions and even more hugs, you finally settled yourself in to a guest room. the view was beautiful. the sun was just starting to set over the sea, the orange hues reflecting off the vast water. putting away the last of your things, you walked down the stairs and announced to your mum and molly that you would be going on a walk. they nodded and made you promise to be back for dinner before returning to their conversation. as soon as you got to the beach, you slipped off your shoes and feel the cool sand swallow each of your toes. it was crisp, but not too cold. you walk for a bit and then sit down on a dune, just taking in the picture the world had created for you.

you see a figure walking toward you and, as it gets closer, you notice it's bill. "mind if i join you?" he asked.

"of course not," you watched him as he sat. "it's beautiful here, your family has a really lovely house."

"thanks, mum has a talent for making any place feel like home." he looked out at the water, but for some reason you kept looking at his face, trying to find details. bill felt your gaze and his eyes met yours. normally, you would've looked away, but a new confidence allowed me to hold his eye contact. "so, tell me more about your tattoo." you chuckled, you should've known it would come up at some point or another.

"i got it with rose on holiday using fake muggle IDs," you explained.

"any special meaning behind it?" he asked, his eyes were now flickering from yours to your neck.

"nope, just liked the art," it was true, you knew you wanted to get a tattoo but didn't want something that held too much weight, so you got something that was simply beautiful.

"that's cool," he said, reaching to touch it with his index finger, "did it hurt?" you shivered at the contact and he pulled away, "sorry."

"no, that's okay," you said turning slightly away from him so he could see it better and indicating that he could touch it. he went back to tracing it with his finger, leaning in to get a closer look. "it didn't hurt as much as i thought it would. but now that you've seen it, it's only fair that you tell me if you have any secret tattoos."

you heard him laugh, "obviously, i've just got the gryffindor lion across my chest, nothing crazy," he joked. you smiled and turned back to him.

"seems very fitting for you."

"oh yeah?"

"charismatic prefect, brave older brother, top of our DADA class? if you were any more gryffindor-y you'd be called godrick," you poked fun at him and leaned back to lay down.

"merlin, you make me sound unbearable."

"well–" you start to trail off only to feel a foot hit your knee, just hard enough to show playful anger. "alright, alright, kidding!"

"do you know what you want to do after school?" he asked, also lowering himself to the ground, but staying propped up on one elbow, his body turned to you.

"not exactly, i really like herbology and history of magic, so maybe find a job where i can study how wizards lived in the past? like how they used plants and stuff" it was something you had thought a lot about, but hadn't really found an answer that fit well.

"you'd be great at that." you shot him a skeptical look. "what? it's not hard to notice you're brilliant in herbology. sprout has you practically teaching half the lessons." you felt a blush spread across your cheeks, and felt thankful that the sunlight was starting to dim. you hadn't even realized you two shared that class, you were always more occupied in the nearest plant.

"what about you?"

"something to do with defense against the dark arts, mcgonagall told me about a career in curse breaking that sounds good. i think it'd allow me to travel, which is a plus."

"that sounds amazing," you say, your mind whisking you away to all the places you wanted to see.

"you can come and visit me, wherever i am." bill chuckled, letting another heart-breaker grin fall into place on his lips.

"and what makes you think we'll keep in touch after we leave hogwarts?" the tone turning back to a lighter banter. you push yourself up onto your elbows

"well, for one thing, our mums. but i also just have a feeling." you're betrayed by your cheeks heating up again. you look into his eyes and find sincerity. they're a deep blue, almost like they've been taken from the nearby water. once again you're reminded of his handsomeness, but this time it's a little different. maybe it's because you've talked more and he's shown you the things he's taken time to notice in you. but his beauty feels warmer. like it was only for you, like it could engulf you. you can see he's started to move closer, and you start to mirror his actions. your eyes move from his to his lips and the light stubble that runs along his jaw, and back again to his eyes. "can i...?" you close your eyes and start to nod, anticipating the feeling of his lips on yours, until, "kids! dinner!" and just like that, the moment is ruined. the two of you open your eyes and put space between yourselves. you clear your throat and stand up, brushing sand off of your legs.

"we should get back," you say.

"uh, yeah, totally." he says, also standing and following you back to the house.

on the walk back, you make sure to stay a few steps ahead of bill to allow yourself some time to think. what had just happened? did you like bill? surely it was just a weird moment following a minor existential crisis about the future right? you should just forget about it and try to focus on spending time with you family the rest of the trip.

[imaginedxlan]

loverboy (neville longbottom)

a/n: i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again, i am a SIMP for neville longbottom. also yall...  one away from 1k, how’d that happen? you guys rock my socks and i love you the absolutely most! sorry this one is kind of short i just liked the concept.

you’ve been friends with neville longbottom since first year. becoming comfortable with the shy boy and his frog over the years, you began calling him a nickname that makes him wish you would see him as anything other than your best friend.

warnings: zero baby just pure fluff

neville doesn’t open up to just anyone. after years of being shut down in every conversation, left out of nearly every house activity, he’s built a wall to protect himself from the people of hogwarts who constantly make him feel less than. you’re one of the lucky ones. you’ve seen beyond his high walls, he’s opened up to you about his parents, his insecurities and eventually pulled him out of his shell to talk about girls with you.

the nickname started when he told you about his small crush on luna lovegood. he seemed so entranced by her, he kissed the ground he walked on. once you caught on to his pining, you’ve called him loverboy ever since. it’s not to be mean or tease him, you actually admired how much he devoted his time to thinking about her.

what you didn’t know, however, is that it was never luna lovegood he was talking about. when he would describe his feelings for luna her name was only a placeholder for yours. he’d loved you since the moment he laid eyes on you, thinking even your crooked teeth, frizzy haired eleven year old self was the most beautiful creature he’d ever see.

“good morning loverboy,” you call sweetly as you sit next to the dark haired boy in potions class. you never found this class particularly interesting, but being able to sit next to neville made it at least slightly more fun. his heart aches at the nickname, trying to conceal the blush that is creeping on his cheeks. “sleep well?”

“hardly,” he replies, still keeping up his façade. “harry talks in his sleep all through the night. keeps me and trevor awake for hours.”

you smile at the mention of his beloved frog. “oh my dear trevor! how is my favorite amphibian?”

neville can’t contain his smile or his heart that hammering in his chest. you’re the only person who’s ever shown interest in the things he likes, the things he goes on and on about for hours. you’ve never once stopped him from going off on a tangent about his mimbulus mimbletonia or how he’s lost trevor for the tenth time that week. you’ve never rolled your eyes when he comes to sit with you in the library. you’ve never shied away from sitting next to him in herbology though many students find his chiming in rather annoying.

“he’s good,” he replies, trying to stop himself from gazing at you for too long. “i think he misses you.”

you laugh at his response, you really do love that frog. “you better make sure i’m not replaced as trevor’s favorite girl when you finally make a move on luna,” you tease but his heart drops. he knows it’s only a joke but he can’t imagine loving anyone other than you. “if i’m losing one of my loverboys i don’t think my heart could take losing the other as well.”

except you could never lose him. he can’t think of a time when his heart would belong to anyone else. he couldn’t say the same for you. as much as he wants to be around you and knows the nickname isn’t meant to make him sad, it only reminds him of the fact that he’ll never truly be your loverboy. the time will come when you go for a weasley or maybe even that ravenclaw boy you’ve talked about in defends against the dark arts with you and neville isn’t quite sure his heart will survive it.

as professor snape opened his book at the front of the class, the class quieted down. veritaserum. you had heard about the potion, mostly from the weasley twins slipping it in their younger brother’s drink once or twice, but you’d never used it. neville begins to fidget nervously beside you, and you think you know why. privacy has always been very important to the boy and something forcing him to talk about his deepest darkest fears or worse, his parents, is probably eating away at him.

you’re wrong. he’s so nervous because he’s afraid he’ll slip up if he takes it and someone will accidentally ask him about you. he won’t be able to keep his secret anymore.

“s’alright nev,” you whisper to him, taking his hand in yours and squeezing it slightly. an act of intended comfort made him nauseous. “i won’t let anyone pull any secrets from my loverboy, promise.”

you give him a sweet smile which only makes his heart race more. you’re so beautiful, even without the potion he could’ve let that thought slip to you if he wasn’t too careful. as class goes on, he thanks his lucky stars he isn’t chosen for the demonstration. watching you brew the potion to perfection surely would have made it difficult for him to keep back all the feelings he has for you.

later in the evening, however, he did not get so lucky. the twins somehow convinced seamus and dean to slip a few drops of the potion they’d learned to make that morning into neville’s pumpkin juice at dinner. you didn’t notice or surely you would have taken it from them and scolded them for picking on the boy, but you were to engrossed in a conversation with hermione to catch it. neville almost immediately realizes what’s happened when seamus begins asking him questions.

“how your feeling, longbottom?”

“tired, honestly kind of sweaty, really think i need a shower after dinner,” he says before he can stop himself, he smacks his hand to him mouth and his cheeks go red. dean and seamus burst out laughing making all of you turn to the three of them.

“sweaty? why would you possibly be sweaty neville?” dean continues the interrogation.

“been nervous all day, especially in potions. couldn’t get my mind off the stupid veritaserum and if anyone would ask me about y/n,” neville replies with his cheeks turning more red by the minute. you now had your full attention in the boy and he couldn’t stop the word vomit spilling from his lips. “you should have seen her, she brewed the potion perfectly. she’s so smart. godric and beautiful, i-”

you immediately stop him by smacking your own hand to his mouth. “merlin’s sake what did the two of you do?”

dean and seamus have a cheeky grin spread across their lips. “fred and george gave us veritaserum to put in his juice, didn’t think this would happen.”

without a second thought you pull your best friend from the table and out of the great hall to spare him of any more embarrassment he would have to endure. neville follows you blindly, grateful that you didn’t sit there and start laughing at him. when you get to the common room it’s empty, everyone being at dinner. you pull him to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace, he couldn’t help but admire how beautiful you look in the glowing flame.

“are you okay?” you ask, pulling your hand from his to look into his eyes. “i’m sorry they did that nev, you didn’t deserve that.”

“i’m more than okay,” he replies with a lazy grin on his face before switching back to his stone cold face full of nerves. “i like it when we’re by ourselves, wish it happened more often.”

“what do you mean, loverboy?”

“i wish you wouldn’t call me that,” he snaps but immediately regrets his tone. “not if you don’t mean it.”

“what are you on about? i mean it.”

“not in the way i want you to mean it...”

you’re trying to wrap you’re mind around what’s happening. sure you and neville have always been close and you compliment eachother here and there but this is different. you don’t want to take advantage of him, not when he’ll tell you everything you want to know while you can sit back and enjoy the show. you swiftly get up and tell him you’ll be right back. he sits on the couch confused as he watches you run out of the room. you make it to the great hall and everyone is looking at you as if you’ve gotten answers out of him that they’d want to know but you ignore him. you lift the tainted cup that neville had drank out of just minutes ago and take a swig.

“y/n!” hermione shrieks and you swallow the liquid. “what do you think you’re doing!”

“getting answers.” you say simply before running out of the room. you don’t feel any different, maybe it hadn’t worked. once you reach the common room again neville is exactly where you left him. “back.”

“what’d you do?”

“i drank the veritserum too,” you tell him and his eyes go wide. “this is going to be a fair conversation.”

neville swallows the lump in his throat at the thought of the two of you being completely honest with each other. he’s partly afraid the truth he’s about to hear is that you only want to be his friend, or that him confessing his feeling for you will only push you away. but there’s another part of him that’s hopeful, you took the veritaserum so this would be “fair,” that has to mean something.

“what were you doing to say when i stopped you earlier?” you ask him. “you said ‘i’ but i stopped you.”

he tries his best to push down the answer but it keeps making its way up his throat. “i was going to say i couldn’t keep my eyes off you all class.”

blush creeps onto your cheeks but you’re not certain why. you noticed him looking at you in potions but you assumed he was trying to understand how to make the potion.

“you’re turn.”

he thinks for a while, unsure of what he should ask you. “do you like matthew, the boy you talk about in ravenclaw, like like him?”

“i like him as a friend, nothing else,” you say back, your heart beginning to race. “do you like luna?”

“i never did, i like someone else.” he answers. you wish it was your turn again, you want to ask him who, part of you knows he’s going to say you given what you’ve learned this evening. you reach out to hold his hand and his touch makes your skin burn. “have you ever thought of us as more than friends?”

you want to say yes, you know it the answer he wants to hear, but it’s not the truth. you can’t lie to him even if you wanted to. before this moment, you only thought of him as a friend. not because you dislike him or think he’s unattractive, it’s just all he’s ever been to you. you take a deep breath and turn your eyes down to the floor.

“honestly, no,” you say back, neville swears he can hear his heart break within him rib cage. his heart burns at your response. he’s gotten his answer. “when did you start to think of me as more than a friend.”

he never came out and said he had feelings for you, but you’ve connected the dots. everything he’s answered, all the questions he’s asked points to him looking at you as more than just his friend. you’re not sure how to feel about it.

“first year, the minute you spoke to me i couldn’t help but think you were the most beautiful girl i’d ever seen, i still do, ” his words make your heart burst. you turn your head to meet his eyes again. they’re burning into you’re gaze. “what is it about me that’s made you only think of me as a friend, do you think i’m ugly?”

“godric no!” you say a bit too quickly for your own liking. “i never thought of you that way because that’s all we ever were neville, friends. i noticed how handsome you were last year, the long hair suited you, but i think you look nice any way you are. i had a dream about you at the christmas last year, i think that’s when i noticed how handsome you were. i guess i just never entertained the thought because you never gave me the impression you wanted anything more than this.”

he feels less shattered, less like you just ripped his heart out with your bare hands. hearing that you think he’s handsome sent butterflies to stomach. he’s quiet and so are you.

“do you want to stop?”

“no, i have another question,” he replies, pulling his hands from yours and backing away from you. you miss his touch already. maybe you did like him a little more than you thought. he braces himself for what’s about to come out of his mouth, for your reaction to what’s about to come out of his mouth. “if i asked to kiss you would you say no?”

“no.” you tell him quietly, if you thought your heart couldn’t pound any faster, it did. it feels like it’s about to jump from your chest. “do you want to kiss me?”

“merlin yes,” he almost whispers. he doesn’t move from his spot, eyes avoiding yours at all costs. always being the braver of the two of you, you take matters into your own hands. you pull yourself closer to him and rest your hand upon his cheek, forcing him to make eye contact with you again. you suck in a breath, the closest the two of you had ever been. “i’ve never kissed anyone before.”

“i know.”

you lean forward only a few centimeters until your lips are barely touching. you hesitate only because you know after this moment you can’t go back to being just friends again, this is going to change everything. even so, there’s like a magnetic pull between you too, you’re craving the feeling of his lips against yours.

while still deep in your thought and hesitations, your eyes drilled shut as you try and decide what to do, you feel his lips press against yours and you melt. it’s better than either of you could have imagined. while neville had be dreaming of this moment for six years, you had only just begun thinking about him in this way minutes ago. you place your free hand on the side of his neck and he places his on the small of your back, pulling you closer into him. You move yourself so that your sat on top of his thighs, attempting to expel any space between the two of you. his hands rest on your hips just before you pull away from him to catch your breath. his eyes flicker between yours, looking for an answer to what you’re feeling.

“i’m sorry,” he says sheepishly, thinking the worst. “do you want to stop? we can pretend this never happened.”

“i never want to stop.”

you connect your lips with his again, slinging your arms around his neck to feel the closeness again. you know he’s never done anything like this before, he’s probably nervous out of his mind, so you attempt to ease his worries by guiding his actions. in just the few minutes you’ve spent with your lips on his, you’ve because obsessed with the feeling. you can hear how heavily he’s breathing as his hand moves from your side to be entangled in your hair. you can’t help but smile, this moment is pure bliss.

you eventually pull away from each other, you decide it’s best to keep this night to just his first kiss. you lean forward and plant a soft kiss to the side of his neck before burying your face in the soft skin. eventually his breath evens out, and he moves his arms to wrap around you.

“what happens now?” he asks, hoping the veritaserum can give him some sort of clear view into your brain.

“i don’t know,” you reply, it’s honest, you have no idea what happens from here on out. “what do you want to happen?”

“i want to kiss you like that a million more times,” he breathes out which makes you laugh into his neck. looks like ther veritaserum hasn’t worn off just yet. “can we just sit here for a minute so we don’t have to think about what’s gonna come?”

“you read my mind, loverboy.”